Will Brown is Brianna and Joaquin foster Dad
Synopsis[]
Meet the Browns follows the misadventures of Tyler Perry’s stage character Mr. Leroy Brown. After Pop Brown (Mr. Brown's father) died, Mr. Brown discovers a letter asking him to “Take care of the old--”. Mr. Brown later discovers that there was a second page to the letter that finished the sentence: “--Thunderbird in the garage”. By the time said page was found, Mr. Brown had already opened a home for seniors called “Brown Meadows”. Thinking he is carrying out his father's wishes, Mr. Brown enlists the help of Cora Simmons (his daughter with Madea), Will (his nephew), and Will’s wife, Sasha, a nurse. After a fire at a nearby seniors home, Brown Meadows is filled and Mr. Brown is overwhelmed. His new residents include Miss Daisy (an aging B-movie actress who lives in the past, and the many different characters she played in her career), Colonel Cleophus Jackson (an ex-Marine who won’t give Brown an inch), and Ms. Edna (who is still very in touch with her sexuality). They are joined by the handyman, Jesús Hernandez, who is studying to be a lawyer and two foster children, Brianna and Joaquin, who have been tossed around from home to home. Brianna and Joaquin finally find refuge in Mr. Brown’s house even though it seems to be an odd match. Finally, the gorgeous and not-too-smart London Sheraton (a very spoiled celebrity/heiress, similar to and based on Paris Hilton) is brought to Brown Meadows to serve her community service for a DUI conviction. Gradually, Brown and the residents of Brown Meadows learn to live with and love each other.
At the beginning of the second season, Brianne Gould, who played Brianna, was removed from the series for undisclosed reasons. She was replaced by Logan Browning.
In the series, Eddie Walker, one of Will's former friends, who was close to molesting Joaquin, became the first on-screen character to die. He suffered stab wounds and the surgery done to try to save his life was performed by Will himself. Also, in season 4, Brianna's friend, Antonio, is killed in a car crash involving texting while driving.
David Mann is the only cast member who appears in every episode.
Mabel "Madea" Simmons, a recurring character in many of Tyler Perry's works, is an unseen character in this series though mentioned many times. Throughout the current four seasons, she has yet to make an appearance on camera.
Other unseen characters include Brown's brother, LB and his wife Sarah. They both appeared in the stageplay and film adaptation of Meet the Browns but they have yet to make an appearance on the series. However, LB was mentioned once in the backdoor pilot episode which aired as an episode of House of Payne.
Main characters[]
The show revolves around the misadventures of the multi-generational Senior family. They live in suburban Atlanta, Georgia. It is noted that all main cast members are credited only for the episodes they appear in.
- David Mann as Leroy S. Brown: The show's main protagonist. Mr. Brown is in his mid-70s, and he's a church deacon who's very proud about being saved. He has one brother, Larry “L.B.” Brown, (who is never mentioned) and one sister Vera. He was married years ago, but his wife died, and in the original Tyler Perry plays, Leroy Brown has another daughter with his now deceased wife. that character was never developed in the films and only shown in the play Family Reunion. Recently, however, he learned that he has a daughter, Cora Simmons, as a result of a one night stand on prom night with Mabel “Madea” Simmons. Brown is a very nice, caring, giving man, but not terribly bright. He also acts as the wise guy in the show, making fun of other characters like Edna or Reggie. And his style of dress is beyond outrageous. He works part time as a Hospital janitor he also works as a school enforcement officer which he takes very seriously (even to the point where he beats up a teacher who he thought did something wrong). He is somewhat good at karate. He also has a move called "The Kangaroo". Brown also has catchphrases in the show, which are "Stop Being Nasty!", "What the What?" and "The Devil is a Liar". In one episode Brown becomes diabetic. A running gag involves Brown calling Edna a different kind of animal or vice versa to his alcoholic sister Vera. Another running gag is whenever Mr. Brown is making fun of Reggie's weight. He really doesn't like Cora's fianceé, Reggie.
- Tamela Mann as Cora Jean Simmons-Brown: Cora Simmons is Brown’s daughter with Madea, in the original Tyler Perry plays, Leroy Brown has another daughter with his now deceased wife. that character was never developed in the films and only shown in the play Family Reunion. She is a praying woman who is very active in church, but shows aspects of her mother, Madea, when angered. In "Meet the Candlelight Dinner", it was revealed that Cora is allergic to laxative medicine. Cora later gets engaged to Reggie Brooks, a football coach at Cora's school who lives with his mother Thelma. Cora is also a widow with no children (whereas in the play and movie she had two adult daughters). In "Meet the Attraction", it was revealed that Cora is afraid of mannequins and test dummies. In seasons 3 and 4, Cora is caught in the middle of a love triangle between her Reggie and Gordon, and Cora chooses Reggie instead of Gordon. Her age is never said in the series, though in the episode "Meet the Big Wedding" she covers her mouth when she almost blurts it out ('Mr. Brown I am "covers mouth" years old). In the television show continuity, Cora has known that Mr. Brown was her father for a very long time, and Mr. Brown often references raising Cora and in the Madea's Big Happy Family movie, Madea claims that Mr. Brown has given her 18 dollars for Cora's first 18 years for Cora's child support.
