Damn, Damn, Damn! Viola Davis IS Florida Evans

Not sure about Viola Davis as Florida, but Tiffany Haddish as Willona, seems perfect.

“Haddish recreating the role of Willona Woods“

Slap her, Viola!

Will Lil’ Penny make an appearance?

The All In the Family and especially The Jeffersons live performances were really well done. I have high hopes for Good Times.

Can Viola get shouty like the original cast?

R6 would she have it any other way? With snot, I suppose.

It’s gonna be wet.

It would be interesting if they flipped the race of both casts. A black all in the family and a white good times

"Why is my name Florida?"

I’ll die if she has Florida afro.

My Florida Evans will be a sexual Florida Evans!

“Can Viola get shouty like the original cast?“

R6, you is kind, you is important—but, little girl, don’t you ever doubt me.

Jussie as Michael, please!!!

Poor Viola.

They're working their way through the Lear oeuvre ... what's next--One Day At a Time? Facts of Life? Maude?

Andre should be good as James Evans.

As someone commented on the original post on Deadline, Octavia Spencer would have seen like the more obvious choice.

JJ was my brother’s favourite character of all time, at least when he was 16.

Hadish as Wilooooooooonaaa will be amazing!

I'm watching this just to see Tiffany Haddish as Willona. Great casting.

I was at a party once and this black girl said to me I wasn't 'out' enough.

I had JUST met her. I was like um ok.

I wanted to say to her: I'm more comfortable if you act like a sitcom character. Willona Woods is the gold standard. Can say, 'Booger Bookman" ?

My sentiments exactly, "M" at R15. Viola must be desperate for work.

Did the final season of "HTGAWM" get lost amidst the impeachment proceedings?

Alice Ghost ley could make a cameo from the great beyond.

My sister told me today that she read they're doing a Christmas episode from "Good Times." Anyone know which one?

Also, Wendy Williams made the comment yesterday about how it'd be cool if Janet Jackson was to make an appearance as Penny, but given that Andre Braugher will be appearing as James Evans, I don't see how that's possible unless they do some kind of mash-up of episodes. IIRC, James was long gone from the show by the time Penny came along.

And who will play JJ? I’m guessing a trans lesbian of color?

Jay Pharoah, formerly of SNL, is playing JJ.

They needed Terry Crews as James. Someone who could fill out a pair of pants.

They're doing The Draft Dodger episode of All in the Family. One of the best, most powerful episodes of a great series. I hope Woody Harrelson steps it up as Archie. Last time it was just an imitation, and not even a good one. Carroll O'Connor won his second Emmy for this episode. He was brilliant in it.

When they did the Jeffersons a few months back, there was a surprise guest appearance by Marla Gibbs.

Will there be any surprise guest appearances this time around? All of the cast of Good Times is still alive except for Esther Rolle.

This ain't going to work. Jay Pharoah is not even good at sketch comedy. He's best known for his Obama impersonation, stiff as hell. Haddish can't do a live action sitcom either. She hasn't the range or the chops. Viola best bring her Miss Ross hair to the show. Were they poor on Good Times? I've never seen it, not once. Viola can do anything but comedy. Is it a comedy?

oy veltch…….the casting is so predictable.....pass

Yea, next Viola Davis will play Maude.....

[quote]Were they poor on Good Times? I've never seen it, not once.

Oh, dear.

You've never seen the show but you've decided that some of the actors aren't good enough for it?

Haddish is a standup. She'll be fine.

Viola has done comedy before and she just shot one with Allison Janey. Besides, her character reacts to everyone else. She's not the source of comedy. She's the straight man.

Jay Pharoah didn't get hired for SNL because of one impression even if that's what you mostly saw.

Why did Ralph Carter (Michael) never pursue an acting career? He only has TWO credits.

I think it didn’t pursue him.

JJ was the underpin for the whole show. But in this environment, they'll have to tone him down, which will ruin the show.

[quote] When they did the Jeffersons a few months back, there was a surprise guest appearance by Marla Gibbs. Will there be any surprise guest appearances this time around? All of the cast of Good Times is still alive except for Esther Rolle.

