After the first movie he wrote, produced and starred in — “Diary of a Mad Black Woman” — opened at No. 1, Tyler Perry has produced a string of hit films, from “Madea’s Family Reunion” to “Daddy’s Little Girls.”
It would seem he would have a long career in Hollywood with the success he honed on the African-American theater circuit. Instead, he’s moving to TV with a new family comedy titled “House of Payne” that starts Wednesday on TBS.
Why downsize to the small screen?
“There are so many stories I want to tell,” Perry says by phone from Atlanta, “and it takes so long to make a film.”
So he has created, produced, written and directed his new sitcom about a large working-class family, making a deal with TBS to broadcast 100 episodes, an unusually long-term commitment in TV.
“I’ve outlined all 100 episodes, writers are writing them, and I’ll be directing every one,” Perry says.
And he’ll sometimes don the XXL flowered dress to become the imposing grandma he created for plays and movies: Madea.
“You know I’m not sure how often she’ll be there,” he says, “but she’ll be showing up.”
Mostly, he’ll leave the comedy to his ensemble cast, which includes LaVan Davis as the gruff firefighter who is head of the house. Cassi Davis plays his wife, and among family members making their home a hub are Lance Gross as a college student, a nephew played by Allen Payne, and his family, which includes Demetria McKenny, Larramie Doc Shaw and China Anne McClain.
“I’ve got a great group of people,” Perry says. And they’ll be able to play out issues discussed in the African-American community that are not often shown on TV.
“I missed the sitcoms that talked about real stories,” he says. “Huge audiences still watch sitcoms, but a lot of them don’t have story lines, real story lines. I want to tackle issues that plague us as society.”
That’s why he has played Madea, who has starred in a number of his plays, including “Madea’s Class Reunion,” the original “Madea’s Family Reunion” and “Madea Goes to Jail.”
The character, he says, “is a cross between my mother and my aunt.”
How do they like the representation?
“They absolutely love it,” he says, though he adds, “She’s too PG for them.”
Madea first emerged in the lucrative but little-celebrated circuit of African-American plays.
The circuit, he says, is “an entire subculture — people completely ignored by the mainstream, Hollywood or Broadway.”
In an unusual move, Perry paid to make his own TV pilot — and the first 10 episodes — to show networks what he had.
He didn’t have a good experience with the big broadcast networks, he says. “They said they loved the show, but they wanted to change everything about it.
“I was looking for a place to have freedom to do what I wanted to do.”
He found it at TBS, which has the added advantage of being in Atlanta instead of Hollywood. “Even in storytelling, it affords me to be around real people in town and see what’s going on.”
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Perry busy
Tyler Perry’s a man of many talents — and projects. Here’s where you already might have seen him and where you will see him in the future.
MOVIES
– “Diary of a Mad Black Woman,” released in 2005. Earned $51 million.
– “Madea’s Family Reunion,” released in 2006. Earned $63 million.
– “Daddy’s Little Girls,” hit theaters in February and earned $31 million. Due out on DVD on Tuesday.
– “Why Did I Get Married?” starring Perry and Janet Jackson, due fall of 2007.
– “Meet the Browns,” due in 2008.
– “Madea Goes to Jail,” due in 2008.
TV
“House of Payne,” debuts Wednesday on TBS.
WEB
TPTV, a 24-hour broadband TV channel, launching this month on tylerperry.com.
BOOKS
“Don’t Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings: Madea’s Uninhibited Commentaries on Love and Life”
STAGE
– “I Know I’ve Been Changed,” 1998-2000
– “I Can Do Bad All By Myself,” 2000-2001
– “Diary of a Mad Black Woman,” 2001-2002
– “Madea’s Family Reunion,” 2002-2003
– “Madea’s Class Reunion,” 2003-2004
– “Why Did I Get Married?” 2004-2005
– “Meet the Browns,” 2004-2005
– “Madea Goes to Jail,” 2005-2006
– “What’s Done in the Dark …,” 2006-2007
[ REDEYE ] [ SOURCE: TYLERPERRY.COM, BOXOFFICEMOJO.COM ]CURT’S TAKE
House of Payne
8 p.m, 8:30 p.m. TBS
Not even creator Tyler Perry’s guest appearance as his famous Madea movie character can help this painfully unfunny retrograde sitcom. The family comedy, barely breathing on TV for years, is about to take its last gasp.
Men in fat tights
Some have wondered why there has been an explosion of actors — young black men in particular — playing older ladies, often in fat costumes. “I have no idea why they all appeared at the same time,” Tyler Perry said. “I know, for me, I’ve been doing Madea 10 years now.”
Here’s a look at some of the most recent examples.
Eddie Murphy
“Norbit”
Murphy plays Rasputia in this year’s hit.
Eddie Murphy
“The Nutty Professor” and “Nutty Professor II: The Klumps”
Murphy plays Ida Mae “Granny” Jensen, among other characters in 1996’s “Nutty Professor” and its 2000 sequel.
Martin Lawrence
“Big Momma’s House” and “Big Momma’s House 2”
Lawrence was the title character, Big Momma, in the 2000 movie and the 2006 follow-up.
Robin Williams
“Mrs. Doubtfire”
He’s not black, but Williams made the fat-suit comedy work in his 1993 hit.
[ REDEYE ] [ SOURCE: IMDB.COM ]
