Ted Danson explains the process behind *that* big twist in ‘The Good Place’

Have you started watching The Good Place yet? No, well get a move on, because there’s still time to catch up in between Stranger Thingsmini-binges.

The NBC show, a comedy set in the afterlife, has moved from ‘sleeper hit’ to just ‘hit’, and Netflix is currently airing its second season (along with a lot of other great stuff).

That means you’re just in time to binge and catch up on the show and its characters, and figure out what the hell everyone else is talking about.

If you are yet to watch the show, or if you’re still on the first season, be warned that spoilers will follow.

Ted Danson, who plays Michael, spoke to Vulture recently about the twist at the end of the first season.

We’ve already given you that big spoiler warning, so it’s your own fault if you’re still reading and you haven’t made it that far.

We’re talking, of course, about the revelation in the season’s final episode that what its characters thought was ‘the good place’ was actually ‘the bad place’, and that the characters who thought they were in paradise were actually being tortured.

Danson, along with fellow lead Kristen Bell, knew about the twist ahead of time. However, it was not until much later that the other main cast members found out.

Danson was asked for his thoughts on the matter, and said he couldn’t see it working any other way.

“If you are going to torture them psychologically, it was easier to play up what needed to be played up to make them feel guilty,” he said.

“Especially [Bell’s character] Eleanor. I think it was much better.”

And as for Michael’s evil laugh at the end, after the big reveal?

“I think it was about the third or fourth take on that scene. I think something came over us and I laughed and [creator Mike Schur] said, ‘Yeah, let’s do that, that’s the way to go.’”

The actor remained tight-lipped about whether we’ll see the same laugh again in a future episode, but the show’s format certainly opens it up to plenty more twists and turns.

And if you’re now aware of the twist without having seen a minute, it’s still worth checking out for all the sight-gags and great performances by Danson, Bell and the rest of the cast.

(Images: NBC)