‘Good Times’ animated revamp a far — and unsettling — cry from the landmark original series
In the new adult animated Netflix series “Good Times,” a teacher drinks from a flask at school, bullets rain down like water and literal babies sell drugs.
Although there is a key through line that these issues are systemic, there is not the overall feeling of love that was present in the original “Good Times” television sitcom from the 1970s. That “everything is gon’ be all right” emotion that oozed through the screen five decades ago is simply absent. It feels as if this new generation of the Evans family — whom audiences fell in love with in the original — is not in a better place. In fact, it’s moving backward.
But, perhaps that was the creators’ point. After the release of its trailer, the backlash against the series was swift. Even the NAACP called members of the show’s production team and was told these bold decisions were intentional, that they wanted to focus on oppression, and that this was to “push the envelope.” Yet, during a time in which Chicagoans, especially Black Chicagoans, are maligned in media and by those on the national stage, it’s difficult to grasp such satire.
The family in the Netflix show is voiced by an all-star cast. Reggie Evans (J.B. Smoove) is the family’s patriarch and the grandson of James Evans from the 1970s series; Beverly (Yvette Nicole Brown) is his wife; Junior (Jay Pharoah) is their artistic but distracted son; Grey (Marsai Martin) is their activist daughter; and Dalvin (Slink Johnson) is their drug-dealing baby.
The show does have specific references to Chicago to clearly indicate a sense of place. There are shots of the L, lots of mentions of “Henry’s” Fried Chicken, and aerial views of the grid on top of a few chords of Twista’s “Adrenaline Rush.”
But when Martin Luther King Drive pops up, it’s shown as rundown and empty — a disheartening joke as it’s a street we still live on, raise our kids on and celebrate on. On top of that, the multiple shootouts throughout the series are difficult to stomach.
But it’s not all stereotypical. Grey is willing to protest and go on a hunger strike for what she believes in. Junior is a talented painter and muralist who just wants people to see it. Beverly wants to protect her family’s legacy. Reggie takes pride in his hustle and being there for his family. And Dalvin, the baby, still gets scared of being by himself at home in the dark.
The show is also at its best when it’s out of the real world and becomes surreal — like when the Evanses are in a fantasy world that’s really a uterus, or performing superhero-like feats in fights with billionaires. But for many viewers, once the guns come back out, those fun moments might not feel like enough.
The content can be tough to take in at certain points. Maybe the show’s creators pushed that envelope just way too far, or maybe they are simply ahead of their time. Either way, the result can be jarring in a comedy about a city you love.