The Big Picture

  • Good Times returns on Netflix, featuring new voices and a surreal take on life in Chicago housing projects.
  • The series is a sequel to the iconic 1970s sitcom and one of Norman Lear's final works before passing.
  • Good Times was the first sitcom centered around a two-parent Black family, raising social issues in a comedic light.

The next generation of the Evans family is back in animated form in the new trailer for Netflix's Good Times, which will premiere on the streamer April 12. The upcoming series is a sequel to the groundbreaking 1970s sitcom of the same name, and is one of the final works by legendary TV producer Norman Lear, who died last year at 101.

The new series will star J.B. Smoove and Yvette Nicole Brown as Reggie and Beverly Evans, residents of one of the last housing projects in Chicago. They struggle to keep food on the table while raising a family of three; artist Junior (Jay Pharoah), socially-conscious Grey (Marsai Martin), and infant Dalvin (Gerald “Slink” Johnson). It takes a more surreal view on life in the projects than its predecessor, commensurate with producer Seth MacFarlane's comedic sensibilities, most notably in the form of Dalvin, a talking, drug-dealing baby. The series will also feature the voices of Rashida “Sheedz” Olayiwola and Wanda Sykes.

What is the Original 'Good Times'?

Premiering in 1974, Good Times was a spinoff of Maude, which was itself a spinoff of All in the Family. The first-ever sitcom centered around a two-parent Black family, it focused on Florida and James Evans (John Amos and Esther Rolle), who had been introduced on Maude as the title character's housekeeper and her firefighter husband. Good Times moved them to a housing project in Chicago (the infamous Cabrini-Green building, later depicted in Candyman) where they worked to overcome their impoverished circumstances while raising their three children, Michael (Ralph Carter), Thelma (Bernnadette Stanis), and J.J. (Jimmie Walker). Walker became the breakout star of the show, thanks to his immortal catchphrase "Dy-no-mite!" Amos and Rolle felt that the focus on Walker's character overshadowed the social issues the show was created to explore, and both left the series before its fifth season. With the Walker's family friend Willona Woods (Ja'Net DuBois) now heading the ensemble, the series continued for another season before Rolle was convinced to return; however, the series was canceled with its sixth season in 1979.

Good Times was created by showrunner Ranada Shepard, of Born-Again Virgin and Connecting... It is executive produced by Lear, Brent Miller of Act III Productions, Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry, Erick Peyton & Jeron Smith of Unanimous Media, and MacFarlane & Erica Huggins of Fuzzy Door Productions.

Good Times will premiere on Netflix on April 12, 2024. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates, and watch the new trailer above.