Good Times

An interesting comedy series about a poor black family trying to make ends meet and make a better life in the projects of Chicago. I first saw the reruns once our local WB affiliate took off the weekday morning reruns of Happy Days and began airing this instead. And it made me laugh! The Evans were a real family with real problems, but they also truly loved each other. I think JJ was a precursor to characters such as Horshack, Screech, Urkel, Rerun, etc. The gospelish theme song and title sequences shown over inner-city Chicago only added to the realism. Speaking of theme songs, Ja'net DuBois (neighbor Willona) co-wrote and sang another truly memorable one during this time. What was it? "Movin' On Up" for The Jeffersons, of course.

This is a classic show. It is a crime that John Amos never received an Emmy nomination for his role on this show. Like most shows, it went on a little too long but for fans, each season has it's moments. It was a ground breaking, memorable and well acted for a sitcom. Having recently watched a few episodes, I was happy to see that it still holds up after all these years. JJ has to be the unlikeliest playa in the history of television but he always had a lot of girls, which is funny to me. There were a lot of behind the scenes issues, which led to cast members leaving the show. This affected the quality in later years. Classic episodes include the unfortunate death of James Evans and the one where Penny falls down the elevator shaft. Damn! Damn! Damn!

I realize everyone has their own opinion, but, I don't know . . . I think the critics of this show miss the point of the show. I don't find it stereotypical or shuckin'/jivin' at all. This was a family that just happened to be black and live in the projects. They didn't dwell on it. They were actually trying to do everything they could to get out of the projects. JJ wanted to be an artists. Thelma, a dancer. Michael, involved in legal/justice. Seems to me nowadays, the projects or ghetto life is romanticized (see BET videos or MTV videos), whereas the Evans family in "Good Times" was trying to get out and onto something better. Headed by two parents who realized there own shortcomings (lack of education, money), but didn't they try to lead by example by teaching their kids values, strong work ethic and didn't they try to IMPROVE the lives of THEIR children? They tried to show their kids to strive for more in life, DESPITE obstacles. James tried to work several jobs, just so Florida could stay home and tend to the needs of the house/family. Some may find that chauvinistic by today's standards, but, I'm not so sure about that. Seems to me when at least one parent was in the home, children were a bit more manageable. What better representation of a family values can you ask for? A great show! Better than most of the family comedies today!

When "Good Times" premiered in 1974, it was one the first black family sitcoms. It centered on the poor Chicago-based Evans family and their struggles to make ends meet. Most of the early episodes focused on the parents, James and Florida Evans, and their struggle to provide for the family. John Amos and Esther Rolle were the best part of the show. They were terrific actors and had great chemistry as James and Florida Evans. They had three kids: J.J., Thelma, and Michael. J.J. was the skirt-chasing but well-meaning teenage son who made up for his lack of subtlety with artistic talent. Thelma was an attractive, bright girl who was constantly trading insults with J.J. Michael was a near child prodigy who was well-educated on social issues and was destined to become a lawyer.

In 1976, the producers made a huge mistake by firing John Amos, literally killing off his character. This really changed the focus, and not for the good I might add. The shows began to focus more on J.J. and his buffoon-like behavior which angered black viewers as well as series star Esther Rolle, who left after the next season. Instead of a show that focused on key African-American issues that existed in society at the time, viewers got shows that were overloaded with skirt chasing and fat jokes.

Once Esther Rolle left, the quality of the show suffered even more. Although it was still watchable, it was no longer the great ground-breaking show that it once was.

Although Esther Rolle came back for the 1978 season, it became obvious that the show was on its last legs. All loose ends were tied up during that season and the show quietly faded off the air.

First three season: A. Last three seasons: C+.

This was a good show for the first three seasons. If you got past all the stereotypes, you would notice that many of the episodes discussed issues that are just as relevant today as they were back then. Issues such as gun control, teen pregnancy, v.d., gangs and teen suicide. However, once John Amos left, the show was not the same and suffered as a result. It really suffered the year that Esther Rolle was off. You know a show is going downhill when they have to resort to bringing on a cute kid character.

Also, if Esther Rolle was so displeased with the show, then how come she took the part in the first place?