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IMDbPro

Good Times

  • TV Series
  • 1974–1979
  • TV-PG
  • 30m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
9K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,784
1,612
John Amos, Ralph Carter, Ja'net DuBois, Esther Rolle, BernNadette Stanis, and Jimmie 'JJ' Walker in Good Times (1974)
Good Times
Play trailer2:01
3 Videos
99+ Photos
SitcomComedy

A poor African-American family make the best of things in the Chicago housing projects.A poor African-American family make the best of things in the Chicago housing projects.A poor African-American family make the best of things in the Chicago housing projects.

  • Creators
    • Mike Evans
    • Norman Lear
    • Eric Monte
  • Stars
    • Ja'net DuBois
    • Ralph Carter
    • BernNadette Stanis
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.4/10
    9K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    2,784
    1,612
    • Creators
      • Mike Evans
      • Norman Lear
      • Eric Monte
    • Stars
      • Ja'net DuBois
      • Ralph Carter
      • BernNadette Stanis
    • 67User reviews
    • 20Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 7 nominations total

    Episodes133

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    Videos3

    Funny Women of Television
    Video 3:41
    Funny Women of Television
    Good Times
    Trailer 2:01
    Good Times
    Good Times
    Trailer 2:01
    Good Times
    Good Times: Season 1
    Trailer 2:04
    Good Times: Season 1

    Photos217

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    Top cast99+

    Edit
    Ja'net DuBois
    Ja'net DuBois
    • Willona Woods
    • 1974–1979
    Ralph Carter
    Ralph Carter
    • Michael Evans
    • 1974–1979
    BernNadette Stanis
    BernNadette Stanis
    • Thelma Evans…
    • 1974–1979
    Jimmie 'JJ' Walker
    Jimmie 'JJ' Walker
    • James 'J.J.' Evans, Jr.
    • 1974–1979
    Esther Rolle
    Esther Rolle
    • Florida Evans
    • 1974–1979
    John Amos
    John Amos
    • James Evans, Sr.
    • 1974–1976
    Johnny Brown
    Johnny Brown
    • Nathan Bookman…
    • 1975–1979
    Janet Jackson
    Janet Jackson
    • Millicent 'Penny' Woods…
    • 1977–1979
    Ben Powers
    Ben Powers
    • Keith Anderson
    • 1978–1979
    Albert Reed
    • Alderman Fred Davis…
    • 1974–1979
    Teddy Wilson
    Teddy Wilson
    • Sweet Daddy Williams…
    • 1976–1979
    Helen Martin
    Helen Martin
    • Weeping Wanda Williams
    • 1974–1979
    Dap Sugar Willie
    • Looting Lenny…
    • 1976–1979
    Moses Gunn
    Moses Gunn
    • Carl Dixon
    • 1977
    Matthew 'Stymie' Beard
    Matthew 'Stymie' Beard
    • Monty…
    • 1974–1977
    Chip Fields
    Chip Fields
    • Linella Gordon…
    • 1976–1979
    Larry Greene
    • Bruno…
    • 1976–1979
    Raymond Allen
    Raymond Allen
    • Ned the Wino
    • 1974–1977
    • Creators
      • Mike Evans
      • Norman Lear
      • Eric Monte
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews67

    7.48.9K
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    Featured reviews

    Monika-5

    Interesting '70s time capsule

    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.
    jbrill23

    John Amos was Robbed!

    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!
    gluba2000

    Awesome!

    The first time I saw this show was on my UPN (UPN Atlanta) and it currently airs weekdays at 11 PM. That's when I got hooked!!!

    I bought the second season DVD (gotta buy the first one, I know!)

    I love this show! It's hilarious and had good story lines!

    The show lost some of it's touch after James died but I still like it.

    Thelma's husband in the last season was annoying but, ehh...what are you gonna do?

    It was the first show to ever portray a low class African American family. (most other like The Jeffersons and more recently The Cosby Show show the familes in a middle-high class status.)

    I love this show (and I'm white) though whether you're white, black, Mexican, asian, or whatever I'm sure you'll love Good Times!
    Sargebri

    Good Times Early On, But Faded In the End

    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?
    7Tresix

    What show was Mr. Wall watching?

