‘Good Times’ Reboot Coming To Netflix With Norman Lear As An Executive Producer
Good Times is coming to Netflix in a new format. An animated reboot of the popular 1970s TV sitcom is headed to the streaming site, with one of the creators of the original series returning more than 40 years after the classic comedy ended its run on CBS.
Seth MacFarlane and original Good Times executive producer Norman Lear will serve as EPs on the reboot project, while Carl Jones will be named showrunner. The 10-episode season will come from basketball star Steph Curry’s production company, Unanimous Media, according to Variety
Lear, now 98, developed Good Times as a spinoff of the Bea Arthur series, Maude, in 1974, and it aired for six seasons before ending in 1979. The groundbreaking comedy featured James and Florida Evans (John Amos, Esther Rolle) — the first Black two-parent family on an American TV sitcom — as it followed their struggling clan living in inner-city Chicago. Co-star Jimmie Walker’s catchphrase, “Dy-no-mite,” became synonymous with the show.
The animated version of Good Times will revisit the Evans family as they navigate contemporary social issues in the modern-day world.
In a statement with his producing partner Brent Miller, Lear said the time is right for a reimagined version of the TV comedy.
“We can’t think of anything better, at this time in our culture, than a reimagining of Good Times. In a year filled with darkness, this is one bright light we won’t soon forget.”
McFarlane added that he is thrilled to partner with Lear to help bring “new life” to the groundbreaking show.
Fans have long been nostalgic for a Good Times reboot. In 2016, OG cast members Amos, Jimmie Walker, Ja’Net DuBois, Bern Nadette Stanis, and Ralph Carter launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund a movie about the characters, per Deadline.
While the funding pitch fell short, fans got a treat last year when a re-do of a classic episode of the ’70s sitcom was featured on ABC’s Live In Front of a Studio Audience special. The 1975 Good Times episode “The Politicians” was performed live with Viola Davis, Andre Braugher, Tiffany Haddish, Jharrel Jerome, and more. Several of the series’ original stars also made cameos, including Amos, who was fired from the show and his Evans patriarch character killed off by Lear decades earlier.
At age 98, Lear does not seem like he is ready to retire. He was heavily involved in last year’s Live in Front of a Studio Audience specials. In addition to Good Times, they also featured word-for-word remakes of episodes from All in the Family and The Jeffersons.
