Why did The Good Place end after four seasons?

The fourth and final season of The Good Place finally arrived on Netflix over the weekend, and I have been very careful to savor the experience and not binge all 14 episodes in one sitting.

I watched the first three seasons on Netflix during the first few weeks of quarantine and I couldn’t wait to see season 4. The series is so funny, heartwarming, and surprisingly educational. I have learned more about morals and philosophy from the show than I ever did in my freshman year ethics class!

The Good Place is a series that was well-loved by fans and critics alike, so why are there only four seasons? A lot of great shows sometimes go on until they have seasons in the double digits, so it’s a little confusing as to why this one wrapped up so soon.

If you’re wondering why the show ended, then you’ve come to the right place.

Was The Good Place canceled?

It may come as a surprise, but the show actually wasn’t exactly canceled. Unlike a lot of shows, the storylines in The Good Place were meticulously planned out so that the characters’ arcs would come to a satisfying end by the fourth season finale.

As reported by Newsweek, here is an excerpt from the sweet message series creator Michael Schur posted on the official Twitter account in June 2019 explaining his reason for ending the show:

"After The Good Place was picked up for season two, the writing staff and I began to map out, as best as we could, the trajectory of the show. Given the ideas we wanted to explore, and the pace at which we wanted to present those ideas, I began to feel like four seasons—just over 50 episodes—was the right lifespan. At times over the past few years we’ve been tempted to go beyond four seasons, but mostly because making the show is a rare, creatively fulfilling joy, and at the end of the day, we don’t want to tread water just because the water is so warm and pleasant. As such, the upcoming fourth season will be our last."

There you have it, folks. Even though we won’t get to see Jason, Michael, Chidi, Eleanor, Tahani, and Janet for new episodes anymore, The Good Place had four amazing seasons and a series finale that gave fans a satisfying conclusion.