“The Good Place” creator Michael Schur insists his show is not meant to be a theological commentary.
“This isn’t a religious show … Religion is almost irrelevant. It’s really about ethics,” Schur said during the Television Critics Association summer press tour on Tuesday. “The intention is not to make any current specific commentary on people or things except that the behaviors we all exhibit in our everyday lives have ramifications.”
“The only objective is to discuss the main question of ‘What does it mean to be a good person?’ That’s the only intention,” he continued.
Kristen Bell stars in the series as Eleanor, a dead woman from New Jersey who comes to realize that she hasn’t been a very good person after she is accidentally admitted into paradise, a.k.a The Good Place. She decides to turn over a new leaf by learning what it actually means to be “good” or “bad,” and then trying to make up for her past behavior.
Ted Danson plays Michael, an angelic figure who comes to be Eleanor’s guide through her self-designed self-improvement course. NBC ordered 13 episodes of the show last August. The series also stars D’arcy Carden, William Jackson Harper, Jameela Jamil and Manny Jacinto.
The series will be produced by Universal Television, 3 Arts Entertainment and Fremulon. Schur will executive produce with David Miner, Drew Goddard and Morgan Sackett.
“The Good Place” is set to premiere this fall on NBC.