Why was Good Times: Black Again canceled by Netflix? Possibilities explored

Netflix has canceled Good Times: Black Again, its adult animated comedy series, which was a reboot of the CBS 70s sitcom Good Times. The reboot followed a new generation of the Evans family and was voiced by an ensemble cast, including Jay Pharoah, Marsai Marti, Slink Johnson, J.B. Smoove and Yvette Nicole Brown.

While Good Times: Black Again aimed to recreate the magic of the original sitcom, it was received poorly by audiences and critics alike. Fans of the original sitcom felt that the reboot misused the good name of the classic sitcom and used offensive humour and crude jokes to convey its themes and narratives.

Netflix has not revealed the real reason behind its decision but the online backlash, the controversial run of the sitcom and low viewership are the likely reasons that led to the reboot's cancellation after just one season.

More on this in our story.

From online backlash to low viewership: Exploring the reasons behind Good Times: Black Again cancellation

While Netflix is steadily expanding its animated slate with recent titles like Haunted Hotel and Long Story Short, the platform made a shocking decision by axing three animated titles after just one season. Fans were stunned when Netflix axed both Twilight of the Gods and Exploding Kittens, two high-profile debut animated shows. In contrast, the cancellation of Good Times: Black Again barely raised eyebrows, as many critics and longtime fans of the original sitcom had long anticipated the downfall of this controversial reboot series.

Good Times: Black Again debuted in April 2024, amidst online backlash and criticism by multiple civil rights organizations. However, this initial condemnation evolved into momentary success and the show managed to climb in Netflix's Top 10 charts, earning 3.3 million views in 2024. The show earned an additional 2.1 million views by mid-2025 but the online criticism and chatter, calling out its offensive content and unsavory stereotypes, had also increased tenfold.

A string of negative reviews and the show's failure to reach the renewal threshold likely resulted in its cancellation. While fans of the original sitcom were quite positive that the reboot would not sustain beyond one season, Netflix seems to have finally reached a decision and Good Times: Black Again will not return with Season 2.

Good Times: Black Again was considered an offensive reboot

While the reboot initially created intrigue and fans were quite excited for this animated take on the classic sitcom, the trailer confirmed that Good Times: Black Again is nothing like the 70s sitcom.

Good Times was television's first African-American family sitcom that was praised for its textual and empathetic depiction of a working-class black family. Critics noted how the show tackled difficult themes of racism, dr*g addiction, gang warfare and poverty through a fictional family living in a public housing project in a Chicago neighbourhood.

While the original sitcom explored meaningful themes and used humour to depict humanity among the Black population, fans complained that Good Times: Black Again tarnished the sitcom's legacy and instead used crude and offensive jokes and exaggeration. Civil Rights organizations like the NAACP, the CEMOTAP, and the December 12th Movement condemned the reboot for its sexualized, obscene and violent portrayal of African-Americans.

Narratives featuring dr*g-selling babies and hyper-violent individuals were especially condemned on Reddit:

''It feels so out of place. There's a talking baby that sells drugs in good times WHAT lol.'' wrote one user

''Problem is while some of it is stupid, like the actual gun toting, drug selling baby, it's not funny. Funny could have fixed a lot of problems.'' another user agreed

While Netflix did not release an official statement about these reviews, the recent cancellation confirms that the reboot failed to recreate the magic of its predecessor and was thus axed by the streamer.

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