‘Good Times’ at 50: Groundbreaking sitcom is still beloved by fans

On the night of Feb. 8, 1974, millions of viewers had just settled in at 8 for another episode of ABC’s “The Brady Bunch,” while over on NBC, “Sanford and Son” — barely two seasons old — was getting underway.

Then, at 8:30, there was this intriguing newcomer on CBS: What exactly did those millions make of “Good Times” 50 years ago?

Both familiar and unfamiliar, many already knew the leads of this latest Norman Lear creation because the star Esther Rolle had been Florida Evans, the truth-to-power maid who zinged Maude Findlay (Bea Arthur) on “Maude.” John Amos, who had played her largely unseen husband on that show, had also been Gordy the weather forecaster, on CBS’  hit “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.”

What they’d never seen before was a Black family sitcom, or a Black male and female lead as husband and wife on a TV show. They had never seen a series that addressed real issues for Black Americans and their families (the first episode alone was about poverty and systemic unemployment — and this was a sitcom?).

Still a classic

But the world was changing, and TV was finally changing, too. The lingering and painful question on this long-ago night was just how much TV intended to change.

“Good Times” turned 50 earlier this month, but unlike most shows a half-century old, some memories still abide, as durable and immutable as granite. Think “Good Times” and try not to think of J.J.’s (Jimmie Walker) “dyn-O-mite,”, or Florida Evans’ “damn damn damn” when she first learns of husband James’ (Amos) death. It remains enduringly popular, too — a Top 20 performer for Peacock (and an animated Netflix reboot arrives this summer).

In a…