Madea Movies in Order: Every Tyler Perry Movie Watch Order

Tyler Perry, well known for his delightfully boisterous fictitious character Madea, has amassed a self-made million-dollar fortune through the Madea film franchise. Tyler Perry initially appeared in the role of Madea in 2005 with the film Diary of a Mad Black Woman, inspired by his mother and grandmother. The film becomes so successful and popular with the public that the franchise expanded with sequels after sequels, cementing Madea’s status as one of the most iconic characters.

Madea Universe chronicles the lives of a courageous African American woman named Mabel “Madea” Earlene Simmons and her large family. With all the Madea films, you may wish to see each one to avoid being confused. Additionally, you’re undoubtedly curious about the number of Madea flicks. This article lists the Madea movies in order of watching, so read on to find out.

Madea Movies in order at a glance

There are a total of 12 Madea films, one of which features Tyler Perry as a fierce African American woman named Mabel “Madea” Earlene Simmons. The following is a list of all Madea movies in order of watching:

• Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005)
• Madea’s Family Reunion (2006)
• Meet the Browns (2008)
• Madea Goes to Jail (2009)
• I Can Do Bad All by Myself (2009)
• Madea’s Big Happy Family (2011)
• Madea’s Witness Protection (2012)
• A Madea Christmas (2013)
• Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Tough Love (2015)
• Boo! A Madea Halloween (2016)
• Boo 2! A Madea Halloween (2017)
• A Madea Family Funeral (2019)

Madea Movies in chronological order

The order in which the Madea films should be seen is clear and devoid of prequels and jumps. The ideal method to view Madea films is in the release order.

1. Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005)

It all began with Perry’s adaptation of the play Diary of a Mad Black Woman into the 2005 film of the same name. Kimberly Elise appears as a lady who is ready to celebrate her 18th wedding anniversary when her husband (Steve Harris) abandons her for another woman. After finding refuge at her grandma Madea’s house, Madea teaches her the true meaning of the phrase “what’s mine is yours.” Prepare for the chainsaw scene in which Madea slashes the couch in half.

Charles McCarter (Steve Harris) and his wife Helen (Kimberly Elise) are at an awards dinner where Charles will be presented with the honor of being Atlanta’s most outstanding lawyer. You’d think they’d be on top of the world, but that’s about to change.

They are ready to celebrate their 18th wedding anniversary when Helen returns home to see her belongings packed into a U-Haul van sitting in the driveway. However, a new wardrobe of luxury items has been added to the closet. Helen believes this is the great surprise Charles intended to share with her. She was incorrect; Charles intends to divorce Helen in favor of a younger lady.

Charles must take Helen out of his front door and shut it behind her, as this is his home. Helen moves in with her grandma Madea (Tyler Perry), an elderly woman who will take no lip from anyone and will use the pistol she always carries if necessary. Madea demonstrates to Helen what is truly essential in life during these trying times. Helen regains her independence and meets a new man, Orlando.

2. Madea’s Family Reunion (2006)

Madea returned to Madea’s Family Reunion a year later. In the second film, Madea (renowned for her attitude) arranges a fun-filled family reunion while also caring for her nieces and a runaway in need of counsel, love, and care from a grandmother.

Madea violates his home imprisonment to assist Helen in the previous film. The Judge stated that either Madea should take care of Nikki, who has a terrible attitude and was raised without parents, or she should go to jail. She opts for Nikki. Nikki first annoys Madea, but after a while, they become good friends. Madea teaches Nikki proper manners, and Nikki demonstrates these virtues in her own life. Lisa’s mother desires that Lisa marry a vulgar man, and his mother coerces her into doing so.

3. Meet the Browns (2008)

Brenda Brown-Davis is Jr.’s, Lena’s, and Tosha’s mother. She is eking out an existence in Chicago. She learns about his father’s death one day. On the same day, she quit his job and informed him that he would not be compensated. Brenda travels to Georgia to see his father’s funnel.

Brenda, a single mother living in Chicago’s inner city, has struggled for years to make ends meet and keep her three children off the streets.

However, when she is abruptly laid off, she begins to lose hope for the first time – until a letter arrives informing her of the death of a parent she has never seen.

Brenda, desperate for assistance, travels to Georgia with her family for the burial. However, nothing could have prepared her for the Browns, her father’s boisterous, obnoxious Southern clan. Brenda strives to connect with the family she never knew existed in a small-town world filled with lazy afternoons and country fairs…and discovers a whole new relationship that just could alter her life. 

Tyler Perry adapted the narrative from his theatrical production “Meet the Browns.” Perry will star in the film as Madea and Uncle Joe.

4. Madea Goes to Jail (2009)

After a high-speed police chase (as shown in “Meet the Browns”) culminates in Madea being hauled over and jailed, she acknowledges her permanent license suspension and Judge Mablean Ephriam places her in an anger treatment course.

