“Dyn-o-mite” was certainly one way to describe the reaction to the trailer of Netflix’s ‘Good Times‘ reboot, but that explosion of commentary certainly wasn’t comprised solely of good reactions.
Helmed by Carl Jones (known for his work on the controversial and satirical 2000s series ‘The Boondocks’), the new ‘Good Times’ boasts a who’s who of executive producers including Norman Lear, Seth MacFarlane, and Stephen Curry as well as big names like Yvette Nicole Brown, Wanda Sykes, Jay Pharoah, and Marsai Martin in its voice cast.
Yet, while the new series looks to offer a modernized and refreshed take on the classic sitcom’s Evans family, some have argued that take may be a little too fresh.
So much so, they’re calling for a boycott of the show ahead of its April 12 arrival.
Longtime ‘Good Times’ fans may have already been on the fence at word the iconic 70’s show would be rebooted into an animated series, but nothing could have prepared them for the racy comedy that lines the Netflix trailer (as seen above).
Laden with racial slurs, sexual innuendoes, violent references, and more, the teaser proved the streamer’s version of the classic family flipped the original concept on its head – much to the chagrin of some viewers who took to Change.org to launch a petition against it.
“The New Good Times animated series on Netflix is a glorified stereotypical show that has damaged the image of the original Good Times family show. [It] promotes violence, culture destruction of the Black community, and alcohol abuse. It’s time to put a stop to this nonsense that is portraying Black Americans in a negative light through these shows,” the petition reads (having collected over 2,000 signatures as of time of this report).
The less-than-welcoming sentiment is one shared by Bernadette Stanis who portrayed “Thelma Evans” on the original sitcom.
“I did not know it was going to be the way it is. I thought it was going to be different,” she said after sharing she voiced a small part on the Netflix version. “I guess they figured, if you put us in there, it wouldn’t look so bad or whatever.”
John Amos, who played one of the original’s leading characters “James Evans Sr.,” opted to remain neutral for now.
“I really can’t form an opinion, as I’ve not seen any of the episodes yet,” Amos said to THR. “Norman — and the entire cast and company — set the bar pretty high [in the 70s]. 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.”
D f** wuz that????
💩💩💩💩💩💩💩
It’s already bad enough that ghetto ppl still exist in 2024 using words like Chirrenz instead of children along with Ghetto Twerk culture etc. Let ghetto culture die out. No need to keep it alive using cartoon bafoonery 👎🏽
Let’s start with the fact that the illustrations are ugly.
Now, regarding the complaints, they are justified in my opinion, but if there isn’t the same energy regarding the hip-hop/rap culture that revolves around the same things, then shut up and eat what you cooked.
I didn’t laugh once.
The 70s original version was awesome, noble and heart warming. This animated trailer depicts nothing that was so cherished in the original.
The biggest disappointment is that the people behind this mess are decent, well respected members of black hollywood. I expect money hungry hood boogers with no self respect or other options to sell their souls and their community to the first bidder. But for established black artists to peddle these stereotypes to a wider audience is inexcusable.
Terrible idea please don’t ruin a good show with that. Garbage
They know exactly what they are doing they are re writing history and this is another spit in the mouth. What I just dont innerstand at times is how we go for it for so long.
That’s not in any way “Good Times”!!! This new show should be named something COMPLETELY different. I think they only used the name of the original series to garner attention.
Far too GHETTO. THIS IS NOT THE BLACK FAMILY OF TODAY. This is white media america publicly demeaning who we as
a people.
Far too GHETTO. THIS IS NOT THE BLACK FAMILY OF TODAY. This is white media america publicly demeaning who we as
a people.