Why are Netflix viewers actually happy about the cancellation of its latest series?
Netflix has a reputation for canceling poorly performing shows, and viewers don’t like this practice. The recent Streaming website cancellation notice for Netflix animated sequel to popular 1970s sitcom Good timestitled The good times are black againreceived many congratulatory messages from Good times fans, and many viewers are excited about the announcement. Months after the series sparked an instant backlash, Netflix quietly pulled the plug — and social media users wasted no time in cheering its demise.
What “Good Times Black Again” Tried to Do and Why It Didn’t Work
The good times are black again aims to serve as a contemporary “spiritual sequel” to the original. Good timesfollowing a new generation of the Evans family still living in the Cabrini-Green projects of Chicago. Reggie Evans (JB Smoove), a barely passing taxi driver, anchors the chaotic household with his wife Beverly (Yvette Nicole Brown) and their three children: the struggling artist Junior (Jimmy Walker), socially conscious activist Gray (Marsai Martin), and Dalvin (Gerald “Slink” Johnson) – a gun-wielding baby drug dealer who roams the neighborhood like a punchline borrowed straight from Adult Swim.
On paper, the show aimed to integrate classic sitcom DNA into a modern animated setting. In practice, critics and audiences agreed that it relied heavily on exaggerated stereotypes and shocking humor rather than the grounded humanity that made the original series historic. Rather than updating its predecessor’s exploration of black family life under difficult economic circumstances, the reboot often presented its characters as queer versions of themselves. Cockroach-infested apartments, dangerous neighborhoods, and constant gun violence weren’t used as commentary — they became running gags.
The trailer received negative feedback over the imagery and style used before the series premiere. Before the show’s premiere, the trailer received negative feedback for its tone and imagery. The NAACP expressed public disapproval of the way marketing was geared toward downplayed versions of black lives. Netflix did not provide critics with copies of the episodes before they aired (never a good sign), and when critics were able to watch the shows, many felt that the series was created to shock rather than entertain.
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Why Viewers Reacted So Negatively to ‘Good Times Black Again’
In the reviews, the same problems kept coming up: repetitive stereotypes, outdated punchlines, and a strange mismatch of tone. A shooting breaks out at a medical clinic. Rival toddlers pursue a drug lord. Grey’s hunger strike is represented by images of starvation. Beverly’s breasts leaked milk whenever Dalvin was near. Even casual viewers felt that the series was trying to be bold for its own sake.
Instead of adopting the warmth and dignity of the original show, The good times are black again seemed determined to shock the audience at every turn. The series repeatedly invoked the 1970s classic — right down to Reggie singing with a cockroach in the shower while riffing on the original theme song — but rarely captured its emotional core. For older fans, the reboot felt less like an homage and more like an aimless parody.
Online reactions reflect this disconnect. Many viewers called the new version a “mess” and “horrible,” accusing it of reinforcing the very stereotypes that the original series worked to deconstruct. Others couldn’t reconcile a franchise known for its heart and resilience with a modern reboot that opened with a joke about a drug-dealing baby. As one user bluntly said after the cancellation was announced: “It was canceled, thank goodness.” »
Why the cancellation of ‘Good Times Black Again’ surprised no one and relieved many
By November, the writing was on the wall. Despite featuring recognizable vocal talent including Smoove, Brown, Martin and Jay Pharaoh – and although it briefly made Netflix’s Top 10 – the series couldn’t resist the overwhelmingly negative word of mouth. Netflix ultimately removed it alongside two other adult animated series.
What’s telling is that even viewers who claimed the series was misunderstood nonetheless recognized its problems with execution. Some felt that the series attempted to critique modern systemic issues through blunt satire, but the extremes of its humor muddled the message. Others suggested that with refinement, later episodes showed promise – even if few audiences stuck around long enough to find out.
It’s rare for fans of a TV show to celebrate a cancellation. However, in this case, the cancellation was met with such enthusiasm because of the disappointment and anger many felt at what many perceived to be a poorly executed idea from the start. The original Good times was groundbreaking in its portrayal of a black family facing very legitimate social and economic challenges, who overcame those obstacles with love, hope, and dignity; while this remake seems to use these same challenges purely as comedic fodder. For audiences who consider the original series legendary, this was a step too far. The result? A rare moment when the social media audience – fans of the original and newcomers alike – agreed that Netflix made the right choice.
