‘The Good Place’ to end after fourth season
“The Good Place” will end its run after its fourth season next year, creator Mike Schur revealed on Friday at the show’s Emmy FYC panel.
Speaking in front of a full house at the TV Academy’s Saban Theatre in North Hollywood, Schur revealed that the show’s writers plan was to tell a four-season story and that’s exactly what they planned to do.
“It’s a bullet train it doesn’t slow down for anything,” Schur said of the final season.
The series stars admitted they appreciated the fact that they were ending the show on their own terms, even though they were sad to see it end. “Much respect,” said star Ted Danson. “I know we do fart jokes but this is a serious show.”
“Any padding or over-telling a really great story would be a shame.”
Added D’Arcy Carden, who plays Janet: “We all learned together, my reaction was ‘cool, ok, yeah,’ and 24 hours later it was, ‘I think I’m depressed!’
“I have so much respect for Mike and the writers and I have always been a fan of shows that go out on their own terms.”
“The Good Place,” from Universal TV, has been critically acclaimed from launch, and at the recent network upfronts NBC revealed that via multiple platforms and streaming it is actually the network’s most-watched show.
The freshman sitcom premiered in 2016 to solid ratings, attracting the best ratings for a new Peacock comedy since 2012.
“After ‘The Good Place’ was picked up for season two, the writing staff and I began to map out, as best we could, the trajectory of the show,” Schur said in a statement. “Given the ideas we wanted to explore, and the pace at which we wanted to present those ideas, I began to feel like four seasons – just over 50 episodes – was the right lifespan. At times over the past few years we’ve been tempted to go beyond four seasons, but mostly because making this show is a rare, creatively fulfilling joy, and at the end of the day, we don’t want to tread water just because the water is so warm and pleasant. As such, the upcoming fourth season will be our last.”
Per NBC, “The Good Place” averaged a 1.6 rating in adults 18-49 last season and 4.6 million viewers overall in live plus seven day ratings. Counting digital viewership only, “The Good Place” was up season to season by 38% in 18-49.
“Since day one, ‘The Good Place’ has been a seminal show for us and one that hits all the NBC touch points – incredibly smart, funny, inventive and emotional,” said Lisa Katz and Tracey Pakosta, Co-Presidents of Scripted Programming, NBC Entertainment. “We know the audience will love what Mike Schur and his writers have in store for the final season.”
Since its launch in 2016, “The Good Place” has won the AFI Award for Program of the Year, TCA Award for Program of the Year, a Humanitas Award and a Peabody Award. In addition, the series has been nominated for a Golden Globe Award, Writers Guild Award, Producers Guild Award and Critics’ Choice Award.
A show that has explored philosophy., the afterlife and everything in between, “The Good Place” stars Ted Danson, Kristen Bell, William Jackson Harper, Jameela Jamil, Manny Jacinto and D’Arcy Carden.
Schur, David Miner, Morgan Sackett and Drew Goddard executive produce.