The first trailer for Netflix’s animated reboot of the iconic ’70s sitcom Good Times was released last week, and the reaction has been… let’s say, mixed.
The original Norman Lear sitcom ran for six seasons from 1974 to 1979 and earned praise for its portrayal of a working-class Black family. The animated reboot follows a new generation of the Evans family as they keep their heads above water in a Chicago housing project, but the tone of the trailer, complete with a drug-dealing baby, didn’t exactly rub fans the right way.
While speaking with THR, original Good Times stars John Amos (James Evans) and BernNadette Stanis (Thelma) shared their thoughts on the trailer. Both actors made it clear that they aren’t ready to pass judgment until they’re able to see full episodes. “I really can’t form an opinion, as I’ve not seen any of the episodes yet,...
The original Norman Lear sitcom ran for six seasons from 1974 to 1979 and earned praise for its portrayal of a working-class Black family. The animated reboot follows a new generation of the Evans family as they keep their heads above water in a Chicago housing project, but the tone of the trailer, complete with a drug-dealing baby, didn’t exactly rub fans the right way.
While speaking with THR, original Good Times stars John Amos (James Evans) and BernNadette Stanis (Thelma) shared their thoughts on the trailer. Both actors made it clear that they aren’t ready to pass judgment until they’re able to see full episodes. “I really can’t form an opinion, as I’ve not seen any of the episodes yet,...
- 4/3/2024
- by Kevin Fraser
- JoBlo.com
Stars of the original Good Times are weighing in after the trailer for Netflix’s forthcoming animated reboot led some fans to question whether the new project will indeed be “dynomite.”
Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year after premiering in February 1974, Good Times focused on the Chicago-based Evans family, with the Norman Lear-produced series running for six seasons and earning praise for its realistic portrayal of a working-class Black family. After the first promo debuted last week for Netflix’s animated exploration of the Evans family’s current generation, plenty of social media users expressed surprise that the new series — which appears to double down on stereotypes with such elements as a drug-dealing infant — didn’t highlight the positive themes from the initial show.
The Hollywood Reporter spoke to original Good Times castmembers John Amos, who portrayed patriarch James Evans on the first three seasons, and BernNadette Stanis — known for playing Thelma,...
Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year after premiering in February 1974, Good Times focused on the Chicago-based Evans family, with the Norman Lear-produced series running for six seasons and earning praise for its realistic portrayal of a working-class Black family. After the first promo debuted last week for Netflix’s animated exploration of the Evans family’s current generation, plenty of social media users expressed surprise that the new series — which appears to double down on stereotypes with such elements as a drug-dealing infant — didn’t highlight the positive themes from the initial show.
The Hollywood Reporter spoke to original Good Times castmembers John Amos, who portrayed patriarch James Evans on the first three seasons, and BernNadette Stanis — known for playing Thelma,...
- 4/3/2024
- by Ryan Gajewski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
With the 96th Academy Awards in the history books, it’s time to become obsessed over the 77th Tony Awards. Nominations are April 30th with the awards set to air on CBS on June 16 from Lincoln Center. Among the contenders for Tony nominations are many musicals based on movies including “Back to the Future,’ “The Notebook,” “Water for Elephants” and “The Outsiders”: high profile revivals such as Ibsen’s “An Enemy of the People” with Jeremy Strong; “Cabaret” with Oscar-winner Eddie Redmayne and the Who’s “Tommy”; imports from London and transfers from off-Broadway.
Do you remember the Tony landscape 50 years ago? The 28th annual honors took place April 21, 1974, at the Shubert Theater and aired on ABC. And to say it was a star-studded affair is something of an understatement. Robert Preston, Peter Falk, Cicely Tyson, Florence Henderson hosted; presenters included Al Pacino –-let’s hope he had better...
Do you remember the Tony landscape 50 years ago? The 28th annual honors took place April 21, 1974, at the Shubert Theater and aired on ABC. And to say it was a star-studded affair is something of an understatement. Robert Preston, Peter Falk, Cicely Tyson, Florence Henderson hosted; presenters included Al Pacino –-let’s hope he had better...
