When Netflix released the trailer for its Good Times animated series, the internet reacted swiftly. Part of that reaction included The NAACP, who wrote a guest column for The Hollywood Reporter about the series and their concerns at the time.
The column, written April 11, outlined how the original 1970s series “conjures notions of familiar fabric and community cohesion, amid challenges of generational poverty and stifling social policies that perpetuate inequitable cast conditions.” Because the original series wanted to convey this type of social commentary, fans expected the animated series to do the same. The trailer for the animated series showed something completely different, “largely driven by drugs, violence and discord,” according to the NAACP’s column.
“As a leading organization for social justice and civil rights, the NAACP was called on to take action and issue a response,” the organization wrote. “In an effort to gain a more cmoplete and clear understanding of the creative direction for the new series, executive produced by the late Norman Lear, widely recognized as the creator of the original, alongside basketball great Stephen Curry and Family Guy’s Seth MacFarlane, the NAACP requested screeners of full episodes. Netflix declined.”
Instead, the organization contacted the producers and asked them about their overall vision for the series. They wrote that they were told “there was a deliberate effort to ‘push the envelope’ in the storytelling and tonality.'”
“We were told about real-life events that informed the basis for certain episodic elements, and we were reminded that the mandate of the adult animation genre is to sensationalize and exaggerate realties,” the organization wrote. “…But we wonder whether the historical relationship between Hollywood and the Black community should create caution about the use of distorted imagrey and narratives that further pervert the representation of a people.”
“…Renderings of Black life in media often serve to buoy the artificiality of white supremacy, as the NAACP explores in our media guide,” the organization continued. “While we continue to engage with media institutions to encourage reform, we also call upon our constituents to develop greater discernment in their engagement. We must elevate our consciousness for media consumption. Keen awareness of the power and consequences of media will lead us to more informed choices and, in turn, lead the industry to make necessary adjustments.”
Good Times premiered on Netflix last week, and is still feeling the brunt of backlash from angered and saddened fans of the original. Critical reaction has also been that of anger, confusion and disappointment. Stars from the original series have also voiced concern, saying how it would be hard for the animated series to compare with the original.
