Tyler Perry is one of the most stacked filmmakers of his generation — and one of the most distinct, with his melding of comedy and melodrama.
Across a few dozen films, most of which he directed, Perry has explored such serious themes as assault, abuse, addiction, prison reform, violence, revenge, and just about every emotion life has to offer. (That’s not even counting his myriad TV shows, which merit a whole other list.)
Perry is sometimes derided for his work, but his billion-dollar empire speaks for itself. Based primarily out of Atlanta, the filmmaker centralizes communities which, prior to his 2005 breakout Diary of a Mad Black Woman, were not often showcased on mainstream multiplex screens.
Here’s a complete guide to watching Tyler Perry’s movies in order, from his debut feature to his most recent hits.
Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005)
Tyler Perry and Kimberly Elise in ‘Diary of a Mad Black Woman’.
ALFEO DIXON/Lionsgate
Perry’s signature character, Madea, made her big-screen debut in this movie based on his play. Though Perry went on to direct most of his subsequent films, Diary was helmed by Darren Grant. After Helen’s (Kimberly Elise) heartless husband (Steve Harris) kicks her out, she seeks refuge with Madea (plus her husband Joe and son Brian, both played by Perry), who helps Helen get her life back on track and let out her anger.
Diary of a Mad Black Woman, swinging between melodrama and farce, established Perry as a singular voice. It was an immediate hit, setting the performer on his path to mainstream stardom.
Where to watch Diary of a Mad Black Woman: Amazon Prime (to rent)
Madea’s Family Reunion (2006)
Tyler Perry directs himself directing a home movie in ‘Madea’s Family Reunion.’ (Madea not pictured).
Alfeo Dixon/Lionsgate
The congregation of Madea’s extended relatives, all of whom are dealing with personal issues of varying degrees of seriousness, means it’s time for the matriarch to dish out some much-needed tough love.
One of the things you learn quickly in the Madea universe is that this woman has a larger brood than many royal families — and few of the family members carry over from film to film. Here, Keke Palmer steals the show as Madea’s niece.
Where to watch Madea’s Family Reunion: Amazon Prime (to rent)
Daddy’s Little Girls (2007)
This is not Stringer Bell, this is a much kinder, gentler Idris Elba in ‘Daddy’s Little Girls’.
Alfeo Dixon/Lionsgate
In this more serious-minded (and Madea-free) movie from Perry, Idris Elba plays Monty, a hard-working father who loses custody of his daughters to his drug-addled wife (Tasha Smith). As he fights to regain custody, Monty begins a romance with a lawyer, Julia (Gabrielle Union).
This is a sweet, redemptive film that pares back some of the more extreme dramatic elements of Perry’s earlier work to tell a straightforward, second-chance-at-love story.
Where to watch Daddy’s Little Girls: Amazon Prime (to rent)
Why Did I Get Married? (2007)
Sharon Leal and Tyler Perry ask, ‘Why Did I Get Married?’.
Alfeo Dixion/Lionsgate
This ensemble dramedy follows a group of couples (among them, Perry, Janet Jackson, and Jill Scott) who adjourn to a country estate for what’s supposed to be a carefree weekend but instead devolves into a truth-telling free-for-all. It is, after all, a Tyler Perry movie.
Featuring powerhouse performances from the entire cast, this is among Perry’s more thoughtful comedies.
Where to watch Why Did I Get Married?: Starz
Meet the Browns (2008)
The big-screen cast of ‘Meet the Browns,’ before it became a small-screen hit.
Alfeo Dixon/Lionsgate
Angela Bassett stars as Brenda Brown, a struggling single mother who, while dealing with some incredibly complicated business matters, is wooed by a basketball coach (Rick Fox) who sees potential in her son.
Madea appears, along with the extended Brown family that would later headline the long-running TBS sitcom that shares the film’s title.
Where to watch Meet the Browns: Amazon Prime (to rent)
The Family That Preys (2008)
Tyler Perry, Taraji P. Henson, and Alfre Woodard in ‘The Family That Preys.’ (Psst, it’s a pun!).
Alfeo Dixon/Lionsgate
This is Perry’s version of the Hatfields and McCoys — and boy, does this guy love business deals and people in suits hashing out contracts. Kathy Bates and Alfre Woodard star as lifelong friends who risk being torn apart by their intertwined business transactions and emotionally codependent relationship.
The latter half of the film turns into Thelma and Louise Lite as Bates and Woodard hit the road together.
Where to watch The Family That Preys: Starz
Madea Goes to Jail (2009)
Tyler Perry in ‘Madea Goes to Jail’.
Alfeo Dixion/Lionsgate
Relatively lighter than other Madea melodramatic vehicles, this installment finds the matriarch imprisoned for some pretty extreme traffic violations, where she soon becomes the prison’s head woman in charge.
