So, you’re scrolling through your TV guide or diving deep into the Tyler Perry multiverse and you stumble upon something called The Paynes. Wait. Isn’t it House of Payne? Well, yes and no. Honestly, the story of The Paynes Season 1 is one of the strangest chapters in cable TV history.
It’s the show that tried to move the legendary Curtis and Ella Payne out of Atlanta and into the Florida sunshine, only to have the whole thing literally wiped from reality a few years later. It’s kinda wild when you think about it.
What Really Happened in The Paynes Season 1
Basically, the show kicked off on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) back in January 2018. If you remember the original House of Payne finale, Curtis had retired from the fire department and everything felt settled. But Tyler Perry decided to shake things up.
The premise of The Paynes Season 1 starts with a funeral. Curtis and Ella head down to Sun Coast, Florida, to bury Curtis’s Uncle Robert. While they’re there, Curtis—being classic, impulsive Curtis—gets talked into a real estate deal by his cousin JoAnn (played by the iconic Jackée Harry). Before Ella can even process what's happening, they own a dilapidated house and a run-down laundromat.
Talk about a retirement nightmare.
Most of the season focuses on the struggle to renovate this laundromat while dealing with a whole new cast of characters. We meet Nyla (Stephanie Charles), a young mom fleeing an abusive relationship with a guy named Kendrick. Ella, being the saint she is, basically adopts Nyla and her two kids, Kenny and Lynn. It’s a lot more "dramedy" than the original show, which was a straight-up sitcom.
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The Cast Switch-Up
People were genuinely confused when this aired. Where was C.J.? Where were Malik and Jazmine? While Allen Payne (C.J.) and the rest of the original crew made very brief guest appearances, they weren't the focus. Instead, we got:
- LaVan Davis as the ever-grumpy Curtis Payne.
- Cassi Davis as the patient Ella Payne.
- Jackée Harry as JoAnn, the cousin who's always got a scheme running.
- Markice Moore as Ryan, JoAnn’s son who actually knows how to run a business (sorta).
- JD McCrary and Sanai Victoria as the kids, Kenny and Lynn.
The dynamic was different. It felt smaller, maybe a bit more grounded in some ways, but fans really missed the Atlanta house.
Why The Paynes Season 1 Still Matters (And Why It Doesn't)
Here is where it gets truly bizarre. If you’ve kept up with the House of Payne revival that started in 2020 on BET, you might have noticed something. Nobody mentions Florida. Nobody mentions the laundromat.
In Season 7, Episode 14 of the revived House of Payne, titled "Been A Long Time," the writers did the ultimate TV "undo." They revealed that the entire events of The Paynes Season 1 were just a crazy dream Curtis had.
Just like that. Poof. Retconned.
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Does that mean you shouldn't watch it? Not necessarily. If you love the chemistry between LaVan and Cassi Davis, it's still gold. Their bickering is top-tier. But from a "lore" perspective, it’s basically an alternate universe.
Production and Reception
The season was long—like, 38 episodes long. That’s huge for a modern cable show. Tyler Perry wrote and directed the bulk of it at his massive studio in Atlanta (even though it was set in Florida).
The ratings were... okay. It premiered to about 1.6 million viewers, which is solid for OWN, but it definitely didn't have the staying power of the original series. Fans complained that the pacing was slow. Some felt the new characters, like the abusive boyfriend subplot with Kendrick, were a bit too dark for what they expected from a Payne family show.
Honestly, it felt like the show was having an identity crisis. Was it a lighthearted sitcom or a heavy drama about rebuilding a life? It tried to be both and sometimes missed the mark on both.
What Most People Get Wrong About This Season
A lot of people think The Paynes was just Season 9 of the original show. It wasn't. It was marketed as a standalone spinoff. It had a different "look"—more cinematic, less "filmed in front of a live studio audience" vibe.
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Another misconception is that it was canceled because of Jackée Harry. Actually, Jackée was one of the highlights! The chemistry between her and LaVan Davis was some of the funniest stuff in the series. The "failure" of the show, if you want to call it that, was more about the fans wanting the original formula back. They wanted the house in Atlanta with the whole family, not a laundromat in Florida with strangers.
Actionable Insights for Fans
If you're planning to dive into The Paynes Season 1 today, here’s how to handle it so you don't get frustrated:
- Treat it as a Standalone: Forget about the timeline of the original show. If you try to make the math work, your head will hurt. Just watch it as a "What If?" story.
- Watch for the Chemistry: The best parts of the show aren't the plotlines about the laundromat repairs. The best parts are Curtis and Ella just being themselves in a new environment.
- Expect a Different Tone: It’s slower. There are fewer "big" jokes and more character-driven moments.
- Know the Ending: Don't go looking for Season 2. It doesn't exist. The story "ends" when the revival starts on BET, effectively resetting the clock.
If you want to find it, it’s usually floating around on streaming services like BET+ or for purchase on Amazon. It's a fascinating relic of a time when Tyler Perry was experimenting with the boundaries of his most famous characters.
Go check out the first few episodes. Even if it was "all a dream," seeing Curtis try to navigate a Florida real estate scam is worth at least one watch.