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2 • September 18 - 24, 2016 TVWeek By Kyla Brewer TV Media A s the weather turns cooler and communi- ties across the nation celebrate homecom- ing, the television season gets underway with hopeful fresh- man comedies, seasoned senior dramas and plenty of alumni. This fall marks a very special homecoming for NBC as it wel- comes Ted Danson ("Cheers") back into the fold as one of the stars of "The Good Place," premiering Monday, Sept. 19, and then moving to its regular slot Thursday, Sept. 22, on the peacock network. Kristen Bell ("Veronica Mars") headlines the series as Eleanor Shellstrop, a woman who discovers she's dead when Michael (Danson) welcomes her to The Good Place. That would be fine and dan- dy with Eleanor, but she soon figures out there's been a huge mistake. Michael, the architect of the idyllic afterlife com- munity, informs her she's been granted access to The Good Place instead of The Bad Place because she helped save in- nocent people from Death Row. A royal jerk by her own admis- sion, Eleanor knows she's done no such thing, but hides in plain sight from Michael because she has no intention of going to The Bad Place. Bell talked about why she finds the role challenging when she and Danson appeared on a panel at this year's San Diego Comic-Con to promote the show. "It's a very fine line that I have to ride to stay likable when I am the unlikable protag- onist," explained the actress. She gave props to director Drew Goddard ("The Martian," 2015), who also serves as executive producer of the new comedy alongside creator and writer Michael Schur ("Parks and Recreation"), Morgan Sackett ("Veep") and David Miner ("Brooklyn Nine-Nine"). A compelling exploration of what it means to be a good per- son, "The Good Place" shows a lot of promise, especially con- sidering Danson is involved. As for Danson's part in "The Good Place," while speaking to fans at Comic-Con, he admitted he feels pressure to live up to the quality of the scripts. "The real pressure I have to say is that the scripts are so good that you just don't want to mess it up," Danson said. The multiple Emmy and Golden Globe winner should know a good script when he sees one — he starred as lothario Sam Malone in NBC's legendary comedy "Cheers" from 1982 to 1993. Although the first season's ratings failed to live up to expectations, it went on to become one of the most popular television series of all time. He also appeared in HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm," and CBS's "Becker" and "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation." Danson's return to NBC comedy in "The Good Place" is par- ticularly sweet for the network because the show airs Thursday evenings, which was home to the Must See TV programming block "Cheers" bolstered for years. It's been a while since the Must See TV heyday, and a shift in programming trends means "The Good Place" is the only comedy airing in its time-slot on prime-time network televi- sion. The show goes head- to-head with ABC's "Grey's Anatomy," Fox's "Rosewood" and CBS's coverage of NFL football, at least until the return of such comedies as "The Big Bang Theory" to Thursdays later in the fall. Cover Story Manny Jacinto as seen in "The Good Place" A prime place Ted Danson returns to prime-time NBC in 'The Good Place' D - Danville V - Veedersburg H - Hoopeston O - Oakwood V - Veedersburg Ca - Cayuga Co - Covington W - Westville Communities listed Glory Days 2 x 2.5 Iron Tide Gallery 2 x 1.25 Big Boy 2 x 1.25 A/Crossroads Church 2 x 2.5 ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS IN Call Advertising at 446-9400 tv week

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