Tyler Perry's Madea Cinematic Universe Explained: Every Movie & Show

Tyler Perry has built up an extensive Madea cinematic universe stretching back to 2005, and here's every movie and show that counts within it. First conceived as a character for the stage in 1999, Tyler Perry's Madea/Mabel Simmons has since starred in numerous forms of media, becoming an instantly recognizable IP across the last 25 years. Most of these projects are the Madea cinematic universe movies, with Mabel Simmons starring in no less than 13 feature films to date.

The Madea cinematic universe's Mabel Simmons is based on a mixture of the tough love Tyler Perry's mother and aunt gave him at a young age, respectively, with Perry stating (per NPR) they "would beat the hell out of you but make sure the ambulance got there in time to make sure they could set your arm back." These themes of tough love and a strong moral code permeate the entirety of the Madea cinematic universe, with each of Tyler Perry's Madea comedies containing serious themes intended to deliver moral messages about issues such as infidelity, spousal abuse, and the consequences of one's actions. These themes are all tied into Madea's zany extended family, which comprises a staggering 66 characters across the entirety of the Madea cinematic universe.

With the character of Mabel Simmons enduring for an impressive 25 years in contemporary culture, Tyler Perry's Madea cinematic universe is naturally an expansive, interwoven series of projects. In addition to Madea's 13 feature films, Perry has starred as the titular grandmother in numerous TV appearances and 11 self-written plays to date. As a result, here's every movie and show in Tyler Perry's Madea cinematic universe explained.

What Movies Are Part Of The Madea Cinematic Universe

As aforementioned, there are currently 13 movies that comprise the core of the Madea cinematic universe. The first of these is Diary of A Mad Black Woman, with Perry looking to jump from a series of successful stage productions to the big screen in 2005. Diary of a Mad Black Woman introduces Mabel Simmons and her first on-screen family members while also setting up the key morality themes that would come to form the backbone of the Madea cinematic universe in years to come.

One of the more revered Madea cinematic universe's movies arrived in the following year in 2006 via Madea's Family Reunion, which sees the Simmons family hold a funeral, a wedding, and a family reunion all in the same weekend as no-nonsense matriarch Madea fights to keep order. Critics praised the sincerity with which Madea's Family Reunion delivered its core familial messages while retaining the heart of the original stage play. This release was followed by Madea Goes to Jail in 2009, which, while dividing critics, still ranks as the highest-grossing Madea cinematic universe movie, with Madea Goes To Jail earning a whopping $90,508,000 lifetime gross to date.

In 2016 and 2017, Perry diversified his Madea offerings with Boo! A Madea Halloween and Boo 2! A Madea Halloween, delivering Halloween-centric stories in which Simmons battles all manner of creatures while protecting her family. These spooky Madea cinematic universe features were followed by A Madea Family Funeral, with Perry stating in 2019 that it would be his last outing as Mabel Simmons, leading audiences to believe Madea would be killed off during the movie. This, however, did not come to pass, with Perry un-retiring Simmons just two years later for the Netflix-backed A Madea Homecoming as one of the best Madea movie entries yet. A Madea Homecoming doubles down on all of the familiar elements that made the initial Madea offerings great while also making Mrs. Brown's Boys canon in the Madea cinematic universe by including a surprise appearance from Brendan O'Carroll's Agnes Brown.

The 13 movies in the Madea cinematic universe canon to date are:

Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005)
Madea's Family Reunion (2006)
Meet the Browns (2008)
Madea Goes to Jail (2009)
I Can Do Bad All By Myself (2009)
Madea's Big Happy Family (2011)
Madea's Witness Protection (2012)
A Madea Christmas (2013)
Madea's Tough Love (2015)
Boo! A Madea Halloween (2016)
Boo 2! A Madea Halloween (2017)
A Madea Family Funeral (2019)
A Madea Homecoming (2022)

What TV Shows Are Part Of The Madea Cinematic Universe

Despite no official Madea TV show in which the titular protagonist stars, Mabel Simmons has made several guest appearances on various series over the years. Madea's first TV appearance was in the TBS comedy-drama House of Payne's pilot episode "Bully and the Beast." Madea is Nikki Grady-Simmons' (Keke Palmer) foster mother, who returns to the Payne's Atlanta household from time to time and usually intimidates the patriarch Curtis (LaVan Davis) in all manner of hilarious situations. In addition to "Bully and the Beast," Madea has also made guest appearances in two additional House of Payne episodes, "The Wench Who Saved Christmas" and "Wife Swap," as well as on the series' spinoff show The Paynes.

In addition, Tyler Perry's Madea also made a special guest appearance in the Oprah Winfrey Network comedy series, Love Thy Neighbor. The episode, titled "Madea's Pressure Is Up," aired as part of the 3rd season of Love Thy Neighbor, in which Madea helps Linda with her divisive pregnancy. Mabel Simmons is also frequently mentioned in another of Perry's self-produced TBS series, Meet the Browns, and its subsequent spinoff Tyler Perry's Assisted Living.

The five TV shows in the Madea cinematic universe canon to date are:

House of Payne (2007 - 2012, 2020 - present)
Meet the Browns (2009 - 2011)
Love Thy Neighbor (2013 - 2017)
The Paynes (2018)
Assisted Living (2020 - present)

What Else Counts In The Madea Cinematic Universe

There are also two other collections of Madea media that make up the rest of the Madea cinematic universe's world. Tyler Perry's character plays comprise the majority of this additional media, with the 1999 stage production of I Can Do Bad All By Myself catapulting Perry to stardom and birthing the character of Mabel Simmons. Additionally, the book titled Don't Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings is considered canon in the Madea cinematic universe, in which a collection of advice, stories, and wisdom are written from the viewpoint of Madea.

The 11 plays in the Madea cinematic universe considered canon to date are: