Raising the possibility that this may, indeed, be The Bad Place after all, Michael Schur has confirmed tonight that the upcoming fourth season of NBC’s The Good Place will be its last. Schur announced the news via a letter he posted on Twitter, making it clear that the decision came down from the show’s creative team, and that he was intentionally resisting the urge to “tread water just because the water is so warm and pleasant.”
As depressing as this is—in terms of the loss of one of the most consistent delights of the TV season after a mere 50 or so episodes on the air—it’s also not entirely surprising. The Good Place rests much of its success (besides all the other elements that contribute, like acting, writing, and William Jackson Harper grocery shopping with his shirt off) on a relentless pace that knocks down setups almost as fast as it conjures them to life. It’s comforting, then, to know that Schur and his team have had a sense of the trajectory of the show since it was renewed back at the end of its first season, meaning that they’ll be able to bring it to whatever beautiful, bizarre conclusion that the story of Eleanor, Chidi, Michael, Jason, Tahani, and all the Janets, of all alignments, deserve.