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Marsai Martin

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Source: Sony Pictures Entertainment / Netflix / Good Times
Good Times is back—well, sort of. Netflix dropped the first trailer for the upcoming animated series, and it did not go over well with social media.
The animated Good Times project focuses on the new generation of the Evans family. While the names have changed, the struggle for the Evans family remains the same.
The adult-themed satirical cartoon, which arrives on the streaming platform on April 12, stars J.B. Smoove (Reggie Evans), Yvette Nicole Brown (Beverly Evans), Jay Pharoah (Junior Evans), Marsai Martin (Grey Evans), Gerald “Slink” Johnson (Dalvin Evans) and Rashida “Sheedz” Olayiwola (Lashes by Lisa).
Source: Sony Pictures Entertainment / Netflix / Good Times
The official synopsis for the show reads:
An animated reboot of the Norman Lear series finds the latest generation of the Evans family, cab driver Reggie and his wife, the ever-aspirational Beverly, scratching and surviving in one of the last remaining housing projects in Chicago along with their teenage artist son, Junior, activist daughter Grey, and drug dealing infant son, Dalvin. It turns out the more things change, the more they stay the same, and keeping your head above water in a system with its knee on your neck is as challenging as ever. The only thing tougher than life is love, but in this family there’s more than enough to go around.
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X Users Are Not Feeling Good Times
The negative reactions to the trailer were immediate, with many focusing on the fact people like NBA hooper Steph Curry and Family Guy/American Dad creator Seth McFarlane are involved in the project as producers that follow a family growing up in the projects while never experiencing that kind of life themselves.

Other complaints focus on the show just not being a terrible reimagining of the original 70s sitcom that is full of racist stereotypes despite its predominately Black cast and showrunner, Ranada Shepard.

Carl Jones Clarifies His Involvement, Yvette Nicole Brown Shuts Down Haters In Her Mentions
Many also felt the show was trying to emulate The Boondocks’ style, which is ironic because Boondock’s creator, Carl Jones, was involved with the show at one point but revealed in a post on X that he left due to “creative differences.”

Yvette Nicole Brown even had to respond to people questioning her about her involvement in the “racist” show.
She followed up with a thread telling them no is forcing them to watch the show and explaining why she took on the role in the show.

Is The Immediate Fallout Justified?
Source: Sony Pictures Entertainment / Netflix / Good Times
The immediate negative reactions to the Good Times trailer and people hoping for the show to fail also raise the question, are we too harsh on TV shows and movies geared towards us?
White folks have shows like this all the time: King of The Hill, The Simpsons, Family Guy, and American Dad, and they have all gone on to be successful, spawning many seasons.
All those shows depict White America’s tropes in a jokingly and, sometimes, serious light.
So when it comes to a show like Good Times that is trying to do the same, even though we can’t immediately tell that based on a three-minute trailer, is that fair?
Good Times is no different from Eddie Murphy’s stop-motion-animation show The PJs or Jones’ The Boondocks; the main complaints just seem to focus on the names regarding the production aspect.
But as we lawd the original show, we can’t ignore the fact a white man was instrumental in bringing that show to television across the country.
We shall reserve judgment and see if this show is Dy-No-Mite when it arrives next month.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.

2. We understand

5. Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur is phenomenal, just hope y’all watching and not just talking

6. Another good show to watch, before Max scrubs it from existence

7. Well, Stewie killed his mom on Family Guy, just saying.

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Source: Bobby Bank / Getty / Good Times
Rejoice, the Netflix animated reboot of the classic television sitcom Good Times, has its showrunner and voice cast.
Spotted on Deadline, JB Smoove, recently engaged Yvette Nicole Brown, Jay Pharoah, Marsai Martin, Slink Johnson, and Rashida “Sheedz” Olayiwola will be voicing characters in the animated version of Good Times.

For Pharoah, it will be his second time involved with something tied to Good Times. The actor/comedian portrayed J.J. Evans, portrayed initially by Jimmie Walker in ABC’s Academy Award-winning Live in Front of a Studio Audience: All In The Family and Good Times.

The late Norman Lear, the architect of Good Times, a spinoff of his other sitcom, Maude, a spinoff of All In The Family, will have a guest appearance in a season 1 episode.
According to the website, Ranada Shepard (Young Love, Diary of a Future President) will share co-creator duties alongside Carl Jones. Shepard also serves as executive producer and showrunner on the animated comedy.
Per Deadline:
The animated Good Times series finds the fourth generation of the Evans family living in apartment 17C of the last remaining housing projects in Chicago. It turns out the more things change the more they stay the same and keeping your head above water is as challenging as ever. The only thing tougher than life for this family is love, and there’s more than enough to go around.
The Netflix and Sony Picture Television comedy has no confirmed release date but sources reveal they’re targeting a Summer 2024 premiere. Netflix and Sony PT declined to comment on this story.
Deadline also notes that Norman Lear and Brent Miller will serve as executive producers under their Act III Productions banner, plus Stephen Curry, Erick Peyton, and Jeron Smith for Unanimous and Seth MacFarlane and Erica Huggins for Fuzzy Door.

Photo: Bobby Bank / Getty