Original title
Amen
Released
9/27/1986
Origin country
US
Genre
Comedy, Family
Status
Ended
Number of seasons
5
Number of episodes
110
Amen is an American television sitcom produced by Carson Productions that ran from September 27, 1986 to May 11, 1991 on NBC. Set in Sherman Hemsley's real-life hometown of Philadelphia, Amen stars Hemsley as the deacon of a church and was part of a wave of successful sitcoms on NBC in the 1980s which featured entirely or almost-entirely black casts. Others included The Cosby Show, A Different World, and 227.
In the series pilot, Ernest Frye, a holier-than-thou deacon, is seeking a new minister for the First Community church.
After hearing a beautiful gospel singer sing at a wedding, Deacon Frye decides to woo her so she will join the church and sing in the choir. He flatters her, and wines her and dines her to compel her to come, but his plan backfires when all the attention she is receiving causes her to fall in love with Deacon Frye, and she thinks he wants to marry her. At his wits end, he decides to tell her the truth, unaware of the wrath of a scorned woman.
Thelma intoxicates Reverend Gregory with her wine-cooked dinner, and he intoxicates her with a kiss. But the next morning, he has to break the news to her that he is not romantically interested in her, it was the alcohol that affected him. However, Thelma doesn't take the bad news very well, and gives him some charm of her own. Reuben also faces a dliemna with secretarial overstaffing.
A wayward teen wants to be reinstated in the church choir after being away from it for a while. Pastor Gregory is anxious to reinstate her, until he finds out she is pregnant, and not married. Fearing that her example might be a bad one for other teens in the church, he asks her to leave the choir. But things come to a head when she goes into labor during a baby shower at Deacon Frye's house, and the deacon is the only one left to deliver the baby. Meanwhile, the gang is trying to learn to speak Italian.
Rolly has his eye on the waitress at the diner around the corner, but he is too shy to approach her. So he asks Deacon Frye to approach her on his behalf. Deacon Frye meets the waitress named Leona and finds out she doesn't even know who Rolly is. But since she's so attractive, he decides to ask her out himself. But while having a romantic get-together at her place, they are surprised by the unexpected return of her husband. Deacon Frye narrowly escapes without getting caught, but when he stops by to tell Rolly what happened, Rolly makes a date with the real waitress he's had his eye on, Hannah. Oddly enough, he doesn't even know who Leona is.
The church's planned retreat is not at all interesting to Deacon Frye, until he learns that a former client, whom he caused to spend 5 years in jail, is getting out, and blames him for his jail time. So now, Deacon Frye must join the rest of the church at the retreat so the angry former client can't find him.
Rev. Gregory is jailed for giving refugees sanctuary, and the Deacon, charged with contempt of court while trying to defend him, gets incarcerated for 1 day. While there, the Reverend realizes that it is the first Sunday he hadn't delivered the sermon in many years, and preaches a rousing sermon to the only person he has available to him, his cellmate Willie.
A woman bequeaths the church members her eatery (a French restaurant) — providing they continue its successful operation. But the church runs into trouble meeting it's next balloon mortgage payment, which is due immediately. So, in order to save the church, they decide to sell the restaurant, but the terms of the will state that as long as it is a success, they can never sell it. What will the church do in order to meet its obligation to the bank?
Rev. Gregory has a crisis of conscience when he is attracted to a widow who needs comforting in her time of grief. He wrestles with his conscience when she asks him to perform her wedding ceremony to another man, knowing that he wishes it was him.
Rolly falls at the bank and, after the Deacon finagles, is awarded a settlement—which he refuses.
The church is preparing to put on a Christmas pageant, when they find out that a TV crew is scheduled to come and broadcast the show on live TV. Everyone works feverishly long into the night to finish preparations for the event. But at the last minute, a heavy snowfall blankets Philadelphia in tons of snow. Now everybody is snowed-in, and no one shows up to watch the show, not even the film crew. Eventually, the kids in the show teach the congregation a lesson in faith & perseverence.
A fund-raiser at the church takes an unexpected turn when the church gets sued for making someone sick with tainted macaroni salad. During the trial, Deacon Frye takes matters into his own hands to win the case for the church.
The new man in Thelma's life seems like Mr. Right to everyone, especially Deacon Frye, who thinks he's the greatest. But as they head for the altar, the question becomes: Is Thelma's heart really for Larry, or is it still for Rev. Gregory?
Frye befriends a computer whiz who picks sports winners.
While testifying in the church, Lorenzo admits to having an affair with an unnamed sister in the church, which starts the congregation speculating and gossipping, and turns member against member. In order for the church to get back to normal, and for people to stop speculating, the woman must come forward and also confess her illicit affair with Lorenzo. However, in an uncharactistic move, the congretation gels when the guilty party stands before them.
