Everything Is Fine (The Good Place)

"Everything Is Fine" is the pilot episode of the American fantasy-comedy television series The Good Place. It was written by series creator Michael Schur and directed by executive producer Drew Goddard. It aired on NBC in the United States on September 19, 2016, airing back-to-back with the second episode "Flying".

"Everything Is Fine"
The Good Place episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 1
Directed byDrew Goddard
Written byMichael Schur
Produced by
Original air dateSeptember 19, 2016
Running time24 minutes
Guest appearance(s)

The series focuses on Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell), a woman who wakes up in the afterlife and is introduced by Michael (Ted Danson) to "The Good Place", a Heaven-like utopia he designed, in reward for her righteous life. She realizes that she was sent there by mistake and must hide her morally imperfect behavior and try to become a better person.

The episode earned a Nielsen rating of 2.3/8 in the 18–49 demographic and was viewed by 8.04 million viewers. It earned positive reviews from critics, praising the writing and Bell's and Danson's performances.

Plot

Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell) finds herself in a waiting room, with the words "Welcome! Everything Is Fine." written on the wall. She then enters a room where a man named Michael (Ted Danson) awaits her. He informs her that she is dead, killed after a line of shopping carts in the parking lot of a supermarket pushed her into the oncoming path of a truck which was advertising erectile dysfunction pills, and the space they are in is a Heaven-like utopia called "The Good Place."

Michael gives her a tour throughout the Good Place before getting her to meet with newcomers and watch an informational video. In the video, Michael explains that every action humans make in their life gives them either positive or negative points depending of their choices. After a person dies, their total points are tallied and only people with very high points are allowed into The Good Place. Eleanor earned her spot for saving lives as a lawyer that defended people on death row. Also, every person in the Good Place has a soulmate, a person with whom to spend their eternal life together.

After presenting Eleanor with a house designed specifically for her preferences, Michael introduces her to her soulmate, Chidi Anagonye (William Jackson Harper), a Senegalese ethics professor. When Michael leaves, Eleanor reveals to Chidi that everything Michael said about her life is wrong and she's not the person he says she is. Eleanor made a living by knowingly selling a worthless supplement to the sick and elderly and was crass and uncaring, not recalling any good action she's ever done. Michael then introduces Eleanor and Chidi to Tahani Al-Jamil (Jameela Jamil) and her soulmate Jianyu Li (Manny Jacinto), their neighbors. Tahani is a wealthy philanthropist while Jianyu is a Buddhist monk who has decided to keep his vow of silence.

While on a party hosted by Tahani and Jianyu at their mansion, Chidi begins to question whether to help Eleanor or not. The next morning, Eleanor wakes up to discover that many things that represent her crass comments about her life and her insults to Tahani at the party are wreaking havoc on the Good Place. Chidi tells her that remaining in the Good Place is cause for the incident and her actions are affecting it. Eleanor then asks Chidi to help her become a better person just as Michael knocks on the door to inform them of an emergency meeting.

Production

Development

NBC issued a press release on August 13, 2015, announcing it had given the then untitled show a 13-episode order based purely on a pitch by Michael Schur.[1] On January 2016, it was announced Drew Goddard was going to direct the first episode.[2]

According to Schur, the premise and idea was to include religious elements into the series after doing research on various faiths and groups, but he decided to scrap the plans, instead going for a concept that included all faiths that was diverse and free of religious views. "I stopped doing research because I realized it's about versions of ethical behavior, not religious salvation," he says. "The show isn't taking a side, the people who are there are from every country and religion." Schur also points out that the setting (shot in San Marino, California's Huntington Gardens) already had the feeling of a pastiche of different cultures, stating that the neighborhoods will feature people who are part of nondenominational and interdenominational backgrounds that interact with each other regardless of religion.[3]

The series' setting and premises, as well as the serialized cliffhangers, were modeled on Lost, a favorite of Schur. One of the first people he called when he developed the series was Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof. In an interview, he remarked, "I took him to lunch and said, 'We're going to play a game [of] 'Is this anything?'" He then added, "I imagine this going in the Lost way, with cliffhangers and future storylines."[4] His discussions with Lindelof were a key factor in why he "didn't pitch [the show] to NBC until [he] had the whole idea, because of hearing [Lindelof] talk about the process of writing a show that has these qualities and how hard it can be." Instead, he planned out the season and where "the big tentpole episodes" would go; this plan would deviate little during production of the first season.[5]

Casting

On January 12, 2016, it was announced that Kristen Bell and Ted Danson had been cast in the lead roles for the series. The first synopsis of the show was also released, stating that the show was set to revolve around Eleanor designing her own self-improvement course with Michael acting as her guide[6] – although the afterlife element had always been a part of the series, as Kristen Bell has stated she was aware of the first-season finale twist when she signed onto the show.[7]

