For Better or Worse (TV series)

For Better or Worse is an American television sitcom created, written and executive produced by Tyler Perry. The series is based on and is a TV spin-off to Perry's 2007 film Why Did I Get Married? and its 2010 sequel Why Did I Get Married Too? The show premiered on November 25, 2011 and aired on TBS[1] for two seasons.

For Better or Worse
Also known asTyler Perry's For Better or Worse
GenreSitcom
Created byTyler Perry
Written byTyler Perry
Directed byTyler Perry
Starring
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons6
No. of episodes162 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Tyler Perry
  • Ozzie Areu
Camera setupMultiple
Running time22 to 24 minutes
Production companyTyler Perry Studios
Release
Original networkTBS (2011–2012) (seasons 1–2)
OWN (2013–2017) (season 3–6)
Picture format1080i (HDTV)
Original releaseNovember 25, 2011 (2011-11-25) –
July 22, 2017 (2017-07-22)
Chronology
Related showsWhy Did I Get Married?
(2007 film)
Why Did I Get Married Too?
(2010 film)
External links
Website
Production website

In 2013, Oprah Winfrey Network ordered a third season, which premiered on September 18, 2013. The show would run for three additional seasons on OWN.

Production

TBS announced the straight-to-series order of For Better or Worse on April 26, 2011, the same day it was announced that House of Payne would be ending after its eighth season.[2][3] Unlike House of Payne and Meet the Browns, which are family-oriented, For Better Or Worse targets young adults.[4] The premiere episode of the series acquired 3.33 million viewers,[5] bringing the show to the top of the charts as basic cable's No. 1 comedy series for the month of October 2011.[5][6]

In February 2012, TBS announced the thirty-five episode second season renewal, which premiered on July 13, 2012, with the first season averaging 2.9 million viewers.[7] For Better or Worse was also basic cable's No. 1 sitcom of 2011 and the No. 1 show on all of television with African-American adults in the same year.[8][9]

TBS declined to renew the series. In February 2013, Oprah Winfrey Network (which had entered into a development deal with Perry) ordered a third season.[10] The third season of the series premiered on September 18, 2013.[11][12] The second half of season 3 premiered on April 9, 2014. The third half of season 3 premiered on September 17, 2014. The fourth season of the series premiered on Friday, March 27, 2015. The second half of season 4 premiered on September 11, 2015. The fifth season of the series premiered on April 1, 2016. The second half of season 5 premiered on September 30. On January 30, 2017 OWN announced that the show will be ending after the sixth season. The sixth season premiered on Saturday, June 10, 2017. The series ended on July 22, 2017. The series had a total of 162 episodes.

Cast
  • Tasha Smith as Angela Williams: Marcus's spark plug of a wife, the affluent and successful owner of Lady Angie's hair salon and hair care products; originally, from Camden, New Jersey; has a degree in chemistry. In season 1, Angela deals with Marcus's infidelity issues. Marcus tries prove his innocence. It was confirmed in the season 2 premiere. She has hatred for Marcus's ex-girlfriend Keisha throughout the entire series. In season 3, Angela finds out that she has cancer, caused by a mass in her mammogram, but later is misdiagnosed in the seventh season. In the season 4 episode "The Results", Angela finds out she is pregnant, but later in the season 6 premiere, she had suffered a miscarriage.
  • Michael Jai White as Marcus Williams: Angela's husband, a former professional football player and owner of a highly rated sports television show C-Sports Now. Season 1 focuses on his infidelity struggles with Angela, Marcus proves his innocence and it was confirmed at the beginning of season 2. In season 4, he unknowingly fathered another child. In the season 4 episode, "The Results", Marcus finds out his wife, Angela is pregnant and is expecting his third child. In the 2007 film, Marcus was working for Angela before owning his sport business.
  • Jason Olive as Joseph Jetson: Marcus's partner at C-Sports Now, and best friend since college, a former tennis player and Leslie's husband-to-be. Towards the end of season 2, he and Leslie break up due to their sexual attraction with each other and feelings for marriage, but still has feelings for her and determines to win her back throughout season 3. In the season 2 finale, Joseph suffers from a motorcycle accident on Leslie and Chris's wedding day trying to stop it. In season 3, they get back together. And in season, Joseph finally proposes to Leslie.
  • Crystle Stewart as Leslie Morris: Angela's best friend since college, a real estate agent and Joseph Jetson's fiancée. Leslie has doubts about her and Joseph's relationship in Season 2. Towards the end of season 2, Leslie breaks off her relationship with Joseph, she later meets a high school friend, Chris and becomes attracted to him. Chris proposes to Leslie, and they get married in the season 2 finale and the season 3 premiere. In season 3 while married to Chris, Leslie begins to have conflicted feelings for Joseph, especially after learning of his motorcycle accident. Chris learns of that and they divorced.
  • Kent Faulcon as Richard Ellington: Marcus's partner and CFO at C-Sports Now, and other best friend since college, previously dated Marcus' assumed baby mamma Keisha; a former baseball player. After finding out what kind of person she really was, Richard broke up with Keisha. While dealing with the divorce, Richard has anger management issues with Keisha in season 4. In season 5, he is dating Jennifer.
  • Cocoa Brown as Jennifer: Angela's comedic best friend from childhood, also from Camden, New Jersey and stylist at Lady Angie's. She has two kids. In season 2, she finds out that she has HIV but later is misdiagnosed. In season 5, she starts developing feelings for Richard.
  • Bobb'e J. Thompson as Marcus "M.J." Williams, Jr, (Season 1–2): Marcus and Angela's son.
  • Brad James as Todd: Intern at C-Sports Now who can be a good and irritating friend to Marcus, Joseph, and Richard. In season five, Todd learns that he fathered a child with a woman named Shawn.
  • Chandra Currelley as Miss V, (Season 1–2, 4–present; Guest, Season 3): Marcus and Angela's housekeeper.
  • Bobbi Kristina Brown as Tina, (Season 2): Jennifer's college-aged daughter.
  • Kiki Haynes as Ro'Keisha "Keisha" Jones, (Season 1, recurring; Season 2–present): Marcus's troublesome ex-girlfriend, who ignites bitter feuds with Angela throughout the series. She dated Richard Ellington and has a degree in accounting. They married and then divorced. In season 4, after the divorce settlement, Keisha is working with Marcus, Joseph, Richard, and Todd at C-Sports Now. Haynes was promoted to the main cast in season 2. Kaira Whitehead originally portrayed Keisha in the 2007 film.

Recurring
  • Teka Brandon as Dominique Williams (Season 1–3): Keisha's daughter. Originally believed to be Marcus's daughter, until Season 2.
  • Jermaine L. Brantley (Season 1) Cedric Stewart (Season 2) as Tyrik: Contractor and Angela's old flame from college.
  • Rhyon Nicole Brown as Pam (Season 4): Marcus's 17-year-old daughter, who he unknowingly fathered.
  • Dorsey Levens as Benny (Season 6): Marcus's ex-teammate and friend who once shared an intimate past with Angela who he currently still has feelings for.

Episodes
Main article: List of Tyler Perry's For Better or Worse episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast airedNetwork
110November 25, 2011 (2011-11-25)December 23, 2011 (2011-12-23)TBS
235July 13, 2012 (2012-07-13)December 7, 2012 (2012-12-07)
35526September 18, 2013 (2013-09-18)December 11, 2013 (2013-12-11)OWN
15April 9, 2014 (2014-04-09)June 11, 2014 (2014-06-11)
14September 17, 2014 (2014-09-17)December 17, 2014 (2014-12-17)
42211March 27, 2015 (2015-03-27)June 5, 2015 (2015-06-05)
11September 11, 2015 (2015-09-11)October 16, 2015 (2015-10-16)
52010April 1, 2016 (2016-04-01)May 27, 2016 (2016-05-27)
10September 30, 2016 (2016-09-30)November 25, 2016 (2016-11-25)
620June 10, 2017 (2017-06-10)July 22, 2017 (2017-07-22)

Reception

For Better or Worse received generally mixed reviews from critics. The Boston Herald described it as being "an upscale Dynasty crossed with Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? with a dash of urban sass", which "knocks you back with a bracing dose of its characters’ resentments and rages."[13] Joshua Alston of The A.V. Club felt that For Better or Worse felt more "mature" and less "over-the-top" than Perry's other programs (comparing it, in particular, to BET's The Game), but that the pilot episode's attempts at humor fell flat.[14]

Awards/Nominations
  • 2012: Nomination – NAMIC Vision Award Best Performance – Comedy – Tasha Smith
  • 2013: Nomination – NAMIC Vision Award Best Performance – Comedy – Tasha Smith
  • 2014: Nomination – Image Awards Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series – Tasha Smith

References
  1. "TBS Sends Tyler Perry Comedies to Friday Nights" (Press release). The Futon Critic. October 20, 2011. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
  2. Itzkoff, Dave (April 26, 2011). "TBS Orders Its Third Tyler Perry Series". The New York Times.
  3. Gorman, Bill (April 26, 2011). "TBS Orders Tyler Perry's 'For Better or Worse'". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 1, 2014.
  4. Andreeva, Nellie (April 26, 2011). "TBS Orders Third Tyler Perry/Debmar-Mercury Sitcom, Ends 'House Of Payne'". Deadline Hollywood.
  5. Seidman, Robert (November 28, 2011). "'Tyler Perry's For Better or Worse' Premieres to 3.4 Million Friday Night on TBS". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 2, 2011.
  6. "TBS's Friday Night Launch of "Tyler Perry's For Better or Worse" Is Basic Cable's #1 Comedy Series for the Month of November". The Futon Critic. November 30, 2011.
  7. Goldberg, Lesley. "TBS Orders More of Tyler Perry's 'For Better or Worse'". The Hollywood Reporter.
  8. Ho, Rodney (February 15, 2012). "TBS cancels 'Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns,' gives 'For Better or Worse' 35 episodes". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on May 13, 2013.
  9. Kondolojy, Amanda (February 15, 2012). "'Tyler Perry's For Better Or Worse' Renewed by TBS with 35 Episode Order". TV by the Numbers (Press release). Archived from the original on May 17, 2013.
  10. Andreeva, Nellie (February 20, 2013). "OWN Picks Up Tyler Perry's Sitcom 'For Better Or Worse', Orders Third Season". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
  11. Bibel, Sara (July 25, 2013). "OWN Greenlights 'It's Primetime' Starring Deion Sanders, Announces Lindsay Lohan Interview to Air August 18". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on August 28, 2013.
  12. Kondolojy, Amanda (August 20, 2013). "Tyler Perry's Popular Sitcom 'For Better or Worse' Comes to OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on August 22, 2013.
  13. Perigard, Mark (November 25, 2011). "Tyler Perry's 'Better' is one of his worst". Boston Herald.
  14. Alston, Joshua. "Tyler Perry's For Better Or Worse". TV Club. Retrieved 2018-11-24.
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