Netflix has sparked controversy with its revival of the 70s classic TV series, Good Times, though this version is an animated show. Critics have been quick to point out the stark differences between the original and the new series, with some arguing that negative stereotypes abound in the latter. The NAACP’s Kyle Bowser has gone as far as to say the show presents an “otherized” experience of Black life, replete with abhorrent beliefs and behaviours. This is far from the realistic representation of a low-income Black family living in Chicago that the original series was celebrated for.
Despite the controversies, the animated series does offer moments of depth, tackling issues like medication use for mental focus in school and overcoming patriarchal shame during menstruation. The talent behind the show is also noteworthy, with Seth MacFarlane and Steph Curry as executive producers and Wanda Sykes in the voice cast. Still, former fans of the Good Times series may argue that the new rendition lost much of what made the OG series a landmark – its mission, pride, and the realistic depiction of a Black working-class family.
Vocabulary List:
- Controversy (noun): Disagreementtypically when prolongedpublicand heated.
- Revival (noun): The act or process of bringing back to life or consciousness.
- Animated (adjective): Having the qualities or appearance of being alive or moving.
- Stereotypes (noun): Oversimplified generalizations about groups of people.
- Abound (verb): To exist in large numbers or amounts.
- Otherized (adjective): Treated as fundamentally different or alien.
