Nearly 28 years after the end of Martin, the series is making an unexpected comeback.
Deadline reports that a spinoff series centered on Tommy Davidson’s Varnell Hill has been greenlit at BET+.
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Appropriately titled Varnell Hill, Davidson will be reprising the character he played for two episodes in 1993. The series is co-created and executive produced by Martin co-creator, star, and executive producer Martin Lawrence and executive producer and showrunner Bentley Evans. Jesse Collins is also executive producing. Although there has yet to be confirmation of Lawrence reprising his role as Martin Payne, he is reportedly expected to appear in multiple episodes.
Varnell Hill has received a straight-to-series order at BET+ with eight episodes. The workplace comedy is set behind the scenes of the long-running late-night talk show, The Varnell Hill Show. “Delving into the chaotic world of television production, the series explores Varnell’s journey to remain relevant in an ever-evolving industry and the corporate dynamics of network executives, business stakeholders, and creative teams involved in the making of the show.”
Davidson appeared on Martin as Varnell Hill in the Season 2 two-parter “Hollywood Swinging.” The episodes centered on Martin’s ribbon-cutting at a new community center getting overshadowed by a successful TV talk-show host and former WZUP deejay, Varnell Hill. After an interview with him, Martin quits his job and heads to Hollywood. He later tries to appear on Varnell’s show, but it’s soon discovered that the talk show host is not who he makes himself out to be to the public. Although he only appeared in two episodes, the character has developed quite a cult following.
“Did you miss me? Well, now you don’t have to! I’m excited and honored to be a part of such a creative project with the brilliant mind of Martin Lawrence, over 30 years in the making,” Davidson said about the new show. “Fans have requested it, and now it’s coming to BET+.”
Martin premiered on Fox in 1992 and ran for five seasons, ending in 1997. Alongside Lawrence, the sitcom also starred Tisha Campbell, Carl Anthony Payne II, Thomas Mikal Ford, Tichina Arnold, Garrett Morris, and Jon Gries. John Bowman and Topper Carew co-created the series with Lawrence. In 2024, Lawrence, Campbell, Arnold, and Payne reunited at the Emmys, and although they weren’t there to accept an award as Payne thought, they did present the award for Lead Actor in a Comedy Series to The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White.