People don’t just make shows with no network attached, but Tyler Perry did. It was a gamble that paid off. House of Payne landed at the CW when that network needed new content. It did better than expected in the ratings, leading Tyler Perry to more work, then to the big screen, then to the fruition of his own studio ambitions. His notable film Diary of a Mad Black Woman reached theaters in 2005, shortly before House of Payne found network success.
