ashleygoulet

Whoever decided that Friends in the afterlife was a good idea, thank you. From the beginning, The Good Place stands out among it's competition as an ensemble sitcom thanks to its highly irregular concept, great characters and excellent writing, and then the twist at the end of the first season hits and it becomes its own beast. I have never seen a show that meshes absurd humour with shocking storylines and heartfelt character relationships as well as this show. I hesitate to even call this a sitcom, because despite the fact that it fits into the archetypes of a Friends-esque show, the worldbuilding and general storyline of the show are more akin to a prestige sci-fi drama than anything else. If you haven't watched this show, please do. Even if you aren't typically a fan of sitcoms, give it a shot.

As a lover of sitcoms, this a great one. Superstore has really likeable characters, a surprisingly entertaining setting, and oddly engaging drama; it's generally a very well written show. The reason I didn't give this show a 10/10 is because a few characters in the show (Justine and Carol namely) didn't work for me, but overall, I adore this show and see it as one of the best modern sitcoms among the likes Brooklyn Nine Nine and Abbott Elementary. I had avoided this show for a long time because I figured it was just another show trying to replicate the success of The Office, and there are a few elements of The Office sprinkled in here, but the cast and writing take what could have been a bland recreation in a new setting and elevated it to a gem of a show.

This show is a poor attempt at replicating the Office formula; it's the mundane workplace without the over-the-top characters, absurd situations and whitty writing. I started watching the show because the cast was promising, I enjoyed the other shows that the writers had worked on, and the concept of a sitcom set in the last Blockbuster on earth sounded entertaining. I was sorely disappointed when I watched the show and found a bland, uninspired attempt at the workplace sitcom. The "Jim and Pam" of this show have little chemistry, the co-workers and customers are uninteresting, and most of the jokes are bland and overplayed. If the concept of this show interests you, watch Superstore.