I hope, if there is a surprise guest, it is Ja'Net Dubois, since they did her wrong and should have had her singing The Jefferson's theme song on the last one. If they are going by iconic people from the show it might be Jimmie Walker, but I don't know if Norman Lear and the others would want to have him because of his political views.

ABC will be doing some retro ads for its other shows to honor the Good Times/AITF episodes.

I assume Jay Pharoah will be Dynomite!

He will be good but way too old for the role. J.J. was only supposed to be around 18 when the series started. Walker was 27 when the show started but Jay is 32!

If they do Maude, they need to cast Alison Janney.

Alison Janney must be 70. Don't let the wig fool you.

R43 She does look older than she is, doesn't she? She has appeared wigless.

Thanks for reminder. Must set DVR.

Anthony Anderson would have been perfect for "Buffalo Butt" but I think he lost too much weight.

The only one to play Buffalo Butt would be DL unfave Keenan from SNL.

Anthony Anderson and Patti Labelle are singing the Good Times theme song. Can Miss Patti sing anymore? Remember how JHUD tore up Moving on Up last year? She was the bomb.

But Viola Davis has a neck.

Do people have good memories of “Good Times”? I remember watching it as a low-income white child and being discouraged. I didn’t want to see any more POOR people struggling. Even if the skinny clown said “Dyn-O-miiiiite!” Felt the same way about “The Honeymooners”, “Little House on the Prairie”, and later, about “Roseanne”. At least “Roseanne” was LOL funny.

Just my experience. Maybe people with some money found it amusing, like watching animals at the zoo, or they imagined it as some noble, inspirational family b P

Good Times was enjoyable at first, but as the years dragged on and things just kept getting worse and worse for them, it became too damn (damn DAMN) depressing. Apparently everybody's fortunes took a sudden upturn in the very last episode, but who was watching by then?

Great show, but their strife was heartbreaking.

The writers reliance on JJ cooning all the time ruined the show. It’s what happens when you get guys named Biff and Todd to write scripts for sitcoms dealing with African American life. The Jeffersons started with great promise as well, eventually reduced to George’s tantrums and loudmouth. Kingfish in a Brooks Brothers suit.

So when's What's Happenin'? happening? I want them to do the Doobie Brothers episode. Dumb Rerun...Dwight was *shocked*.

For Good Times, I want James back. He should've had a bigger career.

And Florence’s acid tongue...

I loved John Amos r54. So sad when he left the show.

R50, as a young kid watching the show - one not well-off but not poor and not from a big city - it was an important show to watch. A little perspective, on poverty, on how hard some people work and can't seem to get ahead, on loss (James) and disappointment and small victories, and on institutional and de facto racism. It wasn't spectacle- watching, just what seemed to a 10 year old or so (I forget exactly) to be a sort of reality that I wouldn't have "seen" in my day-to-day that taught me it likely existed in my day to day but I just didn't know it.

[quote]Great show, but their strife was heartbreaking.

This is why the show still resonates with the black community, it was the closest thing to real life for many black people in the 70s. Life was sometimes depressing and some people worked hard their whole life without seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Good Times showed that you can find joy within the family structure despite those things.

R54, I DVR’d that episode. That was the best one.

Marisa was a terrible Edith, so over did the Noo Yawk accent.

[quote]Marisa was a terrible Edith, so over did the Noo Yawk accent.

Marisa? The woman born and raised in Brooklyn overdid a New York accent?!

Marisa was the BEST thing about last year's pretty good show. Ellie Kemper is just too old and sensible as Gloria though.

Survivor finale can wait.....is is tv gold! I'd love them to do the Maude abortion episode ...with Harvey Firestein as Maude!

Survivor finale can wait.....is is tv gold! I'd love them to do the Maude abortion episode ...with Harvey Firestein as Maude!

Andre Braugher has the most enormous child birthing hips and ass. Jay Pharoah also has juicy thighs.

This makes you appreciate the original cast. Poor John Amos, who was a reat actor, appears to be struggling to remember his lines.

Painful to watch.

What a shitty episode choice. It appears to have been chosen only to give john Amos an appropriate role to play. Why not do the one where they think the neighbor has served them cat food? That was funny and had a message.

