Showing posts with label OWN. Show all posts
Showing posts with label OWN. Show all posts

Saturday, September 05, 2020

6.6 Million Viewers Tuned in to Tyler Perry’s New Sitcoms “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne” and “Tyler Perry’s Assisted Living”

BET adds two more hit series to its winning Wednesday line up, with Tyler Perry’s new sitcoms, “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne” and “Tyler Perry’s Assisted Living.” Executive Produced by Tyler Perry, BET’s new original series swoops into ratings success on its debut night, grossing 6.6 Million viewers P2+ during premiere night across premieres and encores (simulcast across BET and BET Her on 9/2/20).* “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne” grew across every quarter-hour, peaking in the final quarter-hour (.592 P18-49 rating). The two-hour television event delivered the four most social primetime cable comedy episodes of the day on social media.** “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne” and “Tyler Perry’s Assisted Living” occupied the #1 and #2 spots for Program social video views (excluding Sports and News & Talk), posting over 4M streams collectively.** New Episodes of “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne” and “Tyler Perry’s Assisted Living.” air Wednesdays starting at 9 PM ET/PT on BET and BET Her.

“Tyler Perry’s House of Payne” and “Tyler Perry’s Assisted Living” are executive produced, directed, and written by Tyler Perry. Michelle Sneed serves as Executive Producer of both series for Tyler Perry Studios.

ABOUT “TYLER PERRY’S HOUSE OF PAYNE”

The seventh season of the hilarious comedy features retired fire chief Curtis Payne (LaVan Davis) and his lovely wife Ella (Cassi Davis Patton) as they pick up five years later as they continue to navigate the problems of life with their quirky modern-day family. “TYLER PERRY’S HOUSE OF PAYNE” airs Wednesdays at 8 PM ET/PT on BET. #HouseOfPayne

ABOUT “TYLER PERRY’S ASSISTED LIVING”

After losing his job, Jeremy (Na’im Lynn), a patriarch of a young family with teenage children, decides to move to the backwoods of Georgia to help his crazy grandfather. Grandpa Vinny (J. Anthony Brown) has foolishly purchased a terribly run-down home for the elderly and he is in way over his head, but comedy ensues as Mr. Brown (David Mann) and Cora (Tamela Mann) show up at the right time as needy investors. “TYLER PERRY’S ASSISTED LIVING” airs at 9 PM ET/PT. Wednesdays on BET. #AssistedLivingBET

Sunday, May 03, 2020

Greenleaf to End With Season 5

Prepare to say a benediction for Greenleaf. Oprah Winfrey’s OWN network announced on Sunday that Season 5 of the Tennessee-set megachurch drama, to premiere sometime in June, will be its last.

Starring Merle Dandridge, Keith David and Lynn Whitfield, Greenleaf last fall averaged 1.1 million total viewers and a 0.22 demo rating (in Live+Same Day numbers), down about 15 percent from its third season. Among current OWN series, it trails only The Haves and the Have Nots in both measures while ranking above Queen Sugar (which was renewed for Season 5 in September). Season 4 was also the No. 1 scripted series on basic cable among African-American women and total African-American viewers.

In Greenleaf‘s farewell fun, the titular family will attempt to maintain a united front in the face of losing their church to Bob Whitmore and Harmony and Hope Ministries, but secrets past and present create what could be fatal fractures in the family’s fragile foundation. The Bishop continues working to mend his rift with Lady Mae while, day by day, Harmony and Hope’s grip on Calvary tightens. The cast also included Kim Hawthorne, Lamman Rucker and Deborah Joy Winans.

To date, Greenleaf has amassed 10 NAACP Image Award nominations, including wins for Outstanding Drama in 2020, and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama (for Lynn Whitfield) in 2019 and 2020.

