A true television trailblazer, The Good Place followed four dead people as they tried to settle into the seemingly-idyllic afterlives they found themselves in. The show's premise was genuinely unique, with an all-star cast including Kristen Bell, Ted Danson, William Jackson Harper, D'Arcy Carden, Manny Jacinto, and Jameela Jamil. Throughout its run, The Good Place offered a flock of season-ending cliffhangers that still have us buzzing.
However, all good things must end, and January 30, 2020, marked a forking sad day for fans when The Good Place series finale aired on NBC. Now that the fans are robbed of their favorite show, it might be time to look into similar series.
'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' (2013-2021)
Also created by Michael Schur, Brooklyn Nine-Nine is an American police comedy that hones the same goofiness as The Good Place. Following the detectives at the ninety-ninth precinct as they solve crimes and get in trouble, the show is popular in some circles but wildly underrated when it comes to the mainstream world of TV shows.
With a remarkable cast including Andy Samberg, Melissa Fumero, Andre Braugher, and Stephanie Beatriz, Brooklyn Nine-Nine is complete with an ensemble cast of beautiful actors, outlandish plotlines, and a long-term arc focused on Jake and Amy's relationship. Streaming on Netflix, Hulu, and Peacock, the show also shares Marc Evan Jackson (who plays Shawn, an Immortal Being in The Good Place) in its cast.
'Community' (2009-2015)
If there's one thing that The Good Place and Community have in common, it's the group of people with nothing in common who gradually become friends and then a family. Following self-centered schemer Jeff (Joel McHale), who loses his job in a law firm after his fake college degree is brought to light, Community is the tale of students at Greendale Community College who decide to study Spanish together. Community is streaming on Netflix, Prime Video, and Hulu.
While Jeff starts the Spanish study group to get closer to his crush, pretentious activist Brita (Gillian Jacobs), the budding love story becomes a hysterical comedy when others join the group, including entitled jock Troy (Donald Glover), sanctimonious single mother Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown), and unapologetic chauvinist Pierce (Chevy Chase).
'Parks And Recreation' (2009-2015)
Before The Good Place, Michael Schur co-created Parks and Recreation, a series that significantly buffed his unique brand of hilarious and emotional comedy. The show is about Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler), an amiable and ambitious employee at the Parks and Recreation department at Pawnee, Indiana. She believes in the best in people and brings her confidence to work, but it doesn't always get the same reaction from her coworkers.
Like The Good Place, Parks and Recreation is about a group of people becoming a family and has a wholesome romantic relationship at its core. You can stream the show on Peacock Premium.
Jane The Virgin (2014-2019)
Breaking regional and religious stereotypes, Jane The Virgin is a comedy-drama based on the life of a Venezuelan woman named Jane (Gina Rodriguez), who has vowed to her grandmother to abstain from sex until marriage and follows it seriously. However, her promise is threatened when a doctor's error leads to her accidentally becoming pregnant due to artificial insemination. Now, not only does she have to deal with a family, but her work might be taking a toll too.
Streaming on Netflix, Jane The Virgin is a thoughtful comedy that will never seem tedious to watch, even after four remarkable seasons.
Superstore (2015-2021)
Amy (America Ferrera) is a floor manager at Cloud 9, a Superstore where you get everything you need and everything you don't need. Her coworkers are diverse people trying to keep one foot in front of another without losing their minds. Enter Jonah (Ben Feldman), a business school dropout whose credentials don't quite translate into retail skills.
The Cloud 9 store in Superstore is worse than The Bad Place Kristen Bell experiences in The Good Place, making both shows exceedingly similar. Characters in both series are stuck somewhere they don't really want to be and forced to make the best of it. Superstore is streaming on Peacock Premium and Hulu TV.
Pretty Smart (2021)
When Chelsea (Emily Osment), a book-smart, Harvard-educated intellectual and aspiring novelist, moves in with her bubbly, carefree, rather unwise West Coast sister, Claire (Olivia Macklin), and her three roommates: Grant (Gregg Sulkin), an amusingly handsome personal trainer, Solana (Cinthya Carmon), a former lawyer turned healer, and Jayden (Michael Hsu Rosen), a social media influencer, she learns there is more to the world than her academic boyfriend and perfect novel.
Enlightening and side-splitting, Pretty Smart is your go-to TV show when you want to laugh out loud. Unfortunately for fans, the Netflix Original was canceled after one season and only ten episodes in April 2022.
Pushing Daisies (2007-2009)
Bryan Fuller's Pushing Daisies is strikingly similar to The Good Place in terms of sharing a whimsical quality and tone, giving death a fable-like approach. Ned (Lee Pace) is an ordinary piemaker with an extraordinary ability to resurrect the dead with just a touch. He helps Emerson Cod (Chi McBride), a private investigator, solve crimes until they encounter homicide victim Chuck (Anna Friel), his childhood love.
Streaming on the CW Seed App, Pushing Daisies was unjustifiably canceled after two seasons, but the twenty-two episodes contain much excellent content to binge.
The Office (2005-2013)
A mockumentary about the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin paper company, The Office, revolves around the everyday lives of Michael Scott (Steve Carell) and his employees. He is a terrible boss, and while he cares deeply, he doesn't really understand the concept of lines and boundaries. The show also features numerous romantic relationships between the employees, including Kelly (Mindy Kaling) and Ryan's (B. J. Novak) toxic on-and-off and Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam's (Jenna Fischer) wholesome "love at first sight" trope.
While the two shows are distant cousins, they are both quirky comedies. Michael Schur was a writer on The Office and even played Dwight's (Rainn Wilson) cousin Mose.
BoJack Horseman (2014-2020)
BoJack Horseman explores an alternate version of Hollywood, called "Hollywoo" in the show. The legendary BoJack (Will Arnett) is a pessimistic '90s TV star looking to make a comeback with a titillating autobiography. In his quest, he seeks the help of human ghostwriter Diane (Alison Brie), but they're faced with countless challenges along the way, including his substance abuse and his arduous agent/ex, Persian cat Princess Carolyn (Amy Sedaris).
Streaming on Netflix, the animated series is downright hysterical, profoundly tragic, and shockingly poignant. Much like The Good Place, Bojack Horseman will have you switching from laughing out loud to overthinking human existence in seconds.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017-Present)
Set in the 1950s, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel follows Midge (Rachel Brosnahan), a seemingly ordinary New York housewife who discovers an extraordinary talent. After her husband cheats on her with his secretary, a drunk and furious Midge finds herself in a comedy club, where she jumps on stage and delivers a stand-up that is every bit as hysterical as ferocious.
While set up in a world that isn't even slightly perfect, the series offers a more profound look at femininity in a world approaching second-wave feminism. Like The Good Place, one can't help but smile at Midge, who is as funny as she is emotional. The show is streaming on Prime Video.