William Jackson Harper was cast as Chris on February 11, 2016,[8] though the character was renamed Chidi. Jameela Jamil was cast as Tessa on February 25, 2016,[9] and her character was renamed Tahani. On March 3, 2016, Manny Jacinto was revealed to have been cast as a "sweet and good-natured Jason" whose "dream is to make a living as a DJ in Southern Florida".[10] On March 14, 2016, D'Arcy Carden was cast in the final series regular role as Janet Della-Denunzio, a violin salesperson with a checkered past[11] – though the character was completely reworked, she retained her original first name in the series.

Reception

Viewers

In its original American broadcast, "Everything Is Fine" was seen by an estimated 8.04 million household viewers and gained a 2.3/8 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to Nielsen Media Research. This means that 2.3 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode, while 8 percent of all households watching television at that time watched it. With these ratings, The Good Place was the second most watched show on NBC for the night, behind The Voice, first on its timeslot and fourth for the night in the 18-49 demographics, behind Kevin Can Wait, The Voice, and The Big Bang Theory.[12]

Reviews

Overall, the episode received generally positive reviews from critics. In a review from an advance screening at San Diego Comic-Con, Matt Fowler of IGN gave the episode a 7.2 out of 10. He described the show as "a whimsically bureaucratic look at the afterlife" that could "stand on its own as a slice of unique, fun TV." He noted that Bell and Danson "delight" but "the rest of the ensemble needs work."[13] Dennis Perkins of The A.V. Club gave the pilot and the following episode, "Flying", an A-. He praised Schur's version of the afterlife, remarking that "the good place's rules and eccentricities [are] fairly bursting with comic ingenuity and fiddly little bits of weirdness that promise a renewable supply of laughs and interest." He also called Bell "the perfect choice for Eleanor, as her innate brightness keeps us rooting for Eleanor to brazen her way through her mistaken admittance to paradise."[14] In another review of the first two episodes, Noel Murray of Vulture gave 4 out of 5 stars, calling the show "clever, funny, and pleasantly familiar." He remarked, "Teasing a few mysteries is always a strong way to launch a series, though The Good Place doesn’t dwell on them at the expense of telling good jokes."[15]

References
  1. "Michael Schur Returns to NBC with Series Order for Untitled Comedy". The Futon Critic. August 13, 2015. Archived from the original on December 6, 2020. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  2. Andreeva, Nellie (January 13, 2016). "Drew Goddard To Direct Mike Schur NBC Comedy Series 'Good Place'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 21, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  3. Ostrow, Joanne (September 15, 2016). "How Will NBC's 'The Good Place' Tackle Religion?". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 14, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
  4. Birnbaum, Debra (August 16, 2016). "'The Good Place' Boss Mike Schur: The Model in My Head is 'Lost'". Variety. Archived from the original on September 17, 2017. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
  5. Adams, Erik (September 19, 2016). "Michael Schur knows where The Good Place is going, thanks to Lost". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on June 15, 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  6. NBC press release (January 12, 2016). "Ted Danson and Kristen Bell Join Cast of Michael Schur's New NBC Comedy "Good Place"". The Futon Critic. Archived from the original on June 6, 2020. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  7. "Kristen Bell on Twitter". Twitter. January 19, 2017. Archived from the original on February 3, 2017. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
  8. Andreeva, Nellie (February 11, 2016). "'Good Place' NBC Comedy Series Casts William Jackson Harper". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 27, 2018. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  9. Andreeva, Nellie (February 25, 2016). "'Good Place': British Presenter Jameela Jamil Cast In Mike Schur NBC Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 12, 2019. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  10. Petski, Denise (March 3, 2016). "'Good Place' NBC Comedy Series Casts Manny Jacinto; Julie Goldman Joins ABC's Weeks/Mackay Project". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 24, 2019. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  11. Andreeva, Nellie (March 14, 2016). "'Good Place': UCB Performer D'Arcy Carden Cast In Mike Schur NBC Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 29, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
  12. Porter, Rick (September 20, 2016). "Monday final ratings: 'Big Bang Theory' and 'Gotham' adjust up, 'Kevin' and 'Good Place' hold". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 9, 2016. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  13. Fowler, Matt (July 21, 2016). "Comic-Con 2016: The Good Place - "Pilot" Review". IGN. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  14. Perkins, Dennis (September 19, 2016). "Kristen Bell is perfectly at home crashing The Good Place". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  15. Murray, Noel (September 19, 2016). "The Good Place Series Premiere Recap: You Don't Belong Here". Vulture. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
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