Tyler Perry's House of Payne

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tyler Perry's House of Payne
Image:tylerperry.jpg
Format Sitcom, comedy-drama
Created by Tyler Perry
Starring Allen Payne
LaVan Davis
Cassi Davis
Lance Gross
Larramie Shaw
China Anne McClain
Demetria McKinney
Country of origin USA
No. of seasons 4
No. of episodes 79
Production
Running time 30 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel Syndication (test marketing)
TBS (current format)[1]
Original run June 21, 2006 (test marketing)[2]
June 6, 2007 (current format)
– present
External links
Official website
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Tyler Perry's House of Payne is an American sitcom, comedy-drama television series, airing on TBS. Created and produced by playwright, director, and producer Tyler Perry, the show's premise revolves around a multi-generational family living under one roof in Atlanta. The show premiered in syndication on June 21, 2006, and has been broadcast exclusively on the TBS television network since June 6, 2007.[3] The show's sponsor is Allstate.

As of April 30, 2008, Tyler Perry has directed and co-written every episode of the series.

Contents

[edit] Production history

The sitcom ran in first-run syndication for 10 episodes during the summer of 2006 on the broadcast version of WTBS along with nine other broadcast outlets across the country as a limited run with additional episodes to be available for national distribution on TBS in June 2007. An order of 100 episodes was requested by TBS.

A cable record for sitcom airings was broken with 5.2 and 5.8 million for the two premiere episodes on TBS on June 6.[4] However, the audience has declined to a recent 4.3 million as of the week ending September 30.[5]

The principal cast remained the same (with the exception of Lance Gross), led by Allen Payne, but the original format of the series centered around C.J. and his family moving in with his aunt and uncle, Ella and Curtis (Cassi Davis and LaVan Davis). Rochelle Aytes originally had a recurring guest stint as Malik and Jazmine's principal, Nicole Jamieson, whom C.J. soon began dating. She was replaced by Robinne Lee.

The show is well-known for its frequent advertisements during NBA on TNT broadcasts. Since its initial association with the NBA on TNT during the 2006 NBA Playoffs, House of Payne has developed a symbiotic relationship with the NBA on TNT and the two serve as ambassadors for each other's promotion.[citation needed]

[edit] Characters

The show revolves around the misadventures of the fictional, multi generational Payne family. Curtis Payne (portrayed by LaVan Davis) is an NAACP award winning character and the main character who is often referred to as Uncle Curtis by his nephew (C.J), his nephew's ex-wife (Janine), and their two children (Malik and Jazmine). Curtis is the self appointed "king" of the household who is known for his selfish characteristic, often lazy life style, and reluctance to accept his nephew's family into his house. Curtis is usually annoyed by the fact he thinks his house is already "over crowded." Curtis is often a source of what is intended to be comedy when he attempts several unusual and often disrespectful actions to rid his house of his nephew's kin. Despite his immature acts he is the chief of the local fire department. His wife Ella (portrayed by Cassi Davis), is generally a stay at home mother who's character is usually the voice of reason in the often chaotic Payne House. Despite the two spouses relationship lasting so long Curtis has been known to take advantage of Ella's good nature, however he is usually punished for his actions in a variety of episodes. Ella and Curtis are the parents of NAACP award winning supporting character Calvin (portrayed by Lance Gross), who is usually known to rarely attend College classes (the same ones Curtis Payne is often complaining about paying for) and, much like his cousin C.J., spend a great deal of time working with his father at the fire house, which he shows great enthusiasm for in numerous episodes.

