TV Show review
September 19, 2016 · 22 min · TV-14
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
The Good Place is a comedy series about Eleanor Shellstrop, a selfish woman who dies and wakes up in what seems like heaven. She works with an ethics professor and new friends to become a better person while uncovering big twists about how the afterlife actually works. The show uses humor to explore moral philosophy, personal growth, and the flaws in strict judgment systems. It adds light touches on modern issues like workplace sexism and bureaucratic failure, but these stay secondary to universal ethics lessons.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for The Good Place.
Woke representation / casting
Diverse ensemble cast fits a modern afterlife comedy premise with no visible forcing, signaling, or story mismatches.
Woke political dialogue
Occasional references to issues like sexism and bureaucracy appear but mainly support broader ethical discussions rather than activist framing.
Identity-driven story themes
Story centers on universal personal improvement and moral questions accessible across backgrounds with no identity-specific plot drivers.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Critiques the afterlife's rigid points system for ignoring human complexity and intent, plus satire on overly conciliatory committees, but avoids modern identity or anti-conservative framing.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Limited to scattered online notes; no widespread debate or major news treating the show as pushing woke content.
Creator track record context
Schur's prior shows include light social satire, and he has publicly noted frustration with certain progressive political habits, but no strong activist pattern.
Production
