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Fifty years ago, Good Times made its mark in television history when it premiered on Feb. 8, 1974. The show had a much different approach from the racist and stereotypical portrayals of Black people on TV in the 1950s. Amos ’n’ Andy (1951-1953), for example, was a TV version of the 1920s minstrel radio show featuring Black characters who were voiced by white actors. Beulah (1950-1953), also a radio-turned-TV show — this time about a white family’s Black maid — was the first sitcom to star an African American actress. (The radio role had been filled by a white male actor mimicking a Black dialect.)
Thanks to the “Norman Lear revolution” of the 1970s, Good Times was a departure from those racist depictions of the ’50s and the absence of Black representation on TV in the ’60s, says Robert Thompson, professor of television and popular culture at Syracuse University.
Before Good Times, another Lear production called Sanford and Son debuted in 1972 and became one of the most notable TV shows starring Black people and depicting Black life on the small screen. It opened the door for many more Black characters appearing on TV.
“It’s one of the first times that people feel that they’re seeing authentic representations of a Black family,” says Stephanie Troutman Robbins, the chair of Gender and Women’s Studies at the University of Arizona. The coeditor of Race in American Television: Voices and Visions That Shaped a Nation says, “At that time, the stereotypes were, sort of, the only real representations” across media.
‘Good Times’ celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. It debuted Feb. 8, 1974.
Courtesy Everett Collection
Good Times, created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans, was a spin-off of Maude. Good Times, which focused on the family life of Florida Evans, the Black housekeeper in Maude, starred Esther Rolle. The rest of the cast included John Amos, 84, as Florida’s husband, James; Jimmie Walker, 76, as J.J. (Does “Dynomite!” ring a bell?); BernNadette Stanis, 70, as Thelma; and Ralph Carter, 62, as Michael.
The show is getting an animated reboot this year, according to Deadline. You can stream the original episodes on Philo and Peacock, and Season 6 is available for purchase on Amazon Prime Video.
Here are nine other iconic sitcoms and where to stream them. Streaming availability may vary.
‘The Jeffersons’ starred Sherman Hemsley and Isabel Sanford.
Courtesy Everett Collection
The Jeffersons
The Jeffersons (1975-1985) followed the lives of George and Louise “Weezy” Jefferson after their adult son moved out of the house and the middle-aged couple went “movin’ on up” socially, financially and physically (“to a deluxe apartment in the sky”) on New York City’s East Side. The series also was produced by Lear.
Watch it: Seasons 4 and 5 on Pluto TV; Seasons 5 and 6 on Prime Video.
‘What’s Happening!!’ featured the antics of Raj and his friends.
ABC/Courtesy Everett Collection
What’s Happening!!
What’s Happening!! (1976-1979) was created by Good Times creator Monte. The show featured three teens — Raj, Dwayne and Rerun — living in Los Angeles. They learn about life, love and everything else as they try to hide their boyhood antics from Raj’s younger sister, Dee. Thompson says the show was loosely based on the movie Cooley High. The series had its own spin-off, What’s Happening Now!! in the ’80s.
Watch it: What’s Happening!! on Tubi TV.
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