After attending the christening of Lynnette and Jerome's child, the Hetebrinks break down and cry because they believe they're too old to have any children of their own. But after the Reverend recommends that they consider adoption, they engage deacon Frye's legal services to adopt a baby son. And with the deacon's usual effectiveness, he arranges a super-quick adoption for a son for the Hetebrinks. But the child turns out to be an 18-year-old. Now the sisters must decide to send the child back or to dig deep and find the love in their hearts to provide a home for their new son Ricky.
A date with Frye lands Reuben's aunt in jail.
A forlorn woman comes to Deacon Frye's office seeking a divorce from her husband who she suspects is cheating on her. Frye sends his undercover detective to follow the man, and is informed that the husband is definitely cheating. However, after being misinformed, Frye tells the woman that her husband is unfaithful. Meanwhile, the church board votes in a new chairman to replace the deacon.
Deacon Frye hires a new attractive Sunday school teacher for the church, and Reuben falls for her, angering Thelma.
Aspiring magician Frye auditions for a children's show.
Inept Thelma tries her hand at real estate.
The Deacon turns over a new leaf in an effort to be the church's nominee for a humanitarian award, which could win him and Thelma a trip to the Holy Land.
Reuben contemplates accepting a new job in Los Angeles.
A rivalry is renewed when Deacon Frye is pitted against an old law-school classmate, in defending a palimony suit. Deacon Frye decides to settle their rivalry in court.
Amelia's gambling habit resurfaces.
Rev. Johnny returns to give a sermon at the church.
As Thelma's high school reunion approaches, Thelma dreads coming to the reunion because of the way her life has turned out, and especially because of her old friend, Darlene Moore who she grew up with, and with whom she feels she could never match up. Meanwhile, the Reverend asks Thelma to go with him to her reunion, but then she finds out her father set it up. Meanwhile Cassietta is being audited by the IRS.
The Deacon is left to his own devices when a teen-hotline caller threatens suicide.
Romance blooms between Frye's aunt and Rolly.
On the verge of marriage, Rolly gets cold feet.
Deacon Frye slips and falls while shovelling snow, and hurts his back. The doctor treating the Deacon's back becomes romantically interested in Thelma, and competes with Rev. Gregory for her attention, on her birthday.
Thelma becomes a foster parent to a precocious nine-year-old girl.
The choir fights over which carol to sing in a competition.
After the Deacon runs out of the church in mortal terror, the Reverend discovers that his panic was due to a fake rubber snake someone had left behind. And because of that incident, the Deacon has been the object of ridicule with the congregation. So, to help conquer his fear of snakes, the Deacon visits a therapist, who begins treating him for his phobia. Part of the treatment includes him staying in a room alone with a large boa constrictor.
Frye tries to erase Thelma's angry phone message.
After money from the collection plate comes up missing, the Reverend and the Hetebrinks believe that Jeanette may have stolen it. And when Jeanette buys Thelma an expensive gift, they become more than convinced that she is the theif. At their accusations, the deacon is infuriated that they would suspect his precious granddaughter, and threatens to quit his position in the church. In the end, a lesson is learned by all, that what may appear to be true is not necessarily true, and that suspicion and lack of trust has no place in the church.
An attractive church benefactor eyes Reuben.
At a church retreat in the mountains, the Deacon has a spiritual reawakening after almost freezing to death during a blizzard. Thanks to Amelia, who took quick action to help save his life.
Deacon Frye takes a personal interest in the divorce of a church couple, when he finds out the husband of the distraught woman is a millionaire.
Thelma daydreams about a honeymoon with the Reverend, but the Deacon has his own vision of being with someone special, and where having the minister as a son-in-law creates lots of problems for him.
Rev. Gregory is upset when the first couple he ever married accuses him of malpractice and negligent counseling. He is represented at his trial by attorney Frye, with surprising results. Meanwhile, Deacon Frye tries to turn the church into a wedding chapel, Las Vegas style.
When an attractive & glamorous woman comes to Deacon Frye for help in the murder of her husband, Deacon Frye defends her in court, and falls for charms.
Deacon Frye has now defended Roxanne in court and she has been found not to have murdered her husband. Now, there is nothing to stand in the way of his romantic passions for her. After a brief romantic interlude, they decide to get married, even though Thelma strongly disapproves. At the wedding ceremony, Thelma does everything she can to interrupt the proceedings, but undaunted, Deacon Frye presses ahead with the ceremony. Not even a fire in the church could stop him from marrying the woman of his Dreams.
