By Julian
Let’s be honest…What are we doing here with this new Good Times Netflix show? Who even asked for this? This trailer is offensive to black people and the social issues that are hurting black communities. Yet this so-called continuation of the clean live-action original 70s TV show is painting every negative stereotype that’s been forced upon black people for centuries in such weird, strangely sexualized, and hyperviolent ways that it comes off as racist towards black people. Not every black person in America is a run-down drug dealer, not a hypersexualized hooker/prostitute/OnlyFans internet personality, and not all black babies are born gang members. Why is Stephen Curry’s name on this? Why is Seth McFarlane’s name on something like Good Times? Just…Why??? That’s all I’m wondering, why?
Image via The Movie DatabaseJust look at the poster for the original ’70s TV show. See? That looks like a show you might tune in to on TV Land from time to time. It is a show about James Evans trying to provide for his family and overcome poverty in a high-rise apartment complex in Chicago. Also deals with other societal issues like evictions, gang warfare, financial problems, muggings, rent parties, racial discrimination, unemployment, and inflation. Just seeing the Evans’ family here smiling is a sign of trying to stay happy and optimistic despite the living conditions and social issues that affects them every season. A clean, yet honest depiction of the African American struggle.
Image via The Movie Database/Netflix
Now look at the Netflix poster for the new animated show. What do we see here? Almost the complete opposite. Almost a parody of Disney’s The Proud Family even with how the family is staged on the couch in similar positions. The characters have a not-so-optimistic worried look on their faces signifies how this new show is starting to look inward on itself and the issues they completely miss the point on.
(sigh)…Somebody out there other than me and other like-minded people will end up like this. If that is the case, more power to those people. But the real Black Americans who are living regular lives trying to help the poor, fix their crime-ridden communities, get their education/jobs, fight prejudices as lawyers, civil rights leaders/activists, journalists, and politicians, or speak their minds through music or poetry are not adhering to the racist stereotypes this show is trying to perpetuate. And I’m not the only person on the Internet who thinks this is god-awful. I’m sure the people who did the animation for this are good people, even though it’s highly questionable in all aspects of this series. I think the executives at Netflix and the producers have no clue of what made the original special for Black audiences. Here’s the official synopsis and trailer. And I’ll leave with this: Viewer Discretion Is Advised.
In this irreverent reimagining of the TV classic, a new generation of the Evans family keeps their heads above water in a Chicago housing project. An unfiltered adult comedy with the voices of Yvette Nicole Brown, J.B. Smoove, Wanda Sykes and more.
