Today's Entertainment

2 • September 18 - 24, 2016 • Brainerd Dispatch By Kyla Brewer TV Media A s the weather turns cooler and communities across the nation celebrate homecoming, the televi- sion season gets underway with hopeful freshman comedies, sea- soned 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," pre- miering 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 El- eanor Shellstrop, a woman who discovers she's dead when Mi- chael (Danson) welcomes her to The Good Place. That would be fine and dandy with Eleanor, but she soon figures out there's been a huge mistake. Michael, the architect of the idyllic afterlife community, 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 admission, Eleanor knows she's done no such thing, but hides in plain sight from Michael because she has no inten- tion 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 protagonist," ex- plained the actress. She gave props to director Drew Goddard ("The Martian," 2015), who also serves as executive pro- ducer of the new comedy along- side creator and writer Michael Schur ("Parks and Recreation"), Morgan Sackett ("Veep") and Da- vid Miner ("Brooklyn Nine-Nine"). A compelling exploration of what it means to be a good person, "The Good Place" shows a lot of prom- ise, especially considering 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 Investiga- tion." Danson's return to NBC comedy in "The Good Place" is particularly 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 pro- gramming trends means "The Good Place" is the only comedy airing in its time-slot on prime- time network television. The show goes head-to-head with ABC's "Grey's Anatomy," Fox's "Rose- wood" 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. While many industry pundits seem concerned that "The Good Place" may not make good against the other networks' dramas, the move could work to the comedy's advantage as weary viewers look to Thursdays for a few laughs to wind down the week. There's little doubt Bell and Danson have the power to keep viewers engaged, and it can't hurt that they have a solid supporting cast. Soon after arriving in the af- terlife, Eleanor meets her "soul- mate," Chidi, played by William Jackson Harper ("How to Tell You're a Douchebag," 2016). He becomes her confidant as she ad- mits there's been a mistake, and he struggles to decide what to do about the situation while helping her navi- gate life in a world where no one gets drunk or even uses curse words. They occasionally enlist the help of Janet (D'Arcy Carden, "The To Do List," 2013), a source of information in The Good Place. The cast also includes Jameela Jamil ("KokoPop") and Manny Jacin- to ("The Romeo Section") as El- eanor's seemingly perfect neighbors. Aside from giving away free frozen yogurt with Danson as they promot- ed the show at Comic- Con, Bell is going above and be- yond for her new series. The ac- tress in- vited her fans and followers to participate in her "'The Good Place' 30-Day Do Good Challenge." She called people into action by prompting them to up- load videos and photos of them- selves doing good in their communities as they help their neighborhoods, animals or the planet in general using the hashtag #TheGoodPlace. Bell's in a good place to influ- ence millions to do good. She's been a fan favorite since she starred in the title role of the teen mystery drama "Veronica Mars" from 2004 to 2007. She gained even more fans thanks to her voice work as Anna in Disney's hit ani- mated film "Frozen" (2013). Bell and Danson are poised to inject new life into NBC's Thurs- days with a look at the afterlife in "The Good Place," premiering Monday, Sept. 19, on NBC, before moving to its regular timeslot Thursday, Sept. 22. Manny Jacinto as seen in "The Good Place" A prime place Ted Danson returns to prime-time NBC in 'The Good Place' Cover Story this week 001470346r1 Kinship Partners OFFICES IN: Brainerd, Pequot Lakes, Crosby & Staples 218.829.4606 Toll Free 877.730.5437 Kinship is proud to celebrate 30 years of mentoring success stories. 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