While stuck on a discount flight to the Bahamas, with the gang, Thelma has to overcome her extreme phobia of flying. Little does she know that the pilot has turned green from eating a tuna sandwich, and is out cold. Who will fly the plane? Who will land the plane before they run out of fuel? Will Thelma's worst fears be realized? Will the Reverend be able to say anything to Thelma to make her not afraid?
Frye pushes Thelma to give Reuben an ultimatum.
Frye campaigns against an imprisoned state senator.
The Deacon can't keep his mind on church business when a comely legal assistant (Loretta Divine) is brought in by Rev Gregory to assist him on an insurance case. The church needs to win the court case against the insurance company in order to get a new boiler for heat in the church, during the coldest winter on record. The Deacon is so completely smitten by his new assistant that he may be in danger of losing the case.
To get a recommendation from the church board, the Deacon has to take a scout troop on a camping trip.
Thelma tries to snare Rev. Gregory in matrimony, but the lavish church banquet she arranges to lure him turns into a washout thanks to the Deacon's faulty plumbing repairs.
Thelma moves in with Rev. Gregory, creating a church scandal that threatens to defrock the minister.
Thelma, at age 34, finds herself in a situation where she has to dissuade a 19-year-old admirer from chasing after her. And because everyone thinks they are having an affair, she tries to halt rumors linking her to the young handyman. The scandalous rumors have not set well with the Reverend, or the young man's girlfriend.
The animals in the congregation's live Nativity scene include a goat that sends Rev. Gregory up a tree and an ailing donkey that finds a place in the Deacon's heart.
A rich widower is willing to make a substantial donation to the church, if the Deacon can match him up with a devout woman to be his bride. When the deacon invites him to a social at his house to introduce him to the eligible women in the church, he spots Thelma, and decides she is the one for him.
Certain he is dying, Deacon Frye begins to reminisce about the love he had for Thelma's mother, and how she used to take care of him. He begins to tell Thelma about her late mother, about the day Thelma was brought home from the hospital, and about the day he had to tell her that her mother had died.
Thelma cares for Rev. Gregory, who's felled by the measles, and copes with the Deacon, who has appointed himself the new minister.
The Deacon's Swedish housekeeper will be deported unless she finds an American citizen willing to marry her. When her husband-to-be drops out at the last minute, Deacon Frye volunteers to stage a marriage ceremony to fool immigration.
The Deacon and Thelma seek advice from a client whose psychic powers came from a bump on the head.
Rev. Gregory looks for a way to convince Thelma that Tanya's prediction is bunk, while Thelma goes on an eating binge and Tanya dons a wedding gown. (Part 2 of 2)
The congregation thinks the Deacon must be punch-drunk for agreeing to manage boxer Windmill Pearson—until Windmill gets into the ring with a contender.
Rev. Gregory's mother comes to town for a visit, and is smitten by the deacon's charms. So much so, that they get caught in a compromising situation with her taking the deacon's pants off. On the other hand, she disapproves of Thelma because of her large bone structure.
Tired of waiting for Rev. Gregory to marry her, Thelma decides to embark on a marketing career.
Church members perform in a charity show. Songs include ""Triplets,"" ""Sonny Boy,"" ""I Remember It Well,"" ""Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,"" ""Livin' in America,"" and ""Amen."" Easter Seals poster child Joy Hall appears.
While trying to cook a fancy dinner to impress the head of the church council, Thelma refuses the help of the Hetebrink sisters and decides to cook the meal by herself. After she feeds some of her food to the neighbor's pet hamster, and it dies, Thelma fears she served the church board poisoned food, and they all must rush to the hospital.
A record producer wants to make a star out of Amelia, so the Deacon appoints himself her manager and books her in a club, so the producer can hear her sing. But not being an experienced manager, deacon Frye never checked out the kind of club he booked her into. It turns out the club is a dive that features strippers and women mud wrestlers.
The Reverend, Dea Frye, and Rollie try to talk a young man into going to college, and try to give him examples of what their lives would have been like had they not gone to college themselves.
Nobody in the First Community Church can keep a secret. When word gets out that Ruben is about to propose marriage to Thelma, the whole congregation drops what they were doing, and shows up at the church to witness the blessed event. But when the deadline comes and goes, and Rev Gregory doesnt make his move, everyone wonders if it will ever happen.
The Deacon's estranged father-in-law, who once disowned the Fryes, lies on his deathbed and tries to reconcile with the Deacon by leaving him an inheritance. But all bets are off when Grandpa Tillman begins to recover.
Everyone thinks Thelma needs help holding on to her man when the svelte ex-fiance of the Reverend's, Maxine Varnay, comes to Philadelphia and makes a beeline for the Reverend, intending to rekindle a love affair.
