Faith, love and laughter are the foundation of “Funny Married Stuff,” a web series created and produced by Peyton and Lony’e Perrine.
The show’s storylines, said L.A.-area couple, are based on random, humorous interactions that they, along with many other marriages encounter during the course of the union. Their hope is that people will strive to stay together and try to work situations out, instead of choosing to part.
“As crazy as marriage can be sometimes, you’ve got to work at it,” said Peyton. “The goal for the show is to give a little bit of medicine and some laughter and some suggestions on how a real scenario could play out with communication and listening.”
“We hope that by watching the show, people will improve their life. That’s the main goal. Marriage is hard and tough, but you don’t run to divorce just because you had an argument. You’ve got to communicate. You learn how to become a tighter-knit unit to work this thing out,” added Lony’e.
“Funny Married Stuff,” now in its second season, offers an amusing slant on both innocent and touchy topics that lead to big arguments between spouses. Opposing stances on meal choices, finances or even home decorations can damages some relationships beyond repair, but the Perrines believe their show will help couples find solutions.
“We don’t have all of the answers, so we wanted our show to spark conversation and discussion around what do you do when your wife is shopping to much and you’re trying to save money for a house or what do you do when you’re dealing with the topic of erectile dysfunction – real things that couples go through,” noted Lony’e. “So, we wanted to have a community to figure it all out together to help our marriages.”
Faith is another underpinning of “Funny Married Stuff,” which connects to the Perrines strong relationship with Christ. As members of Hope’s House Christian Ministries in Granada Hills, they have learned to trust God in all areas of their life, including the program’s storylines.
“We are believers. We didn’t want the message to beat people over the head, but we did want it to be there,” Peyton said. “We got Christ at the center of our marriage and we’ve been married for a while, so, our faith definitely plays into how we want to deliver our message.”
Viewers are steadily tuning in for “Funny Married Stuff” and the program is drawing attention across the nation. The show won the Award of Merit at the Indie Fest Film Awards, “Best Sketch Comedy” at the Miami Web Awards, “Best Web Series” at the Philadelphia Independent Film Awards and was featured at the Pan African Film Festival earlier this year.
“We have to credit our continued success to a hilarious writing team, amazing crew, and talented cast that helped elevate the show in season two and all the amazing support we’ve received from family and friends,” said Lony’e. “This show is truly a ‘family affair’ and we couldn’t have done it without them.”
“After Peyton started writing the show, I got cold feet about it,” recalled Lony’e. “But, I could hear the Lord telling me, ‘You have to do this project. It’s important to get this message out there.’ So, we’re believers and when the Lord tells you to do something, you step out on faith and do it.”
Following God’s direction has paid off for the Perrines, who are also the parents of two young children. They apply their faith, love and lots of laughter to balance their marriage, family and careers.
“Our children are our hearts and we try to make sure that we build in time for fun things with the kids. We also take time for ourselves with date nights with the goal of not talking about the kids, at least we try. Also, every year, we take a nice vacation with the kids and the following year it’s just us,” Peyton said.
“I’m thankful for the journey we’re on together and now our kids are involved in the industry so it’s become a family affair. I’m very grateful,” shared Lony’e.
To others who may consider launching a web series, Peyton advised, “Don’t be afraid of what you think you can’t do, just do it because you can do anything you put your mind to.” And he’s put his mind on developing future projects for the web and television.
Lony’e guiding principle is, “When things don’t go as I expected, I say to myself, ‘That wasn’t for me. God has something better.’ I always believe that if the situation doesn’t go my way, God has something better. He’s never let me down yet. I know the Lord has some amazing things in store for us!”
To view episodes of “Funny Married Stuff,” visit funnymarriedstuff.com or facebook.com/pg/FunnyMarriedStuff/videos.
