Missing The Good Place might be “The Worst Possible Use Of Free Will”

Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Thursday, November 8. All times are Eastern.

Top pick

The Good Place (NBC, 8:30 p.m.): The description for this week’s episode, entitled “The Worst Possible Use Of Free Will,” just says, “Eleanor recalls some forgotten events from her past.” Now, our heroine being a self-proclaimed Arizona trash bag, it’s totally possible that the forgotten events from her past involve 16 Bud Light Lime-A-Ritas and a waterslide of some kind. Still, given the final moments of last week’s episode, we suspect that we’ll be watching Ms. Shellstrop somehow tap into her experiences in the “Good” Place, and maybe even in the Openly Bad and Medium Places. Now that she knows she and Chidi fell in love that one time (and maybe also that other time), she can’t help but be curious, right? Come on, look at that photo up there. Those are some serious cactuses, and that’s a dead giveaway. Dennis Perkins is fully ready to explore this corner of Eleanor’s highly unusual metaphysical past.

Regular coverage

How To Get Away With Murder (ABC, 10 p.m.)

Wild card

Star Trek: Short Treks (CBS All Access, 9:30 p.m.): Throw a Vulcan salute, if you’re willing and able, because the Trek universe has returned to good ol’ CBS All Access. The second of four stand-alone “short stories” intended to explore characters and themes vital to Star Trek: Discovery and the broader Star Trek universe, “Calypso” is co-written by Michael Chabon (The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier And Clay, loads of other things) and centers on an entirely new character in a very distant future. It sounds mysterious and kinda lonely and cool as hell, and as it’s intended to stand alone, can probably be enjoyed by even a nascent Trek fan.