[SOURCE: YAHOO]

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Queen Sugar renewed for a 5th season




Los Angeles – OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network announced today it has renewed for a fifth season Ava DuVernay’s critically acclaimed drama series “Queen Sugar” to air in 2020. Produced by Warner Horizon Scripted Television, “Queen Sugar” has been lauded for its powerful portrayal of an African-American family in the Deep South and for DuVernay’s initiative since the series’ inception to hire an inclusive crew and all-female directing team, many of whom were first time TV directors. Current season four showrunner Anthony Sparks returns for the fifth season. 
“Every character feels like family. Our own. I am excited to see what Ava has unfolding next for the Bordelons,” said Oprah Winfrey.
“I’m thrilled to further explore the beauty, pain and triumph of this African-American family, with hopes that their story will continue to resonate with audiences who see themselves in the Bordelons,” said DuVernay. “It’s a real honor to create this work with Warner Horizon and OWN as their support is rock-solid and wonderful.”
“Ava’s vision for ‘Queen Sugar’ is one of inspired storytelling, and her execution of that vision has given us a remarkable series that makes us so proud,” said Tina Perry, president, OWN. “Her leadership and creative spirit – including the commitment to exclusively hire female directors and establish an inclusive crew – is unprecedented and evident throughout each episode of this beautiful series. We are grateful to Ava and her entire team of talented writers, producers, cast and crew and look forward to another season.”   
Led by the talented cast of Rutina Wesley, Dawn-Lyen Gardner and Kofi Siriboe, “Queen Sugar’s” storylines have delved into important topics such as police brutality, addiction and recovery, and systemic racism to name a few. The series has been awarded the NAACP Image Award for best drama and for three consecutive years was named Best TV Show Drama by the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) and nominated as Television Show of the Year by the American Black Film Festival (ABFF). 
“Queen Sugar” is currently Wednesday night’s #1 original series across all of broadcast and cable for African-American women and total viewers. It has averaged a 1.54 rating W25-54 and 1,655,000 total viewers. The series’ W25-54 rating is up +2% over last year and it’s the #6 original scripted series on ad-supported cable (W25-54).
At the outset of production DuVernay established an inclusive initiative to hire an all-female directorial team. Since its debut in September 2016, 35 women have directed episodes of “Queen Sugar,” 32 of whom made their television directorial debut on the series. The inclusive hiring extends in front of and behind the camera, with a dozen female department heads from casting and production design to post-production and music supervision.  
The overwhelming response to the series was also evident each week on social media demonstrating the strong connection viewers have to seeing multi-faceted portrayals of an African-American family on television. On a recent episode where two characters experience separate triggering events with sexual assault and police brutality, OWN and Warner Horizon Scripted Television worked in partnership with DuVernay’s ARRAY Impact to host a live social conversation #QUEENSUGARTALKS, featuring industry leaders such as Common and Iyanla Vanzant who answered questions and provided resources to those who may be personally affected by these issues. 
About Queen Sugar 
From award-winning filmmaker Ava DuVernay (16-time Emmy nominated “When They See Us” and upcoming romance anthology series “Cherish the Day” for OWN), the contemporary drama “Queen Sugar” features the Bordelon family who are fighting to save their family farm to preserve their father’s legacy while navigating their own personal journeys. In season four, Charley (Dawn-Lyen Gardner) has remained in the thick of the trials and tribulations in both her personal and professional life as she continues to battle the Landry family while also trying to ensure Micah’s (Nicholas Ashe) safety and future. Nova (Rutina Wesley) has published her memoir and goes on a book tour around the country sharing family secrets and shaking things up at home. Ralph Angel (Kofi Siriboe) is managing fatherhood and his complicated relationship with ex-girlfriend Darla (Bianca Lawson) after learning he is not the biological father of his son, Blue (Ethan Hutchison), and is encouraged by an old friend to create opportunities for formerly incarcerated men. 
The expansive cast also includes Tina Lifford as the siblings’ free-spirited Aunt Violet who revealed her Lupus diagnosis to her family while opening her own pie shop; Omar J. Dorsey as Violet’s new husband Hollywood Desonier; and Henry G. Sanders as Prosper Denton, a farmer and longtime friend of the late Bordelon family patriarch, Ernest. Walter Perez plays Romero, Charley’s new romantic interest, while recurring guest star Timon Kyle Durrett portrays Charley’s estranged husband and pro basketball player Davis West. Greg Vaughn portrays Calvin, a former cop who reconnects with Nova during her book tour.
“Queen Sugar” is produced for OWN by Array Filmworks and Harpo Films in association with Warner Horizon Scripted Television. The season four executive producers are Ava DuVernay, Oprah Winfrey, Paul Garnes and Anthony Sparks. The series is based on the book by Natalie Baszile.
About OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network
OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network is the first and only network named for, and inspired by, a single iconic leader. Oprah Winfrey's heart and creative instincts inform the brand and the magnetism of the channel. OWN is a leading destination for premium scripted and unscripted programming from today's most innovative storytellers. OWN’s original scripted series include popular dramas “Queen Sugar” and “Greenleaf;” Tyler Perry’s “The Haves and Have Nots” and “If Loving You is Wrong;” the family saga “Ambitions” from box office hit-maker Will Packer and the lyrical drama series “David Makes Man” from Academy Award winner Tarell Alvin McCraney. OWN’s Saturday night unscripted programming lineup includes “Iyanla: Fix My Life,” “Ready to Love,” “Love & Marriage: Huntsville,” “Black Love” and “To Have & To Hold: Charlotte.” OWN connects with its audience wherever they are, inspiring conversation among a global community of like-minded viewers on social media and beyond.  Launched on January 1, 2011, OWN is a joint venture between Harpo, Inc. and Discovery, Inc. The venture also includes the award-winning digital platform Oprah.com. Access OWN anytime, anywhere on WatchOWN.tv or across mobile devices and connected TVs. For more information, please visit www.oprah.com/own and https://press.discovery.com/us/own/.

