The show, which was originally developed and hosted on YouTube, is "a news show dedicated entirely to good news," with Krasinski operating inside his home during the COVID-19 pandemic. In each episode, he discusses several feel-good stories and invites celebrity guests to join in conversation.
Cast
Main
John Krasinski
Guests
Production
Development
Krasinski conceptualized Some Good News in 2013, but launched the series in 2020, amid the imposed lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. He self-financed and produced the program, in conjunction with his production banner partner, Allyson Seeger. A variety of companies were hired for production, editing, marketing, and other aspects. On May 21, 2020, ViacomCBS announced that it had acquired Some Good News, following a bidding war. The series will be produced by Comedy Central Productions, with Krasinski remaining as the executive producer, but no longer as the host. Krasinski received criticism for selling the show to the network. New episodes will first stream on CBS All Access, before moving to other networks within the company.
Episodes
Live virtual prom special
On April 16, 2020, Krasinski announced that he was DJing a live-streamed prom special on the channel the following night at 8:00 pm EDT. The Jonas Brothers performed their song "Sucker" while Eilish and O'Connell performed "Bad Guy". Krasinksi stated, "We are all going through this together. It's a very weird time, but each and every one of you are missing something and this is the least I could do and I couldn't be more proud to do it." Mashable called the episode "truly a night to remember." Vulture stated "Overall, at least as fun as our actual physical prom, minus the $$$. Hope you enjoyed, Class of 2020!" Initially, there were around 86,500 people were watching when it began and there were over 214,000 viewers by the end.
Reception
Audience viewership
Some Good News debuted on YouTube on March 29, 2020, and accumulated 330,000 subscribers overnight. The first episode appeared on YouTube's Trending page and was viewed 3.1 million times one day after being uploaded. It had been viewed over 12 million times by April 5, 2020. Within the first eight weeks, the eight episode series drew in over 72 million views and 2.58 million subscribers.
Critical response
Some Good News was positively received, including the accompanying Twitter account Krasinski set up for the show under the handle @somegoodnews. TV Insider wrote "... Some Good News has proven how powerful spreading positivity can be. TV fans should put their faith in John Krasinski to deliver what the title of his YouTube series promises amidst the chaos and hardships of life during the COVID-19 pandemic." RedState called Krasinski a "national treasure" and called the series "amazing", while the Boston Globe called the series "hilarious and poignant". Reviewing the second episode, CBN News stated, "just like the first episode, this one is definitely worth watching." NPR stated the episode was an "explosion of good-hearted joy". Michelle Obama shared the video on social media, adding, "I couldn't help but smile after watching this video with John Krasinski, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and the cast of Hamilton surprising a young fan, giving us all a little bit of joy at this difficult time." Jimmy Traina of Sports Illustrated said the third episode "managed to create some damn good sports content—and some tears."
Accolades
Some Good News won a Special Achievement Award at the 2020 Webby Awards.
