What Episode of ‘The Good Place’ Did Kristen Bell Direct?
As The Good Place winds down, viewers can count on a number of surprises from the revelatory comedy series. But here’s one you may not have known about: Star Kristen Bell also stepped behind the camera for an episode. Learn more about her time in the director’s chair.
Kristen Bell stars in ‘The Good Place’
Bell stars in the beloved comedy from creator Mike Schur. She portrays Eleanor Shellstrop, a woman who dies and finds herself in a place that’s akin to heaven. The only problem? She wasn’t a great person during her time on Earth, leading her to believe that she doesn’t belong there.
The Good Place is currently in its fourth and final season on NBC. Bell appears in the series alongside Ted Danson, D’Arcy Carden, Jameela Jamil, and Manny Jacinto.
Has Kristen Bell ever directed before?
Bell has been in the business for many years. She got her start as an actress back in the early ’00s, with her breakout role in Veronica Mars arriving in 2004. From there, she went on to appear in films such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall and the Bad Moms franchise as well as TV shows like Parks and Recreation and House of Lies.
As she became a hot commodity, Bell has been able to get more work behind the scenes. She was an executive producer on the Veronica Mars movie and revival series, and currently has a few other producing and writing gigs in the mix. However, this is her first time as a director.
She’s mentioned the possibility
On an early episode of The Good Place: The Podcast, Bell said, “I don’t know that I’m qualified to direct, yet. I might be.” She added, “I’m paying attention, let me leave it at that. I don’t actually start anything or attempt anything that I don’t feel 150% confident [about].
Bell elaborated. “I wouldn’t want to step up to the plate unless I felt really qualified and really ready to do it. And I’m not quite there yet. But I am paying a lot of attention. The match has been lit.” So it seems as though this has been in the works for a while now.
Bell directed Season 4 Episode 8 ‘The Funeral to End All Funerals’
The episode, which first airs on Nov. 14, 2019, is titled “The Funeral to End All Funerals.” All episode titles from the show come from a line of dialogue spoken during the episode. While we can’t tell you everything about what happens — this is, after all, a comedy with as many twists as a drama like Grey’s Anatomy — we can share where the title comes from.
In an Entertainment Tonight exclusive clip, Janet, Jason, Eleanor, and Tahani are all walking through the neighborhood together, waiting for a decision from the Judge. They’re all feeling a bit sad, so Janet shares with them what happened at their funerals on Earth. Tahani decides that they should throw a “funeral to end all funerals” for themselves. Which sounds pretty exciting, if you ask us.
Notably absent from the clip is Danson’s Michael, who is likely required to be around for the judgment process since it was his experiment to begin with. Danson himself wrote a special message to Bell in honor of her episode, sharing a photo of the two and calling her “a legit snack,” a moniker fans will recognize Eleanor once said about herself.
