In 1960, TV’s Twilight Zone offered a classic take on unearned bounty in the episode, “A Nice Place to Visit.” Rocky Valentine, a small-time thug, ends up in an afterlife that offers him all his needs and all his desires. This five-minute clip is a shortened version of the full episode. The behavior of his guide (Sebastian Cabot) is worth the watch.
The NBC series The Good Place explored similar themes for four seasons and managed to be simultaneously hilarious and profound. It is worth watching the whole series to reach the end, where it turns poignant. The final episodes are an elegy to humanity’s need for purpose and challenge—and the beauty that lies in our imperfections and finiteness.
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