Did the viewing public know John Amos wasn't returning in the fall of 1976?

[CableTV Guy]

I was only one years old in 1976 and I wanted to know did people who followed Good Times to the beginning of the 4th season know that John Amos was no longer on the show or was it a surprise to everyone when the Telegram was read by Florida and it said James was killed? Was there any news during the summer of 1976 that John Amos was released from Good Times wouldn't be returning for season 4?

[ThomasE]

I would like to know myself.

[W.J. Griffin]

I remember reading in the TV GUIDE during the summer of '76 about John Amos's leaving the series...a Black family media group (who's name escapes me at the moment) had lodged a complaint or plea with Norman Lear not to let "Good Times" fall into the "Matriarch" stereotype that had defined depictions of Black family life in the mainstream up to that time. (Indeed, "Good Times" had been a trendsetter in the depiction of Black families on tv!)

Still, the untimely demise of James Evans, Sr. still came as a shock to viewers everywhere...no major character had ever been removed from what was essentially a light-hearted situation comedy so harshly before...and realitively few people were prepared for the hard realism that followed with such a situation. (And the producers learned a lesson later learned on "Roc" and "South Central" in the 1990's...too much realism will turn away the very audience you're trying to reach!)

[CableTV Guy]

Originally posted by W.J. Griffin
I remember reading in the TV GUIDE during the summer of '76 about John Amos's leaving the series...a Black family media group (who's name escapes me at the moment) had lodged a complaint or plea with Norman Lear not to let "Good Times" fall into the "Matriarch" stereotype that had defined depictions of Black family life in the mainstream up to that time. (Indeed, "Good Times" had been a trendsetter in the depiction of Black families on tv!)

Still, the untimely demise of James Evans, Sr. still came as a shock to viewers everywhere...no major character had ever been removed from what was essentially a light-hearted situation comedy so harshly before...and realitively few people were prepared for the hard realism that followed with such a situation. (And the producers learned a lesson later learned on "Roc" and "South Central" in the 1990's...too much realism will turn away the very audience you're trying to reach!)

Okay so the public found out that John Amos was no longer apart of Good Times during the summer of 1976 but didn't know he would be killed off? Is that right?

[Brian Damage]

That's right. Just watch the episode where James is killed off.You can here members of the audience legitamately gasp when Florida read the telegram.