Tyler Perry's House of Payne is an American comedy-drama

Comedy-drama

Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...

 television series created and produced by playwright, director

Film director

A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...

, and producer Tyler Perry

Tyler Perry

Tyler Perry is an American actor, director, playwright, entrepreneur, screenwriter, producer, author, and songwriter. Perry wrote and produced many stage plays during the 1990s and early 2000s. In 2005, he released his first film, Diary of a Mad Black Woman...

. The show revolves around a multi-generational family living under one roof in Atlanta

Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...

, Georgia

Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

 led by patriarch Curtis Payne

Curtis Payne

Curtis Payne is a fictional character and the protagonist of Tyler Perry's sitcom House of Payne. He resides in Atlanta, Georgia. Portrayed by actor LaVan Davis, Payne is depicted in the show to be a selfish, arrogant, and often rude character who has entitled himself the "King of the...

 and his wife Ella

Ella Payne

Ella Payne is a fictional character on the TBS sitcom, Tyler Perry's House of Payne. In the series, she is depicted to be a very responsible, caring Christian woman who does many chores around the Payne house and often make major decisions that affect the family...

. The show premiered in syndication on June 21, 2006, and new episodes have been broadcast exclusively on TBS since June 6, 2007. While primarily a comedy sitcom, House of Payne is known for featuring dark themes and subject matter, such as substance abuse

Substance abuse

A substance-related disorder is an umbrella term used to describe several different conditions associated with several different substances .A substance related disorder is a condition in which an individual uses or abuses a...

 and addiction

Substance dependence

The section about substance dependence in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does not use the word addiction at all. It explains:...

, and has thus often been classified as a comedy-drama or black comedy

Black comedy

A black comedy, or dark comedy, is a comic work that employs black humor or gallows humor. The definition of black humor is problematic; it has been argued that it corresponds to the earlier concept of gallows humor; and that, as humor has been defined since Freud as a comedic act that anesthetizes...

.