The wait is just about over for the debut of the two scripted television shows Tyler Perry developed exclusively for the OWN network.
Executive produced, directed and written by Perry, “The Haves and the Have Nots” and “Love Thy Neighbor” will debut tonight with the expectations of boosting the network’s underwhelming ratings, while bringing two scripted shows to the OWN network with its audience as the target.
Both shows are the result of a partnership between the two entertainment moguls, Oprah and Perry, who announced their merger last October.
“We had Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey for bosses,” said Palmer Williams, Jr. who plays Uncle Floyd on “Love Thy Neighbor.” “This is bringing back a scripted show with all this reality madness that is going on. But for us to be able to do this is developing a part of history,” he added.
In the show, “Love Thy Neighbor” Perry brings some familiarity to the thirty-minute sitcom with his Hattie Mae Love character from “A Madea Christmas” and Uncle Floyd from “House of Payne.”
The comedy, which is formatted similarly to Perry’s “House of Payne” and “Meet the Browns,” is set at the Love Train diner owned by Hattie Mae, who is played by Patrice Lovely. Hattie Mae has her hands full as the matriarch of her family and tries to hold everybody together, from her family to her customers.
However, in “The Haves and the Have Nots” Perry must have taken some notes from Shonda Rhimes. The hour-long show is reminiscent to the show “Scandal” featuring an interracial love component, sex, lies and deceit.
Crystal Fox who stars in “The Haves and the Have Nots” described the show by saying, “It’s scripted television that I like to call ‘delectably dysfunctional.’ And when you finish watching it you have to check yourself, and I like that,” she noted.
“The Haves and the Have Nots,” set in Savannah, Ga., is based on the matriarchs of two different families: the Cryer family and the Young family The Cryer family is rich and powerful with about as much drama and dysfunction as they have wealth and success. The Young family, who may not be rich with money, is wealthy in their religion and virtues.
The show is set around Candace Young, played by Tika Sumpter of “Gossip Girl” and “Sparkle.” Candace is the sexy vixen who befriends Amanda Cryer, played by Jacyln Betham, the daughter of John Cryer, who has been paying her for sex.
“It’s gonna be one of those moments when people are like, I love you Tika, but I hate you and I’m excited to be able to get some emotion from people,” said Tika Sumpter about her new role as a sexy vixen on the show. “It’s fun to play sexy and sultry and not give a damn what people think and say yeah, here it is, here you go.”
Kendra C. Johnson, who plays the role of Hattie Mae Love’s daughter Linda, hopes that viewers, “will spend their Tuesday night and Wednesday night with us.”
“The Haves and the Have Nots” will premiere on Tue May 28 at 9:00 p.m. and “Love Thy Neighbor” will premiere Wed May 29 at 9 p.m. with two back-to-back thirty minute episodes on the OWN network.