Good Times: The Complete Second Season

I might as well get it out the way right now: I've never been a fan of Good Times. In fact, I outright dislike the show. It has nothing to do with the writing, the acting, the cast, the storylines, the setting, or anything like that. Ever since I was a kid, I just simply couldn't watch the show without running away screaming. I had the same reaction to M.A.S.H. and Barney Miller (although I did like the Fish spin-off, for whatever reason). My dislike of Good Times was simply some kind of genetic anomaly. Watching the various episodes of Good Times: The Complete Second Season did little to assuage my feelings on the matter. Objectively speaking, I can say that fans of the show will generally be satisfied, while casual viewers definitely might want to screen it first.

The following twenty-four episodes are included on this three-disc set:

Disc One:

1. Florida Flips
2. Crosstown Buses Run All Day, Doodah, Doodah
3. J.J. Becomes a Man, Part I (J.J. Is Arrested, Part I)
4. The Man I Most Admire
5. J.J. Becomes a Man, Part II (J.J. Is Arrested Part II)
6. The Encyclopedia Hustle
7. The I.Q. Test
8. Thelma's Young Man

Disc Two:

1. Florida, The Matchmaker
2. The Windfall
3. The Gang, Part I
4. The Gang, Part II
5. Sometimes There's No Bottom in the Bottle
6. Florida's Big Gig
7. Florida Goes To School
8. The Nude

The DVD

Video:

Good Times: The Complete Second Season is presented in its original fullframe aspect ratio of 1.33:1. The quality of the video is seriously flawed, which can be somewhat understood by the age of the source material. The picture is consistently soft and fuzzy, generally lacking sharpness and definition. Contrasts are shallow and flat. Color levels are inconsistent: often they look faded and drab, while flesh tones are reasonably reproduced. Other times I noticed a subdued but pleasant chromatic presentation. While the video is certainly watchable and looks no worse than what you might see on cable television, the overall weakness of the picture is slightly disappointing.

The audio presentation of Good Times: The Complete Second Season is workable if unremarkable. This is a mono presentation, firmly rooted in the front of the sound stage. Dialog is adequately reproduced, with satisfactory clarity although there are noticeable levels of clipping and distortion. While the overall audio is nothing to write home about, the presentation is definitely serviceable and does not detract from the experience.

Extras:

The only extras on this set are trailers for other Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment releases of television on DVD, including Sanford and Son, The Jeffersons, Soap, What's Happening, Good Times, Barney Miller, All in the Family, The King of Queens, The Steve Harvey Show, Dawson's Creek, Designing Women, Married With Children, My Big Fat Greek Life, Mad About You, The Larry Sanders Show, The Critic, The Tick, and Dilbert.

Final Thoughts