Good Times :: Media Television Shows Papers

Good Times Originally aired on CBS in 1974 as a spinoff of the sitcom Maude, Good Times was a Black situation comedy based on the everyday lives of a Black Chicago family during the height of the civil rights movement (Deane, 2004). The cast starred Esther Rolles as the mother Florida Evans who first appeared as the maid in the television show Maude, John Amos as the father James Evans who starred in the hit miniseries Roots, comedian Jimmie Walker who played the oldest son James Evans Jr. (JJ), Ja'net DuBois as neighbor and friend of the Evans family Willona Woods, Ralph Carter who played the youngest son Michael Evans, and Anderson Bern Nadette Stanis as daughter Thelma Evans (Deane, 2004). Good Times took place in the assimilated hybrid minstrelsy genre of Black sitcoms which means that it often had offensive stereotypical aspects present such as mammy and sambo characters, but these characteristics took place in a traditional white sitcom setting and often had references to the Black civil rights movement that was taking place at the time. Originally created to show African Americans in a different more positive light, it gained popularity with Black and White audiences quickly and rated number seventeen for the 1973-1974 seasons (Ingram, 2004). As the show proceeded however, it began to drift away from its original purpose as the character JJ's popularity began to grow. Often criticized for his similarities to buffoonish minstrel characters in early television history, JJ was seen as doing a disservice to the show causing Esther Rolles and John Amos to leave. Attempting to continue the show and regain ratings, the show's producers centered episodes around the hijinks of JJ, but alas the show's ratings continued to fall and the show was cancelled. This brings us to the question at hand. Was Good Times a show that portrayed Blacks in a positive manner to the American public, or was it more of the nail in the coffin to the positive identity of Black America? Positive Aspects Good Times was an interesting 1970's television comedy series that explored the life of a poor black family. This family was simply trying to get by and have a good life in the projects of Chicago. The Evans family was a family that faced real problems on the show and encountered many different situations which they had to overcome. When the show was debuted on February 1, 1974, the series starred John Amos and Esther Rolle as James and Maude (the parents) (Ingram).