Welcome to a new Wildcard Wednesday! As teased, I have a treat for fans of the series we just finished covering on Sitcom Tuesdays: an uncut version of Good Times’ Season Six premiere, “Florida’s Homecoming,” which originally aired in a one-hour block on September 16, 1978 but was split into two on DVD, where the syndicated versions were used.

With approximately five extra minutes in the original hour-long broadcast, there’s a lot more emotional exposition and amusing character moments that help the dramatic action play better and more believably, particularly in Part II, when Florida returns home and reconnects with Thelma, Michael, and Willona, and later on when she first meets Keith. Now, contrary to popular belief, there’s no only-aired-once explanation for what happened to Carl (just the one passing reference that’s also on the DVD), but this extra footage is nevertheless valuable, and I’m offering a digital copy, taken from the old Columbia House VHS release, for subscribers who comment below to alert me of their interest. Here’s an excerpt of what’s not on DVD — a moment from the top of Part II when Florida first comes home. Enjoy!

Come back next week for another Wildcard! And stay tuned Tuesday for more sitcom fun!