Across its four seasons, ‘The Good Place’ delivered countless memorable moments, thanks to its endlessly inventive storytelling and beloved cast.
Alongside introducing us to some of comedy’s brightest actors, the sitcom also featured many memorable star appearances that are easy to overlook amid all the philosophical twists and afterlife adventures. Here are ten actors who appeared in ‘The Good Place’ that might have escaped your memory.
10. Marc Evan Jackson
We cannot even begin to count the parallels between ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ and ‘The Good Place’, but one of them is Marc Evan Jackson. As Shawn in ‘The Good Place’, he plays an evil immortal demon out to make life miserable for Team Cockroach.
Marc Evan Jackson was first introduced to us in season 1, but his character Shawn soon became a recurring antagonist. Jackson also hosted ‘The Good Place: The Podcast’ and starred in the spin-off web series ‘The Selection’.
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9. Jason Mantzoukas
Another ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ veteran, Jason Mantzoukas brings his signature chaos to ‘The Good Place’ as Derek, Janet’s increasingly bizarre rebound boyfriend. After Eleanor offers Janet advice on moving on from a breakup, Janet creates Derek.
Mantzoukas is known for playing wonderfully unhinged characters, and Derek is no different. Throughout the series, Derek goes through an extraordinary number of “reboots”, making him one of the show’s funniest recurring characters.
8. Maya Rudolph
Maya Rudolph delivers one of the most entertaining performances as Gen, the eternal Judge of the universe. First introduced in Season 2’s “The Burrito”, she returns several times as the supreme authority overseeing humanity’s fate and the point system determining who qualifies for the Good Place.
Between eating burritos and watching ‘Bloodline’, Gen brings a wonderfully absurd energy to an otherwise monumental position. And it is all thanks to Rudolph’s hilariously entertaining performance.
7. Flula Borg
Seeing this comedian appear in a sitcom might not have been on anyone’s bingo card, but Flula Borg is making his mark in Hollywood here and there. Famous for his distinctive voice and eccentric comedic delivery, Borg brings his unmistakable personality to the show as Helmut Deutschermann.
Deutschermann is a waiter at the restaurant where Chidi goes to break up with Simone in Season 3’s “The Ballad of Donkey Doug”. Borg’s one-off role is brief but delightfully surprising.
6. Adam Scott
One of the most entertaining connections between ‘The Good Place’ and ‘Parks and Recreation’ is Adam Scott’s appearance as Trevor, a demon recruited by Michael to help torture Eleanor.
Best known for playing Ben Wyatt, we get to see a completely different side of Scott’s comedic talent. Trevor first appears in season 1 and returns across multiple episodes with his smug and manipulative character.
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5. Stephen Merchant
Stephen Merchant brings his comedic presence to the afterlife as Neil, an accountant responsible for tracking the points humans can earn through their actions on Earth. Working in the Accounting department, Neil represents the painfully bureaucratic side of the universe.
He makes the startling revelation that nobody has qualified for the Good Place in approximately 500 years. Merchant’s character brings another philosophical layer to the show that makes ‘The Good Place’ so unique from the rest.
4. Lisa Kudrow
‘Friends’ fans and eagle-eyed watchers of ‘The Good Place’ would remember the episode where Michael jokes that Phoebe Buffay is the only member of the Friends gang who would have made it into the Good Place.
This just makes it even more hilarious when Lisa Kudrow makes a surprise appearance as Hypatia of Alexandria, the historical philosopher Chidi deeply admires, who has spent so much time in the Good Place that her mind has deteriorated.
3. Mary Steenburgen
Continuing the tradition of Mike Schur’s sitcoms where actors’ spouses occasionally make special appearances, we got to have this memorable scene at the series finale “Whenever You’re Ready”.
After Michael finally gets the opportunity to live as a human on Earth, he begins learning to play the guitar. His guitar teacher ends up being Ted Danson’s real-life wife, Mary Steenburgen.
2. Nick Offerman
Another ‘Parks and Recreation’ star, Nick Offerman, makes a memorable appearance during the show’s finale episode. Offerman appears as a fictionalised version of himself as a woodworking expert who teaches Tahani his craft as she works through her afterlife bucket list.
It is a brief but delightful crossover, bringing together two of the most beloved Mike Schur comedy characters, making it more meaningful as Tahani gets another opportunity to discover what makes for a meaningful existence.
1. Timothy Olyphant
Perhaps the most surprising cameo in the entire series belongs to Timothy Olyphant, whose appearance is truly one of television’s most hilarious crossovers. Best known for playing cowboy lawman Raylan Givens in ‘Justified’, Olyphant appears as a version of his character when Janet creates him to help persuade the Judge to consider Chidi’s proposed afterlife system.
Since ‘Justified’ is among the Judge’s favourite shows, the plan makes perfect sense. Olyphant gave his iconic line, “I don’t have a dog in this fight, little lady… I’m just looking for clarity,” making his appearance even more unforgettable.
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