The best performance was the actor playing the young politician.

How could they have thought this would work? Unfunny, unmemorable episode choice.

She totally slammed the door on Jimmie Walker!

I thought it was a good choice of an episode, considering today's political climate. Also, it was cool to hear Amos greet the other actors with a line like "It's been a long time since I've seen the Evans family."

Where are you watching this?

Marty was funny.

I think ms labelle flubbed the lyrics to the theme song

Ralph Carter was MIA.

She did, R74. She sang "Hangin' in and jivin," instead of the correct "Hangin' in a chow line."

Sally Struthers and Rob Reiner coming out to sing the AITF theme song was the icing on the cake.

And that commemorative portrait of Esther Rolle that Norman had commissioned was a touching way to begin the broadcast. Though a Jean Stapleton one would have been equally touching.

Was that Janet Jackson sitting in the audience, BTW?

R76 you’re correct

Don't tease, R77.

WTF my cable service is acting up. Every time there's something good on tv....

Who's teasing?

Ernie Barnes couldn't have done a better Esther Rolle.

Why does Gloria have red hair?

The pacing was off for the Good Times episode. The original actor delivered the lines with rapid fire and excitement. John Amos got the "you too Willona" lines wrong. Andre Braugher is a brilliant actor but was all wrong for James.

Good Time sucked :( So bad

The casting was way off and I was shocked to see how old Amos got. I agree with the other poster, the dog food episode would have been much better. The ladies from the original have aged great. All in all, none of these live shows compare to the originals.

Blackish did a better version of GT.

OMG! Martin Short singing the Facts of life theme song is giving me life

Marisa Tomei is genius

Please do Damn Damn Damn and the menopause show next time! Or Edith burns the rapist's face with the pan.

Terry Crewes and Octavia Spencer would have been better casting.

Viola Davis is not a good comic actress

. Sorry.

Poor John Amos's timing was way off.

R89 You're right. I'd already thought Spencer should have been Florida.

Why is Viola Davis so deadly serious in everything she is in? It drives me nuts. All that was missing was her rubbing her snot all over Alderman Davis's coat.

I didn't even know about this!

Such a mediocre, overrated actress.

[quote] Why is Viola Davis so deadly serious in everything she is in? It drives me nuts.

My friend does a great imitation of her acting. She stands there with no expression at all and just shouts out all the horrible things happening to her

Has your friend ever seen this parody? LOL.

R96 You have friends?

He does but you don't R98;

The show was so disappointing I really wanted to love it more .The All in the Family episode was first rate though except for the medium red hair on Gloria.

Woody Harrelson actually improved since the last time. He really did sound like he was from Queens.

For those of you who missed it.

As someone not alive during the time these shows were originally on, I thought the AITF episode was very entertaining. I've seen Archie and Edith in a few reruns of course and they were pretty over the top characters. These live broadcasts are a nostalgic homage, not a recreation. It's all very dated, even if the themes remain topical. So Marisa Tomei and Harrelson were very funny to me. Skillful even. She is hysterical in her IMPERSONATION of Edith Bunker, not Jean Stapleton. It was fun. I've never heard of Good Times and I thought they all mostly terrible, especially Haddish and Pharoah. The script was bad and so were the performers. Braugher was fine. He's too talented to be bad. But it would have been boring 50 years ago or whenever the fuck it was on. And I'm from Chicago bitch so don't start explaining things to me.

Good Times was horrible and a borderline minstrel show then and as seen last night it hasn’t changed.

Thank you R103. That's what I was wondering.

Marissa kills this role! I need more!

I don’t know why I loved Martin Short so much, but I really did

No one with taste watches this trainwreck shit.

Thiey should do One A Day at a Time live and Let Valerie Bertinelli play Ginny Wroblicky.

Ellen DeGeneres as Anne Romano

Bob the Drag Queen as Maude

It's the Norman Lear thing. It's heavy handed. Saved by Marisa Tomei and Woody Harrelson. They should do something more fun. Like a Golden Girls episode. I dare them.

Why not have Jimmy Kimmel play one of the old parts?

