Mike Schur Talks Abstract Approach to Creating ‘The Good Place,’ Predicting Trump’s Inaugural Song

“On The Good Place, there’s literally ethics lessons on the show,” Mike Schur told the Comedy Showrunner Roundtable. “When I pitched the show to NBC I said, ‘We won’t make this feel like school,’ and then in literally the second episode, there’s a guy standing in front of a blackboard. I blew it.”

“The idea is that it’s all about abstraction,” Schur told the Roundtable. Despite utiizing an abstract approach to the creative behind the series, Schur notes that somehow they predict unfortunate reality, including accidentally predicting the song for Trump’s first inaugural dance.

“The finale of our show aired the night before Trump was inaugurated,” Schur said. “We had a flash back to Kristen Bell’s character walking through a grocery store. It was the final moments of her life and the idea was to present a person who was the most selfish person in the world.”

Schur explained that the song overheard during the scene was Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” by Frank Sinatra, which ultimately became the song Trump had his first dance to during his inauguration. “In that new world,” Schur said of the Trump era, “everything took on a different light.”

Mike Schur has two career Emmys for writing on Saturday Night Live and producing The Office. He has an additional thirteen nominations for writing and producing shows such as Saturday Night Live, The Office, Parks and Recreation and Master of None.

The full Emmy Roundtables air every Sunday on SundanceTV beginning June 24 and on THR.com the following Monday. The full Comedy Showrunner Roundtable starring Whitney Cummings, Pamela Adlon, Amy Sherman-Palladino, Justin Simien, Alec Berg and Mike Schur airs July 29 on Sundance TV. Tune in to THR.com/roundtables for more roundtables featuring talent from the year’s top shows.

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