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Thursday 26 May 2016

The Good Place- First Impressions, After Trailer Thoughts & Pilot Review

I'm doing something different this year for the Fall TV Pilots 2016. Here I will do an individual series and include my First Impressions along with my After Trailer Thoughts and finally will conclude with the Premiere Review in the fall.

The Good Place (NBC- Comedy)


First Impressions (based on concept):
My favorite thing about this comedy series is Kristen Bell who I've been obsessed with since her TV series Veronica Mars. This series centers on "a woman from New Jersey who comes to realize that she hasn't been a very good person" and "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 behaviour". As Bell currently stars in Showtime's series House Of Lies, I'm just not sure this series will be better than that one but if anyone can bring greatness to this leading role, it's Kristen Bell.
How Excited Am I? 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest): 8

After Trailer Thoughts:

I'm really not sure that the concept of this series was that clear. First of all, Kristen Bell's character is dead and ends up at "The Good Place" which means heaven. However it's been a massive screw-up as someone got her name right but it's the wrong person. Aside from that, the lead role was made for Kristen Bell. From her facial expressions to her physical comedy, she is right on her comedic mark every time. Problem is, I know Kristen Bell is funny but hopefully this series is too.
How Excited Am I? 1 (lowest) - 10 (highest): Drops slightly to 7
How Long Will It Last? If it can make it through the first season, then I think three seasons.

Episode 1- Pilot Review
The first and second episodes aired back to back so my review is based on episodes 1 & 2. Parts of these episodes I liked and parts had me questioning the longevity of the series but one thing was for sure, Kristen Bell is gold. I am in for everything and anything Kristen Bell does and without her, this series wouldn't make it. Her facial expressions, comedic timing and ability to play off other characters is undeniable and my favorite thing about this series. I did enjoy seeing Ted Danson (aside from the scene where he kicked a dog, WTF was that about?!) and I really liked Kristen Bell's "soulmate" Chidi (William Jackson Harper) but how in the world did the character of Tahani (Jameela Jamil) make it past the first episode? She is unbelievably annoying and one of my least favorite things about this series. I'm also not sure how much I enjoyed the whimsical-ness of the series, like in the scenes with the giant giraffes and ladybugs and flying shrimp. Too me that just came across very strange and it didn't look like what was shown in the trailers for the series. I liked that it was different then every other comedy on TV but I question how long the gimmicky whimsical-ness can last with the average viewers. Also, the show was funny (mainly the scenes where she tries to swear but can't and ends up saying things like "motherforker" and "shirt" instead) but it wasn't laugh out loud hysterical because about half of the jokes (especially the ones without Kristen Bell) fell flat. Overall, I'm interested to see where the series will take itself but hoping it will start focusing more on the comedy. 

Will I Continue With The Series: Yes, for now
How Excited Am I: 1 (lowest) - 10 (highest): Although I love Kristen Bell, the series drops to a 5. 


**Follow me on Twitter @popculturedlife for all my Fall TV First Impressions & After Trailer Thoughts**

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