Third season of 'The Good Place' proves promising, but implosion lurks just around the corner

Only four episodes into its third season, "The Good Place" (2016–) already feels back in form. Despite the setting change to Earth, the gang of Chidi, Eleanor, Jason and Tahani all seem to be their normal, albeit idiosyncratic, selves. Our protagonists have a number of short-term and long-term obstacles they have to overcome. In the season premiere, they are forced to confront and defeat the evil inside themselves in a desperate attempt to become better people. Then, in the next episode, they must negotiate with a demon who ironically puts them through a series of tests to prove that they are not good people after all. Now, having fled banishment to the Bad Place, viewers will observe how they fare as fugitives on Earth. This all seems pretty weighty for a production by Michael Schur, the man who created "The Office" (2005–2013), "Parks and Recreation" (2009–2015) and "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" (2013–). After two seasons, will "The Good Place" continue to flourish?

Television shows have to deal constantly with obstacles. In the structure of television narratives, there are season-long arcs with major plot lines that are referred to in some direct or indirect way in every episode, and then there are more micro-episodic arcs, in which characters have to achieve or accomplish something in order to progress in their lives. All of the incredible comedies that Schur has helmed over the last decade are no different, and there is nothing wrong with that.

However, it does seem that "The Good Place," despite all its success, has a narrative problem on its hands. After the plot twist at the end of season one, in which we found out that the humans were all in the Bad Place, the twists have not stopped. With every two episodes comes a new problem that needs to be solved, and once that problem is fixed, another problem arises as a byproduct.

Moreover, the obstacles that continue to be resolved could probably be season-long arcs and carry higher stakes, but are instead merely dealt with in an episode or two. In the second season, Michael and the humans tentatively join forces to avoid punishment, but soon this plot line is forced to pivot when Michael’s boss returns. Then comes the complication of dealing with Michael’s boss, Shawn — again, the plot of Shawn's being misled about Michael only lasts about an episode and a half. These misdirections are probably enjoyable and comedic enough to last an entire season, but the show decides to handle them quickly. If long journeys are reduced to episodic narratives, the show can only proceed at a slow pace, and "The Good Place" will have to continue to pivot until the writers inevitably get stuck in a corner.

The premise of the third season is also difficult to believe. Now that the four humans are back on Earth, how will they find each other again? And once they do, how will they return to the Good Place? The series has never quite established the necessary moral standing one must possess in order to attain access to the Good Place, but it is clear that none of our protagonists come close to meeting the required level of goodness. It will be fascinating to see how this crucial plot point is resolved.

Ultimately, however, "The Good Place" continues to excel in the world of comedic sitcoms, and with excellent writing and acting the show is definitely as funny and creative as it has been the past two seasons. Hopefully the remainder of the third season will not let us down.