- Lamman Rucker as Dr. William "Will" Brown, MD: Will is Brown’s nephew and is married to Sasha. He’s a doctor who loves his uncle so much that he helps out at the home providing free medical services to the residents in the retirement home. He and his wife, Sasha, are adopted parents to Brianna and Joaquin Ortiz. According to Brown Will has nor will never get to meet his father as Vera his alcoholic mother met Will's father drunk.
- Denise Boutte as Sasha Brown (nee Bohem-Brown), RN: Sasha is married to Will. Sasha is a nurse and decides to work for Brown helping with the medical needs of the residents. Having been married to Will for a couple of years she is ready to start having a family. She and her husband, Will, are adopted parents to Brianna and Joaquin Ortiz. In one episode Sasha becomes pregnant however has a miscarriage.
- Tony Vaughn as Colonel Cleophus Jackson: The Colonel is a former military man who still lives his life as if he’s in the military. His motto is “Shoot now, ask questions later.” He’s a very disciplined man who is always very formal and very official. Underneath his hard exterior however, he has a soft heart. His wife died several years ago and he’s estranged from his daughter, Karen, who is his only child. He is engaged to Edna Barnes. In season 3, they moved out of Brown Meadows to a nearby house down the street.
- Juanita Jennings as Edna Wright Barnes Grey Foster Jackson: Edna is a 66-year old woman. She has always wanted to be a singer, but never really pursued it. She’s a widow and never had children. The majority of her close friends and family have passed. She is extremely in touch with her sexuality and acts as if late 60’s is the new forty. Everything to her somehow relates to sex. Her fiance is the Colonel. In season 3, they moved out of Brown Meadows to a nearby house down the street. A running gag includes Brown saying that Edna is like an animal (i.e. a wolf, a horse etc.).
- Brianne Gould (season 1) / Logan Browning (season 2 – present) as Brianna Janae Ortiz: Brianna is a foster child who comes from a broken home, and an unsafe foster environment. She’s very bright and knows the foster care system well. Because of her tragic childhood, Brianna has developed anger problems and often carries a chip on her shoulder. Feeling she and her brother, Joaquin, are alone in the world, it is the only relationship she nurtures. Brianna was portrayed by Brianne Gould in season 1. At the end of the first season, Gould left the series for undisclosed reasons and, from the start of season 2, Logan Browning took over the role.
- Gunnar Washington as Joaquin Ortiz: Joaquin is Brianna’s brother. He is a foster child who comes from a broken home. He and Brianna have been moved from foster home to foster home. As a result, he is anxious to find a good home and be settled. Joaquin is a smart, sarcastic and loving little boy who sometimes lets his mischievous ways get him into lots of trouble. Overall, he just wants to be loved. He loves to make his sisters life miserable.
- Terri J. Vaughn as Renee LaToya Smith: Renee is a loud-mouthed nurse at the hospital where Will, Brown, Derek and Sasha work. She joined the cast as a regular in Season 4, after being a recurring cast member in Season 3. She says to have 4 kids.
- Robert Ri'chard as Derek: A buffoonish frat student who lives next door to Brown Meadows. He often provides service to Brown Meadows, and is often either the mastermind or participant in Brown's antics. He debuts in Season 3 as a recurring character, and in the fourth season, is promoted to a main character.
Recurring characters[]
- Jenifer Lewis as Vera Brown: Mr. Brown's younger sister and Will's mother. Vera means well but she is very loud, controlling and is an alcoholic. She spoils Will and subtly despises Sasha. She along with Mr. Brown, Cora and Will appeared in the film version of the series. In one episode, Vera and Brown get into an argument, and Vera says "I'm about to be an only child," which either indicates that their brother, LB, has died or does not exist.
- Tasha Smith as Tanya Ortiz: The biological mother of Joaquin and Brianna, who originally only wants them back for money. She is either in denial or simply ignoring the fact that Brianna was molested by a former boyfriend of hers. She served as a major antagonist to the series in her first two appearences. Then later tries to redeem herself and make amends to everyone except for Sasha as they despise one another.
- Lisa Arrindell Anderson as Karen: Karen is the Colonel's pushy daughter.
- Ciara Wilson as Simone Taylor: Brianna's dimwitted and somewhat childish female best friend who got pregnant. She is similar to Mr. Brown.
