‘The Good Place’ Creator Explains Why There Are No Children And Elderly People In The Show’s Afterlife

The belief that there are no kids and senior citizens in “The Good Place’s” version of the afterlife is a misconception. In a couple of recent interviews, series creator Michael Schur explained why viewers of the NBC sitcom have yet to see children and elderly people on the show’s afterlife.

“We had this weird realization that you couldn’t have anyone in the afterlife under about 30-ish, because it was too sad,” Schur told the New York Times of why fans haven’t seen kids on the show’s afterlife ever since it premiered last September. “[We’re] trying to highlight Eleanor’s (Kristen Bell) relationships, [so] most of which are going to be with people roughly her own age. So what ends up happening is it looks like everyone’s the same age.”

Schur also pointed out to Yahoo TV that good people who died at a younger age are more likely to find themselves in the Good Place. “Since the Good Place is reserved for only the very very very best who has ever lived, a person who died — let’s say — [giving] both his kidney’s to a stranger who he has just met, so that person could live. That action, which is obviously incredible, has even more incredibleness when that person is 37 years old instead of 85 years old,” he shared.

While “The Good Place’s” afterlife ended up as a place where there are seemingly no children and elderly people in it, Schur told the New York Times that they already have “significant plans underway” for Season 2 to address this misconception.

“The Good Place” one-hour Season 1 finale airs at 8 p.m. EST on Thursday on NBC. Check out the synopsi for episodes 12 and 13, titled “Mindy St. Clair” and “Michael’s Gambit,” respectively, below:

Episode 12: “With the help of Chidi (William Jackson Harper) and Tahani (Jameela Jamil), Michael (Ted Danson) faces his biggest challenge yet. Meanwhile, Eleanor, Jianyu (Manny Jacinto) and Janet (D'Arcy Carden) are faced with a monumental decision.”

Episode 13: “Eleanor and her friends contemplate their fates in the Good Place.”