While Madea rehabilitates her co-prisoners, her family on the outside struggles with the usual family issues. It’s a lesser addition to the series in that it’s fairly slight, but it’s also one of the most consistently humorous.
Where to watch Madea Goes to Jail: Amazon Prime (to rent)
I Can Do Bad All by Myself (2009)
Tyler Perry doing bad all by himself in ‘I Can Do Bad All by Myself’.
Quantrell Colbert/Lionsgate
After Madea catches two punk teenagers trying to break into her house, she turns the delinquents over to their only known relative — the troubled April (Taraji P. Henson), who has no time to raise children.
Henson elevates this piece with a committed, complicated performance. Nominally, this is a feel-good redemption drama, though Perry can’t help indulging some darker impulses as well.
Where to watch I Can Do Bad All by Myself: Amazon Prime (to rent)
Why Did I Get Married, Too? (2009)
Tyler Perry and Janet Jackson in ‘Why Did I Get Married, Too?’.
Quantrell Colbert/Lionsgate
If you saw the first one, this is more of the same, with the original’s plot largely regurgitated with some spiced-up marital drama. It’s not a completely necessary sequel, and the title is rather confusing, but the cast is immensely likable and the material is quite amiable.
Where to watch Why Did I Get Married, Too?: Starz
For Colored Girls (2010)
Kerry Washington, Phylicia Rashad, and Anika Noni Rose in ‘For Colored Girls’.
Quantrell Colbert/Lionsgate
A massive departure for Perry at the time, the director’s first R-rated film is an adaptation of Ntozake Shange’s 1975 choreopoem for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf. Its enviable ensemble cast includes Whoopi Goldberg, Thandiwe Newton, Phylicia Rashad, Tessa Thompson, and Kerry Washington.
The film chronicles a variety of characters in New York who are struggling with domestic abuse, grief, and infertility. It’s a tough piece, at times hard to watch, but it’s one of Perry’s most technically accomplished works — and one of his most personal.
Where to watch For Colored Girls: Starz
Madea’s Big Happy Family (2011)
David Mann and Tyler Perry in ‘Madea’s Big Happy Family’.
Quantrell D. Colbert/Lionsgate
In the vein of Madea’s Family Reunion, the matriarch’s sister, Shirley (Loretta Devine) discovers she may have only weeks to live. Desperate to get the family together one last time, Madea gathers all of her disparate relatives, most of whom have never been seen in previous films. Predictably, they’re suffering from problems that only Madea can set straight.
Where to watch Madea’s Big Happy Family: Starz
Good Deeds (2012)
Gabrielle Union as Natalie, Tyler Perry as Wesley Deeds in ‘Good Deeds.’ (Pssst, it’s a pun!).
Quantrell Colbert/Lionsgate
Good-hearted CEO Wesley Deeds crosses paths with down-on-her-luck single mom Lindsey (Thandiwe Newton), who works as a janitor at his company, the Deeds Corporation. Though he has a fiancée (Gabrielle Union), Deeds finds himself increasingly drawn to Lindsey, compelled to help her and her son. This is Perry’s take on a Frank Capra vehicle, and as such it’s a successfully uplifting piece.
Where to watch Good Deeds: Amazon Prime (to rent)
Madea’s Witness Protection (2012)
Madea goes through airport security in ‘Madea’s Witness Protection’.
KC Bailey/Lionsgate
In this Madea farce, Eugene Levy and Denise Richards play a wealthy couple who blow the whistle on Levy’s corrupt company and go into witness protection. Of course, the home at which they’re being protected belongs to Madea. Merry japes ensue, with Madea convincing Levy and Co. to don disguises in a bid to oust the criminal businessmen.
Where to watch Madea’s Witness Protection: MGM+
Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor (2013)
Kim Kardashian, Jurnee Smollett, Vanessa Williams, and Robbie Jones in ‘Temptation’.
KC Bailey/Lionsgate
This completely off-the-rails offering heralded what has become something of a Perry specialty: a melodramatic thriller that goes off the rails but keeps a straight face. It follows a woefully unprofessional marriage counselor who relays a tale of woe about her friend to a distraught client (Jurnee Smollett).
The film is notable for two reasons: an early acting role from Kim Kardashian, and the absolutely bonkers twist ending that has to be seen to be believed.
Where to watch Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor: Amazon Prime (to rent)
A Madea Christmas (2013)
Anna Maria Horsford and Tyler Perry as Madea as Santa in ‘A Madea Christmas’.
KC Bailey/Lionsgate
Or, Madea’s Mulholland Falls. It’s a totally idiosyncratic but nonetheless jocular, silly entry in which Madea travels to a fictional Alabama burg to spend the holidays with her great-niece’s family. While there, she gets embroiled in a local conspiracy involving a recently built dam that threatens the town’s livelihood.
