Martin is an American television sitcom that aired for five seasons on Fox from August 27, 1992, to May 1, 1997. The show stars comedian Martin Lawrence as the titular character. Lawrence also played several other characters. Martin was one of Fox's highest-rated shows during the sitcom's run. In 2024, the cast reunited at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards.
Contents
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)
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.
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 Skydance, 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
Goin For Mine'
On April 17, 1997, the fifth-season episode "Goin' for Mine" aired as a backdoor pilot for a proposed spin-off series centered on Pamela James, played by Tichina Arnold. The episode follows Pam as she pursues a career as an A&R executive at Keep It Real Records. The proposed spin-off was not picked up and was never produced as a series.
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.
On April 15, 2025, Varnell Hill, a spin-off series was originally 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. On August 7, 2026, it was announced the series would instead be released as The Varnell Hill Show on Paramount+ on September 1, 2026, as BET+ merged with Paramount+ in July of that year.
Cultural Impact
Martin has had a lasting influence on popular culture, particularly hip-hop and R&B. The series' characters, catchphrases and storylines have been repeatedly referenced in music and popular media decades after its original broadcast. The Miami R&B group Pretty Ricky took its name from Ricky Fontaine, also known as "Pretty Ricky," a character played by Miguel A. Núñez Jr., who appeared in Season 2, Episode 2.
The series has also been frequently referenced by hip-hop artists. Artists including Kanye West, J. Cole, Lil Wayne, Curren$y, T-Pain and Polo G have referenced characters, relationships or catchphrases from the series in their music. Polo G's 2020 single "Martin & Gina" directly references Martin Payne and Gina Waters, while its accompanying music video recreated scenes and visual elements from the sitcom.
The show's influence also extended to viral dance culture. The hip-hop group We Are Toonz cited Martin Lawrence's character Sheneneh Jenkins as the inspiration for their 2013 song and dance "Drop That #NaeNae," which became associated with the popularization of the Nae Nae dance.
The song "Yamz," originally recorded by Masego and Devin Morrison, takes its title and hook from a scene in Martin in which Martin Payne asks, "How can I get to the yams?" while talking to Varnell Hill (played by Tommy Davidson) in Season 2, Epsiode 11. In 2022, Fetty Wap released a rendition of the song, titled "Sweet Yamz", with cover artwork that incorporated a stylized version of the Martin title logo.
Martin was also notable for its integration of hip-hop and R&B culture into a mainstream sitcom. The series featured numerous prominent hip-hop artists, including The Notorious B.I.G., Method Man, Outkast, Snoop Dogg and MC Hammer, as well as R&B artists, including Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds, Brian McKnight, and Keith Washington.
