20 Best TV Episodes Of 2017

9. The Good Place - Michael's Gambit

The Good Place
NBC

The Good Place lived up to its name in the first few episodes from Season 1, but it became The Great Place in its season finale.

It's an episode with major ramifications for the show, and its construction makes it an absolute delight to watch (as can be said for most of the series, really). Pulling at various threads from across the season, and piecing together clues both overt and well-hidden, it layers everything together to create a ridiculously smart episode that'll leave you looking more shocked than Kristen Bell's Eleanor above.

The entire cast is as great as ever, but Ted Danson does some particularly surprising (and obviously funny) work with his character here. The chemistry between all the key inhabitants of the Good Place is at its best in Michael's Gambit, while it's the best showcase of just how cleverly this sitcom pulls off its high concept. It was a perfect way to cap Season 1, and brilliantly set up the events of Season 2.

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Contributor
Contributor

NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.