The Good Place and Saying Goodbye: An Interview with William Jackson Harper

We’re here – we’ve come to the Bad Place. That is not a spoiler, I am just in a Bad Place knowing there will be no Good Place to wrap myself in and binge that backlog of Good Place episodes in my cue. It’s a Jeremy Bearimy lifestyle I’ve gotten used to and it’s about to be marbled. Four seasons and 500+ reboots later we knew this time was coming and I’m still not ready – are we ever ready? Before we get into the philosophy of endings, show holes, and binge sadness, we must reflect on The Good Place, what we have learned and how we have been changed. That is what The Good Place was always about, with a writing style so clever and erratic it had infinite possibilities. Even now, on the eve of the series finale I am content with Season 4 Episode 12’s ending. Where can we go from here? But I know The Good Place always could find a way to bring us to the brink of something and back again, all in 22 minutes (30 with commercials I guess). As we prepare ourselves for the end, I got a chance to speak with William Jackson Harper, who plays the role of Chidi on The Good Place about his preparations and saying Goodbye. “WE LIVE IN THE BEST OF ALL POSSIBLE WORLDS” – Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz BNP: This is kind of a bigger question on your experience getting the role on The Good Place as Chidi and how it has changed your career, or changed your life. What has that been like?

William Jackson Harper: Well I happened to have been watching Ted Danson when I got the call that I was going to be …