Tyler Perry and the Black Bible Belt

Tyler Perry and the Black Bible Belt
by Mark Anthony Neal

Tyler Perry returns next week with House of Payne, a new syndicated series that will be launched on the TBS network. The series stars Tyler Perry staples Cassi and LaVan Davis as well veteran hip-hop generation actor Allen Payne. Payne plays the role of a professional firefighter who, with his two young children, moves in with his parents after his estranged wife—a crackhead—burns down their house. Some folk might remember that the show initially appeared a year ago as part of a ten-episode package that aired in 10 markets. In a move that is generally frowned upon in the television industry, Perry bankrolled the initial 10 episodes with his own money—reportedly at $500,000 per episode. Perry’s hope was to sell TBS and others on the potential of House of Payne as a syndicated series, while maintaining control over the product—something that the major networks were unwilling to grant Perry, when he first presented the series concept to them nearly five years ago. Since that time Perry has become a major player in the industry largely on the strength of his films Diary of a Mad Black Woman and Madea’s Family Reunion, which have collectively cost less than $15 Million, but have grossed more than $100 combined. There are many reasons for Perry’s success, including the fact the he is a gifted comedic writer, but at the root of his success is a DIY swagger that he learned from, what I call the “Black Bible Belt”.

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