Good Times
Good Times is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was television's first African-American two-parent family sitcom. It is a spin-off of Maude, which itself spun off from All in the Family.
This was the last sitcom Bud Yorkin produced before he ended his partnership with Norman Lear and Tandem Productions; two years later he formed TOY Productions with Saul Turteltaub and Bernie Orenstein.
Good Times tackled challenging and complex issues, such as gang warfare, racism, widowhood, poverty, education, child abuse, unemployment, evictions, financial struggles, bigamy, paraplegia, dating, stealing, suicide, mugging, engagements, affairs, drug addiction, and rent parties.
Synopsis
Florida and James Evans and their three children live at 963 North Gilbert Avenue, apartment 17C, in a public housing project in a poor, black inner-city Chicago neighborhood. The project is unnamed on the show but is implicitly the infamous Cabrini–Green Homes, shown in the opening and closing credits. Florida and James have three children: James Jr., also known as "J.J.", a budding artist and illustrator who thinks of himself as a Casanova and achieves both success and rejection on his path to monetize his talent into a career; Thelma, a bright girl who takes education very seriously as a way to help her family and is shown attending high school and community college; and Michael, whose passionate activism and support for the Black community and Black issues causes his father to call him "the militant midget".When the series begins, J.J. is 17, Thelma 16, and Michael 11. Their exuberant neighbor and Florida's best friend is Willona Woods, a divorcée who works at a boutique. Their building superintendent is Nathan Bookman, whom James, Willona, and later J.J. call "Buffalo Butt" or, even more derisively, "Booger".
The characters originated on the sitcom Maude as Florida and Henry Evans, with Florida employed as Maude Findlay's housekeeper in Tuckahoe, New York, and Henry employed as a New York City firefighter. When producers decided to feature Florida on her own show, they changed the characters' history to fit a new series that was well into development rather than start from scratch to create a consistent starring vehicle, even though it meant changing their Black middle-class family into a poverty-stricken lower-class family. Henry's name became James, and he worked various odd jobs due to having only a sixth-grade education. There is no mention of Maude, but in the episode "The Checkup", Florida mentions having formerly worked as a maid. Additionally, the couple's location was now Chicago.
Good Times deals with the characters' attempts to overcome poverty, living in high-rise public housing in Chicago. James Evans often works at least two jobs, mostly manual labor such as dishwasher or construction worker. Though he is often unemployed, he is a proud man who will not accept charity. He sometimes hustles money playing pool, although Florida disapproves of this.
Episodes
Cast and characters
Main
Supporting
- Ned the Wino is the local drunk who frequents the neighborhood and the apartment building where the Evans family reside. In the season one episode "Black Jesus", J.J. uses Ned the Wino as the model for a portrait of Jesus. Another episode is centered on Michael's plan to "clean up" Ned and get him off the booze by letting him stay at the Evanses' house.
- Carl Dixon is a shop owner for whom Michael briefly works. Despite their religious differences, Carl and Florida begin dating and become engaged in the final episode of season four. Carl breaks off the engagement after he is diagnosed with lung cancer. After a talk from Bookman, Carl again asks Florida for her hand in marriage. The two marry off-screen and move to Arizona. Florida returns at the beginning of season six, this time without Carl for Thelma's wedding. Carl is referenced briefly in that season's second episode "Florida's Homecoming Part 2", but he is never mentioned again. While it is not mentioned onscreen, it is implied that Carl died from lung cancer.
- Marion "Sweet Daddy" Williams is a menacing neighborhood numbers runner and pimp, who has a reputation for wearing flashy clothing and jewelry. He is usually accompanied by bodyguards and comes across as cool and threatening, but has shown a soft heart on occasion, particularly when he decided not to take an antique locket that Florida had given to Thelma because it had reminded him of his late mother..
- Alderman Fred C. Davis is a local politician with a slightly shady disposition whom the Evans generally despise. Spoofing President Richard M. Nixon, he would state in a speech, "I am not a crook". He frequently relies on the support of the Evans family for re-election or support and resorts to threats of eviction to secure their support. In a running joke, Alderman Davis frequently antagonizes Willona by "forgetting" her name, and calling her another similar-sounding name that began with a "W", thus earning him her everlasting ire as well as the nickname "Baldy".
- Lenny , is a neighborhood hustler and peddler who tries to sell presumably stolen items that are usually attached to the lining of his fur coat. He usually approaches people with a laid-back rap and a rhyme, such as "my name is Len-nay, if I ain't got it, there ain't an-nay". He is typically rebuffed by the people he approaches and responds by saying "that's cold" or uses a small brush to "brush off" the negativity.
- "Grandpa" Henry Evans is James's long-lost father. He abandoned the family years before because he was ashamed that he could not do more to provide for them. This deeply hurt James, who disregarded his father's existence, telling everyone that he was dead. Thelma learns about her grandfather while doing some family research. She meets him and invites him to the Evanses' home to surprise James for his birthday, not knowing that James was well aware of his whereabouts but chose to stay out of his life. After Henry arrives at the Evans home and meets the rest of the family, he realizes that James would not welcome him in the home and decides to leave. Florida convinces him to stay and talk to James and explains that there may never be another chance to do so. Henry and James have a heart-to-heart talk, with Henry being remorseful and apologetic. James ultimately forgives his father. After James's death, the Evans family embraces Henry into the family, alongside his common law wife Lena in later episodes.
- Wanda Williams is another resident in the apartment building where the Evans reside. Earlier episodes show her at a women's support group, and the tenants rallying around her by giving her a rent party. Later episodes show her appearing and crying at several funerals, whether she knew the person or not, thus earning her the nickname "Weeping Wanda" from J.J. and Willona.
- Lynnetta Gordon is Penny's abusive biological mother whose first appearance is in the four-part fifth season opening episode, "The Evans Get Involved". Penny's father abandoned her mom when Lynnetta became pregnant at 16. As a result, she takes her anger and frustrations out on Penny, including burning her with a hot iron. After the abuse is finally brought to light, she tells the Evans family that she herself was abused as a child. She gets into a fighting match with Willona and Thelma and they plead for her to seek therapy. Just before she disappears, she expresses regret for hurting her child, telling Willona that Penny deserves better than her. This clears the way for Willona to adopt Penny. She reappears more than a year later, in the sixth-season episode, "A Matter of Mothers", having gotten married and reveals that her new husband is from a very wealthy family. She uses her husband's wealth to send Penny anonymous gifts and, in an effort to regain custody of Penny, also attempts to frame Willona as an unfit adoptive mother who throws wild parties with less than wholesome attendees. Her scheme is exposed by being recorded on tape admitting that the scheme was a set up to get Penny back. After Lynnetta tries to get the tape from Penny and threatens to hurt her again, which is stopped by Willona, Penny tells Lynnetta that no matter what anyone says, she will always consider Willona her real mother. Devastated, Lynnetta decides to drop the charges against Willona and leaves Penny with her, never to be seen again.
- Cleatus is a cousin of J.J. Evans, Thelma Evans Anderson and Michael Evans and nephew of Florida Evans and James Evans. He made one appearance in the episode "Cousin Cleatus".
- Violet Bookman is the wife of Bookman.
Production