For Better or Worse

I'd give this a 6/10.

The acting isn't bad really, which was what I was worried about at first, but it's honestly not (not amazing, though). They don't have a laugh track, which I love.

The writing is...okay. It's not bad, but it feels like watching an actual person's life going on, only simplified. The scenes aren't snappy or very interesting, but not boring either. It's like the conversations actual people have - only the kind of not so interesting ones you'd never put in a show.

They spend too long on the same scene on the same set. Some of the characters overact their comedic moments. The comedic timing isn't that great.

But it's not bad if you want to kill some time and want something kind of bland to give your mind a rest.

I am a big Tyler Perry fan but this show is so-so. I believe that the concept is great, the marriage issues that arose were great, and the atmosphere is good. But there were MANY times the actors were off topic from an original line and it made it hard to watch. And during that period they were off topic, they tried to add humor but it was very dry humor. It wasn't the actors that were bad, though some of them really tried but lacked full acting potential, it was the script that was actually bad. The script became silly like many other TV shows that are out now. I think this show could have been on longer had there been better writers. I love Tyler's work but I really can't get into his TV shows. It's like, with his movies he can take more time to write. With a TV show you have to come up with hours of scripts so it feels like they tried to fill in where they lacked ideas.

I am a Tyler Perry fan but this has to be one of the worst written & acting shows I've scene. To have all the money Mr. Perry has, you'd think he'd hire better writers or maybe take a few writing courses himself. This show is just awful!!! The characters have no substance. Luckily for Mr. Perry, Oprah Winfrey is one of his closest friends, so she'll probably never cancel this program or the other ones she carries on her network. I'm watching it now which compelled me to write this review. That laugh track is so annoying also. Mr. Perry needs to be a little more realistic with his scenes. How many hairdressers stand on their feet, doing hair all day in 6" heels like Angela does? This is just my opinion but this show is awful.

If you want tv that can make you laugh and cry. This is the show to watch. I can overlook most of the issues in terms of execution, especially in season 1, with some production quality problems. This is because Tasha Smith carries with the dramatic and comedic acting and the storylines are interesting. Every character is multidimensional. They have growth and development in ways that make sense to the storyline.

Some plot holes are present in the show especially concerning the children, they seem to be there one episode then disappear when they don't fit the plot, I would have enjoyed to see how they'd act in more of a bystander role, or see what their lives would be like after the dramatic or funny storyline played out.

This show ran for a long time with good reason.

I wish the episodes were listed in a consistent way across platforms.

To my surprise, For Better or Worse isn't as bad as House of Payne or any of Perry's movies (with the exception of Diary of a Mad Black Woman and Madea's Family Reunion - I'll admit those are my favorites). Is it an amazing show? No of course not, it's Tyler Perry; we all know 90% of his work is garbage. But the show does have an interesting storyline that has gotten me through 6 episodes of the first season so far. The dialogue is... okay. It's not the best script, but I feel that the actors have enough on-screen chemistry to make it work. The cast can act pretty well also.

The only major problem I have with this show is the two supporting cast members, the "funny" characters - the intern and one of Angela's best friends. They're not funny at all. Although, they both did have one line each that was pretty funny. I feel that the main problem is that they overdo it to the point where it gets annoying. Perry could've done a better job casting them. I get that you need the comical character or two to help the cast and show flow, but those two definitely aren't helping. Whenever they appear on screen, I find myself wishing they'd just stop talking and go away.

Overall, I can see the show keeping a decent viewer rate. I don't think it's worth running home to set your DVR or buying the season on DVD. It's a simple, sometimes funny, decently scripted and acted show that I can see sticking around for two or three seasons.