Good Times is an animation series written by Ranada Shepard and Carl Jones.
“Good Times” was a 70s sitcom featuring an African American family. Netflix has chosen to rejuvenate the Evans and bring them back, this time in animated form and in very, very different situations: modern humor, very much in the style of Family Dad and with very amusing scenarios.
It’s very funny, both in terms of animation and the jokes. An adult animation series which, however, may resemble other adult animation series a bit too much. With a clear spirit of parody.
Plot
The Evans are a normal family… or not, because they have a baby drug dealer, a mother obsessed with religion and community, and a disastrous taxi-driving father. Plus, two adolescent children make this family of 5 a complete disaster.
About the series
Funny, very funny in the jokes, but there’s little more to offer than jokes that, after several episodes, grow a bit tiresome. The best is the baby, who has a gang of drug dealers and fights with other baby gangs in the neighborhood in a very thuggish manner. A good start, but it ends there, and “Good Times” fails to deliver a story beyond the crude jokes which, for that matter, we’ve seen everywhere.
Yes, The Simpsons have evolved, they were a parody of The Flintstones and, after them, came Family Dad and all its derivatives that, without inventing absolutely anything, were funny. The same thing happens to “Good Times”, it’s amusing during the first few episodes, but then that interest evaporates due its lack of plot to hold the attention, becoming just another adult animation series that repeats the successes of the previous ones.
That said, it’s funny as a parody and it’s one of those series where you ask yourself: but how could they have said that on a TV show? These series, at least, serve to show us that a world beyond anonymous censorship is possible, and that there are still people out there who have a sense of humor and who know how to laugh at absolutely everything, no matter how unfortunate the situation.
In this sense, it’s a refreshing and hilarious series that will make us forget there’s someone out there to remind us of what we’ve done wrong, because there are thousands of people who, like us, are a total mess as well.
Enjoy it, in all its charming chaos.
