For a comedy with such a warm reception, it seems strange that The Good Place ended after season 4, but there’s a reason behind The Good Place’s run time. Providing a humorous yet poignant look at the afterlife, The Good Place follows Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani, and Jason after they are unwittingly thrown into Michael’s Good Place experiment, which is really The Bad Place after all. Over the course of The Good Place, the main characters explore several moral and ethical quandaries in an effort to create a better afterlife. Though The Good Place had an extremely original, hilarious premise, the show ended after four seasons in 2019.

There is usually a reason for everything that happens in The Good Place’s complicated timeline, and its four season length is no exception. In fact, just like the initial Good Place experiment, The Good Place ending with season 4 was planned all along. Though it would have been nice to see more adventures with the main characters in the real Good Place, The Good Place season 4 serving as the show’s end is for the best.

The Good Place Was Written To Last Until Season 4

Janet and Eleanor have a drink by a tree in The Good Place (1)

Although The Good Place creator Michael Schur’s shows often last several seasons, the length of The Good Place’s run was planned early on. After The Good Place season 2, the show’s writers mapped out the trajectory of the rest of the show. According to Schur in a statement on Twitter, “I began to feel like four seasons...was the right lifespan.” So, while The Good Place’s relatively short length is an anomaly for other, similar comedy shows, The Good Place ending with season 4 was always in the cards.

Why The Good Place Was Right To End With Season 4

Eleanor and Chidi Looking at Each Other in The Good Place Finale

TV shows having a short run can often be a sign of poor quality, but for The Good Place, ending the show in four seasons was the right decision. Throughout The Good Place’s four seasons, the show covered lots of ground, exploring several different philosophical and comedic ideas about the afterlife and its characters. While The Good Place’s concept is innovative, it’s equally confusing at times, and if it went on longer, The Good Place’s continuity issues would likely become more glaring and detract from its quality.

Preserving the show’s quality is a huge reason that ending The Good Place with four seasons was the right call. The Good Place is full of endless creativity and lovable main characters, but the characters’ arcs were reaching their logical conclusion, having found true happiness. Without new conflict, The Good Place would have lost its luster. As Michael Schur stated, “...[w]e don’t want to tread water just because the water is so warm and pleasant,” which is what would have happened if the show continued. Ending The Good Place with season 4 allowed it to go out on a high note and give its characters the peace they deserved.