“Martiiiiiinnnnnnn!”

As anyone who knows me can attest, I’m a big fan of comedy. Whether it’s stand-up, movies, or sitcoms, I’m into the funny shit (pause?).

If I had to list my favorite comedy performers, Martin Lawrence would have to at least be in the top 5. His movies of recent years have fallen way short, and he hasn’t really been the same since he started flippin’ out after “smokin’ that ooh-wee”, but I’ve laughed my ass off at that dude too many times to count. The one thing that truly him as one of my faves was his self-titled sitcom, Martin. From ’92 to ’97 on the FOX network, Martin and the cast put on a hell of a damn show.

Clearly, Martin was the star of the show, but a good deal of the humor also came from the other stars. In the role of “Gina”, Tisha Campbell started off as the voice of reason who had everything under control, but eventually became as comical as Martin was. Another character who went through some changes was “Tommy”, played by Thomas Ford. He was pretty much disposable in season 1, but when his “ah ah ah” laugh and mysterious/nonexistent job became a running joke, he was one of my favorite characters. Tichina Arnold‘s role as “Pam” also stood out, as her back-n-forth exchanges with Martin went strong for the show’s whole run. “Cole”, played by Carl Payne was always on point as the idiot friend who always managed to say and do the dumbest shit.

Martin was funny enough by himself as “Martin Payne”, but he also took on multiple roles with characters such as “Sheneneh“, “Otis“, “Jerome“, and others. Not sure about anybody else, but there’s been many a time where it’s slipped my mind that it was Martin doing the characters. I didn’t even look at them like it was him in a costume; I laughed at them like they were separate cast members. Some of my favorite scenes from the show included these personas- i.e. “Elroy Preston”, the mechanic who couldn’t stop singing “don’t cha know no good” or “Mama Payne” flippin’ the fukk out when her bird died.

After season 2 was over, the show moved away from Martin’s job at the WZUP radio station and headed towards him hosting his own talk show on TV. Along with that change, the characters of “Stan” (played by Garrett Morris) and “Sean” (played by Jonathan Gries) were cut. Martin also cut back some of his extra roles and added new recurring characters played by other actors. The most notable were “Hustle Man” (played by Tracy Morgan), “Marian” (the alcoholic woman who pops up at every party), and “Ms. Geri” (the old lady that always ends up fighting Martin). But the best of ’em all was “Bruh Man”, who stayed showin’ up at the most random times to borrow Martin’s shit and make “sammiches”.

As much as I love the show, that fifth season was where shit fell off. Part of it was due to Martin’s personal issues clearly taking their toll on him creatively. More than anything, the biggest trouble came when Tisha Campbell left the show after accusing him of sexual harrassment. Without “Gina”, the show lost an important part of what made it work. At one point, Tisha was about to be replaced by Regina King, but she decided to come back. Even after that, it didn’t work because she refused to do any scenes with Martin. The ratings fell off as well, and by early-’97, it was canceled. There were a few decent episodes in the season, but for the most part, Martin died while it was on its last leg.

It’s been off the air for 13 years, but in syndication ever since, and I’ve watched every episode of that shit at least 20 times. Even now, I’m quick to pop in one of those season DVD’s and laugh at an episode like I’ve never seen it before. Up until the last season, there was rarely ever a show that went by without a memorable quotable or segment. Martin had its share of detractors due to its content (especially the NAACP), but to those who tuned in to catch it every week like myself, it was some of the most comical shit ever.

My Martin Top 10:

10- Dragon Fly Jones vs. Kenji

9- Got The Draws!

8- Cole’s Toenail

7- Forever Sheneneh

6- Otis vs Donnie & Clyde

5- Pam Steals Martin’s Steelo

4- You Gon’ Gimme Some Change

3- That Ain’t No Damn Puppy!

2- Cole, Sitcha $5 Ass Down ‘Fore I Make Change!

1- Martin vs. Tommy Hearns

-D!