The streamer has given a 10-episode order to the show, which counts Norman Lear — who produced the original series — Seth MacFarlane and NBA star Steph Curry among its executive producers. Carl Jones (The Boondocks, Black Dynamite) created the show and will serve as showrunner.
Sony Pictures Television, which has a first-look deal with Lear that includes options to reimagine his classic shows, is behind the animated series. Lear’s Act III Productions, MacFarlane’s Fuzzy Door Productions and Curry’s Unanimous Media also produce.
“We can’t think of anything better, at this time in our culture, than a reimagining of Good Times animated,” said Lear and Act III’s Brent Miller. “In a year filled with darkness, this is one bright light we won’t soon forget. Thank you, Sony. Thank you, Netflix. Bless us all.”
The animated series will follow the Evans family in the present day as they navigate today’s world and contemporary social issues. As the original did, the new show will strive to remind viewers that with the love of family, we can keep our heads above water.
“It’s a dream come true to be working with the legendary talents of Norman Lear, Seth MacFarlane and Stephen Curry,” said Jones. “We are excited to carry on the original legacy of Good Times — but now animated and a little edgier. Let’s just say the struggle has just gotten strugglier.”
Shortly after Lear signed his first-look deal at Sony in 2018, Lear told The Hollywood Reporter he was “not about to reimagine Good Times or The Jeffersons,” saying instead he would be more inclined toward second looks at some of his less well-known series.
Both of those shows, however, have along with All in the Family been part of ABC’s Live in Front of a Studio Audience specials, which re-created episodes with all-star casts.
“It’s a thrill to be partnering with Norman Lear and to help bring new life to his groundbreaking show Good Times, through the talent and personal stories of Carl Jones and the team at Unanimous,” said MacFarlane and Erica Huggins of Fuzzy Door. “Animation is the ideal medium with which to reimagine the original show, and through the lens of Carl’s sharp, biting humor, audiences will grow to love these classic characters all over again.”
Added Curry and Unanimous Media’s Erick Peyton, “We are so excited about this project! Unanimous is all about authentic partnerships and this team felt genuine from the beginning. Good Times strives to remind us that with the love of our family we can overcome any obstacle. We think, now more than ever, the world needs to see a show with hope and positivity.”
The Good Times revival will be the first animated show Lear has produced in his storied career. It joins a lineup of adult animated shows at Netflix that includes Big Mouth, F Is for Family, Disenchantment and Hoops, among others.
Jones will executive produce Good Times with Lear and Miller of Act III, MacFarlane and Huggins of Fuzzy Door, and Unanimous’ Curry, Peyton and Jeron Smith.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