R102 How have you never heard of Good Times, but have seen AITF? It has been in almost constant re-runs for forty years or so, but All In the Family hasn't been as constant. Growing up Good Times aired on a local channel and various cable networks all the time, But, All in the Family, was much rarer, except for Nick At Nite/TV Land, until the retro themed sub-channels popped up.

Gabby Sidibe would have been a great Florida Evans.

Wasn't there a Christmas episode of Good Times they could have done? Like the one where they all got up and performed?

I submitted a script synopsis for Good Times called “Will Michael do anal?”, where Bookman promises to pay for Michael’s college tuition - contingent upon Michael giving up the booty. They never answered back.

I guess they felt that episode you submitted wasn't Christmassy enough for them.

[quote]Gabby Sidibe would have been a great Florida Evans.

Gabby Sidibe isn’t even good enough for community theater

[quote] "Norman Lear is in his 90s," Struthers said. "I think he should just have fun and travel, and stop trying to make another mark on TV. He's made enough marks."

Sally Struthers is a CUNT!

I think yesterday I wrote on here about what I had learned as a kid watching Good Times. Funny, I had this alderman episode vaguely in my head when I thought back, not realizing that was the episode they picked. In addition to learning what an alderman was, the hope-disillusionment-hope of it was poignant on a lot if levels, enough to recall it 40 years later.

As for the cast -

Braugher is a terrific actor, but he seemed neutered compared to Amos in the role. Amos always had this anger simmering in him that was palpable.

Didn't care for viola in Esther's Rolle. Rolle's physical presence - this tiny, round woman to James's large scale - and her embodiment of this practical, realistic woman were key aspects of her success. Viola is too talk, too made up, and not nearly pressed enough.

Thelma was a fine Thelma. Michael was a good Michael. JJ was...difficult. Even as a period piece and even as JJ was his one unique peacock even then, his manner is so far from familiar now it's hard to "get.". Plus, Walker was sort of uniquely physically suited for it, and this actor is way too buttoned up to bring it off.

To those caring about quality of the bones of the show - minstrel ly, bad dialogue...well, yeah, it was a TV sitcom in the 70s. Dialogue was generally solely in service of setting up the plot/arc and everyone's reaction to it, or to confirming characters' dynamics with one another. It wasn't done like Friends or whatever where there is a lot of filler- talk or side conversation for a small laugh bit no plot point. And to that point, each if these episodes (unlike more modern sitcoms) was intended to tackle An Issue. Not Sheldon's misplacing his slide rule or "the one where Brad Pitt came to dinner.". Lear was heavy-handed, and to make a heavy political point in 22 minutes requires the dialogue to work hard substantively, if not gracefully.

Sally Struthers has hasn’t had steady work for a while has she? She sounds so bitter.

Sally could have played Florida Evans. She's small and round.

And she has no neck, just like Esther Rolle .

Viewing All in the Family feels like watching a play. The characters are well established, and each has flaws. Each episode introduces a moral dilemma that impacts the characters and their circle. The performers were hired based on talent instead of their looks. They look, act, and feel like a real family.

All in the Family was art. Friends is just fluff with cute actors who say funny things so that the network can sell a lot of advertisements.

Would you like to make Friends money? Sure, we all would!

I wish they had dressed Wilona more flashily, that was an essential part of her character.

One thing about Good Times that was missing live is the audience interaction. I watch reruns all the time and nearly every ep you'll hear them yelling something out like 'right on, Willona,' 'you tell him' etc.. this was deathly silent, which made it not only awkward, but very unlike Good Times.

Sally Struthers best performance

Calling him Buffalo Butt was a form of fat shaming Bookman.

R129, I am shocked when I watch the reruns of these 70s shows. On Good Times and What's Happening nearly every episode with Bookman or Rerun has at least one fat joke. I'm not overly PC, but it was overkill and really cruel.

Other better Good Times episodes they could've done were when Michael got bused, the bad meat episode or when James returned the money he found. All socially relevant and I think would have went over better than the one they did. Sorry to say, Amos bought the show down, though as a whole, the cast was pretty bad.

