TYLER PERRY & OPRAH COVER ESSENCE MAG & THERE NEW SHOW ON OWN IS A BIG HIT!

B.F.F.'S Everyone knows Oprah and Tyler Perry are friends, but now they're business partners too. 

Perry, who has created two new shows for Oprah's television network, OWN, explains how the duo is adjusting to their new venture in the June issue of Essence. 

"The most important thing about coming together was making sure we would not lose our friendship because of the business. We had to establish ground rules," Perry, 43, says. 

According to OWN, the debut episode of  Tyler Perry’s new original drama series “The Haves and the Have Nots” last night, drew 1.77 million viewers total, making it the highest rated series debut in network history.

OWN premiered two back-to-back episodes; the first attracted 1.77 million total viewers for the premiere at 9 pm, building to over 1.8 million viewers tuning in for the second episode at 10 pm.
“The Haves and The Have Nots” looks like a HIT for Tyler Perry and the Oprah Winfrey Network! In the day of reality tv it’s exciting to see the resurgence of the soap opera. Shonda Rhimes is enjoying the rewards of producing a great story lines in the midst of reality television domination.

We hope that the viewers will continue to support “The Haves and The Have Nots“. Not only does this show signal a change in diversity on network TV; but it also gives actors an opportunity to WIN. We love to see good people WIN!