House of Payne - Family Comedy & Quality Viewing

There are several reasons why House of Payne on tbs has become my favorite television show. I'll explain some of the reasons in this article. This article is solely my opinion and these reasons are only my own, however, perhaps in seeing why I love this show, it may also spark someone else to check it out for their own pleasure and see what they might be missing out on. Season Two just wrapped up with it's 100th episode which aired on August 6th, 2008. Season Three is due to begin in the fall of 08. I, for one, cannot wait.

I grew up in the 70's and 80's. Sitcoms were a big part of television back then and even into the 90's there were still a lot of great family shows on television. And I've watched them all at some point or another. All In The Family, The Jefferson's, Good Times, Growing Pains, Full House, Family Matters, The Cosby Show and Roseanne are all some of the shows that pop into my mind that as a child I enjoyed and as a parent I enjoyed. In the nineties as a parent of two young sons it was especially important to me to have the television choices we had for family television viewing. I particularly enjoyed the ones that were not only funny but also sent out important messages of various topics during the show. Be it family values, drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, religion, etc., these were shows that myself as a parent didn't mind sitting down with my children and watching in a family friendly format. A lot of sitcom episodes led to some heavy discussions about serious life topics in this house. I would much rather prefer watching an episode of The Cosby Show that deals with say, teenage pregnancy and have it open venues for a chance for my child and I to speak openly about something rather than watching a 13 year old pregnant teen on a reality talk show having 11 guys paternity tested so she'll know her child's father. Unfortunately, those family comedy choices have been more and more replaced with options I'm just not a whole lot interested in supporting.

That is probably the number one reason that Tyler Perry's House of Payne has become my favorite show on television right now. Once Roseanne went off the air for me sitcoms lost a little bit of that "real" or "that could be me" feeling. I am not rich, I am not skinny, I am not pretty and I struggle a lot in life. All is not gold and silver lined for me and mine. That is why this show is so refreshing to me. It is more "real" to me than any current day reality show will ever come off as. And this cast could not be a funnier, real to life family if they tried. Everyone has a Curtis, the big ole bullheaded family member. Every family has an Auntie Ella. I did in real life but her name was Aunt Helen. While we all had fun and did our share of not so smart things over the years, she always counseled us and made sure we knew where God stood on the things we had done wrong. And like Ella, she also praised us and supported us and reminded us that there was a greater power than us in good times and bad. And one more character I have to mention is little Jazmine. Over the years there have been several little Jazzy's in my family. Now we're all grown up.

Comedy and humor is not everyone's way of coping with life but for me it is. Some of the best advice I've received to date is that despite everything going on or going wrong around you, laugh!!! Laugh at every chance you get. It has gotten me through more than one time in my life. And one thing is for sure House of Payne makes me laugh. When I'm done working all day and doing all the things a working mom has to do in a day, the last thing I want to do is sit down with my family and watch the news. Why? So they can figure out real quick that the world is an unsafe place and that virtually no boundaries exist for some people. That terrible things like murder and rape and terrorism happen daily? So they can get the strong impression that nothing they do will make a difference in this screwed up world. Now, don't get excited. I'm in no way saying to shelter your children from life. Not at all. I am saying that there are better ways to introduce children to things than submit them to a flurry of terrifying news clips that may interfere with their ability to trust, learn, cope and succeed in this world despite what is going on around them. And hopefully all children no matter how they occur to learn about something, be it by mistake or no fault of their own, I hope they do learn from the experience and move on trying not to make the same mistakes twice. To me the news only suggests that millions of people keep making these mistakes and leaves one a little hopeless. I'd prefer my child see how while it may be a long hard road to recover from drug addiction and that sometimes families are broken due to it, there is still forgiveness and comfort within one's own family and things can get better if only we try. This is one such story line in the show House of Payne. It's not a funny topic at all and I don't think the show tries to make it out to be. They are only trying to show how in some instances, real families usually do have opinions and ideas on how things should be handled. And if it's Uncle Curtis making crack jokes at CJ to get him to understand certain points about his role in handling his wife's drug addiction, then so be it. Tell me you haven't had a family member who just tells it like it is to get you to wake up and smell the coffee sometimes.

Another thing I really like about this show is the family values it portrays. The Paynes aren't perfect but they do make an attempt as a family to produce good solid fundamental people by adhering to a few morals and values. They portray husbands and wives which is a rarity on television and also in real life these days. I've read a few articles on this very subject as it relates to the House of Payne. A few of them mentioned the lack of a mother and or father in African-American households and that there isn't much family representation left on television anymore. And I have to say that to me, it doesn't matter if you are black, white, green or purple, this message they are trying to send that there are strong families with both parents in the home is a message that all homes in one way or another can relate to and as I do, hopefully appreciate the effort Tyler Perry has put into this series. It's not just all about comedy to him.

I especially love the way this show also mentions not only religion but God Himself. In my opinion this is a risky maneuver by Mr. Perry in that unfortunately, mentioning God seems to offend more and more people these days. But he is not backing down nor is he cramming it in the viewers face. Personally, I say if the mention of God bothers you, you should immediately turn your television to one of the other choices on. Too bad there is so much reality t.v. out there right now just spewing all kinds of crap for folks to enjoy rather than a heart felt family lesson based on spirituality and religion. This very reason is why my television gets tuned to House of Payne at every opportunity rather than watch any reality show. They offend me.

It's all about choice. Not everyone loves comedy. Not everyone loves reality or drama or sports or whatever. But if you are one searching for a family friendly show then really, really consider this one. Don't rule it out because they are black actors or they portray middle class citizens or because they use humor to deal with everyday life. Open your mind. I am as white as the day is long and as poor as a church mouse but it didn't stop me from loving The Cosby Show either. My parents weren't a doctor and lawyer. I didn't have a house full of siblings but I still could relate to the core of this show for it's values and attempts to provide good quality t.v. programming for families. My husband and I often comment on how even after 20 years and seeing every episode possible either first hand or in re-runs, we still find The Cosby Show to be one of the best and funniest shows we've ever enjoyed and by far better than most modern day viewing choices. Way to go!!! And here's hoping Tyler Perry can continue to provide that kind of entertainment to keep us coming back over and over and keep this show on the air for many, many years to come.

Stop by tbs on Wednesday nights at 9 p.m. and honestly give this show a chance. Or if family comedy offends you, by all means please watch an episode of Law & Order with your children and see what kind of lesson they learn from that.