((L to R) Yvette Nicole Brown as Beverly, Marsai Martin as Grey, Gerald Anthony 'Slink' Johnson as Dalvin, Jay Pharoah as Junior and JB Smoove as Reggie in "Good Times". | COURTESY OF NETFLIX © 2024)
Speechless, flabbergasted, disgusted. All the words I can say for Netflix’s animated updated version of the famed 1970s sitcom “Good Times” that I can muster. The original show, “created” by Norman Lear who passed away at a ripe 101 years old — but truly created by Eric Monte — is a timeless piece of Black Americana about a Black family living in a housing project in Chicago.
This show broke barriers as it was realistic and truly showed a real depiction of the Evans family facing racism, economic struggles, and poignant humor that showed undying love. Somehow, it feels that with Lear’s last breath, he managed to sign off on this abomination that I have laid my eyes on.
I’ll say it, with one trailer, it is WORSE THAN VELMA. It not only destroys itself but retroactively poisons the legacy of the original. The art style feels like a massive mishmash of animated styles where the characters are hyper-detailed and rely on gaudy stereotypes of Black people. It truly feels like this show was created in a racist AI algorithm with the dialogue being systematically picked up from Xbox live chats, middle school lunch jokes, 4chan threads, and Instagram reel comments.
I could not get through this trailer without cringing and wincing. Everyone here is so mean-spirited and the show truly feels disgusting with how everyone treats each other. There were no laughs, only cringe. The jokes were outdated with references to Elon Musk, OnlyFans, and even disgraced rapper DaBaby. Seriously, who cares about DaBaby in 2024? The trailer felt disjointed if it either wanted to be a gross-out lewd show, but then had a random shift about inner city violence and police brutality. PICK A LANE! And the baby character, THE BABY IS A DRUG DEALER. Rallo Tubbs, perhaps I treated you too harshly.
Speaking about Rallo and “The Cleveland Show,” Seth McFarlane is an executive producer on the show as well as the late Norman Lear and Steph Curry. I must ask one question, why? OK. Two questions. Who was this for? Black people hate it, animation enthusiasts hate it, and this is a show for no one. Perhaps there is something more than just the trailer.
Voice actor Yvette Nicole Brown posted how no one can judge it because no one has seen it. Or, it is a rage bait show for people to hate-watch and talk about as they make the viewership go up. It is a bootleg Boondocks, a broken satire that feels like a pizza cutter, all edge, no point. Netflix, which is known for canceling many diverse shows, is viewing the metrics, don’t let them win. It feels like a modern-day minstrel show. Stream the original on Peacock instead.
Zipporah Pruitt, (she/her) is an L.A. homegrown journalist, who covers entertainment and culture. Follow her on X and Instagram: @zippzapps.
Edited by Nykeya Woods