Michael's Experiments are a series of experiments Michael has performed over the duration of the show to test and validate viable methods to reshape the Afterlife. Because Michael was an innovative thinker, he had always believed that there have been better methods to apply to the Afterlife. While initially the experiments were designed to improve methods of torture, Michael began to experiment with ways to improve the moral functioning of both the Afterlife and the Universe as a whole.
Michael's Psychological Torture Experiment[]
Michael's first experiment, the creation of Neighborhood 12358W, was an experiment to prove that "the human Afterlife can be more fun–for us, obviously, not for the people we're torturing!". His experiment sought to create an afterlife where the humans would torture each other psychologically for thousands of years. It also allowed the Architects to remain within the Bad Place neighborhood, so as to create a more enjoyable experience for them. He tried this experiment 802 times before giving up.
Michael's Earth Improvement Experiment[]
Michael's second experiment sought to prove that the human afterlife was fundamentally flawed because it did not allow for the chance of human improvement. He convinced Gen to allow him to start up a new timeline in which the humans never died. However, Michael's tampering made the experiment invalid. He and Janet fled the Afterlife, so that the six of them were on the run from both The Neutral Zone and The Bad Place.
Michael's Afterlife Improvement Experiment[]
Michael's third experiment, sanctioned by Gen, recreated the setting of the first experiment. However, his goal this time was to improve four new humans (which would be sent from The Bad Place, on the condition that they had similar point totals to each of the four humans). The experiment was suggested by Chidi in the IHOP after he saw the Time-Knife. Despite The Bad Place attempting to sabotage the experiment, Gen ultimately ruled in favor of Michael in the end, as it proved that humans were capable of improving even after they die on earth.