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Netflix's Good Times is an animated reboot of the classic CBS TV series. The new show is an edgy reimagining of the TV classic that follows a new generation of the Evans family.
The original Good Times was a sitcom that aired from 1974 to 1979, focusing on the lives of a working-class African-American family living in the Cabrini-Green housing project in Chicago. It was the first show to depict a two-parent black family and tackle topics like unemployment and discrimination.
Good Times, released on April 12, 2024, is executive-produced by Stephen Curry and Seth MacFarlane, with Ranade Shepherd as the showrunner and executive producer.
What is the Good Times animated series about?
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Good Times follows the newest generation of the Evans family, headed by the cab-driver dad Reggie, played by the scene-stealer JB Smoove, who was last seen in the Rudy Mancuso-directed film Música. Reggie has an ambitious wife Beverly, played by Nicole Brown.
Together with their teenage artist son, Junior, activist daughter, Grey, and the drug-dealing infant son, Dalvin, the family navigates life in one of Chicago's few remaining housing projects, embodying the spirit of 'scratching and surviving' and having fun along the way.
50 years back, the original Good Times sitcom was released, as the spin-off to Maude, which itself was a spin-off of All in the Family. The show marked a historic moment for the representation of a Black family on screen.
The creative minds and voices behind the show
The original Good Times was created by Mike Evans and Eric Montes and executive-produced by the late television legend Norman Lear. Esther Rolle, John Amos, Jimmie Walker, Bern Nadette Stanis, Ralph Carter, and Ja'Net DuBois starred in the iconic show that aired for six seasons on CBS.
The announcement in September 2020 revealed the plans for an animated revival of the series, with Carl Jones attached as the showrunner. Norman Lear was slated as an executive producer, alongside Stephen Curry and Seth Mcfarlane, who is popular for creating the show Family Guy. In December 2023, Ranada Shepard took over as showrunner for the series following Carl Jones's exit.
Shepard told Netflix,
"Once Sony said 'Good Times,' 'Norman Lear,' I said, 'Say less. I'm there.'"
JB Smooves leads the show's cast alongside another comedic television veteran, Yvette Nicole Brown. Marsai Martin, Jay Pharoah, and Gerald Johnson lend their voices to the characters of Grey, Junior, and Dalvin, respectively.
The response to Good Times is unfavorable
While there was genuine interest regarding the animated reboot of the beloved show among new generation viewers and the fans of the old show, the response to the Netflix flick has been less than favorable.
The show has been heavily criticized for its content by critics and audiences alike. Andrew Lawrence from The Guardian wrote,
"Netflix's animated Good Times reboot is a stain on a comedy classic."
Robyn Autry wrote in an MSNBC review, where she criticized the show for trafficking in Black stereotypes and serving as more of a spoof of the classic 1970s TV series than a tribute to the original show. Another critic Aramide Tinubu from Variety called the show, 'dated, humorless, and baffling.'
Some people feel that the reboot follows stereotypical Black tropes as opposed to the original show that resonated with the Black community of that time. The technical aspects, such as the animation style, and the object of humor, such as using a 'drug-dealing baby,' also failed to resonate with the viewers.
On being criticized by an X user for her involvement in the project, Yvette Nicole Brown responded,
"This show is edgier and more irreverent than the Good Times of our childhood but it's still a show about family, fighting the system, and working to make things better despite where you start out in the world. That 100% lines up with my values."
It is not easy to fill in the giant shoes of a beloved classic sitcom, and Netflix's latest animated venture is another proof of the slippery slope of following a classic. The show has failed to garner an audience despite creative names like Stephen Curry, Seth Mcfarlane, and JB Groove attached to the project.
Season one of the animated series is available on Netflix for streaming right now.