- 3/14/2024
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
“Good Times,” which celebrates its 50th anniversary on Feb. 8, suffered from an identity crisis during its six-season run on CBS. So much so, the lead actors — Esther Rolle and John Amos — would leave the popular second spinoff of ‘All in the Family”(Rolle would eventually return) because the sitcom changed focus.
Norman Lear ruled the airwaves in the 1970s. He blew up the conception of a family sitcom in 1971 with the CBS sitcom “All in the Family” which focused on a working class family from Queen lead by the bigoted patriarch Archie Bunker (Carroll O’Connor). During the first season, Bea Arthur guest starred as Maude, Edith Bunker’s (Jean Stapleton) favorite cousin who was the antithesis of Archie-outspoken, much married, ultra-liberal.
And after a second appearance on “All in the Family,” Arthur got her own series “Maude” in the fall of 1972. The breakout performer on that series was Esther...
Norman Lear ruled the airwaves in the 1970s. He blew up the conception of a family sitcom in 1971 with the CBS sitcom “All in the Family” which focused on a working class family from Queen lead by the bigoted patriarch Archie Bunker (Carroll O’Connor). During the first season, Bea Arthur guest starred as Maude, Edith Bunker’s (Jean Stapleton) favorite cousin who was the antithesis of Archie-outspoken, much married, ultra-liberal.
And after a second appearance on “All in the Family,” Arthur got her own series “Maude” in the fall of 1972. The breakout performer on that series was Esther...
- 2/8/2024
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Netflix’s animated Good Times update from Seth MacFarlane and the late and great Norman Lear is moving full steam ahead.
The streamer has tapped J.B. Smoove, Yvette Nicole Brown and Jay Pharoah to lead the voice cast of the animated and adult-leaning series. Additionally, Ranada Shepard (Family Affair, Lizzie McGuire) has signed on to serve as showrunner, replacing Carl Jones (The Boondocks) in the role.
The animated series follows the Evans family in the present day as they navigate today’s world and contemporary social issues. As the original did, the new show will strive to remind viewers that with the love of family, everyone can keep their heads above water.
Smoove and Brown will play the show’s central couple, Reggie and Beverly, with Pharoah taking on the role of one of their sons, Junior.
The original series starred Esther Rolle and John Amos as Florida and James Evans,...
The streamer has tapped J.B. Smoove, Yvette Nicole Brown and Jay Pharoah to lead the voice cast of the animated and adult-leaning series. Additionally, Ranada Shepard (Family Affair, Lizzie McGuire) has signed on to serve as showrunner, replacing Carl Jones (The Boondocks) in the role.
The animated series follows the Evans family in the present day as they navigate today’s world and contemporary social issues. As the original did, the new show will strive to remind viewers that with the love of family, everyone can keep their heads above water.
Smoove and Brown will play the show’s central couple, Reggie and Beverly, with Pharoah taking on the role of one of their sons, Junior.
The original series starred Esther Rolle and John Amos as Florida and James Evans,...
- 12/12/2023
- by Lesley Goldberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
TV giant Norman Lear, who died Dec. 5 at 101, leaves behind arguably the single most valuable body of work ever committed to the medium. On seminal series like All in the Family, Maude and The Jeffersons, Lear dared to tackle issues then considered unthinkable sitcom fodder — rape, abortion, homosexuality, racism, alcoholism — with a genius’ eye and ear for capturing their moral complexities while poking at the foibles of the American working class. These six episodes, however, stand out among the rest for having actively moved the needle on public opinion — and in doing so elevated Lear’s work from mere entertainment to timeless agitprop art.
1. All in the Family — Season 8 — “Cousin Liz” — Original Air Date: Oct. 9, 1977
Lear’s magnum opus, All in the Family, tackled the most hot-button issues throughout its nine seasons, from rape to racism to the war in Vietnam. But one particularly resounding episode was “Cousin Liz,” in...
