Why the OWN Show is Ending
After eight seasons on the air, The Haves and the Have Nots is coming to an end tonight on OWN.
Created, written and directed by Tyler Perry and aired on the Oprah Winfrey Network, the soap opera followed the lives of three families—the Cryers, the Harringtons and the Youngs—struggling to coexist in Savannah, Georgia.
Dozens of characters have featured on the show which has now spanned 196 episodes with the finale, "Dark Intentions," airing Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on OWN.
Despite initially receiving positive ratings throughout its run on television, it was decided that it wouldn't receive a ninth season. Fans will be disappointed to see the last of the characters today but there's a chance to catch up with two upcoming reunion specials.
Why was The Haves and Have Nots Canceled?
The team behind the show and OWN have not explicitly stated a reason as to why the drama had been canceled, but there are a number of possible causes.
In 2013, The Haves and Have Nots was broadcast on OWN to much acclaim, breaking viewing records in the process. The show, which was based on a play written by Perry in 2011, continued to perform well, maintaining an average viewership of around 3 million during its first three seasons.
However as time passed, ratings gradually dropped and during the current final season of the show there were often less than one million viewers watching each episode. TV Series Finale found that 997,000 viewers aged between 18-49 were watching, representing a fall of 25 percent.
The Haves and Have Nots cancelation may also be linked to the creators professional obligations at other networks. In 2017, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution revealed that Perry was not renewing his deal with OWN and instead signed on to create content for Viacom—specifically BET and BET+.
Perry's deal with Viacom meant he was expected to produce 90 episodes of television across their network. Among Perry's new work is The Oval, its spin-off Ruthless, Sistas, Tyler Perry's Young Dylan, Bruh and Tyler Perry's Assisted Living—all airing on BET.
Oprah Winfrey on The Haves and the Have Nots cancellation
Despite Perry's departure from her network and the eventual decline of the show, Oprah Winfrey remained positive about her experience with The Haves and the Have Nots' creator.
In a statement published by Deadline in January, she said: "The Haves and the Have Nots was the first scripted drama we aired on OWN, and to say it took off from the first day it hit the air is an understatement."
Winfrey continued: "It's all due to one man's creativity and very vivid imagination, a man I refer to as my 'big little brother,' Tyler Perry. I thank Tyler, the incredible cast, the tireless crew and every single viewer who watched with bated breath each week and tweeted along with us these past eight years. I will be watching alongside you all during this final season."
Showing there was no hard feelings, the president of OWN, Tina Perry thanked Tyler Perry too. She said: "We are so grateful to Tyler Perry, the amazing cast and everyone at Tyler Perry Studios for eight incredible years of making The Haves and the Have Nots one of the biggest hits on cable television of the last decade."
The Haves and the Have Nots reunion
After tonight's finale on OWN, fans of the show will get the opportunity to spend a little more time with their favorite characters in two upcoming reunion specials.
The Haves and the Have Nots: Cast Reunion Special will air on Tuesday, July 27, and Tuesday, August 3, at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
HGTV's Egypt Sherrod will host the show with guests including Tika Sumpter (Candace Young), Angela Robinson (Veronica Harrington), Crystal Fox (Hanna Young), Renée Lawless (Kathryn Cryer), Tyler Lepley (Benny Young), Peter Parros (David Harrington), Gavin Houston (Jeffrey Harrington), and Aaron O'Connell (Wyatt Cryer).
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