R119 I understand why she was cunty in that story. It was from the first event in May, and apparently she didn't know anything about it before it was announced and then wasn't invited to participate. That had to hurt considering she and Rob Reiner are the two living original stars of All In The Family. It seems strange that they make a big deal out of rightfully paying respect to Marla Gibbs from The Jeffersons, and John Amos and the others from Good Times, but they don't seem to care anything about Sally and Rob. If nothing else they could have invited them to perform the theme song.

I don't think Sally is wrong. I've now watched all 4 and really the only things that have impressed me have been the sets, though they got the kitchen phone wrong and the doorbell tone incorrect on "The Jeffersons" and "Good Times" did not have a touch-tone wall phone in their kitchen by the never-used back door.

None of the acting performances were good nor were the theme songs. Bernnadette Stanis and Ja'Net du Bois both looked hot though!

There will be at least one more production, does anyone know what shows it will be? Will we have All in the Family, again? Will the other show be Maude or will they stick with having one show be black focused and do Sanford and Son? If they do Maude, Allison Janney is the only person I can think of for the role. If they do Sanford, I want Loretta Devine as Aunt Esther.

They should hire Lynnie Greene if they do Maude.

It will be Sanford and son

R135 The only problem with Sanford and Son is that it doesn't come from the same tree, All In The Family begot Maude and The Jeffersons, Maude begot Good Times. Sanford and Son was totally separate.

If they do Sanford, just drop All In The Family, and make it Sanford and Maude.

Tracy Morgan should play Fred Sanford.

[quote]She did, [R74]. She sang "Hangin' in and jivin," instead of the correct "Hangin' in a chow line."

Well, hucka the bejeepers!

I liked the Good Times episode they gave John Amos too much. They should have considered his age.

I like Tiffany H but she didn’t make me forget the greatJanet DuBois. Jay P, is too old and anything but skinny to be JJ. Both actors from When They See Us were great. I can’t wait to see what Jharrel Jerome does next. It is true Viola doesn’t do well in comedy but I liked her performance very much.

I was crying watching the All In The Family segment. If it was on Broadway it probably would be winning Tonys. I thought people were crazy to think last years should be nominated for Emmys. This episode definitely does.

[quote] They should hire Lynnie Greene if they do Maude.

That would be perfect. I loved him on Bonanza!

My fear is that Debra Messing will get the Maude role.

Octavia Spencer would have made a better Florida.

I have missed Octavia’s usual thing she does in her movies in her last three movies even though I liked her in Ma.

Laverne Cox will be Maude.

R54 that would be an awesome episode. Another one would be the time rerun joins this cult and Mama Mabel appears as mother nature.

Who could ever replace Mabel King? Lizzo? Gabourey Sidibe?

No'Nique?

John Amos is forever etched in my mind as the original Kunta Kinte. He was unfairly treated by Norman Lear. All he wanted was to make a quality show and be a positive black male role model. But Lear and CBS could only see $$$$$ and ratings. So they put more and more emphasis on JJ...he was butt ugly and a poor actor. But he had a catchphrase and white people loved laughing at him. John and Esther were trained actors who were shunted to the side so Jimmie Walker could do his cooning for CBS. And he was so ugly he had to sneak up on a glass of water. Walker is also a major homophobe and Republican hosebag who is friends with Ann Coulter.

R147, agree with you that Amos and Rolle were excellent actors, and their seriousness (personal and the characters), while maybe too much for a sitcom, left an impression. Also agree JJ was over- emphasized, and doing that undermined some of the better things about the show.

Random: what the ever-loving fuck - penny Marshall was married to rob reiner ??? How is it I have no recollection of such a thing?

They were often pictured together in Hollywood mags. Even rona abarret intrrviewed them once. You must be young.

They are playing Christmas themed episode of AITF on GetTv right now. Edith has a lump during the holidays in the one I am presently watching.

New interview with Ralph Carter that aired today on the local ABC channel here in NYC:

R151 damn, he looks as old as john Amos.

Has this aired yet? I don’t want to miss it.

Yes it has aired, but you can watch on Hulu.

The guy playing Mike is so bad and also looks 20 years too old for the part.

When did Ralph Carter’s nose get so large?