When Madea returns home from court, she discovers her house is hosting a party thrown by her brother, Joe Simmons, who claims he planned the party to cheer Madea up. Madea, on the other hand, is not thrilled by the celebrations and resorts to using a machine gun to scare the partygoers away.

Madea’s criminal record is littered with accusations ranging from identity theft to insurance fraud to attempted murder. This time, she refuses a court-ordered anger management program (by driving Dr. Phil insane) and mocks her daughter Cora’s calm trust in Jesus.

After being arrested for damaging a racist woman’s car, she meets serial murderer Sofia Vergara, confronts a predatory prisoner, and is eventually released on a technicality, dancing her way out of prison (in her housedress, of course). The most successful Madea film, and the one in which she is nearly completely conscienceless, as close to pure id as a human being can be without changing into a cartoon Tasmanian Devil.

5. I Can Do Bad All by Myself (2009)

The balance between Madea and melodrama is badly off in this largely dramatic near-musical about a troubled nightclub singer (Taraji P. Henson) and her struggle to make ends meet while caring for her recently orphaned niece and nephews. Madea makes brief appearances for comedic relief, but the main reasons to see this one are Henson’s poignant performance and Mary J. Blige’s appearance to bang out the title song.

When Madea discovers sixteen-year-old Jennifer and her two younger brothers robbing her home, she takes matters into her own hands and sends the young delinquents to their sole relative: their aunt April.

April, a heavy-drinking nightclub singer who subsists on Randy, her married boyfriend, is adamantly opposed to having anything to do with the children. However, April’s attitude begins to shift when Sandino, a gorgeous Colombian immigrant seeking employment, arrives in the basement room she shares with April.

Sandino challenges April to open her heart to atone for his painful history. And April quickly learns she must make the most difficult decision of her life: between Randy’s old habits and the new possibilities of family, faith, and even true love.

6. Madea’s Big Happy Family (2011)

Nobody can bring a family together quite like Madea! This 2011 Madea film, based on one of Perry’s plays, is all about family, as Madea attempts to bring everyone together following the disclosure of some terrible health news by one family member.

When her niece Shirley receives terrible health news, Madea leaps into action. Shirley’s only desire is to gather her three grown children around her and convey the news. However, Tammy, Kimberly, and Byron are too preoccupied with their issues: Tammy is unable to handle her rebellious children or her shattered marriage; Kimberly is consumed by rage and takes it out on her husband, and Byron is under pressure to resume drug dealing after serving two years in prison.

It’s up to Madea, with the assistance of the equally boisterous Aunt Bam, to rally the clan and put things right the only way she knows how: with a lot of tough love, humor, and the disclosure of a long-buried family secret.

7. Madea’s Witness Protection (2012)

According to box office revenues, this one appears to have been a fan favorite, since it is Madea’s second highest-grossing film to date. However, it was released during a period when Perry was making tiny noises about retiring the character, and it shows.

Even by Perry’s low-budget standards, the picture looks cheap, the gags fall flat, and the director appears exhausted by the part, going through the motions in his wig and padded housedress and sharing practically no comic chemistry with co-star Eugene Levy. 

Fortunately for fans, Perry decided to keep Madea alive and well in subsequent chapters.

Medea’s nephew, George Needleman, is the Chief Financial Officer of a Wall Street investment bank in New York. 

When George returns to his workplace one day, his supervisor informs him that the firm is a Ponzi scheme operated by the mob and is being investigated for money laundering. The crowd begins issuing murder threats against George. George and his family are placed under witness protection and dwell at Madea’s mansion in Atlanta.

8. A Madea Christmas (2013)

Madea takes over the farm in this year’s Christmas extravaganza A Christmas with Madea. After being enticed to see her daughter with a friend, Madea finds herself spreading the special brand of Christmas happiness that only she can while spending time in the countryside.

Christmas requires rescuing, and Madea comes to the rescue. It is immaterial why it needs to be saved; nevertheless, it features a ruthless company, Larry the Cable Guy, and Lisa Whelchel from “The Facts of Life.” Madea’s remedy is donning a Mrs. Claus costume and annihilating anybody who stands in the way of her Wonderful Life.

She takes on the KKK, wraps a disobedient youngster in Christmas lights, and refers to at least one individual as a “Satanic loudmouth diarrhea lady” before going full anti-Linus and presenting an oddly backward Nativity narrative. Christmas crisis handled by shenanigans — and as a follow-up to the dismally unfunny “Witness Protection,” “Christmas” infuses a character with much-needed turmoil.

9. Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Tough Love (2015)

Madea is watching television while eating her breakfast in the live-action world. She gets transported into the animation after wishing she could discipline the children in the animated program she is viewing.

Madea pursues a bunch of impolite and rowdy skateboarders in the animated world, a pursuit that is eventually joined by the police. Madea receives an apology from the skateboarders but is later detained by authorities. 

Madea is placed under house arrest and sentenced to community service at her former school by Judge Michaels (Kevin Michael Richardson). Madea enrolls in the school’s exercise class and is appalled by the children’s rowdiness. Madea imprisons the youngsters, but they resist, stating they must train to win a local athletic tournament and its monetary reward. Madea’s activities are reported to the police, who return her home.

