All the best theories about ‘The Good Place’ Season 3

Spoilers for The Good Place lie ahead.

“Welcome! Everything is fine.”

Okay, maybe not so much. The Season 2 finale of The Good Place left fans in a bit of a mind-fork this past winter as the gang was plopped back on Earth for the ultimate test in moral evolution. Each character’s death was downgraded to a near-death, the perfect “push” towards becoming good people, and Michael made his first Jiminy Cricket-style visit to help hurry things along.

Only time will tell if Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani, and Jason will permanently change their ways and earn spots in The Good Place. (And, of course, Judge Gen can change her mind about the experiment and have it ended at any time.)

With these realities taken into account, fans have been trying to crack the code on which turns the notoriously flabbergasting series will take in Season 3. 

Creator Michael Schur has been pretty upfront about a few things—particularly, that the events of Season 2’s finale were not a simulation and that everyone is “straight-up” back on earth. 

But there is still plenty to ponder, and Reddit fans have some great theories and predictions heading into the September 27 premiere date. 

Here are a few of our favorites.

The Good Place doesn’t exist

Well, not as a location anyway. One Reddit user made the argument that paradise wouldn’t be the pearly gates of Sunday school or even a customized neighborhood à la Season 1. Instead, heaven could be a state of being our main character’s can only achieve by becoming good and then “passing on.”

The Good Place is actually equivalent with nonexistence.

The main evidence for this fatalistic argument lies in Michael’s admission that he doesn’t actually know how to get to The Good Place—a pretty major knowledge gap for an allegedly all-knowing being. 

If The Good Place isn’t a physical place and doesn’t exist within the material realm in a way that Michael can know of its whereabouts, it is possible that The Good Place is actually equivalent with nonexistence. 

Meaning: once enlightened, our favorite characters could move past the physical/conscious realm and exist in a type of peaceful non-state.

It’s unlikely that The Good Place boils down to a televised lesson in mindfulness, but of course, anything is possible. (I’m gonna start in on some deep breathing exercises just in case.)

Michael will be put on Earth as a human to bring the whole gang together

Instead of Michael watching over the gang… could Michael be in the gang? 

Michael’s Season 2 finale visit to Earth doesn’t seem to have been totally above board. (Yes, Judge Gen signed off on the experiment, but it’s unlikely she was okay with Michael attempting to rig the outcome.)

If Judge Gen discovers Michael’s interference, she could get angry enough to punish him with the life of a human. The Redditor responsible for this theory adds that without a near-death experience to steer Michael in the right direction his human self may resort to his typically dastardly/demonic deeds. Or, considering Michael’s love for humans, he might just have the most kind, productive time of his life. 

Either way, an earthbound Michael could really help bring Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani, and Jason together. Plus, it would help keep Ted Danson as part of the regular format. 

Eleanor’s dad predicted 95% of the afterlife

Michael Schur seems like a pretty detail-oriented guy, particularly when it comes to crafting his beloved The Good Place. (Except, you know, that thing with Chidi’s accent. But that argument has been had.)

So it does seem a bit unusual that he named two potentially important characters both “Doug.”

Could Doug F. and Doug S. be the same guy?  

First, we have Doug Forcett. In The Good Place canon, Doug F. was a 1970’s stoner kid who correctly guessed 92% of the afterlife’s realities during a mushroom trip. His photo is framed and hung in Michael’s office, first visible in Episode 1.

And, then we have Doug Shellstrop, Eleanor’s dad whom we have yet to meet. 

Could Doug F. and Doug S. be the same guy? One Redditor noted that while the timeline checks out (Doug F. appears to be about 20 in the 1970s photo, meaning he would be about the same age as Eleanor’s father), it is unusual that Eleanor didn’t recognize her dad when she first saw the hung photo in Michael’s office. Not to mention, Forcett and Shellstrop are obviously different last names.

That being said, when discussing Eleanor’s father’s funeral, Eleanor brings up that there was only one photo of Doug S. at his funeral—his mug shot. If Doug F. assumed the new identity of Doug S. following a crime spree that would explain the lack of old photos and why Eleanor might not have recognized her dad. 

Plus, if this episode list is correct, we’ve got an upcoming Season 3 episode titled “The Book of Dougs” headed our way. Seems like some kind of confirmation to me! 

Or maybe… Doug is God?

The Good Place knew about Michael’s experiment and wanted it to fail

Based on Season 1 and Season 2, the moral sorting system of the afterlife is pretty forked up. So, what better way to fight the system than to prove it is broken? 

If the angels/gods/what-have-yous of The Good Place knew about Michael’s experiments in The Bad Place and more importantly knew that they would fail, it makes sense that they would allow the tests to continue. Obviously, good people would want more good people. And if Michael’s failures prove that anyone can be rehabilitated, sounds like something heaven folk would want to know about.

The Redditor responsible for this theory added that The Good Place’s support of the tests would also explain why it was so easy for Michael to acquire a Good Place Janet. Maybe she sends them live footage of Bad Place developments? Or helps to keep everyone safe?

All of this is being run by a frog god named Zorp

It has been all but officially confirmed that The Good Place and Parks and Recreation exist in the same universe. And the series’ latest crossover detail may indicate that both are run by a frog/lizard god. 

In Episode 1 of The Good Place, Michael makes references to “Zorp, the frog god.” In Parks and Rec, Zorp the Surveyor was a 28-foot-tall lizard who was honored by a 1970’s cult in Pawnee known as The Reasonabilists. 

While this is likely little more than a shared universe easter egg, a recent production still from Season 3 raised one Redditor’s suspicion. If you watch this clip, you’ll notice a frog key chain is discussed and its owner is weirdly defensive about it. Just a coincidence? Or the key to cracking this whole masterful puzzle?

The Good Place: Season 3 returns to NBC September 27 at 8pm ET for a one-hour premiere.
Season 1 and Season 2 are available to stream on Netflix.