    Before leaving my own comments about the TV series GOOD TIMES, I feel that I simply MUST comment on the remarks of one Mr. Larry Wall. If you didn't like the show, fine, but some of your reasons for disliking it are totally erroneous. To wit:

    1. "Thelma dressed like a slut": These must be the HBO episodes! I was always surprised that, considering the way Bernadette Stanis was built, they kept her covered up most of the time. She hardly showed any cleavage, the hemlines of her skirts and dresses were quite low. Her pants and jeans may have been tight but then again, in the Seventies, WHOSE weren't?

    2. "(The Evanses were) living like animals": Not hardly. I can honestly say that our family was a little bit like the Evanses and we DIDN'T live in the projects neither. If, as you say, the head of the household is always losing his job, it's going to be kind of hard to keep a roof over your head and food on the table. It's kind of hard to eat fillet mignon on a hot dog budget.

    3. "(James) threatened with violence for everything. I don't remember him sitting down and explaining (anything)": You must have missed those episodes, I can remember numerous times when James sat down and talked things out without yelling or threatening to take off his belt. In fact, there was even one episode when he apologized to Michael, which in turn led to Michael feeling as if he could apologize for acting up in school.

    4. "James got in front of white people and did that stupid laugh": Wrong! If you look at the show again, you will see that James would do the laugh (A-heh-heh-heh!) only when he got caught in a lie by Florida. Usually about an old girlfriend.

    5. "Michael . . . would get put down (for his militantism) and made to seem foolish . . .": Those scenes were done to show to Michael that everything wasn't as simple as black-and-white, so to speak. Example: Florida's rich cousin announces that he had just been laid off from his high-paying job.

    Michael: "I'll bet the only reason you were fired was because you're black." Cousin: "Well, if they did, then they also fired six other men because they were white." Get the picture?

    6. "It says we're content to live like . . . animals": You could say a lot of things about the Evanses and Willona, but you can't say that they were content with their lot in life. James was always looking for better paying jobs. J.J. (yes, I will admit that he was a BIT much) kept working at his painting as well as looking for artistic jobs. Thelma wanted to be a dancer (and, no, not a stripper). Michael let a street gang know that he wanted more with his life than to settle for being a ghetto resident. To paraphrase Florida in one episode: there is no such thing as a waste of hope.

    For the most part, I liked the show during the "James Years". The humor was believable and came from the heart. After John Amos left, the quality of the show really went down. When Ester Rolle left, it took an even bigger dive. Adding Janet Jackson did NOT help things any. When Rolle returned, the damage had been done too far to repair. Mr. Wall, I hope you will look at the show again and think over your past comments. You will see that they DEFINITELY do not apply to the show that was on then.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Before Broadway actor Ralph Carter assumed the role of "Michael Evans," another young Broadway actor Haywood Nelson had been hired for the role. According to Nelson in an interview, the producers felt Carter had more experience in front of a live audience, and thus hired him away from the play he was appearing in at the time, "A Raisin in the Sun." Previous to all of this, a young Laurence Fishburne was considered for the role as well.
    • Goofs
      Over the years, Willona's ex-husband had 3 different names: Alvin, Ray, and Roger. He appeared in 1 episode, as Ray.
    • Quotes

      Florida: Did you hear yourself James? You said "ain't" 3 times in a row.

      James: So?

      Florida: "Ain't" is not a word.

      James: OH yeah... it's in the dictionary.

      Florida: No "ain't" ain't, but isn't is... look it up.

      James: I can't.

      Florida: Why?

      James: AIN'T got no dictionary.

    • Connections
      Featured in Blue Collar (1978)

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    FAQ18

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 8, 1974 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Great Day
    • Filming locations
      • Cabrini-Green Public Housing Projects, Near North Side, Chicago, Illinois, USA(Series opening shot)
    • Production company
      • Tandem Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      30 minutes
    • Color
      • Color

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    John Amos, Ralph Carter, Ja'net DuBois, Esther Rolle, BernNadette Stanis, and Jimmie 'JJ' Walker in Good Times (1974)
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