'The Good Place' heads to the afterlife

Welcome! Everything is fine. It's just NBC's "The Good Place" (2016–20) has sadly come to an end. After four years on our television screens and computers, and who knows how many Jeremy Bearimys later, our gang finally solved the afterlife and even then some.

During its first season, it seemed as though the network sitcom was fading into irrelevance. With streaming services using previous NBC hits like "Friends" (1994–2004) to gain a following and premium cable channels making more nuanced comedies, such as FX's "Atlanta" (2016–) or HBO's "Silicon Valley" (2014–19), it felt like there was little to no room for a new sitcom to capture any cultural attention.

"The Good Place" changed that, though. After it was revealed that certain characters were mistakenly put in the Good Place, it became as plot-driven as any drama on television but still packed in some of the funniest humor around. This didn't revitalize the network comedy genre, though, which would probably be asking too much for a single show to do anyway. But it was fascinating how at times the adoration of "The Good Place" tried to separate itself from its medium, as if was a great show in spite of the fact that it was aired on television first.

While the show was absolutely inventive with its unique plot and up-to-date pop culture references, it still had the marks of a classic sitcom. Starring Ted Danson, who has had so many cable shows go to syndication he could probably make his own channel solely of shows he's starred in, run by Michael Schur, co-creator of "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" (2013–) and "Parks and Recreation" (2009–15), and powered by an ensemble cast with great chemistry. "The Good Place" clearly contains lineage from the great sitcoms that came before it.

All credit to Schur as a showrunner as well; "The Good Place" took clear steps to go in a completely different style than his prior work. Schur's previous hits could be considered commentaries about modern America via the workplace, whereas "The Good Place" felt like a live debate about modern America's morality. At a time of such strong polarization and bigotry only getting louder, Schur used his platform to ask if people can change and get better.

Despite a frustrating fourth season, the final episodes are a touching, thoughtful close to the show. Throughout the fourth season, it felt like the show was lacking with its comedic and narrative style going from inventive to repetitive. But as the show neared an end, it narrowed its focus to what made it so special: the cast and the bond shared between them.

By the end of the show Chidi (William Jackson Harper), Eleanor (Kristen Bell), Tahani (Jameela Jamil), Jason (Manny Jacinto), Michael (Danson) and Janet (D'Arcy Carden) convince the Judge, played by Maya Rudolph, to allow people who may not be deserving of entering the Good Place to earn their way. Ironically, these people are subjected to the same neighborhood experiment that was the original premise of the show. It all comes full circle. In the finale, each human character realizes one by one that  it’s time for them to depart the Good Place and be gone forever. Chidi best explains this by using a Buddhist saying, comparing life to an ocean wave crashing on a beach and returning back to the water. It's a moment that is so profound and honest when it easily could've felt like a cheesy attempt to give an answer to angry simplistic fans who want "The Good Place" to tell them where we go when we pass on.

"The Good Place" could have been a million different things. It was a lot of them. It was funny, it was contemplative, it was beautifully composed and most importantly, it felt human. It didn't try to answer life's greatest mysteries about what happens when we are no longer on Earth, but it gave us some advice for while we are still on it. In its plea for kindness and empathy, "The Good Place" didn't say civility and compromise was the way to do that. We should all strive to get better as people, but doing it on your own is really difficult. Friendship makes everything easier. In the finale Eleanor says, "There’s greater happiness waiting for you if you form bonds with other people." Nothing feels more fitting of an end.