What is Good?
…and other questions for creative projects.
It was late January 2020, I was in my car listening to Mike Schur answer Mark Evan Jackson’s signature question, “What is good?” His answer was so incredible that I haven’t stopped thinking about it.
The Good Place Podcast is where I heard this interview. This is a recap podcast for The Good Place, a show about moral philosophy and one of the best shows that ever aired on TV. This episode was emotional, as Schur was recapping the entire series the day after the last episode aired. Mark Evan Jackson hosts the podcast and always asks guests, “What is Good?” at the end. So, what was Mike Schur’s answer that my mind just won’t let go of?
He started out talking about how when you set out to make a TV show, or any creative project, there are tiers of reasonable expectations and when all of those are met, that is good. These tiers apply to just about any creative project and, wow, are they important.
I listened and loosely transcribed it here, mostly for my own reference because it’s so dang good. Don’t worry, there are no spoilers here. I added the italic text so it would apply more globally. Here they are, the tiers of reasonable expectations for a creative project:
First Tier
Is this a good idea?
Will someone pay me to do this?
Will I get to make a pilot? (or will this launch?)
Will the pilot get picked up? (will we have resources?)
Will I get to finish the first season? (How long will this last?)
Will season 2 get picked up?
Season 3? Etc.
Second Tier
Will this be any good?
Will it be funny?
Will people watch/notice it?
Will people like it?
Will it improve the lives and careers of people who work on it? (This is my favorite one)
Will I get to execute it exactly how I plan to?
Will the relationships of people all manage to swim together in the same tide?
Third Tier
Will I have fun?
Will I like the people I work with?
Will I find the time I spend with them (which is considerable) rewarding?
Will people who work on the show feel like their lives are enriched? (Another favorite)
Will the people who work on the show enrich my life?
Will the creative forces of the show swim in the same direction?
Will we all (at the end) feel as though we all did something we were proud of?
Did we improve the world in some way?
Fourth Tier
Did you improve the world by being funny?
Or by being Dramatic?
Or by starting a conversation or getting people to discuss a subject?
Will you end the project thinking you left everything on the table?
Do you feel like you used all your best ideas?
At the end of the project, will you feel proud to have worked on it?
Do you feel like you gave it your all?
Now imagine, just imagine, that you said YES to those. It’s like reaching some kind of creative nirvana state. It’s rare, but not impossible, and it’s exactly where I want to be.