roseanne0211
Seriously, I have read these reviews and YES OK its not roll on the floor side splitting comedy but it is a good, clean show, that usually carries a message to it. But it seems to me that unless a show is riddled with profanity or has unrequired nudity or sex scenes it is not accepted. All of Tyler Perry's work carries a message. Maybe we need more shows that do not revolve around sex, drugs, profanity.If these sort of clean shows are not for you then don't watch it. There is certainly no need to trash the show. I saw one review asking that this show be canceled immediately. SERIOUSLY!! there are shows that are just full of sex no storyline, just lots of nudity, and these shows are shown on time slots kids can watch it and yet I don't see them asking for THOSE shows to be discontinued.
Benjamin Black
I saw the pilot series of this show, and was excited when it was finally coming to syndicated television in 2007! How did I enjoy it? I really loved it! I still do! I think this show is great! Again, the strength just comes from the characters and the stories - they're all real and relatable. I have so many Ellas in my life, my siblings remind me of Malik and Jazmine, a lot of people know someone, or someones, like Claretha, and I'm apparently the Curtis Payne for a lot of people (which is OK because I aspire to be like him when I'm old).The show has definitely taken a journey over the years. We got to know the challenges and struggles with C.J. and Janine, then we got to Calvin and Miranda. We got to meet the workers in the fire house, the barbershop, and the Hernandez family. Kodos! They don't have to stick with the same situation or always focus on the same character or characters. This would be troublesome if it were a play or a movie, but it works perfectly in a TV series, especially a successful TV series! As time passes, we do want the stories to continue and the characters to grow. C.J. and his family leave Curtis' house! This isn't "Gilligan's Island" where the series rest solely on the characters never leaving the island; here, people grow and situations change...just like life! It's great!Two things I need to mention are the production history and the criticisms of the show. First of all, you have to give Tyler Perry and the cast and crew of this show credit for being able to pull this off! For a group of people who were putting something completely different on television (much of the crew, Tyler Perry included, had never worked in television before), this was a very brave and courageous thing to do! This show surpassed "The Cosby Show," "Family Matters," and "The Jeffersons" in being the Black TV show in any genres to have the most number of episodes. The production style is very different; they would spend one day on one episode where other studios would take an entire week! These guys have guts!The criticisms really surprise me. People say that the characters reflect negative stereotypes, or that they're coonish and buffoonish. That insults me because, as I said, I know people like these characters. These folks are very real to life, not just to me, but for a lot of us! They can be funny, goofy, silly, and over the top, yes...but how many people do you know like that? I know several, including myself! I love these guys!Now, is there anything I don't like about the show? Unfortunately, yes. While the stories are real and relatable, they can drag sometimes. Take Season 5, the conflict between Calvin and Miranda. This lasted the entire season and the first part of Season 6. In the middle of their issue, Curtis and Ella have problems too. After Calvin and Miranda's problems are resolved, C.J. and Janine have issues to work out! Then we go back to Calvin and Miranda's problems! By the end of this, I'm thinking, "Dude! We get it! Marriage is hard!" What made the situation with Janine's crack addiction work was that, not only was it new to television, but we also didn't focus on it every episode. We still saw C.J.'s character, Curtis, Ella, Calvin, the kids, the guys at the fire house, and we saw all of them deal with life problems. When we weren't focusing on Janine on crack, Malik learned not to chat with strangers online (remember that great episode?). After the fifth season, we had to deal with constant marriage problem after constant marriage problem. There are a lot of moments during and after the fifth I really love, but when we have to constantly worry about tuning in next week to see if problems are resolved, it becomes annoying.I know some of us fans of the show were very shocked by the ending. I won't say what it is, so as not to spoil too much, but let's just say it's not your classic sitcom ending. But, to be honest, that's why I love it. Sitcoms that are fortunate enough to have an ending, like "The Cosby Show," "The Office," "Everybody Loves Raymond," or "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" often have an ending you'd expect and/or you'd want for a sitcom. Here, this sitcom will leave you feeling...what's a word that won't spoil anything?...It'll leave you feeling...sdugpapfjaoa-dgf (look it up!). To be honest, I love it! It's not your traditional ending; you'll never see this anywhere! Now Tyler Perry did say he's not ready to say good-bye to these characters, so we'll see what happens.In closing, I love this show. I think it's very smart and knows what to do with its characters and stories. When we're not focusing on reoccurring marriage problems, we can take time to enjoy the characters and their situations. It's a classic in the making, and should not be ignored! Check it out, give it a chance, expel anything you've heard before, and remember the people in your life as you watch; they'll look similar to those on the screen! BOOYIKA!
