Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey are joining forces…and we can’t say we’re surprised. Perry took to his Facebook page to announce the news, “YES IT’S TRUE!
“As I sit here in Atlanta, it’s raining an abundant rain. It makes me think of my mother. She loved the rain and I do too. It is befitting that this announcement would be made on a day like today. Yes it’s true, Oprah and I have joined forces. We’ve formed a partnership for OWN and I’m super excited about it. I’ll fill you in more as we get closer to the airing of my shows. I have a lot of questions for you about this, so stay close, OK? I need your help.”
Details of the deal is scant but we do know that Perry grabbed a minority stake in OWN and entered an exclusive partnership to make OWN network his “singular destination for all new television series and projects.” That includes two new scripted series on track to premiere in mid 2013.
The Why Did I Get Married producer has had his share of success in television. In 2006 Perry signed a $200 million, 100-episode deal with TBS for his first sitcom Tyler Perry’s House of Payne. Since then he’s added two more successful sitcoms to the lineup including, Meet the Browns, Tyler Perry’s For Better or Worse. It’s safe to safe to say the filmmaker has some experience in producing hits. In addition to sitcoms Perry is most known for his loud mouth, no-nonsense character Madea who often draws a huge crown on premiere weekend.
Oprah’s OWN network has made no secrets of its struggles since its launch in 2011. Winfrey, who had hoped to run the network from the sidelines was forced to get back in front of the camera to launch the now hugely successful Oprah’s Next Chapter.
Perry’s series will be OWN’s first step into the scripted world, and the deal comes at a time when the struggling network is on a ratings upswing.
