Good Times
Good Times is an American sitcom about the Evans family, a Black family living in a Chicago public housing project. It aired on CBS from 1974 to 1979.
Esther Rolle: Esther Rolle was an American actress best known for playing Florida Evans on television. She played Florida, the Evans family’s matriarch, and advocated for a dignified portrayal of Black family life.
Norman Lear: Norman Lear was an American television writer and producer known for socially engaged sitcoms including All in the Family. Lear co-created Good Times as part of his work bringing contemporary social issues into sitcoms.
African-American sitcom: An African-American sitcom is a situation comedy centered on Black characters, families, or communities. Good Times became a prominent example of Black family life represented in a network sitcom.
The Jeffersons: The Jeffersons is an American sitcom that aired from 1975 to 1985, following a Black family’s move to a Manhattan apartment. It was another successful Lear sitcom centering a Black family, though its setting and class position differed sharply.
John Amos: John Amos was an American actor known for roles in television series including Good Times and Roots. He played James Evans, whose working-class authority anchored the family before his departure from the series.
Eric Monte: Eric Monte is an American screenwriter and producer whose work includes the television series Good Times. Monte’s experiences growing up in Chicago public housing helped inspire the series.
Blaxploitation: Blaxploitation is a film genre that emerged in the early 1970s, featuring Black protagonists and often targeting Black audiences. The show’s portrayal of J.J. drew criticism for resembling comic stereotypes associated with contemporary Black popular culture.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is an American sitcom that aired from 1990 to 1996, starring Will Smith as a teenager sent to live with affluent relatives. Its later depiction of a Black family offers a contrast to Good Times’ working-class Chicago household.
Jimmie Walker: Jimmie Walker is an American actor and comedian who played J.J. Evans on Good Times. His catchphrase-driven portrayal of J.J. became the sitcom’s most prominent comic persona.
Maude: Maude is an American sitcom that aired from 1972 to 1978, starring Bea Arthur as a politically outspoken suburban woman. Florida Evans first appeared as a household worker on this Norman Lear sitcom.