Where to watch A Madea Christmas: Amazon Prime (to rent)
The Single Moms Club (2014)
Zulay Henao, Cocoa Brown, and Nia Long in ‘The Single Moms Club’.
KC Bailey/Lionsgate
Perry directs, and takes a minor acting role, in this sweet-natured second-chance-at-life comedy about a group of single moms (Nia Long, Amy Smart, Coco Brown, and Wendi McLendon-Covey) who support one another during weekly white-wine guzzling sessions.
Perry’s take on a Bridesmaids-style farce, The Single Moms Club suggests the director’s most assured pictures are often the more lighthearted ones.
Where to watch The Single Moms Club: Amazon Prime (to rent)
Boo! A Madea Halloween (2016)
Cassi Davis, Tyler Perry, and Patrice Lovely probably about to scare some kids in ‘Boo! A Madea Halloween’.
Daniel McFadden/Lionsgate
Unhappy that her niece, Tiffany (Diamond White), is absconding to a raucous frat party on Halloween, Madea and Aunt Bam (Cassi Davis) set out to stop the festivities. After provoking the ire of the college kids, Madea and her clan are subjected to a series of ghoulish pranks.
It’s interesting to see Perry depart from his typical formula; here, he indulges in several horror references and tropes.
Where to watch Boo! A Madea Halloween: MGM+
Boo 2! A Madea Halloween (2017)
Cassi Davis, Patrice Lovely, and Tyler Perry return for ‘Boo 2!’ A Madea Halloween’.
Chip Bergmann/Lionsgate
Once again attempting to rescue Tiffany (White) from a frat party at a home where a terrible tragedy occurred years earlier, Madea, Bam, and Hattie (Patrice Lovely) instead encounter a rash of ghosts and goblins on their way to save the day. Undeniably a retread of the previous year’s flick, Boo 2! benefits from leaning harder into horror contrivances, working as a straightforward horror-comedy for much of its running time.
Where to watch Boo 2! A Madea Halloween: Peacock
Acrimony (2018)
Taraji P. Henson in ‘Acrimony’.
Chip Bergmann/Lionsgate
This positively insane domestic horror movie is one of Perry’s most slapdash productions, a true so-bad-it’s-brilliant marvel. Taraji P. Henson plays a scorned woman married to a hard-working inventor (Lyriq Bent) who uses his wife’s funds to develop his fortune-making product before summarily leaving her for a younger woman.
Henson embarks on a campaign of revenge, which ranges from Bride Wars-style antics (acid on a wedding dress) to more serious Fatal Attraction-esque offenses, like the beyond-bonkers, ax-wielding climax set on a yacht.
Where to watch Acrimony: Amazon Prime (to rent)
Nobody’s Fool (2018)
Tika Sumpter, Whoopi Goldberg, and Tiffany Haddish in ‘Nobody’s Fool’.
Chip Bergmann/Paramount
In this straightforward comedy, Tiffany Haddish plays Tanya, a recently released felon who moves in with her no-nonsense sister, Danica (Tika Sumpter), to rehabilitate herself. Things take a turn when Tanya becomes suspicious of a man with whom Danica claims to be having an online relationship. The film is a lighthearted caper, ultimately a redemptive story of sisters who learn to love one another despite their flaws.
Where to watch Nobody’s Fool: MGM+
A Madea Family Funeral (2019)
Madea in her funereal Sunday best in ‘A Madea Family Funeral’.
Chip Bergman/Lionsgate
Madea, Bam, Joe, and the gang are coerced into a “family reunion” that turns out to be a funeral in disguise. Obviously, family secrets come to a head, and Madea is left to figure out how to salvage the memorial. This is a fairly minor entry in the MCU (Madea Cinematic Universe), one which recycles a great deal of content and even wholesale scenes from previous, similar Madea vehicles.
Where to watch A Madea Family Funeral: Amazon Prime (to rent)
A Fall From Grace (2020)
Crystal Fox (center) is Grace in ‘A Fall from Grace.’ (Pssst, it’s a pun!).
Charles Bergmann/Netflix
Perry’s first movie released under his lucrative Netflix deal, and the final film for star Cicely Tyson before her death, is this piece of true-crime-inspired docu-fiction. Newbie lawyer Grace Waters (Crystal Fox) is assigned to defend Jasmine Bryant (Bresha Webb), who’s accused of murdering her husband. However, Grace begins to unravel an intricate conspiracy that points to Jasmine being a pawn in a much larger scheme.
Pulpy with admirable performances from Tyson and Phylicia Rashad, A Fall from Grace is the first in a series of assured, technically accomplished Netflix dramas from Perry.
