10 Worst Ways TV Characters Were Written Out
3. James Evans - Good Times
As Good Times patriarch James Evans. John Amos was a US TV trailblazer, one of the first black TV dads in the American mainstream. He, alongside the rest of the cast, were intent on delivering a positive message to viewers of all backgrounds, and over three seasons he cultivated a warm and beloved sitcom character.
It was a huge surprise to viewers tuning in for the season four premiere to learn that James had been killed off in a car accident. That was that, and the season continued for another three years.
Amos later spoke on the matter, stating that he was fired for being a “disruptive presence”. The show’s white writers, he felt, were not reflecting the black experience in their scripts, and seemed to have little interest in attempting to do so. After a number of clashes, creator Norman Lear told him his services would no longer be required.
A year later, his co-star Esther Rolle would leave the show for similar reasons, feeling her character was descending into stereotype. Amos admits that he approached the situation bullishly, but this was not a good look for a show with the lofty aims of Good Times.