1. All in the Family — Season 8 — “Cousin Liz” — Original Air Date: Oct. 9, 1977
Lear’s magnum opus, All in the Family, tackled the most hot-button issues throughout its nine seasons, from rape to racism to the war in Vietnam. But one particularly resounding episode was “Cousin Liz,” in...
- 12/7/2023
- by Seth Abramovitch
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Norman Lear was a man of modest physical stature, standing a trim 5’7″ on a good day. In terms of his impact on television — comedy primarily, but the medium as a whole — he was a giant, who belongs on any Mt. Rushmore of showrunners. He dominated an entire decade of TV like no one before or since, with hit after hit that expanded the boundaries of what could be done with the old-fashioned multi-camera sitcom format (shot on a stage in front of a studio audience), and what kinds of stories and characters audiences would accept.
- 12/6/2023
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Rollingstone.com
Johnny Brown, the actor, comedian and singer best known for his role as superintendent Nathan Bookman on the popular 70s sitcom “Good Times,” died Wednesday. He was 84 years old.
Brown’s death was confirmed by his daughter, Broadway actress Sharon Catherine Brown, through a post shared on her Instagram. No further details on Brown’s death are available at this time.
“He was literally snatched out of our lives. It’s not real for us yet,” Sharon Catherine Brown wrote. “So there will be more to say but not now. Dad was the absolute best. We love him so very much.”
Prior to his sitcom stardom, Brown was a seasoned entertainment veteran, regularly performing in nightclub acts with his future wife, June Russell. Early in his career he dabbled in recording music, releasing the single “Walkin’, Talkin’, Kissin’ Doll” for Columbia Records in 1961 and “You’re Too Much in Love...
Brown’s death was confirmed by his daughter, Broadway actress Sharon Catherine Brown, through a post shared on her Instagram. No further details on Brown’s death are available at this time.
“He was literally snatched out of our lives. It’s not real for us yet,” Sharon Catherine Brown wrote. “So there will be more to say but not now. Dad was the absolute best. We love him so very much.”
Prior to his sitcom stardom, Brown was a seasoned entertainment veteran, regularly performing in nightclub acts with his future wife, June Russell. Early in his career he dabbled in recording music, releasing the single “Walkin’, Talkin’, Kissin’ Doll” for Columbia Records in 1961 and “You’re Too Much in Love...
- 3/5/2022
- by Wilson Chapman
- Variety Film + TV
Getting fired from Good Times is one of the best things that could have ever happened to John Amos.
After three seasons of fighting with executive producer Norman Lear and the CBS sitcom’s white writers about the stereotypical Black portrayals and dialogue the show perpetuated, particularly when it came to star Jimmie Walker, Amos’ contract to play patriarch James Evans wasn’t renewed at the end of Season 3 in 1976 and his character was killed off.
More from TVLineShades of Funny: A Celebration of TV Comedy's Trailblazers & Rising StarsFresh Off Ted Lasso, Emmy Winner Ashley Nicole Black Is On a...
After three seasons of fighting with executive producer Norman Lear and the CBS sitcom’s white writers about the stereotypical Black portrayals and dialogue the show perpetuated, particularly when it came to star Jimmie Walker, Amos’ contract to play patriarch James Evans wasn’t renewed at the end of Season 3 in 1976 and his character was killed off.
More from TVLineShades of Funny: A Celebration of TV Comedy's Trailblazers & Rising StarsFresh Off Ted Lasso, Emmy Winner Ashley Nicole Black Is On a...
- 2/26/2022
- by Mekeisha Madden Toby
- TVLine.com
(Warning: This post contains spoilers for Wednesday’s episode of “The Masked Singer.”)
Following last week’s introduction of Orca, “The Masked Singer” welcomed its second “Wildcard” contestant on Wednesday’s episode. And just as the Orca managed to use his killer pipes to oust a current competitor, tonight’s newbie, Crab, clawed his way into the game, too.