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

OWN ANNOUNCES FOURTH SEASON RENEWAL OF “GREENLEAF”



OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network announced today it has renewed for a fourth season its hit megachurch drama series “Greenleaf” from Lionsgate, award-winning writer/executive producer Craig Wright, and executive producers Clement Virgo, Kriss Turner Towner, and Oprah Winfrey. The series stars Merle Dandridge as Grace Greenleaf, Lynn Whitfield as Lady Mae Greenleaf, and Keith David as Bishop Greenleaf. Season three guest stars include the legendary Patti LaBelle as Maxine Patterson, Iyanla Vanzant appearing as herself, and Beau Bridges as Bob Whitmore.
The announcement comes as the acclaimed drama (Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT) delivered a season high in its Wednesday time period (9/12) with more than 2.3 million viewers (up +8% vs. year ago L+3) and a 1.90 rating in the network’s key women 25-54 demo (+7% vs. year ago L+3). It was also the #1 telecast of the night for African American viewers across all of broadcast and cable. Year to date, OWN boasts five of the top 20 original scripted series on ad-supported cable among W25-54, more than any other network.
“‘Greenleaf’ is a cornerstone of our scripted programming slate and pulls in millions of viewers each week with its unique storylines and powerful characters,” said Erik Logan, president, OWN. “We are very proud of this show, the incredible cast, producers and crew, and can’t wait for more twists and turns from the Greenleaf family in season four.”
About “Greenleaf”
(Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT)
In tonight’s all-new episode, the Bishop (Keith David) and Lady Mae (Lynn Whitfield) make alternate plans after Clara (Donna Biscoe) denies them the check for the IRS bill. Grace (Merle Dandridge) tends to Sophia (Desiree Ross) when a medical emergency sends her daughter to the hospital.

