Mom's Minute

Introduction

You may have heard about Tyler Perry’s new shows that debuted on BET recently. As expected, there were a lot of hype around these shows with Tyler Perry making numerous appearances on talk shows, etc. to promote them.  Did Tyler Perry’s The 

Oval and Sistas live up to the hype around them? Check out my TV shows review here to find out.

The Oval Plot

The plot of The Oval is pretty straightforward. There is an interracial first family entering the oval office with everyone making preparations for their arrival.  Of course, the family has problems upon problems, and there is even a fight scene between the first lady and the president at the start of the drama. However, looking back, I'm not quite sure what the fight was all about -- except that it happened. 

The first family consists of a son as well as a teenage daughter, who -- you guessed it -- is quite unruly and is outright disrespectful to her mother. However, the mother is notably disrespectful and condescending to the teenage girl. 

There are also subplots -- one involving the usual child-custody battle relative to the son of the butler. On a positive note, of the actors playing their role as the first family, the teenage girl seems to be playing her part the best and to me appears to be the most believable in her role.

The Sistas Plot

If you are familiar with any of Tyler Perry’s other shows, movies, etc. dealing with women -- it looks like he kept with his formula to have them to just go about their daily lives.  The question is are their lives interesting enough for you to devote your time watching when you probably could be doing other things. This question is up to debate, because, believe it or not, some people may find this show to be interesting.

A word of caution about the dialogue in Sistas. You probably will grow tired of hearing one word that seemed to start off just about every conversation.  That word is “Sorry,” or the phrase “I’m sorry” which is habitually spoken before the dialogue continues. My recommendation to Tyler Perry in writing these type shows is to re-read, as well as edit, and if a phrase or a word seems to be showing up a lot -- simply find another one to replace it.

Which to Watch -- The Oval or Sistas?

It’s early yet; however based on the first episodes of both shows, I’m leaning toward Sistas, versus The Oval. Reason being Sistas has a realism touch to it. Also, there is a bit of comedy added as well.  The Oval seems to be quite a stretch and Tyler Perry seems to be reaching far and wide in order to make this show one that is worth watching. A plus for The Oval is the set design which is an impressive replica of the actual White House.

Assessment of The Oval vs. Sistas

I think neither of the shows had a “Wow” factor that would cause me to wait in anticipation for the next episodes. There was a scene in Sistas where the teenage daughter blacked out after knocking her head against a table. This could have been sort of a clip hanger for the audience to wait until the next episode to see what happened to her. However, this mystery was resolved in the first episode.

All in all, I think Tyler Perry stayed true to the format of his other venues in writing The Oval and Sistas. I also feel that he missed the opportunity to bring back the character who practically made his career.  Wouldn’t it have been interesting if among the maids at the oval office, Madea would appear and just be her usual self -- not as the main character, but maybe as a cameo type one? I’m sure Madea would have added a different, and probably some comedy relief to the show.  Alas -- this didn't happen. In fact nothing really memorable happened during either of the shows in my opinion.

Rating of The Oval Vs. Sistas

Based on a rating of 1 star to  5 stars with 5 stars being the highest, I rate The Oval 1 ¾ star and Sistas 2 stars.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd1Oh1e_HEE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8criNF35Oqw