TBS’ House of Payne Ending; For Better or Worse Ordered

TBS has announced that Tyler Perry will produce a third sitcom for the cable channel. Tyler Perry’s For Better or Worse will be based on his Why Did I Get Married? movie.

They’ve also announced the ending of Tyler Perry’s House of Payne. You may recall that, after a test run of 10 episodes, TBS ordered 100 episodes back in 2006. Additional orders followed and they’ve accumulated 220 installments that will keep the show running in syndication for some time.

Here’s the combined press release from TBS:

TBS Orders Tyler Perry’s “For Better or Worse”
Dramedy Based on Perry’s Hit “Why Did I Get Married?” Films
Debmar Mercury to Sell Syndication Rights

TBS has ordered 10 episodes of the new series Tyler Perry’s For Better or Worse from Tyler Perry Studios. The dramedy, based on Perry’s hit Why Did I Get Married? films, marks the third Tyler Perry series to come to TBS, which is also home to Tyler Perry’s House of Payne and Meet the Browns. As with House of Payne and Meet the Browns, syndication will be sold by Debmar Mercury.

Tyler Perry’s For Better or Worse follows the ups-and-downs of married life for Marcus and Angela, two characters who originated in the feature films Why Did I Get Married and Why Did I Get Married Too? Michael Jai White (The Dark Knight) and Tasha Smith (Couples Retreat) are set to reprise the roles of television anchor Marcus and salon owner Angela. Additional cast members to be announced.

For Better or Worse marks a new direction for Tyler Perry’s television properties. Unlike his family-oriented sitcoms, For Better or Worse will target young adults. Production on the series is slated to begin this summer at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta.

“Tyler Perry’s series have been tremendously successful for TBS, helping establish the network as a prime destination for African-American viewers,” said Michael Wright, executive vice president, head of programming, for TBS, TNT and Turner Classic Movies (TCM). “Given such a remarkable track record, we’re excited for the opportunity to expand our relationship with Tyler Perry and Debmar-Mercury with the new series For Better or Worse.”

For Better or Worse comes just as Tyler Perry’s history-making House of Payne prepares to end its highly successful run. “Even though it will be sad to say goodbye to House of Payne, I’m really looking forward to exploring new territory with For Better or Worse,” said Tyler Perry. “Working on House of Payne taught me a lot about what it takes to make a successful television series and I’m looking forward to applying that experience to For Better or Worse.”

Debmar-Mercury Co-Presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein commented, “The entertainment industry has never seen anyone like Tyler Perry, an extraordinarily talented film/television/stage producer, writer, director, actor and mogul who is capable of repeatedly turning out hit after hit for both TBS and broadcast syndication. We are thrilled to be associated with another of Tyler’s unique, remarkable and groundbreaking series.”

TBS’s association with Perry and Debmar-Mercury first began in May 2006 with the announcement of a House of Payne test-run on 10 local independent stations. After the successful test, TBS and Debmar-Mercury announced an additional 100 episodes of the series to air nationally on TBS. The first-of-its-kind deal marked a new model for the television industry.

The national premiere of Tyler Perry’s House of Payne on TBS in June 2007 drew 5.9 million viewers, at the time basic cable’s biggest sitcom audience ever. The show remained basic cable’s #1 sitcom until TBS’s August 2008 premiere of Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns. For the first quarter of 2011, House of Payne and Meet the Browns ranked among television’s Top 5 primetime sitcoms with African-American adults 18-34 and 18-49.

About Tyler Perry
Born into poverty and raised in a household scarred by abuse, Perry’s strength, faith and perseverance would later form the foundations of his plays, films, books and shows. A simple piece of advice from Oprah set his career in motion as a diary of his daily thoughts and experiences led to his writing of a musical, I Know I’ve Been Changed, in 1992. Five years later with no money left, sleeping in seedy motels and his car, Perry’s faith in himself and God only got stronger, allowing him to forge ahead. In 1998, his perseverance paid off when the play began a limited church run. The community came out in droves and Perry never looked back as he began an incredible run of eight plays in eight years. Madea first debuted in 2000’s I Can Do Bad All By Myself and spawned three more plays leading to Perry’s jump to the big screen with 2005’s Diary of a Mad Black Woman, which debuted at #1 nationwide. He followed with Madea’s Family Reunion, Daddy’s Little Girls, Why Did I Get Married?, Meet the Browns, The Family That Preys, I Can Do Bad All by Myself, Why Did I Get Married Too?, and For Colored Girls, which were all met with massive fan support and commercial success. Madea’s Big Happy Family, which was first a stage play, is currently in theaters and opened at over $25 million. In 2006, Perry’s first book, Don’t Make A Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings: Madea’s Uninhibited Commentaries On Life and Love, shot to the top of the New York Times bestseller list and claimed two Quill Book Awards. In 2007, Perry expanded his brand to television with the series House of Payne, the highest-rated first-run syndicated cable show of all time and followed that up with Meet the Browns, the second highest debut ever on cable, after House of Payne. Perry has also signed on to produce Lionsgate upcoming comedy We the Peeples and will play the lead in Good Deeds and the title character in Rob Cohen’s I, Alex Cross.

About Debmar-Mercury
Debmar-Mercury, a leading media company specializing in syndication, network, cable and ancillary markets, produces and distributes The Wendy Williams Show; produces (with ITV STUDIOS AMERICA) and distributes The Jeremy Kyle Show, debuting in September 2011; distributes Tyler Perry’s House of Payne and spin-off Meet the Browns; distributes Are We There Yet?, a new sitcom from Revolution Studios’ Joe Roth and Cube Vision, starring Ice Cube, debuting in national syndication in fall 2012; distributes strips Hell’s Kitchen, Family Feud, South Park and True Hollywood Story; and distributes a movie library featuring titles from Revolution Studios. Debmar-Mercury is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), the leading next-generation studio.

About TBS
TBS, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., is television’s top-rated comedy network and is available in 100.8 million households. It serves as home to such original comedy series as Are We There Yet? and Tyler Perry’s House of Payne and Meet the Browns; the late-night series CONAN, starring Conan O’Brien, and Lopez Tonight, starring George Lopez; hot contemporary comedies like Family Guy and The Office and The Big Bang Theory, which begins later this year; special events, including star-studded comedy festivals in Chicago; blockbuster movies; hosted movie showcases; and championship sports.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

What do you think? Are you sorry that House of Payne is ending? Are you interested in For Better or Worse?