On the tube: House of Payne

House of Payne is a show created and produced by playwright, director, and producer Tyler Perry. The show revolves around a multi-generational family living under one roof in Atlanta, Georgia led by Curtis "Pops" Payne and wife Ella. The family is often involved in hilarious and dramatic situations. The show has been broadcast exclusively on TBS since June 6, 2007.


It has been recently announced that House of Payne has been picked up for another twenty episodes, giving the series a total of 172 episodes in a two-year timespan, which is practically unheard of for a sitcom an especially one with a "ALL" black cast.

Season 6 starts November 4th on TBS. Check your local listing for channel and time. However, seasons 1-5 are in syndication on TBS.

Main characters:

Curtis Payne (LaVan Davis) - is the program's main protagonist. He is often referred to as Uncle Curtis by his nephew (C.J), his nephew's wife (Janine), and their children (Malik and Jazmine). Curtis is the self appointed "king" of the household; known for his selfishness, often lazy lifestyle, and reluctance to accept his nephew's family into his house (Curtis thinks the house is already crowded).

Ella Payne (Cassi Davis) - Is Curtis's wife. She is a stay-at-home mother who is the voice of reason. Curtis has been known to take advantage of Ella's good nature, although he is usually punished for doing so. Ella is known as a good cook, and had a restaurant service in one episode.

C.J. Payne, Jr. (Allen Payne) - Is Ella and Curtis' nephew, his house burned down after his wife, Janine, used drugs and accidentally started a fire. This led to moving his family in with his uncle. C.J. is the father of Malik, Jazmine, and, Jayden, and Hayden Payne.

Janine Payne (Demetria McKinney) - was C.J.'s wife and the mother of Malik, Jazmine, Hayden and Jayden Payne, and a seemingly irresponsible adult and mother at the very beginning of the series. However, she is later revealed to be a drug addict and the arsonist who burned down her and C.J.'s home. She and C.J. divorce after she leaves her family.

Calvin Payne (Lance Gross) - is Ella and Curtis's college-age son who rarely attends college classes. Calvin likes to think of himself as a player until his marriage to Miranda. Much like his cousin C.J., Calvin spends a great deal of time working with his father at the firehouse until he becomes a partner at the barber shop.

Miranda Payne (Keshia Knight Pulliam) - is Calvin's girlfriend-turned-wife.

Malik Payne (Larramie "Doc" Shaw) - is C.J. and Janine's son. He is a teenage boy whose interest in young women in his class is so extreme that he'll resort to desperate measures, such as trying out for the cheerleading squad, just to associate with them. He is often bullied in school as a result of his mother's past problems with drugs.

Here's a 5 minute snippet of the show: