It's unfair to dismiss GOOD TIMES as a "minstrel show"

[Paul Fitzpatrick]

I have heard GOOD TIMES being dismissed as a "minstrel show" because of Jimmie Walker's "goofy" character of James Jr. (J.J.). I disagree. The series did a good job of combining funny comedy with very, very serious subjects, much of them regarding the poverty and the violence that the family had to deal with while living in the inner city. J.J. got shot, the family was always struggling financially, Penny was a victim of child abuse, there were episodes dealing with alcoholism and drug addiction, and don't forget "Sweet Daddy" the loan shark.

With all of this hardship, there was a need for comedy to lighten the program up, and J.J. was just the one to do so. J.J. was not a mindless buffoon. He was cheery and confident, and he had a good sense of humor. How could you not be cheered up with J.J. around, even if James Sr. didn't always get it and thought he was just being goofy? When the girl Michael had a crush on seemed drawn to J.J., it was because he was "alive" and confident, as Florida pointed out. J.J started out as someone who was said to have been a shoplifter, but that is before the character developed.

I don't know how many black writers GOOD TIMES had, but how many comedies capture the hardships of poverty the way GOOD TIMES did, or elicit empathy the way this series did?

Another thing I liked about GOOD TIMES is that Florida was a devout Christian, and the series treated that with respect. In one episode, Thelma wanted to move in with her boyfriend, and she told her mother the cliche that no one buys a pair of shoes without trying them on first. Audience members began to cheer, but Florida didn't miss a beat, remarking that no one wants USED SHOES! YES!!!! At a time when TV (especially Norman Lear's programs) started to become liberal, Florida was a rock of social conservatism.

I know that Esther Rolle and John Amos didn't like the character of J.J. very much. I must disagree with them. He wasn't always a model of behavior, but he was, for the most part, a loyal and conscientious family member.

[Sonny Carson]

Originally Posted by Paul Fitzpatrick

I have heard GOOD TIMES being dismissed as a "minstrel show" because of Jimmie Walker's "goofy" character of James Jr. (J.J.). I disagree. The series did a good job of combining funny comedy with very, very serious subjects, much of them regarding the poverty and the violence that the family had to deal with while living in the inner city. J.J. got shot, the family was always struggling financially, Penny was a victim of child abuse, there were episodes dealing with alcoholism and drug addiction, and don't forget "Sweet Daddy" the loan shark.

With all of this hardship, there was a need for comedy to lighten the program up, and J.J. was just the one to do so. J.J. was not a mindless buffoon. He was cheery and confident, and he had a good sense of humor. How could you not be cheered up with J.J. around, even if James Sr. didn't always get it and thought he was just being goofy? When the girl Michael had a crush on seemed drawn to J.J., it was because he was "alive" and confident, as Florida pointed out. J.J started out as someone who was said to have been a shoplifter, but that is before the character developed.

I don't know how many black writers GOOD TIMES had, but how many comedies capture the hardships of poverty the way GOOD TIMES did, or elicit empathy the way this series did?

Another thing I liked about GOOD TIMES is that Florida was a devout Christian, and the series treated that with respect. In one episode, Thelma wanted to move in with her boyfriend, and she told her mother the cliche that no one buys a pair of shoes without trying them on first. Audience members began to cheer, but Florida didn't miss a beat, remarking that no one wants USED SHOES! YES!!!! At a time when TV (especially Norman Lear's programs) started to become liberal, Florida was a rock of social conservatism.

I know that Esther Rolle and John Amos didn't like the character of J.J. very much. I must disagree with them. He wasn't always a model of behavior, but he was, for the most part, a loyal and conscientious family member.

I wholeheartedly agree. People forget about the J.J. character graduating from Art School and getting a good job as an junior executive at a ad agency. Dude was a clown as a teenager, but who wasn't?

[Janice Johnson]

Teenage JJ came across as immature and goofy but adult JJ was snarky, dry, and sarcastic. He seemed to be trying to act like James Senior in Season 4,5, and 6. They really is two different JJs. I remember in the episode JJ grounded Michael for being in a stolen car or something like that, a Critic said something like,"JJ had been acting like a Clown for most of Michael's life, and no all of a sudden he wanted to get tough and act like Michael's Dad and ground him. It was a little to late for that. Maybe if he hadn't come across as a Clown in earlier Seasons him grounding Michael would have been more realistic.

[Sonny Carson]

Originally Posted by Janice Johnson

Teenage JJ came across as immature and goofy but adult JJ was snarky, dry, and sarcastic. He seemed to be trying to act like James Senior in Season 4,5, and 6. They really is two different JJs. I remember in the episode JJ grounded Michael for being in a stolen car or something like that, a Critic said something like,"JJ had been acting like a Clown for most of Michael's life, and no all of a sudden he wanted to get tough and act like Michael's Dad and ground him. It was a little to late for that. Maybe if he hadn't come across as a Clown in earlier Seasons him grounding Michael would have been more realistic.

So JJ couldn't mature?