Amen (TV series)

Amen is an American sitcom produced by Carson Productions that aired on NBC from September 27, 1986, to May 11, 1991. 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 and early 1990s that featured predominantly black casts – others included The Cosby Show, A Different World, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and 227.[1]

Amen
GenreSitcom
Created byEd. Weinberger
Starring
Theme music composerAndraé Crouch
Opening theme"Shine on Me" by Vanessa Bell Armstrong
ComposerBruce Miller
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons5
No. of episodes110 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Producers
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time24 minutes
Production companies
Release
Original networkNBC
Original releaseSeptember 27, 1986 (1986-09-27) –
May 11, 1991 (1991-05-11)

Premise

The series revolves around Ernest Frye, a widower deacon of the First Community Church of Philadelphia, who also works as a lawyer. He is often dishonest and frequently gets into trouble with his many harebrained schemes. Frye has a single daughter named Thelma. Reuben Gregory is the new, young pastor of the church, and also the object of Thelma's affection. The two get married during season four, despite the fact that Gregory and Frye often butt heads.[2] In the series finale, Thelma gives birth to the couple's first child.[3]

Cast and characters
  • Sherman Hemsley as Ernest Frye, a widowed deacon of the First Community Church in Philadelphia. Ernie was also personal injury lawyer and notorious ambulance chaser.
  • Clifton Davis as the Reverend Doctor Reuben Gregory, the new pastor of the Community Church and Thelma's love interest and eventual husband
  • Anna Maria Horsford as Thelma Frye Gregory, the Deacon's daughter and Reuben's eventual wife
  • Roz Ryan as Amelia Hetebrink, the church secretary, Casietta's sister (both were chatterers and known as "the Hetebrink sisters")
  • Jester Hairston as Rolly Forbes, the elder, who often acts as the voice of reason
  • Barbara Montgomery as Casietta Hetebrink (1986–90), the church trustee, Amelia's sister. Barbara was the only original cast member to leave the series, she went on to star in ABC's "Married People" in 1990. Casietta mysteriously disappeared and was never talked about.
  • Elsa Raven as Inga (1988–90), the Deacon's Swedish housekeeper
  • Tony T. Johnson as Chris (1988-1990), a young boy, the Deacon's neighbor
  • Rosetta LeNoire as Leola Henderson Forbes (1987–89), Rolly's love interest and eventual wife
  • Montrose Hagins as Leola Henderson Forbes (1989–91), Rolly's wife
  • Bumper Robinson as Clarence (1990–91), a young street kid and protégé of Deacon Frye

Exterior shot location

The Mount Pisgah African Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, a stone gothic church building, was used for exterior views of the First Community Church. Consequently, the Mount Pisgah Church became known to the nation as the "Amen Church".[4]

Episodes
Further information: List of Amen episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
122September 27, 1986 (1986-09-27)April 4, 1987 (1987-04-04)
221October 3, 1987 (1987-10-03)May 7, 1988 (1988-05-07)
322October 8, 1988 (1988-10-08)April 22, 1989 (1989-04-22)
423September 23, 1989 (1989-09-23)April 7, 1990 (1990-04-07)
522November 17, 1990 (1990-11-17)May 11, 1991 (1991-05-11)

Ratings

References
  1. "A Look At New TV Season". Ebony. Johnson Publishing Company. 41 (12): 145. October 1986. ISSN 0012-9011.
  2. Collier, Aldore (February 5, 1990). "Clifton Davis and Anna Marie Horsford Tie Knot On TV's 'Amen'". Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. 77 (17): 60–61. ISSN 0021-5996.
  3. ""Deliverance" Episode Ends Fifth Season of "Amen"". Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. 80 (4): 60. May 13, 1991. ISSN 0021-5996.
  4. "Church History". Mt. Pisgah A.M.E. Church. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  5. "ClassicTVHits.com: TV Ratings > 1980's". classictvhits.com. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  6. "ClassicTVHits.com: TV Ratings > 1980's". classictvhits.com. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  7. "ClassicTVHits.com: TV Ratings > 1980's". classictvhits.com. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
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