This week’s “Masked Singer” saw the returns of the remaining Group B contestants, Grandpa Monster, Chameleon, Black Swan and Piglet, and the first performance from surprise competitor Crab. He sang Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine,” and his rendition was so good that he managed to shuffle his way into the Group B lineup, as Grandpa Monster was eliminated and unmasked to reveal YouTube star Logan Paul.
Now that Crab has entered “The Masked Singer” Season 5, judges Jenny McCarthy, Ken Jeong, Robin Thicke and Nicole Scherzinger all have guesses about...
Following last week’s introduction of Orca, “The Masked Singer” welcomed its second “Wildcard” contestant on Wednesday’s episode. And just as the Orca managed to use his killer pipes to oust a current competitor, tonight’s newbie, Crab, clawed his way into the game, too.
This week’s “Masked Singer” saw the returns of the remaining Group B contestants, Grandpa Monster, Chameleon, Black Swan and Piglet, and the first performance from surprise competitor Crab. He sang Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine,” and his rendition was so good that he managed to shuffle his way into the Group B lineup, as Grandpa Monster was eliminated and unmasked to reveal YouTube star Logan Paul.
Now that Crab has entered “The Masked Singer” Season 5, judges Jenny McCarthy, Ken Jeong, Robin Thicke and Nicole Scherzinger all have guesses about...
- 4/1/2021
- by Jennifer Maas
- The Wrap
This article is part of an ongoing series that looks at the history of disability issues in television. You can find Part One in the series, about viewers’ recollections of disability on television here; and Part Two on disability in Very Special Episodes here.
When Norman Lear won another Emmy two weeks ago — becoming the oldest Emmy winner in history — it reminded audiences of how vital and revolutionary the showrunner and creator has been for more than 50 years. His television shows in the 1970s changed the landscape, deconstructing everything from gender to race.
But one area that is often overlooked in his career is his work with disability. It’s a statement Lear chuckles at when asked about — to him, it just made sense to include disabled characters and, more importantly, disabled actors, to emphasize the world we lived in.
To hear him tell it, there isn’t a grand...
When Norman Lear won another Emmy two weeks ago — becoming the oldest Emmy winner in history — it reminded audiences of how vital and revolutionary the showrunner and creator has been for more than 50 years. His television shows in the 1970s changed the landscape, deconstructing everything from gender to race.
But one area that is often overlooked in his career is his work with disability. It’s a statement Lear chuckles at when asked about — to him, it just made sense to include disabled characters and, more importantly, disabled actors, to emphasize the world we lived in.
To hear him tell it, there isn’t a grand...
- 10/1/2020
- by Kristen Lopez
- Indiewire
Netflix has given a series order to an animated version of Norman Lear’s groundbreaking TV sitcom Good Times. The project hails from Lear and his Act III Productions, NBA star Steph Curry and his Unanimous Media, Seth MacFarlane and his Fuzzy Door, and Sony Pictures TV.
Based on his iconic ’70s series, Good Times is Lear’s first animated series. It comes on the heels of the recent animated episode of One Day At a Time, Pop TV’s reboot of another Lear classic.
Good Times follows the Evans family as they navigate today’s world and contemporary social issues. Just as the original did years ago, Good Times strives to remind us that with the love of our family, we can keep our heads above water.
Carl Jones serves as creator, showrunner, and executive producer. Lear and Brent Miller executive produce for Act III Productions, Stephen Curry, Erick Peyton...
Based on his iconic ’70s series, Good Times is Lear’s first animated series. It comes on the heels of the recent animated episode of One Day At a Time, Pop TV’s reboot of another Lear classic.
Good Times follows the Evans family as they navigate today’s world and contemporary social issues. Just as the original did years ago, Good Times strives to remind us that with the love of our family, we can keep our heads above water.
Carl Jones serves as creator, showrunner, and executive producer. Lear and Brent Miller executive produce for Act III Productions, Stephen Curry, Erick Peyton...
- 9/14/2020
- by Denise Petski and Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Netflix has given a 10-episode, straight-to-series order to a new animated take on Norman Lear’s classic sitcom “Good Times.” Lear and his Act III Prods. shingle is partnering with basketball star Steph Curry and his production company, Unanimous Media, as well as Seth MacFarlane and his shingle Fuzzy Door, to develop the show.
Both Act III and Unanimous are based at Sony Pictures TV, which is behind the animated “Good Times.” Carl Jones, whose credits include animated series “The Boondocks” and “Black Dynamite,” as well as TBS’ Tracy Morgan starrer “The Last O.G.,” will create, showrun and executive produce the project. Per the logline, the new animated series will follow “the Evans family as they navigate today’s world and contemporary social issues. Just as the original did years ago, ‘Good Times’ strives to remind us that with the love of our family, we can keep our heads above water.
Both Act III and Unanimous are based at Sony Pictures TV, which is behind the animated “Good Times.” Carl Jones, whose credits include animated series “The Boondocks” and “Black Dynamite,” as well as TBS’ Tracy Morgan starrer “The Last O.G.,” will create, showrun and executive produce the project. Per the logline, the new animated series will follow “the Evans family as they navigate today’s world and contemporary social issues. Just as the original did years ago, ‘Good Times’ strives to remind us that with the love of our family, we can keep our heads above water.
- 9/14/2020
- by Michael Schneider
- Variety Film + TV
This is part of an ongoing series that looks at the history of disability issues in television. You can find part one in the series here. As a disabled writer, I will use both person-first and identity-first language interchangeably for purposes of brevity and clarity.
It’s easy to confuse the history of disability portrayals in TV sitcoms with the “very special episode” that specialized in dark topics followed by comforting homilies, all soundtracked by awkward laughter from the live studio audience. However, if you look back at the episodes that featured characters with disabilities, they weren’t the stuff of VSEs. They belonged to narratives about the disability, all with a single mantra: People with disabilities are simply people.
An innocuous, if obvious, lesson, but here’s where the Vse confusion might arise: These sitcoms didn’t feature full-fledged disabled characters. They tended to be two-dimensional cardboard cutouts that...
It’s easy to confuse the history of disability portrayals in TV sitcoms with the “very special episode” that specialized in dark topics followed by comforting homilies, all soundtracked by awkward laughter from the live studio audience. However, if you look back at the episodes that featured characters with disabilities, they weren’t the stuff of VSEs. They belonged to narratives about the disability, all with a single mantra: People with disabilities are simply people.
An innocuous, if obvious, lesson, but here’s where the Vse confusion might arise: These sitcoms didn’t feature full-fledged disabled characters. They tended to be two-dimensional cardboard cutouts that...
- 8/28/2020
- by Kristen Lopez
- Indiewire
Raymond Allen, an actor who had memorable recurring roles on classic ’70s sitcoms Sanford and Son and Good Times, died Monday of a non-covid respiratory illness at a long-term care facility in California. He was 91.
Allen’s death was announced by his daughter, Ta Ronce Allen, in a Facebook post.
The actor was best known for his Sanford and Son character of Uncle Woodrow “Woody” Anderson, brother-in-law of Redd Foxx’s Fred Sanford and long-suffering husband of Lawanda Page’s Aunt Esther. On another Norman Lear-created series, Good Times, Allen played Ned the Wino, a neighborhood street character and friend of the series’ central Evans family. Both Woody and Ned showcased Allen’s comic depiction of cheerful intoxication.
Nathaniel Taylor Dies: ‘Sanford And Son’ Sidekick Rollo Was 80
Born on March 5, 1929, in Kansas City, Mo, the youngest of 12 children, Allen also appeared in ’70s series What’s Happening!!, Starsky and Hutch,...
Allen’s death was announced by his daughter, Ta Ronce Allen, in a Facebook post.
