''Amen'' is an American

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

produced by

Carson Productions Carson Entertainment Group (formerly Carson Productions and Carson Productions Group) is a television production company established by Johnny Carson in 1980. The company primarily produced ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' from 1980 to ...

that aired on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

from September 27, 1986, to May 11, 1991. Set in

Sherman Hemsley Sherman Alexander Hemsley (February 1, 1938 – July 24, 2012) was an American actor. He was known for his roles as George Jefferson on the CBS television series ''All in the Family'' (1973–1975; 1978) and ''The Jeffersons'' (1975–1985), Deac ...

's real-life hometown of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, ''Amen'' stars Hemsley as the

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

of a church and was part of a wave of successful sitcoms on

in the 1980s and early 1990s that featured predominantly

black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

casts – others included ''

The Cosby Show ''The Cosby Show'' is an American television sitcom co-created by and starring Bill Cosby, which aired Thursday nights for eight seasons on NBC between September 20, 1984, until April 30, 1992. The show focuses on an upper middle-class African- ...

'', ''

A Different World ''A Different World'' is an American sitcom (and a spin-off of ''The Cosby Show'') television series that aired for six seasons on NBC from September 24, 1987 to July 9, 1993. The series originally centered on Denise Huxtable ( Lisa Bonet) an ...

'', ''

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' is an American television sitcom created by Andy and Susan Borowitz for NBC. It aired from September 10, 1990, to May 20, 1996. The series stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart t ...

'', and ''

227 Year 227 ( CCXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Senecio and Fulvius (or, less frequently, year 980 ''Ab urbe condi ...

''.

Premise

The series revolves around Ernest Frye, a

widower A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has died. Terminology The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed ''widowhood''. An archaic term for a widow is "relict," literally "someone left over". This word can so ...

deacon of the First Community Church of

, 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. In the series finale, Thelma gives birth to the couple's first child.

Cast and characters

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 Clifton Duncan Davis (born October 4, 1945) is an American actor, singer, songwriter, minister, and author. Davis wrote The Jackson 5's No. 2 hit "Never Can Say Goodbye" in 1971. He appeared on Broadway in the musicals '' Two Gentlemen of Verona ...

as the Reverend Doctor Reuben Gregory, the new pastor of the Community Church and Thelma's love interest and eventual husband *

Anna Maria Horsford Anna Maria Horsford is an American actress, known for her performances in television comedies. Horsford is best known for her roles as Thelma Frye on the NBC sitcom ''Amen'' (1986–91), and as Dee Baxter on the WB sitcom ''The Wayans Bros.'' (1 ...

as Thelma Frye Gregory, the Deacon's daughter and Reuben's eventual wife *

Roz Ryan Roz Ryan (born Rosalyn Bowen; July 7, 1951) is an American actress, singer, and comedian who has worked for productions in film, television, and Broadway theatre for over 40 years. Ryan's first role on Broadway was in '' Ain't Misbehavin, a Fa ...

as Amelia Hetebrink, the church secretary, Casietta's sister (both were chatterers and known as "the Hetebrink sisters") *

Jester Hairston Jester Joseph Hairston (July 9, 1901 – January 18, 2000) was an American composer, songwriter, arranger, choral conductor and actor. He was regarded as a leading expert on black spirituals and choral music. His notable compositions include "Am ...

as Rolly Forbes, the

elder An elder is someone with a degree of seniority or authority. Elder or elders may refer to: Positions Administrative * Elder (administrative title), a position of authority Cultural * North American Indigenous elder, a person who has and tr ...

, who often acts as the voice of reason *

Barbara Montgomery Barbara Montgomery (born June 25, 1939) is an American stage, television and film actress, and theatrical and film director. She is best known for her performance in ''Amen'' (1986-1990). Career Born in Queens, Montgomery began her career on the ...

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 Elsa Rabinowitz (September 21, 1929 – November 2, 2020), known professionally as Elsa Raven, was an American character actress, perhaps best known for her two years (1988–1990) on the sitcom ''Amen'' and playing the mother of Vincent Terranov ...

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 Rosetta LeNoire (born Rosetta Olive Burton; August 8, 1911 – March 17, 2002) was an American stage, film, and television actress. She was known to contemporary audiences for her work in television. She had regular roles on such series as ' ...

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 Larry C. "Bumper" Robinson II is an American film, television and voice actor. He is known for his roles as Bumblebee and Blitzwing on '' Transformers: Animated'', Falcon on '' Avengers Assemble'' and Cyborg in '' Justice League: Doom''. Career R ...

as Clarence (1990–91), a young street kid and

protégé Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...

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".

Episodes

Ratings

* 1986–1987: #13 * 1987–1988: #15 * 1988–1989: #25 * 1989–1990: #33 * 1990–1991: #65

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Amen (Tv Series) 1986 American television series debuts 1991 American television series endings 1980s American sitcoms 1980s American black sitcoms 1990s American black sitcoms English-language television shows NBC original programming TV One (American TV channel) original programming Television series by Universal Television Television shows set in Philadelphia Television series created by Ed. Weinberger Television series by Carson Productions Religious comedy television series