Tyler Perry's House of Payne

Production history

The sitcom ran in first-run syndication for 10 episodes during mid-2006 on the Atlanta-area broadcast of WTBS (now WPCH-TV), along with nine other broadcast outlets across the country, as a limited run, with additional episodes to be available for national distribution on TBS in June 2007. An order of 100 episodes was later requested by TBS.

A cable record for sitcom airings was broken with 5.2 and 5.8 million for the two premiere episodes on TBS on June 6, 2007. However, the audience declined to 4.3 million as of the week ending September 30, 2007, and 2.260 and 2.099 as of May 19, 2010.

The principal cast remained the same (with the exception of Lance Gross being added), led by LaVan Davis. The original format of the series centred around C.J. (Allen Payne) and his family moving in with his Aunt Ella (Cassi Davis) and Uncle Curtis (LaVan Davis). Robinne Lee had a recurring guest stint in Season 1–2 as Malik and Jazmine's principal Nicole Jamieson, whom C.J. began dating. Rochelle Aytes originally portrayed Nicole Jamieson in the test pilot episodes as Malik's math teacher. In the test run, Ella and Curtis were originally C.J.'s parents and his name was Curtis Jr., but in its televised format, Calvin is their son and C.J. their nephew and his name was changed to Clarence. Despite his top billing, Allen Payne is not considered the main actor of the series, especially since his long absence in the fifth season. The show was recorded in front of a live studio audience but sometimes used a laugh track.

At the beginning of the fifth season, China Anne McClain (Jazmine) and Denise Burse (Claretha) were removed from the series. The characters were written out, with Jazmine going away to a school for gifted children in North Carolina and Claretha marrying a prince and moving away. In real life, McClain had gotten her own show on Disney Channel (A.N.T. Farm) and Burse left the series for undisclosed reasons. In the beginning of Season 6, both McClain and Burse returned (albeit in a recurring role). Some of the cast members of Tyler Perry's House of Payne were on The Mo'Nique Show in October 2009. Beginning with the seventh season, China Anne McClain appeared infrequently due to her work schedule for A.N.T. Farm. Denise Burse was no longer credited as a regular cast member; she appeared in a recurring role.

Larramie "Doc" Shaw, who portrayed Malik, appeared infrequently after the sixth season. This was due to Shaw's work schedules for The Suite Life on Deck and Pair of Kings. He remained a cast member throughout the series.

Tyler Perry directed every episode of the first 3 seasons. Throughout Season 4, each episode was directed by actress Kim Fields or her mother Chip Hurd. Tyler Perry directed some of the episodes in seasons 5 and 6 while other episodes were directed by Kim Fields, Chip Hurd, and producer Roger M. Bobb.

On September 28, 2011, TBS ordered 42 episodes. The second half of Season 5 began airing October 21, 2011, and concluded the series with a total of 254 episodes. The show aired its final two episodes on August 10, 2012.

On January 30, 2017, a spin-off follow-up series titled The Paynes was ordered by Oprah Winfrey Network. It follows Ella and Curtis Payne as they enjoy retirement in Florida only to get caught in a real-estate deal that turns their lives upside down. The series was greenlighted for 38 episodes and premiered on January 16, 2018.

After a possible revival was teased on Twitter, it was officially announced on February 4, 2020, that House of Payne would return with a seventh season to premiere on BET in the fall. The seventh season premiered on September 2, 2020.

On May 3, 2021, it was announced that the eighth season would premiere on May 25, 2021. On the same day, it was renewed for a ninth season ahead of the eighth-season premiere. The ninth season premiered on March 23, 2022. The tenth season premiered on March 22, 2023. On April 16, 2024, the series was renewed for an eleventh season, which premiered on August 13, 2024.

Setting

Locations in Atlanta, Georgia, include the Paynes' home, a firehouse located across the street from the Paynes' house, a barbershop, the help center, and the schools Malik and Jazmine attend. The Payne home is a one-story building, and 5 rooms are featured throughout the series: Curtis and Ella's bedroom, Malik and Jazmine's shared bedroom, the spare bedroom (which was Calvin's until he moved out), the kitchen, and the living room, and the outside patio. Calvin, C.J. and Janine's rooms were never seen. The only part of the firehouse seen on camera was its day room. The firehouse and its characters were phased out around Seasons 3 and 4. The barbershop is a setting often used from Seasons 2–5, and it is similar to that of Ice Cube's Barbershop movies. Miranda and Calvin's condo was also added in season two, but the living room was the only room that was shown. C.J. and Janine's house is another setting added on to the series. The kitchen and the living were always seen on camera. None of the bedrooms were ever shown. The university Malik attended was a more recent setting and various areas were shown. And C.J.'s office where he and Janine work was another setting that was added to the series. Also, the Help Center where Ella works was shown in various forms.

Cast

House of Payne revolves around the Payne family who resides in the suburban Atlanta. It is noted that all main cast members are credited only for the episodes in which they appear.

