The 12 Best Tyler Perry Movies and TV Shows, Ranked

• Release Date: February 24th, 2006
• Starring: Tyler Perry, Blair Underwood, Lynn Whitfield, Cicely Tyson

Madea’s Family Reunion is hands down one of the funniest Madea movies, and in our opinion it doesn’t get the credit it deserves. From Madea whooping the kid’s butt on the school bus for being disrespectful and reciting the “All My Life I Had to Fight,” line from The Color Purple, to her shooting the roof of the house to get her husband to do what she wanted, the movie was the perfect blend of drama and comedy as Madea is ordered by the court to become the guardian of a rebellious teenager. 

• First Episode Date: November 25th, 2011
• Final Episode Date: July 22nd, 2017 
• Starring: Cocoa Brown, Tasha Smith, Michael Jai White

If you’ve ever watched the Why Did I Get Married movies, then you’re already aware of Marcus (Jai White) and Angela’s (Smith) chaotic relationship. With the couple providing some of the most comical moments in both films, it was only right that their relationship get turned into a television spin-off. Spanning six seasons and a total of 162 episodes, For Better or Worse was a success as it covered all the elements of Marcus and Angela’s relationship, their business endeavors, and their respective friendships.

• Release Date: February 24th, 2006
• Starring: Idris Elba, Gabrielle Union

Starring Idris Elba as Monty, a mechanic struggling to make ends meet for himself and his three daughters, trouble arises when Monty’s drug dealing ex gains custody of the kids. Looking to get his kids back, Monty enlists the help of a successful attorney named Julia (Union), and as the journey progresses, the two find themselves developing a romance.

Side Note: “Julia you know I never make a fool of ya.” If you know you know.

• First Episode Date: September 9th, 2014
• Final Episode Date: June 6th, 2020 
• Starring: Edwina Finley, Amanda Clayton, Heather Hemmens, Eltony Williams

Loosely based on Perry’s 2014 film Single Mom’s Club, If Loving You is Wrong is a look into the lives and relationships of five husband and wife couples who live on the same street (Castillo Lane) in the fictional community of Maxine. The series spanned five seasons, and was one of the highest rated series on OWN Network, topping Perry’s previous record set by The Haves and the Have Nots.

• Release Date: February 25th, 2005
• Starring: Tyler Perry, Kimberly Elise, Shemar Moore, Cicely Tyson

Diary of a Mad Black Woman is a roller coaster folks. A straight up roller coaster. Starring Kimberly Elise as Helen, a woman blindsighted by her lawyer husband of eighteen years filing for divorce to go shack up his mistress, Diary of a Mad Black Woman is all about starting fresh and finding your footing again as Helen retreats to the house of her grandmother Madea (Perry). Things aren’t all bad though as Helen meets a handsome man by the name of Orlando (Moore), and is slowly able to find love again.

• Release Date: September 11th, 2009
• Starring: Tyler Perry, Taraji P. Henson, Mary J. Blige

Starring Perry as Madea and Taraji P. Henson as nightclub singer Aunt April, Madea is involved in yet another situation when she catches three young siblings raiding her home. While she certainly does let the kids have it in her traditional Madea style, she also takes it upon herself to deliver the kids to their Aunt April, who is their only relative. At first Aunt April wants nothing to do with the children as she’s too busy fooling around with her married boyfriend, but when a Mexican Immigrant (Adam Rodriguez) rents a room in her basement, Aunt April begins to realize that her life is taking a turn in a more positive direction.

• Release Date: March 30th, 2018
• Starring: Taraji P. Henson, Lyriq Bent, Ajiona Alexus

Acrimony will literally have you in shambles. It’s that frustrating. Now that you know that piece of information, Acrimony is about a young woman named Melinda (portrayed by Alexus and Henson as the teenage and adult versions) who instantly falls in love with a young man named Robert. Melinda molds herself into everything Robert wants her to be, all while sacrificing everything for Robert to pursue his dreams for nearly twenty years.

Realizing that she can’t take it anymore, Melinda leaves Robert for a fresh start, and shortly afterwards, Robert meets and falls in love with a woman who has the resources and connections to finally help Robert get to the next level. When Melinda realizes what has happened, not even a “Thank You Check” from Robert is enough to stop her from losing it. Yeah, this movie is a wild ride.

• First Episode Date: October 23rd, 2019
• Starring: Tyler Perry, Kron Moore, Paige Hurd, Ed Quinn

The Oval is still going strong with weekly episodes being aired on BET. In short, The Oval is a political drama series that tells the story of power-hungry interracial couple U.S President Hunter Franklin and first lady Victoria Franklin who are hellbent on presenting a perfect facade to the public, all while engaging in scandalous behavior behind closed doors.

In the meantime, their children Gayle and Jason have a way of consistently bringing their own drama and problems to the Executive Residence, all while their greedy head butler struggles to maintain integrity due to greed and corruption. The Oval is also available on multiple streaming services to check out if you are looking to start the series, or can’t watch the episodes live.

• First Episode Date: May 18th, 2013
• Final Episode Date: July 20th, 2021
• Starring: Reneé Lawless, Tyler Lepley, Tika Sumpter, Crystal R. Fox

There’s so much that goes on in The Haves and the Have Nots that it’s nearly impossible to summarize because each character/family has their own respective storyline. In short, the show focuses on the wealthy Cryer family in Savannah, Georgia who on the outside live a “perfect” life, but behind closed doors is a hot mess full of dysfunction and double lives. There’s loads of manipulation, betrayal, evil, and even a murder (yes a murder) that the show will have you in pure disbelief at times. Also, shoutout to Tika Sumpter who did such a good job of making her character evil that you hated her.

• Release Date: March 30th, 2018
• Starring: Janet Jackson, Kimberly Elise, Whoopi Goldberg, Kerry Washington

Based on the 1975 original choreopoem for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf, this is honestly one of the saddest movies you’ll watch. There’s no other way to describe it. Centered around the lives of ten Black women who each have their own individual challenges and struggles, Perry’s take on For Colored Girls is comparable to that of a William Shakespeare piece in the sense that it is beautifully told, but still so tragic in many elements.

• Release Date: April 2nd, 2010
• Starring: Tyler Perry, Janet Jackson, Tasha Smith, Michael Jai White, Jill Scott

The highly anticipated follow-up to Why Did I Get Married, part two expanded upon the storylines we saw in the first film, as the four couples reunited in the Bahamas for their annual reunion. All is going well until the ex-husband of one of the ladies turns up to start trouble, which causes the others to reflect on their respective relationships as well. We haven’t forgotten the way this films ends Mr. Perry, it’s time for part three!

• Release Date: April 2nd, 2010
• Starring: Tyler Perry, Janet Jackson, Tasha Smith, Michael Jai White, Jill Scott

But before you get to part two you have to check out part one, which introduces the eight married friends as they take their annual vacation in the Colorado Mountains which turns out to be anything other than vacations as there are revelations about infidelity that has everybody questioning their marriages. Boom (once again if you know you know).