- Courtney Gray as Jamal: Brianna's male best friend.
- Bernard Jones as Milo: A student in the school Cora teaches at, who often ends up in detention.
- Leland L. Jones as Gordon Bob: The principal at the school where Cora teaches. He still has feelings for Cora, but he can't get her to leave Reggie for him.
- Maurice G. Smith as Reggie Brooks: Cora's fiancee, who is the school's football coach. He lives with his mother, Thelma.
- Laura Hayes as Mrs. Thelma Brooks: Reggie's sometimes overbearing, sometimes caring, mother
- Njema Williams as "Benny": local bum that is usually hustling with (or against) Brown.
Past characters[]
- K Callan as Daisy LaRue: Daisy is a former B-movie actress who was big in her day (in her own mind). She really misses her former career so she tries to hold onto it in every way possible. Due to her acting career, she has lots of money, but she’s very cheap. In fact, whenever someone talks to her about money or anything else she doesn’t want to talk about, she goes into “character” to avoid the conversation. She never married due to never finding anyone like her high school crush, but she has dated the best of them. In season 3, She moved to Florida with her cousin Lorraine (the late Rue McClanahan), but comes back to attend Edna and Colonel's wedding in season 4. She has a deteriorating memory and often thinks that Brown Meadows isn't in Atlanta (i.e. Manhattan, California etc.). Daisy currently lives with her cousin Lorraine in Palm Beach, Florida.
- Antonio Jaramillo as Jesus Hernandez: Jesus is a handyman who’s working at Brown Meadows to pay for school as he studies to be a lawyer. In season 3, Brown fired Jesus to save money, but he comes back to attend Edna and Colonel's wedding in season 4. According to Jesus he took the BAR and got a job as a lawyer. He has a love/hate relationship with London.
- Arielle Vandenberg as London Sheraton: London is a very privileged celebrity who is famous for absolutely no reason at all. Although she has no clue about hard work, she has to do community service at Brown Meadows, due to having several DUIs. On the surface she may appear not-too-bright, but at times she shows almost startling intelligence. In season 2, Her family forces her to move after her probation, but she visits Brown Meadows now and then and even comes back to attend Edna and Colonel's wedding in season 4. She is similar to the character London Tipton from the show The Suite Life of Zack & Cody; both named London, are portrayed to be dumb, are heiresses, and both depend on their fathers who are unseen but mentioned.
- Jeanette Sousa as Carmen Martinez: Carmen is a very attractive social worker for Brianna and Joaquin. Carmen is good friends with Sasha. She only appears in the early episodes of Season 1.
Seasons[]
Main article: List of Meet the Browns episodes
| Season | Ep # | First Airdate | Last Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 10 | January 7, 2009 | February 4, 2009 |
| Season 2 | 26 | May 27, 2009 | September 16, 2009 |
| Season 3 | 40 | November 4, 2009 | June 9, 2010 |
| Season 4 | 52 | June 16, 2010 | December 22, 2010 |
| Season 5 | TBA | October 26, 2011 | TBA |
DVD releases[]
Lionsgate Home Entertainment has released the first two seasons on DVD in Region 1. Season 3 will be released on November 22, 2011.[2]
| DVD Title | Ep # | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns - Season 1 | 1-20 | August 30, 2011 |
| Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns - Season 2 | 21-40 | October 4, 2011 |
| Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns - Season 3 | 41-60 | November 22, 2011 |
Setting[]
Locations seen in the show set in Atlanta, Georgia include the Browns Meadows, and the school where Cora and Mr. Brown work. The Brown Meadows home is a two-story building, and five rooms are featured throughout the series: the kitchen, the living room, the dining room, Brianna's room, Mr. Brown's room and the outside patio. Will and Sasha's, Joaquin, Cora's, and the seniors' room are never seen so far. Season 3 introduces the hospital where Will, Sasha, and Renee' work, where Mr. Brown originally worked at as well. Season 4 features The Colonel and Edna's home.
Ratings[]
When the series premiered on January 7, 2009, it received a viewership of 4,027,000 viewers based on Nielsen ratings.[3] In March 2010, Meet the Browns became TBS's #1 sitcom having a viewership of 2.3 million and among adults 18-49 having 1.2 million.[4] In October 2010, the show continued to be TBS's #1 and #2 sitcom telecasts with an audience of 1.2 to 1.4 million among adults 18-49.[5]
[edit] Syndication[]
Meet the Browns debuted in September 2010 in more than 70 percent of the U.S. several major station groups, including Fox, Tribune, Weigel, CBS, Capital, Cox, Meredith, Granite and Belo.
Reruns is currently airing at My Network TV & The CW only in its San Diego channel.