On the Maude series, the Findlays up there in Tuckahoe had a maid played by Esther Rolle named Florida Evans. I'm sure a lot of even the most liberal thinking people have no conception of the fact that the help which was what Florida was go home to a whole different world. When Norman Lear who just dominated television in the 70s decided to give Rolle her own series, he took her character and moved them to the south side of Chicago where they lived in the projects.This was the first black centered comedy series which had its characters in a poor environment. Still the Evans family faced life on the edge with grit. John Amos was the father who was a working stiff raising with Rolle three kids.Going in ascending order was Ralph Carter who was developing a social conscience and wanted to be lawyer to devote himself to betterment of his people and environment. Bernadette Stanis the middle child was a pretty, but also very intelligent young woman who was going to have a career and marry the man of her dreams. If he was rich or had prospects so much the better.The heart of the show was the oldest Jimmie Walker. He's a comedian and to him the laughs devolved. He was having a bit of trouble growing up and drove his parents a bit nuts. And he brought that one word catchphrase of his to the English language. When something was good it was Dy-No-Mite. The show lost something when Amos was killed off. It got even worse when Rolle took a hiatus. The kids were fending on their own with a look in from their neighbor Janet Dubois. Top show when it started. But as a family show they usually lose something when the family unit is disrupted. Good Times was no exception.

It's funny to me every time I read about a "modern" TV show/movie/etc. about racial/gender/class issues being "groundbreaking," because Norman Lear was doing some pretty brave "groundbreaking" as far back as the early 70's. "All in the Family" was arguably the greatest, most "realistic" (in TV terms) family sitcom EVER to grace TV (followed closely by "Roseanne"). As if AITF wasn't enough, "Maude" and her ahead- of-her-time politics spun out of that universe, as did "Good Times," which was the first sitcom to really show the gritty reality of lower- class American life since "The Honeymooners." Yes, there were stereotypes . . . yes, there was manipulative "button-pushing," yes, there was lots of "jive talking,'" but like Roseanne, at the heart of all that bravado was a family that REALLY loved and supported each other, and were trying desperately to reach that "American dream." Of course, it was usually futile, mainly because they wanted to keep the shows going, but ironically, it actually reflected the reality of the times . . . which is that unfortunately, that dream is just out of reach for many. But "Good Times" was so well-cast, well-acted, and well-staged (like a very good play), we could overlook its faults . . . because we cared about the characters. Esther Rolle and John Amos had great chemistry together, and the kids were also perfectly cast. I remember hearing things on this show that I had never heard before, like VD, teen pregnancy, the poor resorting to eating dog to survive, the constant struggle of the father figure to provide for his family . . . it just goes on and on. Things that we middle-class white Americans had NO idea of. And that opening - that HAS to be one of the greatest opening montages of images and theme music EVER (The Sopranos comes to mind as a contender). They just don't make 'em like that anymore. Although things began to slip once John Amos left (in one of those "I'm moving on to bigger and better things" mistakes that TV actors often make . . . assuming that a hit TV show is a sure road to super stardom, never to be heard from again except in minor, supporting bits), it was still one of the best of the 70's. So whenever you hear somebody talk about a "groundbreaking" TV show/movie, keep in mind that that ground was "broken" long ago . . .

Had to write a review because I just realized an injustice done by the writers, promoting a misconception about an intact family. Just watched the episode in which the Evans family was having a farewell party in preparation to relocate to Mississippi to be with the family patriarch, James Evans, Sr. James found a good paying, steady job, in Mississippi; there was a real chance for his family to move out of poverty. The matriarch, Florida, was reading telegrams from friends wishing them well on their new move; that last one she read informed her that James was killed in an auto accident. Having seen the reruns of this show multiple times, I am familiar with the financial struggles the family faced after the loss of James. My only question is WHY? James was portrayed as a working man and he served in the Korean War. In addition he had a new job, which should have come with life insurance, especially in the 70's when most jobs came with benefits. Why weren't FL and his minor children, Thelma and Michael, eligible for Social Security? During the time when this show was broadcast children under the age of 21 were eligible for Social Security if they continued with secondary education, which Thelma and Micheal did. In addition, because the character Florida was not a skilled laborer, or a woman with a college education, her earning potential would have been limited. Therefore, she would have been eligible for widow's benefits to supplement her earnings. It's very sad that the show's writers did not choose the high road to portray the family's circumstances accurately and show that James' labor had provided for his family after his loss. The family still would have struggled and needed help but the struggle would have been mitigated.

Many reviewers note and comment upon how this series transitioned over the seasons, for the worse. Most pivotal was the shift from it being a series about the travails of James and Florida, raising a family and trying with make ends meet, and overall do the right thing, and doing it with dignity, to a show about the antics of their teen-aged/young adult son, J.J. The show had good ratings in its early seasons, so why the change?As is always the case in life, follow the money. In this instance it's about selling advertising time. The good ratings this show enjoyed during it's first seasons did not hold up in the key demographic: 18 to 34 year-old viewers, with money. They were trying to attract a younger audience.