The Good Place isn’t just going to be missed by its diehard fans and philosophy obsessives everywhere, it’s going to be missed by its cast. At the Television Critics Association’s 2019 summer tour The Good Place leads Ted Danson and Kristen Bell teared up as they reflected about what made their show so special.

“What’s different about the ending of this show is we knew it was coming and we knew it was ripe to end. Usually, you are informed by … that the show’s over or there’s some turmoil around it, so it feels like something’s been taken away from it,” Danson said before tearing up. The legendary actor also praised the collaborative nature of the show.

“I hope that doesn’t sound pompous, but here’s the gift of this show. And we are all a part of it, and we are all a part of the decision,” Danson said. “You don’t usually get that kind of an opportunity.”

Bell echoed her co-star. “You know there are these opposing theories in my head about ways to be. State my opinion fighting for good or do it with my art,” Bell told a group of journalists after the panel. “This is one where I really did it with my art. I said some things that I wanted to put out into the world, and I was really lucky to be able to be offered a job that was both creatively fulfilling and emotionally fulfilling toward my sort of maternal instincts toward the world.”

When asked about what the last day on set was like, Bell was equally somber and appreciative. “It was the best worst feeling ever. Ted was dead on when he said usually you’re notified after a show has wrapped that it’s not continuing. We knew ahead of time. We knew why. And it was because of the meaning of the show and it was because we were telling a story that deserved its ending,” Bell said. “So it felt a little like what I imagine sending your kid off to college is like.”

Where to stream The Good Place