Theologians and other thinkers have described God in several ways over the centuries. God is a stern father. He’s a mechanistic prime mover. He’s a watchmaker. And, most recently, in the NBC sitcom “The Good Place,” God is a television showrunner.
Several recent TV programs suggest that creating a television show is a lot like creating the world. Small-screen hits like “The Good Place,” “Westworld,” “American Gods” and “Blood Drive” tease out the idea that there’s something divine about television. They acknowledge that the idiot box has become an idol — for better or worse.
Now in the middle of its second season, NBC’s “The Good Place,” Michael Schur’s comedy about the afterlife, makes this dynamic particularly clear.