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Dec 2019
1h 42m

The moral philosophy of The Good Place (...

Vox
About this episode
After creating and running Parks and Recreation and writing for The Office, Michael Schur decided he wanted to create a sitcom about one of the most fundamental questions of human existence: What does it mean to be a good person? That’s how The Good Place was born. Soon into the show’s writing, Schur realized he was in way over his head. The question of huma ... Show More
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