Main

LaVan Davis as Curtis Payne, the show'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 known for his hackneyed jokes and overly-loud delivery. He is overweight and fainted once from a blocked artery, but he ignored the diet his wife Ella set for him and is unable to stay away from his usual fatty foods. A noticeable running gag is when he jokingly pushes Ella to the side with one arm when he wants to go by, she usually lands on the sofa. Despite such immaturity, his maturity and responsibility are apparent in his job as the chief of the local fire department. While he gives off the impression that he does not care for his family, deep down he truly does, and he works hard to protect them. In one episode, his middle name was revealed as Booker T. In the sixth season, Curtis was forced to retire which left him depressed and humiliated for a time; he eventually embraced it and his nephew C.J. took over his old job. LaVan Davis won an NAACP Image Awards in 2008 for Outstanding Actor In A Comedy Series for this role. In the first part of the original series finale, "The Call Back", CJ asks Curtis to come out of retirement to oversee three stations that CJ runs. At first, Curtis refuses and yells at CJ saying how they already forced him into retirement, and that he was not going back, but at the end of the episode, after talking with Ella, he decided to return. In the revival, Curtis is retired again and decides to open his own barbeque business "Sauce Bosses". During Season 10, LaVan Davis appears infrequently for undisclosed reasons, but around that time, his character is expanding his business.

Cassi Davis as Ella Payne (née Williams), Curtis's wife who's a Christian. She is a stay-at-home mother and the voice of reason. Curtis has been known to take advantage of Ella's good nature—and to be punished for it. Ella is the family's religious voice and the glue that holds it together. A good cook, she had a restaurant service in one episode. She is quick to offer emotional and moral support to everyone in the family, such as when Janine returned home. In the fifth season, she briefly worked in retail, but throughout the series, she works at the local Help Center. In Season 6, she quits going back to school. Ella graduated from college and finally got her degree in Season 7. It is revealed that her middle name is Naomi. She tries to keep the family at peace the best she can, whether it's big or small. In the Season 8 episode "RIP: Rest in Payne", she keeps complete faith for her son Calvin when she hears that he got shot in C.J. and Janine's home. She loves her family and wants her husband to keep her safe and stand by her, which he does.

Others

Keke Palmer as Nikki Grady-Simmons (Season 1)

Eva Marcille as Tracie Evans (Seasons 1–2, 5–7)

Bart Hansard as Bart Holmes (Seasons 1–4, 6)

Cedric Pendleton as Keenan Jared (Seasons 1–4, 6, 8)

Joyce Giraud as Angel (Seasons 1–4,)

Dorian Harewood as Larry Shelton (Seasons 1, 3, 5)

Anne-Marie Johnson as Liz Shelton (Seasons 1, 3, 5–6)

Robinne Lee as Nicole Jamieson (Seasons 1–2)

Rochelle Aytes as Nicole Jamieson (2006 syndicated pilot episodes)

Sierra Aylina McClain as Jasmine (Season 1)

Katie Rowlett as Beverly (Season 1)

Arvell Poe as Fishbone (Season 1)

Quincy Bonds as Pookie (Seasons 1–6, 10)

Clayton English as Peanut (Seasons 1–6, 10)

Kyre Batiste-Loftin as Kevin (Seasons 1–6)

Jamie Moore as Walter (Season 1)

Dale Neal as Kyle (Seasons 1–2)

Wilbur Fitzgerald as Bill (Season 1)

Robin Givens as Tanya (Seasons 2–4)

Michael Jai White as Bryan (2006 syndicated pilot episodes and Seasons 3)

Special appearances

Tyler Perry as Madea (Seasons 1–3)

Keke Palmer as Nikki Grady-Simmons (Season 1)

Tamela Mann as Cora Simmons (Seasons 1 and 6)

David Mann as Mr. Leroy Brown (Seasons 1 and 6)

Lamman Rucker as Will Brown (Season 1)

Marvin Winans as Pastor Richards (Seasons 4–5, and 8)

Dorien Wilson as Andrew (Season 4)

Gladys Knight as Herself (Season 5)

Boris Kodjoe as David (Season 5)

Ben Vereen as Clarence (Season 6)

Rick Fox as Roland (Seasons 6–7)

Jacob Latimore as Dante (Season 7)

Shameik Moore as Andre (Season 7)

Heavy D as P-Rock (Season 7)

Sherman Hemsley as George Jefferson (Season 8)

Marla Gibbs as Florence Johnston (Season 8)

Sheryl Lee Ralph as Felicia Starr (Season 8)

Shaun T as Mo Pex (Season 8)

Cheryl Pepsii Riley as Gloria (Season 11)

Merrick McCartha as Frederick (Season 12)

Releases

Lionsgate Home Entertainment has released the first 10 volumes on DVD in Region 1. It is unknown about the release of the two remaining volumes. According to listings of the previous volumes through Amazon.com, the series DVD releases has been put out of print.