Amen (TV series)

Last updated

Amen
Amen (TV series - title card).jpg
Genre Sitcom
Created by Ed. Weinberger
Starring
Theme music composer Andraé Crouch
Opening theme"Shine on Me" by Vanessa Bell Armstrong
ComposerBruce Miller
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons5
No. of episodes110 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Producers
Camera setup Multi-camera
Running time24 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network NBC
ReleaseSeptember 27, 1986 (1986-09-27) 
May 11, 1991 (1991-05-11)

Amen is an American sitcom produced by Carson Productions that aired on NBC from September 27, 1986, to May 11, 1991. Set in Sherman Hemsley's real-life hometown of Philadelphia, Amen stars Hemsley as the deacon of a church and was part of a wave of successful sitcoms on NBC in the 1980s and early 1990s that featured predominantly black casts – others included The Cosby Show , A Different World , The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air , and 227 . [1]

Contents

Premise

The series revolves around Ernest Frye, a widower deacon of the First Community Church of Philadelphia, who also works as a lawyer. He is often dishonest and frequently gets into trouble with his many harebrained schemes. Frye has a single daughter named Thelma. Reuben Gregory is the new, young pastor of the church, and also the object of Thelma's affection. The two get married during season four, despite the fact that Gregory and Frye often butt heads. [2] In the series finale, Thelma gives birth to the couple's first child. [3]

Cast and characters

Exterior shot location

The Mount Pisgah African Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, a stone gothic church building at 41st and Spring Garden Street, was used for exterior views of the First Community Church. Consequently, the Mount Pisgah Church became known to the nation as the "Amen Church". [4]

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 22September 27, 1986 (1986-09-27)April 4, 1987 (1987-04-04)
2 21October 3, 1987 (1987-10-03)May 7, 1988 (1988-05-07)
3 22October 8, 1988 (1988-10-08)April 22, 1989 (1989-04-22)
4 23September 23, 1989 (1989-09-23)April 7, 1990 (1990-04-07)
5 22November 17, 1990 (1990-11-17)May 11, 1991 (1991-05-11)

Ratings

Related Research Articles

<i>Roseanne</i> American television sitcom

Roseanne is an American television sitcom created by Matt Williams which aired on ABC from October 18, 1988, to May 20, 1997, and briefly revived from March 27, 2018, to May 22, 2018. The show stars Roseanne Barr as Roseanne Conner and revolves around her family in the fictional town of Lanford, Illinois. Receiving generally positive reviews for its realistic portrayal of a working-class American family, the series reached No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings from 1989 to 1990 in its second season.

<i>Murder, She Wrote</i> American TV series or program

Murder, She Wrote is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series focuses on the life of Jessica Fletcher, a mystery writer and amateur detective, who becomes involved in solving murders that take place in the fictional town of Cabot Cove, Maine, across the United States, and abroad. The program ran for 12 seasons from September 30, 1984, to May 19, 1996, for a total of 264 episodes and included amongst its recurring cast Tom Bosley, William Windom and Ron Masak, as well as a vast array of guest cast members including Michael Horton, Keith Michell and Julie Adams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nell Carter</span> American singer and actress (1948–2003)

Nell Carter was an American singer and actress.

<i>ER</i> (TV series) American medical drama television series (1994–2009)

ER is an American medical drama television series created by Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994, to April 2, 2009, with a total of 331 episodes spanning 15 seasons. It was produced by Constant C Productions and Amblin Television, in association with Warner Bros. Television. ER follows the inner life of the emergency room (ER) of Cook County General Hospital in Chicago, and various critical issues faced by the department's physicians and staff.

<i>Unsolved Mysteries</i> American true crime television series

Unsolved Mysteries is an American mystery documentary television show, created by John Cosgrove and Terry Dunn Meurer. Documenting cold cases and paranormal phenomena, it began as a series of seven specials, presented by Raymond Burr, Karl Malden, and Robert Stack, beginning on NBC on January 20, 1987, becoming a full-fledged series on October 5, 1988, hosted by Stack. After nine seasons on NBC, the series moved to CBS for its 10th season on November 13, 1997. After adding Virginia Madsen as a co-host during season 11 failed to boost slipping ratings, CBS canceled the series after only a two-season, 12-episode run on June 11, 1999. The series was revived by Lifetime in 2000, with season 12 beginning on July 2, 2001. Unsolved Mysteries aired 103 episodes on Lifetime, before ending on September 20, 2002, an end that coincided with Stack's illness and eventual death.

