How Upload's Creator Responded To All Of The Good Place Comparisons
Amazon Prime Video's "Upload," which hails from veteran TV writer Greg Daniels, focuses on a group of individuals whose consciousnesses are uploaded into a virtual world after their deaths, leading to a digital afterlife. Featuring a mix of living and deceased characters, the series stars Robbie Amell, Andy Allo, and Allegra Edwards.
Upon the series' 2020 debut, some astute TV viewers quickly drew comparisons to a particularly popular NBC sitcom. Created by Michael Schur, "The Good Place" ran from 2016 to 2020 and starred Kristen Bell and Ted Danson. Interestingly, this series was similarly focused on a group of individuals struggling to determine the ins and outs of the afterlife.
Notably, the creator of these series, Schur and Daniels, are no strangers to each other. In fact, the two have worked together on such key landmark shows as "Parks and Recreation," which they co-created, and "The Office," which Daniels developed from the UK version and Schur wrote for. In the years since those series went off the air, the two producers' paths have diverged. In addition to creating "Upload," Daniels is also responsible for the Netflix comedy "Space Force," while Schur co-created the comedy sitcom "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" and the Peacock series "Rutherford Falls."
In an interview, Daniels responded to the comparisons between "The Good Place" and "Upload."
Daniels and Schur were almost aware of each others' projects
In an interview with Mashable, "Upload" creator Greg Daniels addressed the comparisons the show has drawn to "The Good Place."
Daniels pointed out that the basic idea behind both shows, an exploration of the afterlife, is not unique to either show and is something that has been done before. He likened it to medical shows, saying that the existence of one show set in a hospital doesn't negate the existence or creation of another.
"Upload" star Robbie Amell, however, added that the two shows shared another, closer similarity, saying, "I actually think Greg had the no swearing joke early on in one of the versions of 'Upload.'" Of course, this references the fact that on "The Good Place," the characters often find themselves auto-censored whenever they try swearing, often leading to exclamations like "oh shirt" and "what the fork."
Daniels also shared that he and Michael Schur almost found out about each others' series before they got rolling. According to Daniels, the two men met for dinner in 2016 and they briefly spoke about their upcoming projects. Because both projects were in the initial stages of planning, the two agreed to exchange drafts to read and provide each other with feedback at a later date. However, this plan never came to fruition.
Daniels said, "Then later, when I realized he'd done 'The Good Place?' Oy vey."