The other main recurring characters are Curtis' brother's descendants; C.J. a responsible adult who, despite his good nature and morals he is often seen trying to teach to his two children, has made several financial choices and judgments of character that have led him to the poor situation he is in now,; Janine an apparantly responsible adult and nurturing mother to the audience at the beginning of the series but is later revealed to be a drug abuser and the arsonist who burnt down C.J.'s home. For a short time she is rarely seen in the series except in episodes where she associates with Ella Payne, who helps her enter a rehab program and soon be reaccepted to the family, although in recent episodes she is still often criticized by C.J., Curtis, and her own son for her earlier irresponsibilities. She is later apparantly impregnated by her current boyfriend; Malik, a typical teenager who shows interest in young women in his class so extreme that he'll go to measures such as trying out for the cheer leading team just to associate with him. He is often bullied in school as a result of his Mother's former problems with drugs, as a result he is reluctant to welcome her back to the household; And Jazmine, the youngest of the household who (as the baby of the family) constantly feels unnoticed and goes to desperate measures in the series for her Father's attention while her Mother is attending rehab. Despite her innocent appearance, throughout the series she is known to be cruel to her brother and devise schemes just to see him miserable.

There are several other recurring characters such as Nicole, Kevin, Clareta, Bart, Keenan, and Angel. Nicole Jamieson is the Payne children's assistant principal, originally she was a minor character whom Malik had a crush on. This scenario was quickly ditched and Nicole became C.J.'s second main love interest, after Janine. She recurred with small roles in several episodes, most of which where about Jazmine adjusting to the idea of having a stepmother and attempting to get her Father's attention by behaving unusually. However, she was replaced with Robbine Lee's character and later Robin Given's character, who now continues to play C..'s girlfriend, after a fictional incident in which Nicole threatened C.J. with a knife and broke several of Ella's favorite dishes after Jamieson grew suspicious he was cheating on her. The other recurring actors are seen from episode to episode but rarely the character an episode revolves around; Kevin is Malik's best friend who is also hungry for girl's affections and is often seen starting competitions with Malik to see who can the most girl's phone numbers; Clareta is the Payne's neighbor who is rumored to be an expert spy as she is constantly spying on the neighbors and always knows what's going on in the suburban neighborhood. Clareta's skills are shown to be more advanced than the FBI's and was rewarded for her work when the Payne's house was use to stake out the alleged drug dealers next door. She is also Ella's best friend.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Seasons

  • Pilot Run premiered on June 21, 2006.
  • Season 1 premiered on June 6, 2007.
  • Season 2 premiered on December 5, 2007.
  • Season 3 premiered on March 5, 2008.
  • Season 4 premiered on June 4, 2008

[edit] Episodes

For more details on this topic, see List of Tyler Perry's House of Payne episodes.

[edit] DVD releases

Tyler Perry's House of Payne - Volume 1 was released on DVD on December 4, 2007. The three disc collection includes the first twenty episodes with subtitles in English and Spanish and with a full-frame format.[1] Volume 2 is set to be released on July 1, 2008.[2]

[edit] Criticism

USAToday criticized the show early in its run calling it "one of the worst [sitcoms] of the modern era".[6]

[edit] Trivia

 Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

[edit] Madea connections

Tyler Perry's claim to fame is with the popularity of his gun-toting, outspoken, matriarchal character Mabel "Madea" Simmons, who appeared in numerous Tyler Perry plays and their film adaptations. When the series debuted on TBS in June 2007, Perry made a guest appearance as Madea, a foster mother of bully Nikki. To join in on the fun, actor David Mann reprised his role of Mr. Brown and Keke Palmer returned as Nikki, a bully who stole $20 worth of Malik's lunch money over a period of time, which Madea, Nikki's foster mother, used at a casino. Perry returned as Madea for a Christmas episode of the show on December 5, 2007. Perry returned also as Madea on March 5, 2008. In the series, Janine's drug problem and going to rehab is a possible reference to Diary of a Mad Black Woman.

[edit] References

  1. ^ 'Tyler Perry's House of Payne' signs for distribution with TBS, FOX Station Group
  2. ^ Tyler Perry - House of Payne - TV - New York Times
  3. ^ 'Tyler Perry's House of Payne' signs for distribution with TBS, FOX Station Group
  4. ^ SitcomsOnline.com News Blog: House of Payne Scores Big for TBS; CBS News; More TubeTime and Fresh Prince News
  5. ^ Nielsens ratings for Jan. 28 Feb. 3 - USATODAY.com
  6. ^ 'House of Payne': It hurts to watch - USATODAY.com