Amidst the fear and panic, Krasinki brings ‘Some Good News’

“Good evening, everybody, even though it is very clearly the afternoon, and welcome to SGN,”   actor John Krasinski said. “For years now I have been wondering: Why isn’t there a new show dedicated entirely to good news?”

Krasinski, an actor well-known for playing Jim in “The Office” and for directing and starring in the critically acclaimed film “The Quiet Place,” aired the first episode of “Some Good News” on March 29. 

Interested in the unique premise of the show, we watched through the four episodes. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves because it focused entirely on finding and bringing to light optimistic news in a time when all we hear about is the deadly pandemic. 

It was an instant success, with over 15 million views in the first episode and currently about more than 14,000  posts on Instagram under the hashtag #somegoodnews. 

The show’s popularity can be attributed to its down-to-earth tone, according to The Verge. Krasinski speaks with no microphone and films with low-grade camera equipment. The background of the show even features a logo drawn by Krasinski’s daughters. 

“We are all going through an incredibly trying time, but, through all the anxiety, through all the confusion, all the isolation, and all the Tiger King, somehow the human spirit found a way to break through and blow us all away,” Krasinski said.

In his first episode, Krasinski shared reports of people around the world thanking health-care workers for their hard work during the pandemic. In one instance, police officers in Spain stood outside of a hospital and shined their lights as their way of thanking workers. At sea, NATO sailors and staff applauded health-care workers. Krasinski also shared heart-warming videos of an elderly man singing to his wife through a window in a nursing home, and homeowners leaving necessary goods for delivery workers.

We were also excited to see a guest appearance by Steve Carell, who co-starred with Krasinski as Michael Scott in “The Office,” as they commemorated the 15th anniversary of the popular show.

The first episode was a great starter to the show because it got straight to important information regarding the recent crisis and showed heart-warming stories of people around the globe. 

We also liked that it moved away from the coronavirus and featured Carell. The show allowed us to mentally separate ourselves from the current situation.

The second episode highlighted people who stepped up to provide medical supplies. One story included a hockey equipment manufacturing company donating face shields for doctors and nurses. The second episode also featured a cameo from actor Robert De Niro, who gave a “Some Good News” weather report.

The episode particularly garnered a lot of attention when Kransinski got the entire original cast of “Hamilton” to perform “My Shot” to a 9-year-old girl named Aubrey, who missed out on watching the hit musical in person because of COVID-19. This episode was particularly special to watch because we saw how much this meant to her. 

In the third episode, Kransinski took health-care workers from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center COVID-19 unit, who were Red Sox fans, to Fenway Park where they got a personalized message from Red Sox legend David Ortiz.

The fifth episode introduced a segment called “SGN Potluck” where Krasinski got chefs Guy Fieri, Martha Stewart, David Chang and Stanley Tucci to make SGN viewer recipes, as well as partnering with PepsiCo to donate $3 million to Guy Fieri’s Restaurant Employee Relief Fund.

However, our favorite part of the entire show happened on April 17, when Krasinski held an online prom for seniors around the country whose proms had been canceled. In the prom, Krasinski was joined by celebrities Chance the Rapper, Billie Eilish, and the Jonas Brothers. It was special to see how celebrities came together to celebrate the graduating class, even if they couldn’t physically have their proms.

The show was extremely comforting to watch for us, as it helped us regain faith in our communities and humanity as a whole. In a time where news is more often than not morbid and tragic, it is heartwarming to see ordinary people do their part in helping others and thanking those working tirelessly to fight this pandemic.

With this show, viewers can take 15 minutes of their lives to listen to good news and escape from constant reminders of the terrible current situation.

As Krasinski says at the end of each episode, “I’m John Kransinski; this is SGN asking you to remember that no matter how dark it gets, there is always good in the world.”