ON the new comedy "Tyler Perry's House of Payne," crack is wacky.
That is, addiction to crack is a laughing matter on tonight's episodes of the TBS comedy, which premiered last week to record ratings following an aggressive national blitz that included colorful advertising wraps over buses and grass-roots marketing in churches. The successive episodes drew more than 5.2 million and 5.8 million viewers respectively, and although those numbers may not amount to much in the world of network TV, TBS is calling the premiere the top sitcom broadcast in ad-supported cable history.
"House of Payne" marks the latest success from the visionary producer of a multitude of gospel-flavored plays, books and movies ("Diary of a Mad Black Woman," "Madea's Family Reunion") that form a multimillion-dollar empire. And the large tune-in to the first episodes appears to justify TBS' unprecedented $200-million agreement with Perry for 100 episodes of "House of Payne" -- a deal that gives Perry, who had never produced a minute of television until now, total creative control.
The comedy reflects Perry's desire to put a fresh twist on acclaimed series such as "The Cosby Show," "Roseanne" and "All in the Family," which blended comedy with social commentary. "I see this show as a complete emotional roller coaster," he said in an interview last week, adding that he wants to represent an African American family that handles problems with humor and prayer: "This show says it's OK to pray."
But the celebration over the ratings and the show's traditional sitcom trappings -- adorably mischievous children, exasperated adults, large living room set -- have overshadowed some of Perry's creative choices. "House of Payne" may be the only family sitcom in history to contain slapstick and wisecracks about crack. It's not an approach everyone appreciates when it comes to drugs.
Amy Jordan, director of research on media and the developing child at the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, said: "I would worry about how this may trivialize the subject to children, particularly when crack has been so devastating to the black community. It's an inside joke, but it's not funny."
"House of Payne" stars LaVan Davis and Cassi Davis as Curtis and Ella Payne, an older couple who take in his firefighter nephew CJ (Allen Payne), his wife Janine (Demetria McKinney) and their two children after their house burns down.