<i>Good Times</i> American television sitcom (1974–1979)

Good Times is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was television's first African American two-parent family sitcom. Good Times is a spin-off of Maude, which itself is a spin-off of All in the Family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sherman Hemsley</span> American actor (1938–2012)

Sherman Alexander Hemsley was an American actor. He was known for his roles as George Jefferson on the CBS television series All in the Family and The Jeffersons (1975–1985), Deacon Ernest Frye on the NBC series Amen (1986–1991), and B. P. Richfield on the ABC series Dinosaurs. Hemsley also played Judge Carl Robertson on the NBC series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. For his work on The Jeffersons, Hemsley was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award. Hemsley also won an NAACP Image Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Comedy Series or Special in 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaleel White</span> American actor (born 1976)

Jaleel Ahmad White is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Steve Urkel on the sitcom Family Matters. The character was originally intended to be a one-time guest appearance on the show; however, he was an instant hit with audiences and White became a regular cast member. The series aired for a total of nine seasons, from 1989 to 1998. White then reprised his role as Urkel for the first time in 21 years in the 2019 series Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Peter Hall</span> American actor (1955–1991)

Kevin Peter Hall was an American actor. Hall stood 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) tall, and frequently played monster characters during his career. He was the original title character in the science fiction Predator franchise, appearing in the first 1987 film and its 1990 sequel. Hall also portrayed the eponymous Harry in the fantasy comedy film Harry and the Hendersons (1987), a role he reprised for the first season of NBC's television adaptation (1990–1991). His human roles included Dr. Elvin "El" Lincoln on the NBC science fiction series Misfits of Science (1985–1986) and Warren Merriwether on the sitcom 227 (1989–1990).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Roundtree</span> American actor (1942–2023)

Richard Arnold Roundtree was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of private detective John Shaft in the 1971 film Shaft and four of its sequels, Shaft's Big Score! (1972), Shaft in Africa (1973), its 2000 sequel and its 2019 sequel, as well as the eponymous television series (1973–1974). He was also known for his features in several TV series, including Roots, Generations, and Desperate Housewives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clifton Davis</span> American actor, musician and minister

Clifton Duncan Davis is an American actor, singer, songwriter, minister, and author.

Anna Maria Horsford is an American actress, known for her performances in television comedies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raymond St. Jacques</span> American actor, director and producer (1930–1990)

Raymond St. Jacques was an American actor, director and producer whose career spanned over thirty years on stage, film and television. St. Jacques is noted as the first African American actor to appear in a regular role on a western series, portraying Simon Blake on the eighth season of Rawhide (1965–1966).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wintley Phipps</span> Musical artist

Wintley Augustus Phipps, Sr. is a Trinidadian-American singer, songwriter, record producer, minister, and founder of the U.S. Dream Academy, Songs of Freedom Publishing Company, and Coral Records Recording Company. He features a booming bass-baritone voice, usually singing inspirational gospel music. He is an ordained Seventh-day Adventist minister.

Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films, and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen ratings, an audience measurement system of television viewership that for years has been the deciding factor in canceling or renewing television shows by television networks. As of May 2012, it is part of Nielsen Holdings.

Mizlou Television Network, Inc. or Mizlou Communications, Inc., was a sports broadcast television network active in 1962—1991. In 1992 Mizlou was re-established as Mizlou Television Network, Inc., which is now based in Tampa, Florida. Mizlou later branched out into cable sports channels.

References

  1. "A Look At New TV Season". Ebony. Johnson Publishing Company. 41 (12): 145. October 1986. ISSN   0012-9011.
  2. Collier, Aldore (February 5, 1990). "Clifton Davis and Anna Marie Horsford Tie Knot On TV's 'Amen'". Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. 77 (17): 60–61. ISSN   0021-5996.
  3. ""Deliverance" Episode Ends Fifth Season of "Amen"". Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. 80 (4): 60. May 13, 1991. ISSN   0021-5996.
  4. "Church History". Mt. Pisgah A.M.E. Church. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  5. "ClassicTVHits.com: TV Ratings > 1980's". classictvhits.com. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  6. "ClassicTVHits.com: TV Ratings > 1980's". classictvhits.com. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  7. "ClassicTVHits.com: TV Ratings > 1980's". classictvhits.com. Retrieved September 3, 2019.