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Amen (sitcom)

Amen (TV series)
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Amen
Amen (TV series - title card).jpg
Genre     Sitcom
Created by     Ed. Weinberger
Starring     Sherman Hemsley
Clifton Davis
Anna Maria Horsford
Roz Ryan
Jester Hairston
Barbara Montgomery (1986–90)
Rosetta LeNoire (1987–89)
Bumper Robinson (1990–91)
Elsa Raven (1988–90)
Tony T. Johnson (1988–91)
Montrose Hagins (1989–91)
Theme music composer     Andre Crouch
Opening theme     "Shine on Me" by Vanessa Bell Armstrong
Composer(s)     Bruce Miller
Country of origin     United States
Original language(s)     English
No. of seasons     5
No. of episodes     110
Production
Executive producer(s)     James R. Stein
Bob Illes
Lloyd David
Arthur Julian
Ed. Weinberger
Producer(s)     Jim Geoghan
Marilynn Loncar
Peter Noah
Bob Peete
Location(s)     NBC Studios
Burbank, California
Camera setup     Multi-camera
Running time     24 minutes
Production company(s)     Carson Productions
Distributor     NBCUniversal Television Distribution
Broadcast
Original channel     NBC
Audio format     Stereo
Original run     September 27, 1986 – May 11, 1991

Amen is an American television sitcom produced by Carson Productions that ran from

September 27, 1986 to May 11, 1991 on NBC. 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 which featured predominately black casts.

Others included The Cosby Show, A Different World, and 227.[1]

Contents

    1 Overview
    2 Cast and characters
    3 Notable guest stars
    4 Ratings
    5 Syndication
    6 References
    7 External links

Overview

The series stars Sherman Hemsley (of All in the Family and The Jeffersons fame) as

Deacon Ernest Frye, of the First Community Church of Philadelphia. Frye, who works as

a lawyer, is often dishonest and frequently gets into trouble with his many

harebrained schemes. Anna Maria Horsford played Deacon Frye's 36-year-old single

daughter, Thelma Frye. The Reverend Reuben Gregory, played by Clifton Davis, was the

new, young pastor of the First Community Church, and also the object of Thelma's

affection. The two eventually married during the fourth season, despite the fact that

Reverend Gregory and Deacon Frye often butted heads.[2] In the series finale, Thelma

gives birth to the couple's first child.[3]

The cast also included Jester Hairston as high-spirited and lively senior citizen

Rolly Forbes, who often acted as the voice of reason. Davis and Hairston had

previously worked together, playing Clifton and Wildcat on the 1970s sitcom That's My

Mama. The show also starred comedienne Roz Ryan and Barbara Montgomery as Amelia and

Cassietta Hetebrink, a pair of chattering sisters at the church. Also appearing on the

show was Leola Henderson (played by Rosetta LeNoire), Rolly's love interest and

eventual wife. After portraying Leola Forbes for two seasons, LeNoire left the show to

star in the successful sitcom Family Matters as Grandma 'Mother' Estelle Winslow.

LeNoire was replaced by Montrose Hagins who played the character from 1989 until the

series' end in 1991.

For the third and fourth seasons, joining the cast were Elsa Raven as Swedish

housekeeper Inga and Tony T. Johnson as Chris, a young boy that lived next door to

Deacon Frye. In a running gag, Chris would visit the Frye home for various reasons and

would say something outrageous that would cause one of the adults to pick him up and

carry him out of the house. The character of Enga was dropped from the show in 1990,

with no explanation given for her disappearance. Barbara Montgomery left the series in

1990 to star on ABC's Married People, but there was no explanation of her character's

absence on the show. In the fifth and final season, Bumper Robinson joined the cast as

Clarence, a young street kid and protégé of Deacon Frye.
Cast and characters

    Sherman Hemsley as Deacon Ernest Frye
    Anna Maria Horsford as Thelma Frye Gregory
    Clifton Davis as Reverend Reuben Gregory
    Jester Hairston as Rolly Forbes
    Roz Ryan as Amelia Hetebrink
    Barbara Montgomery as Cassietta Hetebrink (1986–1990)
    Elsa Raven as Inga (1988–1990)
    Rosetta LeNoire as Leola Henderson Forbes (1987–1989)
    Montrose Hagins as Leola Henderson Forbes (1989–1991)
    Bumper Robinson as Clarence (1990–1991)
    Tony T. Johnson as Chris (1988–1991)
    Franklyn Seales as Lorenzo Hollingsworth (1986–1987)

Notable guest stars

    Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (episode 5.12)
    Hakim Abdulsamad (episode 1.14)
    Steve Allen (episode 5.9)
    James L. Avery (5 episodes)
    Halle Berry (episode 5.10)
    James Brown (episode 5.22)
    Nell Carter (episode 1.2)
    Chubby Checker (episode 5.11)
    Vinnie Curto (episode 3.16)
    Judyann Elder (episode 3.6)
    Fabian Forte (episode 5.17)
    Siedah Garrett (episode 5.8)
    Ron Glass (3 episodes)
    Cuba Gooding Jr. (episode 3.8)
    Moses Gunn (episode 4.3)
    M.C. Hammer (episode 5.13)
    Jackée Harry (2 episodes)
    Cindy Herron (episode 3.8)
    Telma Hopkins (episode 2.19)
    Casey Kasem (episode 5.11)
    Whitman Mayo (2 episodes)
    Myra J (2 episodes)
    Miguel A. Núñez, Jr. (2 episodes)
    Lawanda Page (3 episodes)
    Richard Roundtree (2 episodes)
    Al Ruscio (episode 3.16)
    Larenz Tate (episode 3.5)
    Berlinda Tolbert (episode 2.5)
    Joe Torry (episode 5.19)
    Fred Williamson (episode 3.2)

Ratings

    1986–1987: #13[4]
    1987–1988: #15[5]
    1988–1989: #25[6]
    1989–1990: #54
    1990–1991: #60

Syndication

Amen was sold into syndication shortly after finishing its run on NBC and Universal

Pictures' MCA Television unit was awarded the syndication rights. Those rights are now

in the hands of Comcast through its NBCUniversal Television Distribution division.

Reruns currently air on Encore Black.