Wazzuuuuuup!
A "Martin" reunion special is on the way, that's what's up!
You know we’re reaching some kind of tipping point on the ‘90s sitcom reunion/reboot trend when “Saturday Night Live” is already parodying it.
But until that shark is completely jumped, a fun reunion of the cast of “Martin” is set to air on BET+.
As Entertainment Weekly reported, the reunion special – filmed last weekend – will be hosted by comedian and actor Affion Crockett, with appearances from original cast members Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell, Tichina Arnold, and Carl Anthony Payne II, as well as unnamed special guests.
It’s been 30 years (what?!) since “Martin” premiered on Fox in 1992 and left a sizable notch on the belt of representation for network television.
"To be able to sit here thirty years later with this amazing cast that has had such an impact on pop culture is truly a blessing," Lawrence said in a statement. "I am always humbled that the fans still want more of the show and its characters. I am looking forward to the reunion special."
As zany as any sitcom, “Martin” broke TV ground, but it also suffered some backstage production drama.
In 1997, according to People, Campbell, who played Martin’s love Gina, sued Lawrence and the producers of the show for "repeated and escalating sexual harassment, sexual battery, verbal abuse, and related threats."
Campbell was absent from the show for most of that fifth season. And while she came back for that season’s finale, she and Lawrence did not appear together. Lawrence decided to step away from the show, and that was the last season it aired.
It took awhile, but Campbell expressed in 2020 that the two were friends again. As Entertainment Weekly noted, she went on the “The View” and said the two were “in a good place right now;” around the same time that Lawrence told GQ magazine, “I’ve seen her then and now, now and then, always with nothing but love. I have nothing but love for her, and I always have.”
Lawrence also added a nice Instagram post in January, 2020, featuring a cute throwback shot of the sitcom couple with the caption, “Regardless of the past or any misrepresentation of it In the press, I have nothin but love for Tisha then and now. We are good and always will be!”
Irregardless of any past controversies, BET+ is obviously excited and proud to make this reunion happen.
Said Scott Mills, CEO of BET, “Martin is one of the most beloved sitcoms in our community, both because it is hugely entertaining and because it played a pivotal role in changing the narrative of Black voices in entertainment and in culture through the portrayal of young, ambitious Black leads and healthy Black relationships.”
“Decades later, that representation is still just as important,” Mills added, “which is why we're so excited to honor a series that put Black culture front and center on our platform that embraces Black culture everyday."
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Considering “Martin” was a classic three-camera sitcom, this reunion special is going all out, being produced by Jesse Collins Entertainment, the team behind this year's Super Bowl Halftime Show and the 2021 Oscars.
The “Martin" reunion special will premiere later this year on BET+. But if you can’t wait, all five seasons of "Martin" are also available to stream now on BET+.
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