User Reviews

The opening episode to Britain's first black sitcom 'The Fosters' based on the American sitcom 'Good Times'

In the opening episode, Sonny and Shirley both have dates. Shirley's date is giving parents Samuel and Pearl the most concern as she is sixteen dating a twenty-one year old named Matthew. Shirley assures her parents though, Matthew is an intellectual. Pearl finds a book on the sofa titled 'Sex in the Black Community' This leads her to instantly think it is Sonny's and she is furious he has brought such literature into their flat. Samuel on the other hand thinks it is great his Son is reading this kind of stuff. But then it is revealed it is in fact Shirley's. Will Samuel be as happy now his sixteen year old daughter is reading such material...

I've watched so many sitcoms now to realise don't expect too much in the opening episode of a sitcom. Opening episodes are about introducing characters, not trying to be funny. It is difficult to do both in a twenty-five minute time slot. This opener is not brilliant by any stretch of the imagination. There seems to be a bit too much over-acting taking place and the audience laughter track is also annoying. The former is easily sorted out as you start to get used to the characters as the series goes on. However, the latter can be very annoying at times. Simple jokes being greeted by a round of applause is very annoying. At times I thought I was watching the opening episode of 'The Nineteenth Hole' Yet there are some good lines to be enjoyed, you get to know the characters and there is a decent plot, so it is fairly decent for an opening episode.

There is little surprise to see this episode being broadcast first. As a new sitcom, you don't know how it is going to go, so if you bear in mind this is from the seventies, if you title your opening episode 'Sex in the Black Community' to a 1970's British public, you're going to get viewers. This is a landmark sitcom, the first sitcom to star an exclusive black cast. Norman Beaton is particularly impressive as the put upon father Samuel. I'm viewing this for the first time properly and one episode in, though a lot of improvement is needed, I think it will improve as it has great potential.

The Fosters was a launching pad for Lenny Henry after his success in talent show New Faces.

It was an adaptation of the US sitcom Good Times. That was a spin off of a spin off from All in the Family. A sitcom that itself was an adaptation of British comedy Till Death do us Part.

So it is all the fault of Alf Garnett!

It was a landmark show as it was the first all black sitcom I could remember watching.

The first episode has a loud performance from Lenny Henry, louder than the clothes he later wears.

The main plot involves daughter Shirley who is 16 years old, going out with a 21 year old postgraduate student.

Both mum and dad are concerned about the intentions of an older man taking their daughter out. Especially when they learn that he has written a thesis about sexual attitudes in the black community.

Pearl, the mother is concerned that such as book is in the house. Samuel, the father is ok when he thinks that Sonny the older son had the book. Only to be aghast that Shirley bought it home.

The first episode was more about the introduction of the characters as well as neighbour Vilma played by Carmen Munro.

The episode had a moral message which might have been uncontroversial at the time but would raise eyebrows nowadays. Families with a strong father figure are less likely to have unwanted pregnancies.