Showrunner of ‘Good Times’ Animated Reboot Defends Against Criticism of Black Stereotypes

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*The showrunner of Netflix’s animated revival of the iconic sitcom “Good Times” has come to the defense of the series following harsh criticism.

We reported earlier that Netflix’s animated reboot of the 1970s sitcom “Good Times” hails from Carl Jones, Seth MacFarlane, and NBA star Stephen Curry.

The original sitcom aired for six seasons on CBS from 1974 to 1979. It was television’s first African American two-parent family sitcom. Norman Lear produced the show, which centered on the Evans family, who lived in a poor, black neighborhood in inner-city Chicago.

According to the news release, Jones modernized the setting, transitioning the Evans family from the 1970s to the 2020s. Curry and “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane are executive producers on the adult-animated series.

Jones (The Boondocks, Black Dynamite) announced last month that he left the project in its early stages.

“For the record, I was involved with the Good Times animated series in the very VERY beginning but due to creative differences, I had to walk away. So I haven’t even seen one episode or script of this version of the show,” Carl Jones tweeted.

According to The Independent, showrunner Ranada Shepard said, “I know you’re used to the sweet sitcom, but this is not only a reimagination, it’s in a different genre that requires it to be loud and offensive.”

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Shepard said the criticism stems from the fact that cast members did not promote the new show.

”You haven’t seen JB and Yvette and Marsai and Jay Pharoah and Slink Johnson on couches all across America, which typically happens when you’re rolling out a show,” she said.

Good Times coming to Netflix
Good Times coming to Netflix / Credit: Netflix

“There was no framing that the audience had, it was just: Watch this and form an opinion. And they watched and they formed an opinion,” Shepard said. 

“I was always rooted in [the fact that] I understand if this is jolting. Because what you needed was someone to tell everyone, ‘I know you’re used to the sweet sitcom, but this is not only a reimagination, it’s in a different genre that requires it to be loud and offensive and have hard jokes and inappropriate. So your mind is doing a lot of different things.’”

Yvette Nicole Brown, who voices the wife and matriarch, Beverly Evans, recently said on social media that the new series is  “edgier and more irreverent than the Good Times of our childhood.” 

The new “Good Times” debuted on Netflix on April 12. 

READ MORE FROM EURWEB.COM: ‘Good Times’ Star BernNadette Stanis Reacts to Animated Reboot Amid Criticism | Video

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