Where to watch A Fall from Grace: Netflix
A Madea Homecoming (2022)
Madea presumably waving to her fans in ‘A Madea Homecoming’.
Steve Dietl/Tyler Perry Studios
Homecoming is another Madea family-reunion formula movie. This one sees Madea travel to her great-grandson’s graduation party along with the rest of her extended brood. As always, secrets emerge, fights ensue, and Madea makes a speech to bring everyone back together.
Where to watch A Madea Homecoming: Netflix
A Jazzman’s Blues (2022)
Solea Pfeiffer and Joshua Boone in ‘A Jazzman’s Blues’.
Jace Downs/NETFLIX
Perry’s passion project is an epic spanning decades in the life of cutting-edge jazz musician Bayou (Joshua Boone), son of a blues-singing mother (Amirah Vann) and a guitarist father (Austin Scott). The film charts his romances and business endeavors, including a nightclub that seemingly births the jazz movement.
Perry’s picture is a sincere celebration of jazz music, Black artists, and a paean to the legacy they left behind.
Where to watch A Jazzman’s Blues: Netflix
Mea Culpa (2024)
Kelly Rowland and Trevante Rhodes in ‘Mea Culpa’.
Bob Mahoney / Perry Well Films 2 / Courtesy of Netflix
This ‘90s-style potboiler finds affluent attorney Mea Harper (Kelly Rowland) defending charismatic maybe-murderer Zyair Malloy (Moonlight’s Trevante Rhodes). Complicating matters is that Mea’s brother-in-law (Nick Sagar) is prosecuting. As Mea gets deeper into Zyair’s case, she finds herself drawn not only into a possible conspiracy but into an emotional tug-of-war with the suspect.
Mea Culpa is Perry at his most knowingly silly, and a throwback to erotic thrillers of decades past.
Where to watch Mea Culpa: Netflix
Divorce in the Black (2024)
Meagan Good and Cory Hardrict in ‘Divorce in the Black’.
Quantrell Colbert/Prime Video
Ava (Meagan Good) is shocked when her husband, Dallas (Cory Hardrict) abandons their marriage. Devastated and determined to win back her love, Ava embarks upon a campaign that unwittingly reveals Dallas’ secret life.
Not nearly as twisty or pulpy as Mea Culpa, but an effective domestic thriller on its own, Divorce in the Black finds Perry interrogating some of the same issues he addressed in his Why Did I Get Married? pictures, but her with a more cynical vigor.
Where to watch Divorce in the Black: Amazon Prime
Six Triple Eight (2024)
Milauna Jackson, Kerry Washington, and Ebony Obsidian make history in ‘The Six Triple Eight’.
Bob Mahoney/Perry Well Films 2/Courtesy Netflix
Six Triple Eight is Perry’s rousing true story about the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, an all-Black, all-female crew who volunteered themselves for World War II after suffering personal loss.
The all-star cast, including Kerry Washington, Oprah Winfrey, and Susan Sarandon, delivers top-notch work. The production values are some of the best of any Perry picture, and it is arguably his most overall accomplished feature.
Where to watch Six Triple Eight: Netflix
Tyler Perry’s Duplicity (2025)
Kat Graham in ‘Tyler Perry’s Duplicity’ (Julia Roberts and Clive Owen not pictured).
Quantrell Colbert/Prime
Ostensibly, Perry inserted his name at the top of the title so that this spin on his recent Mea Culpa wouldn’t be confused with the wan 2009 Julia Roberts/Clive Owen caper of the same name.
An affluent attorney, Marley (Kat Graham), is tasked with investigating the murder of her best friend’s husband. From there, conspiracies abound.
Where to watch Tyler Perry’s Duplicity: Amazon Prime
Straw (2025)
Taraji P. Henson in ‘Straw’.
Chip Bergmann/Perry Well Films 2/Courtesy Netflix
Straw briefly captivated headlines for its shocking twist ending, which is similar to Confessions of a Marriage Counselor in its brutal rug pull. Henson stars as a mother having a very bad day, which leads her to unwittingly commit a shocking crime.
Henson, as always, is spectacular in a role that requires her to run a gauntlet of extreme emotions. The movie is certainly manipulative, but it represents the apex of Perry’s brand of baroque melodrama.
Madea’s Destination Wedding (2025)
Tyler Perry and Tamela Mann in ‘Madea’s Destination Wedding’.
Perry Well Films 2/Courtesy Netflix
Per Netflix’s promotional material, too good not to quote, “Madea says ‘hellur’ to the Bahamas” when she ventures to her niece’s wedding on a trip organized by her son, Brian, who’s not entirely happy about his daughter’s choice of husband.
Do you think truths might be told? Secrets spilled? Wounds opened and summarily healed? You’d be right! A formulaic entry, to be sure, but this is a breezy summertime romp.