Amen (TV series)

Did You Know?

• The Mount Pisgah African Methodist Episcopal Church in Powelton Village, Philadelphia, was used for exterior views of the First Community Church and became known as the 'Amen Church'.
• Rosetta LeNoire left Amen after two seasons to star in the sitcom Family Matters as Grandma 'Mother' Estelle Winslow.

Premise

Sherman Hemsley took on the role of Deacon Ernest Frye, a lawyer and member of the First Community Church of Philadelphia who often bends the truth and gets tangled up in his own silly plots. His daughter, Thelma Frye, played by Anna Maria Horsford, is a 36-year-old single woman. The new young pastor at the church, Reverend Reuben Gregory, portrayed by Clifton Davis, catches Thelma’s eye, and the two marry in season four, even though the reverend and Deacon Frye frequently argue. The series ends with Thelma having their first child. Jester Hairston appears as Rolly Forbes, an energetic older man who frequently offers sensible advice; Hairston and Davis had previously acted together on the sitcom That’s My Mama. Roz Ryan and Barbara Montgomery play Amelia and Cassietta Hetebrink, two sisters at the church who never stop talking. Rosetta LeNoire plays Leola Henderson, who becomes Rolly’s wife; after two seasons, LeNoire left for Family Matters, and Montrose Hagins took over the role from 1989 through the show’s end. In seasons three and four, Elsa Raven joined as Inga, a Swedish housekeeper, and Tony T. Johnson as Chris, a boy living next door to Deacon Frye. A running joke had Chris saying something shocking and being carried out by an adult. Inga was removed from the show in 1990 with no reason given, and Montgomery left that same year for Married People, also without explanation for her character. For the fifth and final season, Bumper Robinson came on as Clarence, a young street kid whom Deacon Frye mentors.