In season three of “Greenleaf,” all the turbulent forces that Grace’s (Merle Dandridge) return to Memphis unleashed threaten to destroy not just the church her family built, but the family itself. Fallout from last season's shocking revelation of Bishop’s (Keith David) infidelities with Lady Mae’s (Lynn Whitfield) sister, as well as reverberations from his current dalliance with that insidious Jezebel, Rochelle Cross (LeToya Luckett) lead to all-out war in the Greenleaf home, setting the Bishop and Lady Mae on a collision course that, unless God or Grace intervenes, can only end one way: divorce. In the wake of the marital mayhem, Lady Mae rushes to reconnect with Maxine Patterson (Patti LaBelle), an old friend and now a world-famous Christian motivational speaker, in an attempt to reclaim her forsaken call to preach and thus do what no First Lady has done before — survive as the sole head pastor of a megachurch after a major rift between its founding couple. Grace, meanwhile, works undercover in the company of Rochelle, hoping to discover Rochelle's motives and true identity before the Bishop is swept away on a raging river of vanity and desire. Across town at Triumph, Jacob (Lamman Rucker) and Kerissa (Kim Hawthorne) try not to make the same mistakes Bishop and Lady Mae made as they work to build their own evangelical empire and manage parenting their teenage daughter Zora (Lovie Simone), but the roots of sin delve deep and old habits die hard. Sophia’s (Desiree Ross) faith is tested when an unforeseen medical issue arises; Charity (Deborah Joy Winans) struggles to make peace with Kevin (Tye White) and find her place in the world; and Grace works to keep an abused woman from death row for the crime of defending her own life. Meanwhile, Darius (Rick Fox) finds himself in conflict due to being entangled in an increasingly strained relationship with Grace.
“Greenleaf” is produced for OWN by Lionsgate in association with Harpo Films and Pine City.  Executive producers are Oprah Winfrey, Craig Wright (“Lost,” “Six Feet Under”), Clement Virgo (“The Book of Negroes”), and Kriss Turner Towner (“The Romanoffs,” “Black Monday”).
 Viewers can catch up on the show’s complete first and second seasons on Netflix. For photography and additional show information please visit Greenleaf Press Web  and http://www.greenleafown.tv/.
 About OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network
OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network is the first and only network named for, and inspired by, a single iconic leader. Oprah Winfrey's heart and creative instincts inform the brand and the magnetism of the channel.  OWN is a leading destination for premium scripted and unscripted programming from today's most innovative storytellers. OWN’s original scripted series include popular dramas “Queen Sugar,” “Greenleaf,” “Love Is__,” “The Have and Have Nots, “If Loving You is Wrong,” hit sitcom “The Paynes,” and upcoming drama series “David Makes Man” from Academy Award-winner Tarell Alvin McCraney and “Ambitions” from box office hit-maker Will Packer. OWN’s Saturday night unscripted programming lineup includes “Iyanla: Fix My Life,” “Book of John Gray,” “Black Love,” “Mind Your Business with Mahisha” and the recently announced dating series “Ready to Love.” OWN connects with its audience wherever they are, inspiring conversation among a global community of like-minded viewers on social media and beyond.  Launched on January 1, 2011, OWN is a joint venture between Harpo, Inc. and Discovery, Inc.  The venture also includes the award-winning digital platform Oprah.com.  Access OWN anytime, anywhere on  WatchOWN.tv or across mobile devices and connected TVs.  For more information, please visit www.oprah.com/own and https://press.discovery.com/us/own/.
About Lionsgate:
The first major new studio in decades, Lionsgate is a global content leader whose films, television series, digital products and linear and over-the-top platforms reach next generation audiences around the world.  In addition to its filmed entertainment leadership, Lionsgate content drives a growing presence in interactive and location-based entertainment, video games, esports and other new entertainment technologies. Lionsgate’s content initiatives are backed by a nearly 17,000-title film and television library and delivered through a global sales and distribution infrastructure. The Lionsgate brand is synonymous with original, daring and ground-breaking content created with special emphasis on the evolving patterns and diverse composition of the Company’s worldwide consumer base. 

Friday, September 07, 2018

Geoffery Owens gets role on Tyler Perry's "The Haves and the Have Nots"

What a couple of weeks for former Cosby Show actor Geoffery Owens. Last week he who received an enormous amount of negative attention from some for working at a New Jersey Trader Joe’s to make ends meet.

This week media mogul Tyler Perry has come through on his offer of a TV show role for former Cosby show actor, Geoffery Owens.

Per The Hollywood Reporter:

Owens has accepted Perry's offer of a role on the OWN series The Haves and the Have Nots. He'll recur on the show's sixth season, appearing in 10 episodes, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. The show is about to resume filming in Atlanta.

Sunday, June 11, 2017

Oprah Winfrey wont be saving the TV series Underground

Rumor had it that The Oprah Winfrey Network was one of the channels (in addition to BET and Hulu) considering picking up the show starring Jurnee Smollett and Aldis Hodge. But at an L.A. press event this week for her network's series, Queen Sugar, Winfrey confirmed that won't be happening.

"I can't afford Underground," Winfrey told a group of eight journalists. "It cost twice as much to make as Queen Sugar. As a matter of fact, my dear friend John Legend called me personally and asked me about it, but we'd already been talking about how we could make it work [...] it's like $5 million an episode, so we can't afford it. It's not cheap, I think because it's a period piece."

Winfrey added that on top of the price, though the show was often trending on Twitter, it just didn't have the ratings to justify the expense, especially considering that OWN is still a young and growing network. "We really tried to make it work," she says. "I wanted to make it work because I think it's a good show. I wanted to be able to save that show, but it did not make good business sense for me."

[SOURCE: Refinery29]

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

OWN to premiere follow up to Dark Girls titled Light Girls January 19, 2015

On January 19, 2015 OWN will premiere Bill Duke’s newest foray into complexion issues, Light Girls. The film is Bill Duke's follow to last years Dark Girls documentary. Watch the trailers below: