“Good Times” cast members BernNadette Stanis and John Amos say they have mixed feelings about the animated reboot of the classic series and now a petition has been launched to shut down it’s release.
Comedic actors Yvette Nicole Brown, J.B. Smoove, Jay Pharoah, Marsai Martin and Gerald “Slink” Johnson star in the animated version of the show, which is set to premiere on April 12 from executive producers Stephen Curry and Seth MacFarlane, as well as showrunner Ranada Shepard.
Despite some fans’ excitement around it, the show has been criticized for being a “cartoon caricature” of Black families in America on social media.
“Good Times” was created by Mike Evans and Eric Monte, and produced by the late Norman Lear for CBS. Amos and Stanis played father and daughter on the beloved 1970s sitcom about a Black family living in a Chicago housing project.
Amos starred as James Evans on the show, while Stanis played Thelma Evans. The family matriarch Florida was played by the late Esther Rolle; Jimmie Walker played their son J.J. “Dyn-o-mite!” Evans, while Ralph Carter played their youngest child, Michael.
Amos was fired from the show after three seasons for arguing with the show’s producers about the way Black people speak and act. The 84-year-old told The Hollywood Reporter that he was reserving his opinion of the new show until he saw some episodes of the series. However, he also noted that the original “Good Times” cast set the bar “pretty high.”
“I really can’t form an opinion, as I’ve not seen any of the episodes yet,” he said. “Norman — and the entire cast and company — set the bar pretty high. They’ll have a hard time reaching that level of entertainment and education. I wish them the best. I see people aspiring to that, but I don’t see anybody reaching that goal, especially in an animated version.”
Stanis also spoke with the outlet and she expressed she “thought it was going to be different.”
“A lot of times, you use a certain name to open up the door for a new show. That could be what it is,” she said. “But I’m sure a lot of people will be a little confused at first because they have to think that it’s us. They think, ‘Oh, my God! That’s got to be Thelma, J.J. and Michael.’ And then you come in there, and you don’t see anything like that.”
The animated “Good Times” has different characters from the original series. Smoove plays the family patriarch, a cab driver named Reggie Evans, while Brown plays his wife, Beverly. Pharoah plays their son, Junior, while Gerald “Slink” Johnson plays their other son, Dalvin, and Martin plays their daughter, Grey.
“I did a little voice for them, but I did not know it was going to be the way it is,” Stanis continued. “I thought it was going to be different. It’s just a little here and there. But I think that they did that because they knew what their show was going to be like. So, I guess they figured, if you put us in there, it wouldn’t look so bad or whatever.”
‘Good Times’ fan Paul Johnson wrote that he was “deeply concerned” about the animated series in his petition and how the public will view it.
“As a Black individual, I find that this show perpetuates harmful stereotypes about my community. The portrayal of Black people in media has long been a contentious issue, with studies showing that negative portrayals can lead to harmful biases and discrimination (source: Pew Research Center),” he wrote. “This show is no exception. It depicts Black people in ways that are not only inaccurate but also damaging to our image.”
“The media plays a significant role in shaping public opinion and perception. When it continually portrays us negatively, it reinforces stereotypes and prejudices that we have fought hard to dispel,” he continued, “It is disheartening to see such representation on a platform as influential as Netflix.”
Johnson encouraged others to sign the petition and urged the streaming platform to “reconsider its decision and halt the release of ‘Good Times’.”
“We cannot stand by while our identity is being misrepresented for entertainment purposes. We urge Netflix to reconsider its decision and halt the release of ‘Good Times’. Please sign this petition if you believe in fair and respectful representation that will show the Black community in a positive light Let us send a clear message to Netflix – we deserve better!”
Other fans of the original “Good Times” took issue with the stereotypes portrayed in the animated series’ trailer, such as a joke about Black people being on disability and one character flunking several grades in school.
“This is disrespectful & distasteful,” added another. “They took a show that was based on a solid hardworking family into a cartoon caricature of Black America. Tried to guise it under the show ‘Good Times’ smmfh.”
Another user called the animated version of “Good Times” an “animated minstrel show.”
“I’m not even shocked. When they first announced they were making a cartoon version of a Good Times reboot, it was a hard no,” they wrote. “This s—t is an animated minstrel show trying to fit in as many stereotypes as they can about Black people.”
“I’m late but I hope blk people follow through & dnt watch,” wrote one X user. “This is how the world view African Americans & we shouldn’t perpetuate these stereotypes. I expected more frm Marsai & Yvette. We need more roles so our actresses won’t be forced to accept this. #GoodTimes #Netflix.”
While the animated version has received a lot of criticism, Yvette Nicole Brown, who plays Beverly, defended the show on X.
“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,” she wrote. “That 100% lines up with my values.”
The animated version of “Good Times” drops on Netflix on April 12.
