TBS Extends Run of Tyler Perry's HOUSE OF PAYNE, Cable's Biggest Sitcom Hit of All Time

TBS Orders 20 Additional Episodes, on Top of 26 Ordered Recently, To Take Series Well into the Future on the Network

Tyler Perry's HOUSE OF PAYNE and MEET THE BROWNS, Both Distributed by Debmar-Mercury, Anchor Successful Wednesday Night Lineup on TBS

TBS is expanding the network's groundbreaking partnership with Tyler Perry and Debmar-Mercury by ordering an additional 20 episodes of the powerhouse comedy Tyler Perry's HOUSE OF PAYNE.  The order will bring the number of episodes in the series to 172, a remarkable total for any sitcom.  HOUSE OF PAYNE, along with Tyler Perry's MEET THE BROWN, continue to rank as the top sitcoms on cable.
 
"We have a terrific relationship with Tyler Perry, and this deal means new episodes of HOUSE OF PAYNE will continue to air on TBS well into the future," said Michael Wright, executive vice president, head of programming for TBS, TNT and Turner Classic Movies (TCM).  "Tyler stands alone in the entertainment business today as an entrepreneur who knows his audience.  It's great to continue working with Tyler and our partners at Debmar-Mercury."
 
HOUSE OF PAYNE and MEET THE BROWNS rank as ad-supported cable's top two original sitcoms of all time among adults 18-49, viewers and households.  So far in 2009, the shows are television's top two series in delivery of African-American adults 18-34.  MEET THE BROWNS also ranks as television's #1 program among African-American viewers and adults 18-49.  This year, new episodes of MEET THE BROWNS have averaged 3.2 million viewers, while new episodes of HOUSE OF PAYNE have averaged 3 million viewers.
 
"Tyler Perry has created the first sitcom in history to reach this many episodes in just two years, an amazing achievement that only a handful of top comedies have been able to achieve after many, many years," Debmar-Mercury Co-President Mort Marcus said.
 
"TBS's extension of this great program affirms the value of this groundbreaking sitcom model, which Tyler quickly turned from a dream into a phenomenal success," added Debmar-Mercury Co-President Ira Bernstein.
 
HOUSE OF PAYNE - which is owned by Perry, distributed by Debmar-Mercury and licensed by TBS - debuted in 2006 with a test run of 10 episodes.  After early results showed promise, TBS ordered a then-unprecedented 100 episodes.  TBS later ordered an additional 26 episodes, followed by a deal for 26 more and the 20-episode order being announced today.
 
HOUSE OF PAYNE is set in Atlanta and features LaVan Davis as fireman Curtis "Pops" Payne, a man who believes his house should be his castle, he the king and his wife, Ella (Cassi Davis), the queen.  Unfortunately, their castle has turned into Grand Central Terminal, thanks to the constant comings and goings of immediate and extended family members.  Lance Gross, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Allen Payne, Demetria McKinney, Larramie "Doc" Shaw and China McCain co-star.
 
MEET THE BROWNS, a sitcom based on characters from Perry's popular play and hit movie, MEET THE BROWNS, stars David Mann as the fun-loving, fashion-challenged "Downtown" Leroy Brown, who also appeared in several episodes of HOUSE OF PAYNE on TBS.  In the series, Brown tries to fulfill his father's dying wish by opening a retirement home.  Tamela Mann, Lamman Rucker, Denise Boutte, Jeanette Sousa and Antonio Jaramillo co-star.  TBS has ordered 80 episodes of MEET THE BROWNS.
 
Since making his film debut in 2005 with Lionsgate's Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Tyler Perry has become a multimedia phenomenon with a roster of hugely successful film, stage, television and book projects.  Five of Perry's seven films have debuted at #1 at the North American box office, including his most recent movie, Madea Goes to Jail, which was based on his most popular play.  Perry began his career as a playwright with I Know I've Been Changed in 1992.  Six years and many failed productions later, the play became a success after what was to have been its final performance ever.  Perry's nine produced plays to date have grossed tens of millions of dollars and have set box office records in major venues across the country, including the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles and the Beacon Theater in New York.  Perry's first book, Don't Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings: Madea's Uninhibited Commentaries on Life and Love, debuted at #1 on The New York Times hardcover nonfiction bestseller list the week of April 30, 2006, and was named both Book of the Year and Humor Book of the Year at the October 2006 Quill Book Awards.  Perry is working on two new films, I Can Do Bad All by Myself and Why Did I Get Married Too.  In 2008, Perry unveiled Tyler Perry Studios, a 200,000-square-foot studio situated on the former Delta Air Lines campus in Atlanta, where his films and television shows are filmed.
 
Debmar-Mercury, a worldwide media company specializing in syndication, network, cable and ancillary markets, produces and distributes The Wendy Williams Show; distributes Tyler Perry's House of Payne and spinoff Meet the Browns; distributes a new, untitled comedy debuting in 2010 from Gary Sanchez Productions' Will Ferrell, Adam McKay and Chris Henchy; distributes strips Family Feud, South Park and True Hollywood Story, as well as weeklies American Chopper, Deadliest Catch and The Dead Zone; and a movie library featuring titles from Revolution Studios and Lionsgate.  In September 2007, Debmar-Mercury established a London-based international television distribution unit focused on acquiring international formats for U.S. and worldwide distribution, as well as licensing U.S. television formats to the global market.  Debmar-Mercury is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), a leading next-generation studio.