All the Jacksonville Jokes in ‘The Good Place’

If you’re not from New York or Los Angeles, chances are you have an interesting relationship with TV and movie locations. Because most of pop culture is limited to maybe 20 cities, most home towns are consistently overlooked. But when a show or movie does mention that one special location you’re connected to, it’s magical. I can’t fully explain the feeling. It’s just another weird extension of people’s need feel included in things.

As someone who has spent four fifths of my life in Jacksonville, Florida, I’m intimately familiar with this feeling. I remember seeing Twilight in theaters (I make bad choices — I know) in my local theater. When Bella casually mentioned that her mom moved to Jacksonville, the whole place cheered for a solid minute. I absolutely love Freakville shoutouts, so imagine my joy when I learned that not only is one of the main characters in The Good Place from Jacksonville but making fun of my hometown was one of the strongest running gags in the show.

Jason’s (Manny Jacinto) depiction of Jacksonville paints the city as a lawless swamp-scape dominated by dumb, aspiring DJs, rabid Jacksonville Jaguars fans, and gator wranglers. It’s filled with super passionate citizens who adore their city though the rest of the world gives them, and all Floridians, a questioning side-eye. It’s one of the most absurd portrayals of a city ever to hit television, and it’s also shockingly accurate.

For the past few weeks, I’ve been collecting these beautifully perfect Jacksonville jabs, and now the time has come for me to share them with you. Here are all of the ridiculous Good Place jokes that directly relate to Jacksonville, Florida. That doesn’t capture all of the insanity amateur professional DJ Jason experienced because he was from Florida, but it’s a good start. Spoilers ahead.

Season 1, Episode 4 “Jason Mendoza”

Eleanor: You crashed your jet ski into a manatee?”
Jason: Yeah. I’m from Jacksonville, Florida. It happens a lot.

Jason: I don’t want to be a DJ in Jacksonville forever. I want to DJ in Daytona, Tallahassee, Tampa even. I want it all.

Pill Boy, while throwing a Molotov cocktail at a speed boat: Bortles!

Stream “Jason Mendoza” on Netflix

Season 1, Episode 5 “Category 55 Emergency Doomsday Crisis”

Jason on utilitarianism: I get it. It’s like I knew this girl Sheila. She was a black market alligator dealer with a pierced jawbone.
Chidi: Um … OK, what?
Jason: Sheila was going to get married to my boy Donkey Doug and make him move to Sarasota. It would have broken up our whole dance crew, and Donkey Doug was our best pop and locker. So I hid a bunch of stolen boogie boards in Sheila’s garage and called the cops. I framed one innocent gator dealer to save a 60 person dance crew.

Stream “Category 55 Emergency Doomsday Crisis” on Netflix

Season 1, Episode 9 “…Someone Like Me As A Member”

Jason: One time at a Buffalo Wild Wings in Jacksonville — the nice one, not the one above the gas station — I ate 50 [jalapeño poppers] in two minutes! Everyone at the hospital was so impressed.

Stream “…Someone Like Me As A Member” on Netflix

Season 1, Episode 10 “Chidi’s Choice”

Jason, to Tahani: My name is Jason Mendoza. I’m from Florida. And I’m a professional amatuer DJ.

Jason: What’s up Carson Daly! My name is Jason, and I want to give a shout out to all my homies up in Jacksonvilllllllle!
Weatherman: I am not Carson Daly, I’m a weather reporter. A hurricane is coming. You need to seek shelter.

Jason’s wedding vows to Janet: I’d like to read a poem: Janet, my digital queen. Janet, we can dare to dream. Send nude pics of your heart to me. Jacksonville Jaguars rule!

Stream “Chidi’s Choice” on Netflix

Season 1, Episode 11 “What’s My Motivation?”

Jason: Pill Boy, let’s talk big picture. You know I love Jacksonville.”
Pill Boy: J-town!
[Both kiss their fingers and raise them up in the air]
Jason: It’s easily one of the top 10 swamp cities in northeastern Florida, but if we’re gonna make it in the DJ game, we’ve got to get to Miami.

Eleanor: Can you make that train go to Mindy’s house?
Janet: Yep.
Eleanor: Then we have to go. Right now.
Jason: I just have to run home real quick and hit save on the Madden game I was playing because Blake Bortles has like 200 yards passing —

Stream “What’s My Motivation?” on Netflix

Season 1, Episode 12 “Mindy St. Claire”

Jason, while throwing a Molotov cocktail at the Good Place train: Bortles!

Stream “Mindy St. Claire” on Netflix

Season 2, Episode 3 “Team Cockroach”

Jason: I’ll tell you what I want to know right now before we go any further. Did the Jacksonville Jaguars win the Super Bowl last year?
Michael: Oh, you’re serious. No.
Jason: Will they ever win the Super Bowl?
Michael: Jason, I can’t predict the future. But no. They won’t.
Jason: OK, well I just have like 12 more Jaguars questions.

Jason: I always trust dudes in bowties. Once this guy in a bowtie came up to me at the gun range in the Jacksonville bus station and said he’d give me $600 if I put these weird turtles in my duffle bag and brought them to Daytona Beach.

Stream “Team Cockroach” on Hulu

Season 2, Episode 4 “Existential Crisis”

Jason: Listen, back in Jacksonville, I was in charge of a 60 person dance crew. Whenever we auditioned a new dancer, we would rate them in five categories: dancing ability, coolness, dopeness, freshness, and smart-brained. I would give you an eight in every category.
Tahani: Eight isn’t bad I suppose.
Jason: Oh no no no. Eight is the best. I was a scale of one to 13, but eight was highest. The scale went up and back down, like a tent.

Stream “Existential Crisis” on Hulu

Season 2, Episode 7 “Derek”

Jason: Jaguars rule!
Tahani: The Jaguars are very good!

Jason: I went to Lynyrd Skynyrd High School in northeast Jacksonville, which was really just a bunch of tugboats tied together.
Tahani: I’m sorry, didn’t you get sea sick?
Jason: No, they were tied together in a junkyard. It wasn’t a very good school. For most of my classes we just sold dirty magazines door to door.

Jason, to Tahani: You’re basically like a hot genius teacher who sometimes has sex with me, your student. That used to happen a lot at Lynyrd Skynyrd High School, but this time you won’t be arrested.

Stream “Derek” on Hulu