Original 'Good Times' Actress BernNadette Stanis Criticizes Netflix's Animated Reboot: 'This Is Not It'
SANTA MONICA, CA - MARCH 19: Actress BernNadette Stanis arrives at the 2006 TV Land Awards at the Barker Hangar on March 19, 2006 in Santa Monica, California.
LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 27: Actors Jimmie Walker, BernNadette Stanis, singer Janet Jackson and actor Ralph Carter present an award onstage at the 2006 BET Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on June 27, 2006 in Los Angeles, California.
BernNadette Stanis, renowned for her role in the classic 1970s sitcom 'Good Times,' is expressing her disappointment regarding Netflix's animated revival of the beloved series.
During an interview with TMZ, Stanis, known for portraying Thelma Evans in the original series, disclosed that discussions initially took place between the original cast of the sitcom and Netflix regarding the animated reboot.
"Jimmie Walker did contact ['Good Times' executive producer] Norman's [Lear] office in 2020, and he pitched a 'Good Times' cartoon which would include all of us except for Esther Rolle, and we didn't hear anything back from them," Stanis clarified. "A few months later, I think six months later, they came up, and somebody said they had a cartoon coming."
However, Stanis, 70, says she was shocked when she discovered that Netflix was moving forward with the show's development without involving the original cast.
"My manager called up Norman's office to see if we were included. I mean, if you're gonna do that, let us know. They said, 'Oh no, it's going to be generations later and it's going to be like progressive,' or whatever," she shared. "But [Netflix producer] Brent Miller loves us very much — loves me and Jimmie — I know that. He said, 'I can give you a small role in there.' "
Despite the cartoon being progressive, the actress discovered that was not the case after viewing the series' trailer.
After watching the series' teaser, Stanis shared her thoughts in a recent interview with The Breakfast Club.
"When the trailer came out everybody was like, 'No!' You don't have a crack baby in a mother's arms," she said. "But 50 years later to have two roaches singing the song in the shower, they're singing the song 'Good Times.' So I'm like, this is not it!"
