'The fourth season will be our last': The Good Place creators confirm the END of the hit show... as the adoring cast convene just hours before the announcement at EMMY event
The Good Place creator Mike Schur announced on Saturday that the NBC series would end after its upcoming fourth season.
Admitting that he and the writers felt that four seasons 'was the right lifespan' for the show, he claimed they didn't want to 'tread water' just for the sake of it and thus decided to end the series on their own terms.
Prior to the announcement, cast members D'Arcy Carden, Manny Jacinto, Ted Danson, William Jackson Harper and Jameela Jamil backed the show at a For Your Consideration event in North Hollywood on Friday.
'The fourth season will be our last': The Good Place creators confirmed the END of the hit show... as the adoring cast convene just hours before the announcement at EMMY event (L-R): D'Arcy Carden, Manny Jacinto, Ted Danson, William Jackson Harper and Jameela Jamil
In a statement posted to Instagram, Schur explained to fans why they would be ending the show, claiming it was always expected to end around season four.
'After The Good Place was picked up for season two, the writing staff and I began to map out, as best we could, the trajectory of the show,' he said.
Share this article
'Given the ideas we wanted to explore, and the pace at which we wanted to present those ideas, I began to feel like four seasons — just over 50 episodes — was the right lifespan.
'At times over the past few years we've been tempted to go beyond four seasons, but mostly because making this show is a rare, creatively fulfilling joy, and at the end of the day, we don't want to tread water just because the water is so warm and pleasant. As such, the upcoming fourth season will be our last.'
It's time: In a statement posted to Instagram, Schur explained to fans why they would be ending the show, claiming it was always expected to end around season four
Doing it their way: Admitting that he and the writers felt that four seasons 'was the right lifespan' for the show, they decided to end the series on their own terms
The Kristen Bell and Ted Danson-fronted series was a critical hit for the peacock network and a departure from a recent spate of cynical, anti-hero driven comedies and dramas.
The Good Place, which premiered in 2016, stars Kristen Bell as Eleanor Shellstrop, a selfish and insecure person who repels anyone who attempts to be her friend.
After she's unceremoniously killed by a runaway train of grocery store shopping carts, she finds herself in The Good Place, a heaven-like utopia.
The celestial planned community is supervised and designed by Michael (Ted) a seemingly kind but overly meek angelic figure, and his chipper helper Janet (D'Arcy).
The first season ended with a shocking twist, as Eleanor and her fellow Good Place residents (played by Jameela, William and Manny) began to question the reality of their new paradise.
Stellar cast: The show starred Kristen as a selfish (deceased) person out of place in a utopia afterlife created by the angel-like Michael (Ted, pictured)
Star-making turn: Comedian D'Arcy Carden was the series' breakout star as Michael's chipper helper Janet
Though it has its share of broad comedy, the series has also managed to fit in discussions of ethics and metaphysics, a rarity for a prime time series.
Jameela, who plays the name-dropping socialite Tahani, shared the news of The Good Place's impending end with a photo that appeared to date from the show's first season.
'IT'S TRUE! This next season is our LAST!' she wrote.
'I hope you enjoy season 4, Mike and our amazing writers made it with so much love to give you the goodbye you deserve, because they are all classy as hell and know when to leave the damn party. You will always be in our soul squad and we love you! ❤️.'
Blast from the past: Jameela shared the news of The Good Place's impending end with a photo from the show's first season
In December, Schur told The Hollywood Reporter that The Good Place was never intended to be a long-running series.
'Obviously because of that DNA, where status quos get blown up so frequently, this is not a show that is destined to be on for nine years,' he explained.
'It's not a 200-episode, Friends kind of a deal. It's not a hangout show. So, yeah, we've given it a lot of thought, and we have a certain plan, which I think you'll get the sense of in the fairly near future.'
Despite the limited nature of the series, NBC seems happy with the Parks And Recreation co-creator.
Farewell: 'I hope you enjoy season 4, Mike and our amazing writers made it with so much love to give you the goodbye you deserve,' she wrote
In March, he inked a whopping five-year, nine-figure overall deal with NBC, believed to be worth $25 million annually.
The Good Place managed to have great ratings for its third season, and it was NBC's highest-ranking comedy among the important 18-49 demographic.
The series was also awarded with a Peabody and received multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations, a rarity when the award shows are dominated by prestige cable programs.
In an interview published Friday with The Hollywood Reporter, Schur admitted that he waited to tell Kristen and Ted that they wouldn't be on a 100-episode series.
Pitch perfect: Jameela plays the bubbly name-dropping socialite Tahani
'I didn't tell them until I was sure because I didn't want to tell them something and have to backtrack. I waited until I was 100 percent sure, which was toward the end of shooting season three,' he explained.
'I called Ted and Kristen and said this was the plan. The other thing was that I wanted to be fair to actors. They want to work and I wanted them to know a year out that we would be winding things down here and if they wanted to plan their lives, they would have enough time.'
Schur is also the co-creator of the Andy Samberg-starring Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which moved to NBC after being cancelled by Fox in 2018.
Despite airing on its rival network, the series was produced by NBC, so the network snatched it up following the cancellation.
Nice! Schur inked a five-year, nine-figure overall deal with NBC earlier this year, worth an estimated $25M per year
