The Good Place renewed for season 4 by NBC

For everyone out there who loves smart, inventive television, today’s news is absolutely worth celebrating.

Today, NBC officially greenlit a season 4 of The Good Place, which really shouldn’t shock anyone based on the strength of the show’s critical-acclaim and pop-culture presence. While the live+same-day ratings for this season are currently down, we’re not even going to pretend that this matters anymore in an era where DVR ratings and digital streams are so important. This show is a HUGE champion in delayed viewing, with its format really allowing for great multiplatform viewing after the fact. The story is so heavily serialized that it really works well under a binge-watching model where viewers can quickly jump from one episode to the next. It also has a great audience on Netflix where viewers can watch after the fact.

In a statement, here is what NBC co-presidents of scripted programming Tracey Pakosta and Lisa Katz had to say:

“Congratulations to Mike Schur and an exceptional cast and crew, all of whom collaborate to create a thoughtful, mind-bending and hysterical series unlike anything else on television. We can’t wait to see what unexpected stories the new season will bring.”

Per a report from TVLine, the episode count for season 4 of The Good Place remains to be determined; however, the first three seasons have all been for thirteen episodes each. The shorter run here enables the cast, including Ted Danson and Kristen Bell, to explore other projects during some of their off months. For example, Bell is currently filming the latest Veronica Mars revival, which is slated to air over on Hulu.

How long can a series like this go on for?

With its premise focusing on the afterlife and second chances — and with there only being so many feasible permutations you could throw this cast into — we don’t necessarily think that this is the sort of show meant to go on forever. With that being said, we do think that there are probably a couple more seasons’ worth of stories that the writers could tell. That is something that we’re going to have a little bit more discussion on over time when we get to the end of the current season. After all, for now we have to see how season 3 ends! This one has been absolutely ambitious, with the primary focus being here on what happens to the entirety of the characters after they arrive back on Earth, getting a second chance to correct the mistakes of their past.

Season 3 of The Good Place is currently airing on NBC Thursday nights. The season 3 finale should air fairly early on in 2019, and we anticipate that season 4 will start airing as early as the fall of 2019.

What do you think about The Good Place being renewed for a season 4? Be sure to share some of your thoughts in the comments below.

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