Madea gets sentenced to community service following an amusing run-in with the authorities. Madea enlists Aunt Bam and Uncle Joe in an attempt to preserve the Moms Mabley Youth Center from closure. Madea rallies the neighborhood children to take a stand with her captivating wit and wisdom—and demonstrates that underneath her harsh appearance is a whole lot of love.

10. Boo! A Madea Halloween (2016)

Madea…but make it more horrific. Following the popularity of A Madea Christmas, Perry returned with another Madea holiday film, this time for Halloween. When the real Perry leaves town on Halloween night, he requests that aunt Madea keep a watch on his teenage daughter to ensure she does not end up at a house party. Soon afterward, Madea is confronted by ghosts, zombies, and killers in her comedic adaptation of Scream.

Tiffany and her friends Aday, Rain, and Leah are invited to a Halloween party by Jonathan and his fraternity members. Tiffany’s father Brian (“Uncle Joe” Simmons’ son) prohibits her from attending; he subsequently expresses outrage at her sexually explicit video chat with Jonathan. Madea (Brian’s paternal aunt) and “Aunt Bam” hand out candy to trick-or-treaters that night (and Bam steals it right back from them).

Joe disguises himself as a clown to terrify the women, with the assistance of their friend Hattie. Brian arranges for Madea to remain at his house to keep Tiffany away from the party, but Tiffany and Aday create a ghost story that convinces the superstitious adults to retreat to their beds. When Madea discovers the girls at the party, she attempts to crash it but is expelled.

Bam calls the cops and informs them of the presence of an underage Tiffany. Aday overhears the brothers plotting the brothers’ vengeance on Madea and her companions. The guys disguise themselves as the ghost from Tiffany’s narrative; Madea, Bam, and Hattie leave the house, followed by brothers and zombie partygoers. Joe remains in the home and defeats a frat boy disguised as a psychotic clown.

Madea stumbles across a church where Aday’s parents are preachers; Madea begins to believe the supernatural threats are a punishment for her sins and prays for salvation to protect her. Aday elucidates the essence of Jonathan’s plot. Aday, Madea, Hattie, and Bam plot the fraternity’s downfall.

11. Boo 2! A Madea Halloween (2017)

Because one Halloween film was insufficient, Boo 2! was released a year later. A Madea Halloween made its theatrical premiere. Madea and her gal pals—Bam and Hattie—again face a spooky campsite.

The film begins after Tiffany’s 18th birthday party. Outside of school, she and her friend Gabriella run across Tiffany’s father Brian, and brother B.J. Brian appears to always bring her up from school wearing a birthday cap on her birthday.

Tiffany’s mother, Brian’s ex-wife Debrah, comes, and she and her new husband Calvin surprise Tiffany with the automobile she desired (and thought her father would give her), but she is incapable of driving it. She and Gabriella drive it to the frat home, where they learn that Jonathan and the other members of the fraternity are hosting a Halloween party at Lake Derrick.

She tries to make amends for wrecking last year’s festivities. Jonathan extends an invitation. Brian surprises Tiffany with Madea, Joe, Bam, and Hattie at his place; she is taken aback. She runs into her buddy Leah and informs her of the celebration. Tiffany approaches her mother and requests permission to attend the party. She replies yes, which irritates Brian, but he allows her to go there to teach her a lesson.

12. A Madea Family Funeral (2019)

A Madea Family Funeral, which Perry believes is the final chapter in the Madea series, is the sendoff to end all sendoffs. No, Madea does not commit suicide, but she does take on the burden of organizing a funeral (and keeping some dark family secrets hush-hush) when one of the family members dies unexpectedly.

Vianne and Anthony’s children intend to commemorate their parents’ 40th wedding anniversary by inviting Madea, Joe, Brian, Aunt Bam, and Hattie to the party. When they all arrive at the hotel, they discover Anthony having sexual relations with Vianne’s best friend Renee.

Anthony has a heart attack as a result of having sex with Renee and dies in the hospital. They all agree to keep the cause of death a secret, but Anthony’s son A.J blames Renee for his father’s demise.

Do you have to watch Madea movies in order?

It is not essential but highly encouraged, to watch Madea films in order. Tyler Perry stars in all eleven Madea films, which are all part of the same series. The films are interconnected and feature similar characters. Additionally, each Madea film continues the plot from the prior movie. While it is OK to view Madea films alone, seeing them in order can help you better grasp the plot, characters, and their relationships.

Will there be more Madea movies?

It has been revealed that there will be further Madea films in the coming years. The 51-year-old producer announced the return of the popular Madea character in an upcoming Netflix-exclusive film. A Madea Homecoming, the forthcoming film, will be released on Netflix in 2022, the streaming service said on Tuesday. This film, written and directed by Perry, will be the franchise’s 12th chapter.