It should come as no surprise that Oprah and Tyler Perry are really good friends. So it shouldn't also come as a shock that the wealthiest woman in the world has secured her BFF (that is not Gayle) to write two scripted shows for her OWN network.
“I have been looking forward to the day when we would be in the position to enter the world of scripted television. That day has come,” Oprah Winfrey, CEO of OWN, said in a statement. “We are all energized by the opportunity to collaborate with Tyler who has a proven track record for producing highly successful cable series. He has an incredible ability to illuminate life stories and characters in his unique voice and inspires and encourages people all over the world."
"It's a dream realized to partner with Oprah and bring scripted programming to OWN,” Perry said in a statement. "She has accomplished so much with the network and I'm excited to work with her to be a part of its continued growth."
“Bringing Tyler Perry exclusively to OWN is a major coup. Today’s announcement demonstrates the power of the Oprah brand to attract some of the biggest names in television and film to OWN,” David Zaslav, president and CEO of Discovery Communications, said in a statement. “OWN’s growth over the past nine months has been nothing short of phenomenal and, with the continued support of our advertising and affiliate Partners, this bold move into scripted entertainment positions OWN to continue that momentum going forward.”
The channel has struggled to find an audience since it's 2011 debut, and with the success of shows like Oprah's Next Chapter and Welcome To Sweetie Pies, the channel may have finally found it's footing. Only problem is, Tyler Perry's shows are full of melodrama and unoriginality and are barely funny (check out any of his horrid TBS sitcoms to see what I mean). If OWN can become like TV One but with sitcoms that take us back to the era of shows like Good Times, The Jeffersons, Martin, Family Matters, The Cosby Show, or A Different World then I am there. But if it's anything like the bafoonery on Meet The Browns or For Better or Worse I'd rather watch Keeping Up With The Kuntrashians.
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