After tripping and falling during a fishing trip, Thelma looses her memory and can't remember who she is. She can't remeber that the Deacon is her father, and she forgets that she is in love with Ruben. To compensate, she takes on new personality and begins dating another man.
Frye gets his first big murder case.
As the congregation prepares for a TV appearance showcasing Sunday services, a street gang terrorizes the neighborhood and threatens to stop Rev. Gregory from delivering his sermon.
Thelma goes overboard at her bridal shower to impress her high school nemesis with reports that she's living the good life.
Everything goes wrong that could possibly go wrong on Thelma's wedding day; the wrong wedding dress is delivered to the house and Rev. Gregory comes down with wedding-day jitters.
Thelma joins the Army, intending to become one lean, mean fighting machine. (Part 1 of 2)
Rev. Gregory and the Deacon pay a visit to the Army base after a tough drill sergeant denies misguided private Thelma a weekend pass.
Fearing he's lost Thelma to Sgt. Burke, Rev. Gregory puts up a fight when she comes home on a weekend pass with the sergeant in tow.
Thelma is home on a weekend pass for the Christmas holiday, which affords her the perfect opportunity to be the perfect hostess, the perfect cook and the perfect wife-to-be for Rev. Gregory.
Deacon Frye is the subject of an honorary roast.
Frye entertains Reuben's mother in Atlantic City.
Thelma and Reuben are finally ready to tie the knot, but the minister isn't: a sedative puts him to sleep during the ceremony and there are no other ministers available to perform the ceremony.
Plans for a Hawaiian honeymoon sour like yesterday's poi when a man tries to jump from the ledge of Thelma and Reuben's hotel suite.
A lonely Deacon makes a pest of himself after the newlyweds return home from their honeymoon, and Thelma makes a huge mess when she tries to flambe' a chicken at her first dinner party.
The Deacon swears off defending sleazy clients after he falls for the new assistant minister, who thinks he is a perfect Christian man, and looks to him for inspiration. So much so, that she decides to make a drastic change in her life so she can be a help to her fellow man, just like the Deacon.
The Deacon and Amelia trade insults in and out of the courtroom after Amelia trips on the Deacon's steps and breaks her foot.
On her six-month anniversary, Thelma feels neglected because Reuben is teaching night school.
After a woman is car-jacked, with her baby still in the car with the theif, the thief drops the baby off on the doorsteps of the First Community Church. And since Thelma has no children of her own, whe makes plans to become the child's foster mother, against objections from the deacon and the Rev. Soon the child even begins to soften the deacon's stand. But in the end, Thelma is determined to hold onto the baby. . . until the child's mother shows up. Meanwhile, Deacon Frye is tax audited and owes Uncle Sam a large sum of money.
Frye establishes a day care center called ""Deaconland.""
Frye takes in a trouble-prone teen, a would-be rapper dubbed ""Clarence So Fine.""
Frye backs a man claiming to be Santa Claus. (Part 1 of 2)
Newly appointed to the bench, power-drunk Judge Frye aims to throw the book at all who come before him.
Reuben's visiting niece reveals she's leaving seminary school to become a singer, and Frye enters her in a gospelfest.
Frye sees publicity in a televised trial involving writer-comedian Steve Allen in a suit against a fried-chicken mogul.
Frye dates a beautiful and much younger environmentalist.
The deacon reassembles his '50s doo-wop group for a benefit.
Frye and Ruben both try to intervene when the Deacon's pro basketball player client, wants to marry Amelia and move to Italy. Will Love intervene instead and short-circuit the deacon's plans?
Rapper MC Hammer has a dual role as a flamboyant minister and as himself, busting a move to keep Clarence in school. Guard: Jacques Apollo Bolton. Clarence: Bumper Robinson. Rev. Gregory: Clifton Davis.
Thelma gets her own TV cooking show.
Judge Frye visits an old nemesis who tries to set him up in a sting operation. The judge is offered a large sum of money to alter the outcome of a certain case he presides over. And while everyone watches him on film, Judge Frye must make one of the toughest decisions of his life: whether to be honest and turn the money down, or enjoy the spice of life, with all that cash!
Deacon Frye dates a teacher Clarence likes, and the 2 begin to bump heads.
At an auction, an insufferable woman wins a date with Frye.
Frye and Clarence try raising church funds by dating wealthy Darla and her equally unattractive granddaughter Darletta.
Appearances by James Brown and Lloyd Price aren't the only surprises during a telethon to save the church: Thelma delivers a baby boy. (Part 2 of 2) Her delivery overdue, Thelma attends a telethon.
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