By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Atlanta media mogul Tyler Perry, who started his TV career with TBS and moved on to OWN, is now adding TLC to his slate.
In an exclusive story from the Hollywood Reporter, Perry is going to write, direct and executive produce for TLC a series called "Too Close to Home," which focuses on a young woman who is forced to return to her trailer-park beginnings after her political career is derailed by a sex scandal. Perry shoots everything in Atlanta though the story do not say where the show will be set. Casting has not begun yet either.
OWN gave sister station TLC its blessing to work with him. Perry dominates the airwaves on OWN with four scripted shows: "The Haves and the Have Nots," "For Better or Worse," "If Loving You is Wrong" and "Love Thy Neighbor." Just last month, she ordered more episodes of each.
But both OWN and TLC are part of the same Discovery company.
The Daily Mail, which I have to say is not the most reliable of news sources, claims that Oprah Winfrey tried to give Perry some critiques about bolstering the quality of his shows. He allegedly did not take that well since the shows are doing well in the ratings - and that's what matters to him. That has created a chill between the two, the story said using unnamed sources, of course. So take that with a grain of salt.
Perry's shows have indeed contributed to a sharp increase in ratings for OWN.
In an interview I had with Oprah earlier this month, she gave no indication of tension with Perry, saying she hangs out with any time she has spare time in Atlanta. And she raved about how impressive his studios will be at Fort McPherson.
About the Author
