Martin (TV series)

Premise

Martin Lawrence played the role of Martin Payne, originally a disc jockey who lived with his girlfriend Gina Waters (Tisha Campbell) in the city of Detroit, Michigan. Martin worked for the fictional radio station WZUP; in later seasons, he became the host of the talk show Word on the Street.

Characters

Main characters

• Martin Lawrence as Martin Payne
• Tisha Campbell as Gina Waters-Payne
• Carl Anthony Payne II as Cole Brown
• Thomas Mikal Ford as Thomas "Tommy" Strawn
• Tichina Arnold as Pamela "Pam" James
• Jon Gries as Shawn McDermott (seasons 1–2)
• Garrett Morris as Stan Winters (seasons 1–2; guest season 3)

Supporting characters

• Reginald Ballard as Bruh-Man (Brother Man) (seasons 2–4)
• Tracy Morgan as Hustle Man (seasons 3–4)
• Jeri Gray as Ms. Geri
• Maura McDade as Shanise McGillicuddy (season 5)
• Sean Lampkin as Nipsey (seasons 3–5)

Recurring characters

• Judyann Elder as Nadine Waters
• J. A. Preston as Dr. Cliff Waters
• Adrian Tibbs as Lil' Dawg
• Ray Massara as Buckwhite
• Charlie Murphy as Bro Fo' Real
• David Jean Thomas as Angry Man
• Jeris Lee Poindexter as Mr. Booker
• Ellia English as Mrs. Booker
• Laura Hayes as Maddie Brown
• LaWanda Page as Evelyn Porter
• David Alan Grier as Reverend Leon Lonnie Love
• Roxanne Reese as Marian
• Kenneth Whack as Kenji
• Simbi Khali as Laquita
• Yo-Yo as Keylolo
• Kim Coles as Bonquisha
• Reno Wilson as Sonny
• Tommy Davidson as Varnell Hill
• Luis Antonio Ramos as Luis
• Bentley Kyle Evans as Titus
• BeBe Drake-Massey as Myra
• Angelina Estrada as Gloria Rodriguez

Other roles played by Lawrence

• Sheneneh Jenkins
• Edna (Mama) Payne
• Ol' Otis (seasons 1-4)
• Jerome (seasons 1-4)
• Roscoe
• Dragonfly Jones (seasons 1-3)
• Bob (seasons 1-2)
• King Beef (seasons 1-2)
• Elroy Preston (season 2)

Episodes

Main article: List of Martin episodes

Broadcast history

Lawsuit

In November 1996, Campbell left the series during its final season, citing "intolerable" working conditions. She filed a lawsuit against Lawrence and the show's producers in January 1997 for sexual harassment and verbal and physical assaults. The series explanation was that Gina was "out on business", though in the two-part episode "Going Overboard" it was stated that Gina had arrived too late to board the boat for the trip alongside everyone else. By April 1997, Campbell had settled the lawsuit and returned for the last two episodes of the series under the condition that she would not share any scenes or interact with Lawrence. Campbell and Lawrence have since reconciled, and repaired their relationship.

Awards and nominations

Syndication

Martin went into second run syndication on August 8, 1995, through Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution; it airs multiple times a week on the networks of Paramount Global, including MTV2, VH1 and BET, with HBO also carrying the full run of the series. Martin made its debut on Dabl on October 6, 2025, with a "Get Into Martin" marathon that preceded its arrival to the lineup on October 5.

Home media

Besides being purchasable on most digital video retailers, HBO Home Video released all five seasons of Martin on DVD in Region 1.

Reunion

In 2022, cast members Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell, Tichina Arnold, and Carl Anthony Payne II and other guests reunited. Notably missing from the reunion was Thomas Mikal Ford, who had died in 2016, but Martin: The Reunion paid tribute to him. The 90-minute special was released on June 16, 2022, on BET+ and directed by Stan Lathan.

Spin-offs

''Young Martin''

On July 11, 2024, an hour-long prequel series to Martin, titled Young Martin, was announced to be in development by Deadline Hollywood. The series is executive produced by Martin Lawrence, Rae Proctor, Robert Lawrence and Stacy Lyles from RunTelDat, with Bob Yari, David McPherson, Rosa Peart, Greg Martin for WonderHill Studios,

Young Martin follows a teenage Martin Payne residing in a modern-day Detroit finding his path to success as he transitions from childhood to adulthood and is described as both an origin story and a reimagining of the character.

''Varnell Hill''

On April 15, 2025, Varnell Hill, a spin-off series was green-lit by BET+. It will be headlined by actor-comedian Tommy Davidson, reprising his character Varnell Hill from the Martin series. Kym Whitley joined the cast in August 2025 as a series regular.

References

References

1. Gajewski, Ryan. (2024-01-16). "'Ally McBeal,' 'Grey's Anatomy,' 'Martin' Casts Reunite for Emmys Ceremony".
2. (November 3, 1992). "A Macho Image for a Sensitive Soul".
3. (January 7, 1997). "'Martin's' Wife Leaves Fox Series". Los Angeles Times.
4. (March 21, 1997). "'Martin,' Campbell reconcile". Variety.
5. (June 4, 2015). "John Amos Says He Was Kicked off Good Times Because He Didn't Agree with the Shucking and Jiving".
6. (1997-01-27). "Tisha Campbell Files Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Martin Lawrence". Johnson Publishing Company.
7. (January 15, 1997). "TV Notes".
8. (1997-04-28). "Martin Lawrence Ends Sitcom, 'Martin', In Fifth Season". Johnson Publishing Company.
9. "Martin Lawrence and Tisha Campbell Say They're 'Good' Despite Harassment Lawsuit in the '90s".
10. Novak, Lauren. (September 18, 2025). "‘Martin’ Returns to TV on Dabl Fall Schedule". [[Remind Magazine]].
11. https://www.dabltvnetwork.com/shows/martin
12. Butler, Bethonie. (June 16, 2022). "What we learned — and what we didn't — from the 'Martin' reunion". Washington Post.
13. Andreeva, Nellie. (2024-07-11). "'Martin' Prequel Drama Series In Works From Martin Lawrence, Bob Yari & WonderHill Studios".
14. Andreeva, Nellie. (2025-04-15). "'Martin' Spinoff 'Varnell Hill' Starring Tommy Davidson Ordered By BET+ From Martin Lawrence & Bentley Kyle Evans".
15. Andreeva, Nellie. (2025-08-20). "Kym Whitley Joins ‘Martin’ Spinoff Series ‘Varnell Hill’ For BET+".