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The Conversation USA

'Good Times': 50 years ago, Norman Lear changed TV with a show about a working-class Black family's struggles and joys

  • Written by Angela M. Nelson, Associate Professor of Popular Culture, Bowling Green State University
imageEsther Rolle, right, and John Amos starred in the pathbreaking 1970s Black sitcom.Moviepix via Getty Images

I loved watching Norman Lear’s trailblazing television shows when I was growing up in Dalzell, South Carolina, in the 1970s.

“Good Times,” my favorite, debuted on Feb. 8, 1974 – nearly 50 years ago. CBS aired the show...

Read more: 'Good Times': 50 years ago, Norman Lear changed TV with a show about a working-class Black...

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