Mike Schur, creator of The Good Place, recently (and rightfully) won the Ray Bradbury Nebula Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation in recognition of the show's series finale. Accepting the award alongside his visual effects “guru," David Niednagel, Schur seems humble at first. Or well, humbled enough to say that he deserved the recognition over Niednagel and the rest of the cast and crew.
In Schur’s hilarious way, his speech praises himself for his work on The Good Place and downplaying everyone else’s talent and hard work. While Schur goes on to thank the cast, including Ted Danson, Kristen Bell, William Jackson Harper, Jameela Jamil, Manny Jacinto, and D’Arcy Carden, he also makes it clear that he was giving them “gold” week after week to work with and that’s why the show was so good.
And so, as Schur begins to take full credit for the show, Niednagel shows him his power, using his visual effects to “clown” Schur. (At one point, literally.) No matter what Schur says, clearly Niednagel is the winner here.
This hilariously fun speech illustrates the lighthearted nature of the show while showing us all that Schur isn’t going to take himself too seriously (even while literally saying the exact opposite). It's very in line with Schur’s shows, which have the ability to bring a warmth to your heart like no other. He executive produced shows like The Office and Parks and Recreation before creating The Good Place and there’s a reason those shows are comfort television for so many (myself included — my favorite show ever is Parks and Recreation).
The Good Place was a diversion from Schur's workplace comedies Schur, as it meant branching out into the world of fantasy and science fiction. But in exploring what happens after we die and putting mortality and morality on the line, The Good Place not only made us laugh but reminded us all to live our lives to the best of our abilities and to look out for one another. Not only that, it also brought with it the message that we can always grow and learn from our mistakes — it was a beautifully written series that we’ll all miss dearly. So this win for Schur and company is well deserved.