Get the latest gossip

Netflix’s ‘Good Times’ Reboot Is Dated, Humorless and Baffling: TV Review


What should be a reboot paying homage to the original "Good Times" and the Black experience is a baffling, stereotype-riddled, outdated display.

Set in Chicago’s Cabrini Green projects in the same apartment from the 1970s dramedy, the series follows Reggie ( J.B. Smoove), his wife Beverly ( Yvette Nicole Brown) and their children, Junior ( Jay Pharoah), Grey (Marsai Martin) and Dalvin (Slink Johnson). Yet, amid the recent shuttering of numerous Black-led shows, including “Rap Sh!t,” “South Side,”and “The Wonder Years,” just to name a few, it’s pathetic Hollywood is championing depictions that reduce Black people, racism and systemic issues into one-dimensional minstrels lacking present-day relevance. For one, the series fails to infuse humor and wit into everyday hardships– which has been done masterfully in shows including “The Boondocks,” “The PJs,” or even the 1970s “Good Times.” Moreover, the reboot has an antiquated feel, as if someone wrote the scripts decades ago and unearthed them in the present, barely adding tweaks or updates.

Get the Android app

Or read this on Variety

Read more on:

Photo of Netflix

Netflix

Related news:

News photo

Netflix Acquires ‘Rather,’ the Frank Marshall-Directed Documentary About the Career of TV News Icon Dan Rather (EXCLUSIVE)

News photo

The Crown star Imelda Staunton reveals she still wears the Queen's wardrobe from the Netflix series as she struggles to 'shake off' role

News photo

Baby Reindeer explained: The chilling true story behind Netflix's new hit