The actor was best known for his Sanford and Son character of Uncle Woodrow “Woody” Anderson, brother-in-law of Redd Foxx’s Fred Sanford and long-suffering husband of Lawanda Page’s Aunt Esther. On another Norman Lear-created series, Good Times, Allen played Ned the Wino, a neighborhood street character and friend of the series’ central Evans family. Both Woody and Ned showcased Allen’s comic depiction of cheerful intoxication.
Nathaniel Taylor Dies: ‘Sanford And Son’ Sidekick Rollo Was 80
Born on March 5, 1929, in Kansas City, Mo, the youngest of 12 children, Allen also appeared in ’70s series What’s Happening!!, Starsky and Hutch,...
- 8/11/2020
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
[caption id="attachment_48521" align="aligncenter" width="590"] (ABC/Ron Tom.)/caption]
Ain't we lucky we got 'em? Check out these photos of the second season finale of the Black-ish TV show on ABC. In "Good-ish Times," Dre falls asleep watching a Good Times TV show marathon. In his dream, the Johnson family goes back to the 1970s and are transformed into the characters of this classic TV show. The episode airs May 18th.
Black-ish stars Anthony Anderson, Tracee Ellis Ross, Laurence Fishburne, Yara Shahidi, Marcus Scribner, Miles Brown, Marsai Martin, and Jenifer Lewis. Guest starring are Peter Mackenzie, Jeff Meacham, Deon Cole, and Catherine Reitman. The cast of the original Good Times TV series includes: BernNadette Stanis, Ralph Carter, Jimmie Walker, Ja'net DuBois, Esther Rolle, John Amos, and Janet Jackson (Miss Jackson, if you're nasty).
Read More…...
Ain't we lucky we got 'em? Check out these photos of the second season finale of the Black-ish TV show on ABC. In "Good-ish Times," Dre falls asleep watching a Good Times TV show marathon. In his dream, the Johnson family goes back to the 1970s and are transformed into the characters of this classic TV show. The episode airs May 18th.
Black-ish stars Anthony Anderson, Tracee Ellis Ross, Laurence Fishburne, Yara Shahidi, Marcus Scribner, Miles Brown, Marsai Martin, and Jenifer Lewis. Guest starring are Peter Mackenzie, Jeff Meacham, Deon Cole, and Catherine Reitman. The cast of the original Good Times TV series includes: BernNadette Stanis, Ralph Carter, Jimmie Walker, Ja'net DuBois, Esther Rolle, John Amos, and Janet Jackson (Miss Jackson, if you're nasty).
Read More…...
- 5/6/2016
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sony is currently developing a film based on ”Good Times”, the popular Sitcom that ran on CBS from 1974-1979. Sony has enlisted Scott Rudin and Eli Bush as producers. Phil Johnston (Wreck-It-Ralph, Cedar Rapids) will write.
The original show starred Ja’net DuBois, John Amos, Ralph Carter, Jimmie Walker, BernNadette Stanis and Esther Rolle.
Good Times synopsis from Tvland:
Good Times follows the challenges and joys of the close-knit Evans family — patriarch James, mother Florida, eldest son and accomplished amateur painter J.J. (James Evans, Jr.), brainy and beautiful daughter Thelma, and youngest son Michael, a political and social activist — who live together in a high-rise housing project on the South Side of Chicago.
The show took an honest look at the reality of life in the urban Projects, and tackled social and political issues around race, poverty, unemployment, inflation, crime and addiction — hot button...
The original show starred Ja’net DuBois, John Amos, Ralph Carter, Jimmie Walker, BernNadette Stanis and Esther Rolle.
Good Times synopsis from Tvland:
Good Times follows the challenges and joys of the close-knit Evans family — patriarch James, mother Florida, eldest son and accomplished amateur painter J.J. (James Evans, Jr.), brainy and beautiful daughter Thelma, and youngest son Michael, a political and social activist — who live together in a high-rise housing project on the South Side of Chicago.
The show took an honest look at the reality of life in the urban Projects, and tackled social and political issues around race, poverty, unemployment, inflation, crime and addiction — hot button...
- 3/12/2013
- by Alex Corey
- LRMonline.com
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