Good Times solid members BernNadette Stanis and John Amos say they have mixed feelings in regards to the animated revival of the classic series, and now a petition has been began to stop its release.

Comedic actors Yvette Nicole Brown, JB Smoove, Jay Pharoah, Marsai Martin and Gerald “Slink” Johnson star within the animated version of the series, which premieres April 12 from executive producers Stephen Curry and Seth MacFarlane, in addition to showrunner Ranada Shepard.

Despite some fans’ excitement, the series was criticized on social media for its “cartoonish caricature” of black families in America.

“Good Times” was created by Mike Evans and Eric Monteand produced by the late Norman Lear for CBS. Amos and Stanis played father and daughter on the beloved Nineteen Seventies sitcom about a black family living in a Chicago housing project.

Amos played James Evans within the series, and Stanis played Thelma Evans. Family matriarch Florida was played by the late Esther Rolle; Jimmie Walker played their son JJ “Dyn-o-mite!” Evans, and Ralph Carter played their youngest child, Michael.

Amos was released from the show after three seasons for arguing with the show’s producers in regards to the way black people speak and behave. The 84-year-old told The Hollywood Reporter that he would reserve judgment on the brand new series until he had watched a few episodes of the series. However, he also noted that the original solid of “Good Times” set the bar “pretty high.”

“I really can’t form any opinion because I haven’t seen any of the episodes yet,” he added he said. “Norman – along with the entire cast and crew – set the bar quite high. It will be difficult for them to achieve this level of entertainment and education. I wish them all the best. I see people aspiring to it, but I don’t see anyone achieving it, especially in the animated version.”

Stanis also spoke to the outlet and expressed that she “thought it would be different.”

“A lot of times you use a certain name to open the door to a new program. This could be it,” she said. “But I’m sure a lot of individuals can be a little confused at first because they’ll have to think it’s us. They think, “Oh my God! It have to be Thelma, JJ and Michael. And then you definately go in there and you do not see anything like that.

The animated “Good Times” has different characters than the original series. Smoove plays the family patriarch, taxi driver Reggie Evans, and Brown plays his wife, Beverly. Pharoah plays their son Junior, Gerald “Slink” Johnson plays their other son Dalvin, and Martin plays their daughter Gray.

“I gave them a vote, but I didn’t know it would look like this,” Stanis continued. “I assumed it might be different. It’s just a little bit here and there. But I believe they did it because they knew what their performance could be like. So I assume they figured in case you put us in there it would not look too bad or something.

Good Times fan Paul Johnson wrote that he was “deeply concerned” in regards to the animated series included in his petition and how the general public will perceive it.

“As a black person, I believe this show perpetuates harmful stereotypes about my community. The portrayal of black people in the media has long been controversial, and research shows that negative portrayals can lead to harmful bias and discrimination (Source: Pew Research Center),” he wrote. “This program is no exception. It portrays Black people in a way that is not only inaccurate but also harmful to our image.”

“The media plays a significant role in shaping public opinion and perceptions. When it constantly portrays us negatively, it reinforces stereotypes and prejudices that we have worked hard to overcome,” he continued. “It’s disheartening to see such representation on a platform as influential as Netflix.”

Johnson encouraged others to sign the petition and called on the streaming platform to “reconsider its decision and stop publishing Good Times.”

“We cannot passively wait while our identities are misrepresented for entertainment purposes. We urge Netflix to reconsider its decision and suspend the published of Good Times. Sign this petition in case you imagine in fair and respectful representation that shows the Black community in a positive light. Let’s send a clear message to Netflix – we deserve higher!

Other fans of the original “Good Times” took issue with stereotypes depicted within the trailer for the animated series, comparable to a joke about Black people having disabilities and one character failing several grades at school.

“It’s disrespectful and disgusting.” added other. “They turned a show based on a solid, hard-working family into a cartoonish caricature of Black America. I tried to disguise it under “Good Times” smmfh.”

Another user called the animated version of “Good Times” an “animated minstrel show.”

“I’m not even shocked. When they first announced that they were making a cartoon version of the Good Times reboot, the answer was a resounding “no” – them he wrote. “It’s a minstrel cartoon series that tries to fit as many stereotypes about Black people as possible.”

“I’m late, but I hope people will keep up and not watch.” he wrote one user X. “This is how the world views African Americans and we shouldn’t perpetuate these stereotypes. I expected more from Marsai and Yvette. We need more roles so that our actresses are not forced to accept this. #GoodTimes #Netflix.”

Although the animated version received a lot of criticism, Yvette Nicole Brown, who plays Beverly, defended the series on X.

“This show is edgier and more irreverent than Good Times, but it’s still a show about family, fighting the system and working to make things better, no matter where you start,” he says. he wrote. “It 100% aligns with my values.”

The animated version of “Good Times” can be available on Netflix on April 12.

‘They’re going to have a hard time’: Outrage over ‘devastating’ ‘Good Times’ reboot divides fans and original stars John Amos and BernNadette Stanis

The post ‘They’re going to have a hard time’: Outrage over ‘devastating’ ‘Good Times’ reboot divides fans and original stars John Amos and BernNadette Stanis first appeared on 360WISE MEDIA.