After eight successful seasons, the series will wrap up this Summer with its most high-stakes season yet.
After eight seasons and 196 episodes, the final episodes of ‘The Haves and the Have Nots,’ will premiere Tuesday, June 1 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT. The Tyler Perry drama chronicles the scandalous lives of the Cryer, Harrington, and Young families living in Savannah, Georgia. ‘The Haves and the Have Nots’ is produced for OWN by Tyler Perry Studios and created, written and executive produced by Tyler Perry.
In this final season, viewers will see the wealthy residents of Savannah, Georgia involved in a true-to-life Greek tragedy as Judge Jim Cryer (John Schneider) and his rich friends are all finding out what happens when personal flaws go unchecked. Karma has not been kind to the elite one-percenters. The series stars John Schneider, Tika Sumpter, Angela Robinson, Renee Lawless, Crystal Fox, Peter Parros, Tyler Lepley, Gavin Houston, Aaron O’Connell, Brett Davis, and Brock Yurich.
OWN held a roundtable prior to the season premiere with stars Angela Robinson (Veronica Harrington) and Renee Lawless (Kathryn Cryer). Both play eccentric characters who bring an even broader level of drama to the already drama-filled show. However, Lawless expressed that her personality doesn’t blend into the vicious Kathryn. “As time has gone on, I’m able to separate Catherine from Renee. However, you know, as an actor, there is a little bit of Kathryn and Renee, although we’re very different. But, I will say it took a little longer to shake her loose a little bit when my daughter had committed suicide in the show. Because you have to concentrate so much to get in that place. But, I’m blessed with a fabulous cast that supports each other and embraces each other depending on what their character is going through at the time. So it’s a little easier to shake it loose when you come home,” said Lawless.
Robinson agreed that she’s unlike her ruthless character. Yet, getting into character isn’t difficult. She admits that the role has been one of the best of her career and although she’s personally unlike her character, everyone can relate to the ambitions Veronica has. “Everybody has a little Veronica in them. No matter whether they want to admit it or not the things that separate people from being Veronica, I like to say is Jesus and a good upbringing, that’s about it. If you have those two, you could potentially blackmail and blow up some houses too. So everybody has a little bit of Veronica in them,” said Robinson
To close off the panel, the actresses looked back on defining the legacy of the show. The shows brought in millions of viewers weekly and built an enormous following. In 2021 to date, it is the most-watched cable series with African American Women 18+, households, and total viewers. To Lawless, the legacy lies in numbers and the creativity Tyler Perry brought to the production. “He had never written anything like this before. He did his movies, but he had never written a series like this. But, the fans realized we had something great and the fact that fans still can quote dialogue for years is the legacy. I think that’s a powerful legacy, a powerful testament that when this show goes off the air, people will still be quoting and will still be remembering the lines from the characters,” said Lawless.
Tyler Perry’s impact on the show truly shines in the cast’s conversation. Robinson agreed that the show’s legacy stems from not only the fans but the aspiration Perry put into the show. Robinson stated, “Tyler’s way of working, has already influenced the entire industry. The way that he came back after the pandemic influenced the entire industry, and in terms of the way he worked with us in the beginning, and the way he was able to do it quickly, it’s already influenced the industry. I think the legacy is definitely going to be tied to him, and the way that he works in those one-liners that are gonna be around forever. I pinch myself thinking that I’m a part of that legacy.”
The final season of ‘The Haves and the Have Nots‘ returns Tuesday at 8 PM EST on OWN.
