best and most popular TV shows of the decade.

The Good Place follows Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell), who, after she dies, finds herself in a utopian afterlife as she arrives in Heaven. However, Eleanor knows well that she lived a dishonorable life and doesn’t belong in Heaven. Eleanor then does her best to avoid being discovered and sent to the Bad Place, but she meets some great people completely different from her who inspire her to become a better person. Eleanor’s journey has a huge twist in season 1’s finale, which was only told to two actors, but one of them couldn’t keep the secret.

Only Kristen Bell And Ted Danson Knew About The Good Place’s Season 1 Twist

The Secret Made The Reveal Even Better

Eleanor spends the entire first season of The Good Place trying to fit into the title place, to the point where she asks Chidi (William Jackson Harper) to help her become a better person. After many incidents in the so-called Good Place and arguments between Eleanor, Chidi, Jason (Manny Jacinto), and Tahani (Jameela Jamil), Eleanor finally realizes the truth about their afterlife: they're not in the Good Place, and, instead, it's the Bad Place, with Michael revealing himself as a demon and the mind behind this plan.

It was a twist not just for the audience but for the characters as well, and it's regarded as one of the best of the decade. To make The Good Place's season 1 twist even better, Bell and Danson were the only ones who knew about it from the beginning, with the rest of the show's main actors filming almost all season thinking their characters were struggling to adapt to Heaven. The rest of the cast were told about the twist shortly before production of the season finale began.

They, like their characters, believed for almost the entire season that they were in the Good Place.

Harper, Jacinto, and Jamil having no idea about The Good Place’s twist at the end of the first season definitely helped their performances and the season in general. They, like their characters, believed for almost the entire season that they were in the Good Place but, for some reason, weren’t adapting completely, making their performances more authentic and their reactions to the big twist more natural. Bell and Danson had to know the truth before the rest did, but one of them wasn’t good at keeping the secret for long.

Ted Danson Spoiled The Good Place’s Ending For John Krasinski While Describing The Show

Unfortunately, John Krasinski Couldn’t Have The Full The Good Place Experience

Keeping a secret like the big twist in The Good Place season 1 is a big responsibility, so I don’t really blame Ted Danson for spoiling it for John Krasinski. During a visit to Late Night with Seth Meyers in 2020, Danson was asked if he had trouble explaining the show to others or was worried he would give too much away when talking about the project. Danson itted that he did share The Good Place’s big twist with John Krasinski, with whom he says he is very competitive.

According to Danson, when Krasinski jokingly made fun of the concept of The Good Place, which to him sounded like “The Office but in heaven”, Danson let out that, at the end of the first season, he’s actually a demon. Danson defended this by saying he wasn’t told not to tell anyone about Michael being a demon and the Good Place being the Bad Place until after he had already spilled the details to Krasinski. Luckily, Krasinski did keep the secret – or, at least, that’s what it seems.

Watching The Good Place Without Knowing About The Twist Is Such A Great Experience

The Big Twist In Season 1 Is Key To The Good Place’s Charm

The Bad Place twist at the end of the season makes the entire season better, and it invites an immediate rewatch.

The first season of The Good Place is funny, has a dose of suspense to keep the audience wondering what will happen to Eleanor and if she will be able to keep fooling everyone about deserving to be in Heaven, and touches on some interesting topics thanks to Chidi. However, the Bad Place twist at the end of the season makes the entire season better, and it invites an immediate rewatch as every line, action, decision, and event takes on a completely different meaning.

Going into The Good Place without knowing about the twist will always be the best way to start watching the show, but knowing about it also adds to the experience. The Good Place is one of the best TV shows of the decade, making it a must-watch, regardless of knowing the big twist beforehand or not.

Source: Late Night with Seth Meyers.