17 Old TV Shows That Deserve A Netflix Reboot Right Now
By Sundi Rose
Photo: CBS
Good Times
If you have never watched an episode of Good Times, you are doing yourself a major disservice. This show ran from 1974 to 1979 and told the story of the Evans family and their life in a Chicago housing project. This show was among the only show (and still is, in all honesty) about people living in abject poverty, and was certainly one of the only shows featuring an all black cast.
Although Good Times was a half-hour comedy, it took on some very serious issues – busing, drug abuse, domestic abuse and death. One of the only spinoff of a spinoff (Maude, which came from All In The Family) it was among CBS’ highest rated shows and part of the Norman Lear body of work.
The show also made a star out of the young Jimmie Walker, who played the eldest Evans son, JJ. Walker was totally the breakout star of the series, and stole the scene every time. It also launched the career of a baby-faced Janet Jackson.
This is a tricky show to reimagine. You’d have to hire all new actors to reprise the role of the Evans family, and these poor souls would have impossibly big shoes to fill – especially the role of JJ. Could we stomach someone else jumping into a room, yelling, “DYN-O-MITE!!”? I don’t know, but I’d love to see another show, cast completely with African-American actors, taking on the complicated problems connected with socioeconomic issues. And Black-ish doesn’t count.