The Good Place: Why the TV Series Won’t Return For Season 5

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Of all the things that we know as human beings, death is the only that we are most certain of. Regardless of the certainty of this phenomenon, it also falls in the group of things that still baffle the human race, and this is because what comes after death is not known. Religions have tried to explain this – as well as, movies and television shows. The Good Place is a television show that has its premise on what happens after people take their last breath. This fantasy comedy show is written in a way that fuels questioning and is centered on certain ethical questions. The Good Place will not return for a fifth season, to learn more about why the television show will end in its fourth season, keep reading.

The Good Place – The Show’s Premise

Eleanor Shellstrop wakes up from her death bed but she does not wake up to the life she had before but rather she is in a place called The Good Place, created by a man called Michael, an architect who has designed this afterlife location in a way that is specific to the tastes and desires of each person.

Shellstrop also gets a soul mate, called Chidi Anagonye. She, however, realizes that The Good Place is where people who have lived morally upright lives are supposed to be and she had not necessarily been a stellar person when alive and had instead led an amoral life. This causes her to panic and worry that she has arrived at the location in error; she shares her fears with Anagonye who decides to teach her how to be moral.

Jason Mendoza is another person who knows he is not meant to be in The Good Place because of the type of life he led while alive, Anagonye also offers to help him grow into a person who is deserving of The Good Place. As the seasons’ progress, so does the story.

Why Was The Good Place Cancelled?

The first season aired in 2016 and it was seen by more than 8 million people but as the television show ran its course, the number of people who watched dropped significantly. By the end of the first season, its viewership dropped by more than 5 million, it picked up in the second season but continued to maintain its downward spiral in viewership numbers.

This can be partly blamed on the time slot change it experienced with the start of each new season. But in the 3rd season of The Good Place, the plot became somewhat tedious and there was a significant decline in viewership numbers. Like all things, even this show about death would also face its own death and the demise of the witty, fun television show came as a result of the decline in viewership.

The renewal for the fourth season happened in December of 2018, while the 3rd season was still ongoing. When the news was released about the first date that the fourth season would air, it was also stated that the show had come to end with that season and unlike the first three seasons that have 13 episodes, the fourth will have 14. With The Good Place coming to an end, a spin-off series was released as well. The series was aired as a web series and has just 6 episodes. It follows the activities of a minor character and features what is called “The Bad Place.”

What Critics Thought of It

The Good Place performs a balancing act of asking important philosophical questions, interrogating ethical behavior while infusing the story with comedy that does not fall flat or seem forced. Where do we go when we die? Is there a clear cut division between what is good and bad? and do people really change? These are some of the questions the series tried to pose. The show has been praised for its acting, writing, directing and comedy, praise that has translated to award nominations and wins. One defining quality of the show is the many twists and surprises it pulls on its audience. All of this only did so much to keep the show running for as long as it did. Rotten Tomatoes rated the final season at 100%!

Ironically, The Good Place is written and produced by Michael Schur. , William Jackson Harper, , Ted Danson, and D’Arcy Carden all play lead characters.