More than two years after its series finale, audiences continue to love The Good Place. It is one of the rare shows where the majority of fans agree that the show was well executed from debut to finale.
One of the many elements that made the show work so well was the "Bad Place" demons. By not revealing that Michael and everyone in the neighborhood except for Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani, and Jason were demons until the finale of the first season, these characters helped to subvert expectations. Many of the demons served as antagonists, provided delightful humor, and some even had rich character arcs over the course of the series.
Todd
Most of the demons are only seen in their human suits. Todd is the first demon that fans see in true demon form. He provides some of the best insight into what the other demons look like beneath their human suits.
The other great thing about Todd is that he even though he is a demon lava monster, he usually appears in mundane circumstances, such as walking into the wrong conference room or bringing snacks to Shawn. In many ways, Todd provides a snapshot of the average, everyday life of demons.
Chet
Kristen Bell's husband Dax Shepard plays a demon named Chet. When the Soul Squad infiltrates the Bad Place in their quest to reach the Judge, they encounter Chet, who thinks that Chidi is a ruthless demon he used to work with named Trent.
There is something endearing about the way Chet shows off Chidi to the other demons, insistent that his former coworker is the best in the torture business. This leads to some of Chidi’s funniest quotes in the show and is a fun way of bringing Dax Shepard into the story.
Chef Patricia
The best thing about Chef Patricia is that she is overly intense about everything. Even when she is happy or pleased about something, she always exudes intensity. This makes for some delightful, humorous, and sometimes confusing moments when Tahani and Michael communicate with her.
Chef Patricia certainly commits to the role she is playing in Michael's elaborate torture scheme. The character only appears in the season 1 episode "Jason Mendoza," which is before the humans know they are being tortured. This means that the audience never gets to see if her overly intense character is part of the torture or if that is just her normal demon personality.
Bambadjan
It wouldn't seem like the Good Place if it wasn't filled with overly friendly, selfless, hardworking, and courageous individuals. Demons such as Bambadjan played this role to perfection, particularly during the first attempt of Michael's experiment.
Bambadjan's persistent smile, his fake backstory of being an activist, and his seemingly tireless dedication toward helping Eleanor stay in the Good Place help to sell Michael's ruse and torture the humans without them realizing it.
Chris Baker
In the first reboot and second attempt of Michael's experiment, Chris Baker plays the role of Eleanor's soulmate. His whole character revolves around the shtick of taking off his shirt and going to the gym. This is because Michael told him to make up an excuse - like that he had to go work out at the gym - if Eleanor ever seemed like she was going to confess to him that she didn't belong in the Good Place.
Chris takes this suggestion to the extreme by going to the gym practically any time Eleanor interacts with him. When the demons confront the humans on Earth in season 3, there is a callback to this running gag with Chris tearing his shirt off and declaring he's been working out a lot at the gym.
Glenn
A demon like Glenn was integral to making the humans think they were actually in the Good Place. Glenn's friendly, warm, and charitable personality makes him seem like the type of person who belongs in the Good Place. Many of his traits did not seem like that of a typical demon.
Glenn's positive traits--plus the fact that Shawn said "Shut up, Glenn" anytime Glenn said anything - paid off in the final season as Glenn betrayed the Bad Place and informed the Soul Squad that they had been infiltrated by a demon. He was wrong about the infiltrator being a demon in a Michael suit - it was actually a Bad Janet impersonating Good Janet - but he helped salvage the Soul Squad's experiment with his warning and he's a Good Place character that deserved a better ending.
Trevor
Other than Shawn, no demon embodies demons as perfectly as Trevor, played by Adam Scott in one of his best roles, Trevor serves as the audience's introduction to demons (the audience still thought Michael was a Good Place architect at that point). Trevor is bigoted, cruel, and disgusting in every way imaginable. Unlike other demons who were playing a fictional characters in Michael´s experiment, Trevor was true to himself.
When Shawn sent a demon to Earth to infiltrate the Soul Squad in season 3, Trevor was the perfect choice. He seemed kind at first, but quickly got under the skin of all the humans and nearly drove them apart.
Shawn
Humorless, cruel, arrogant, and conniving, Shawn is the ultimate embodiment of a traditional demon. His deadpan delivery fits with these traits and his antagonistic role.
He does not treat his allies any better than his enemies as he is known to encase his fellow demons in cocoons, even when they have done nothing to displease him. His competitive relationship with Michael adds more depth to his character, making him more than just the demon leader with a love for traditional torture.
Vicky
Introduced as "Real Eleanor" in one of The Good Place's best cliffhangers, Vicky quickly became one of the most intriguing characters in the show. She became even more compelling when revealed to be a demon obsessed with acting and committing to her role instead of being the overly kind and generous "Real Eleanor."
Her rivalry with Michael and ability to blackmail for her own gain proved how much more intelligent and ambitious she was than most of the other demons. This rivalry eventually developed into mutual respect for each other, with Michael even giving Vicky his blessing to train other demons in creating scenarios for humans in the new afterlife system, and Vicky reaching her potential as a true artist, teacher, and leader.
Michael
Even though he was a reformed demon for much of the show, Michael is still The Good Place's best demon. While most of the demons focused on physical torture and wanted to keep things the way they'd always been, Michael thought about how to make the torture more psychological and effective, which would make torturing more fun and innovative for the demons.
His idea to bring four humans together who would unknowingly torture each other was a brilliant idea and a plot twist that most fans didn't see coming. Even though it wasn't Michael's intent, this initial experiment set forth a chain of events that ultimately changed the afterlife system for the better. Michael is also the best demon for being fascinated with human nature and mundane human creations like paperclips, making his transformation into a human at the end of the series all the more satisfying.