In 2016, FX’s “American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson” unpacked the “Trial of the Century,” but part of what made the show so successful was its ability to zero in on the cultural zeitgeist of the 1990s. One memorable subplot revolved around the sequestered jury being divided over which TV show to watch. Though they were far from reaching their controversial verdict, jurors were already split across racial lines — over whether to watch “Seinfeld,” or Martin Lawrence’s titular Fox sitcom.
The scene, by all accounts, came from the imagination of the anthology’s writers, but it was built around an astute observation: “Martin,” co-created by Lawrence, may not have earned a slew of Emmy nominations like “Seinfeld” did, but it was — and remains — just as iconic.
Three decades after the show’s 1992 debut on Fox, the cast of “Martin” — Lawrence, Tisha Campbell (Gina), Tichina Arnold (Pam) and Carl Anthony Payne II (Cole) — and a slew of celebrity guests came together for a reunion celebrating the beloved sitcom. The 90-minute special, released Thursday on BET Plus, was directed by Stan Lathan, who helmed the first two episodes of the series. “Martin: The Reunion” also pays tribute to the late Thomas Mikal Ford, who played Martin’s best friend Tommy.
Here’s what we learned — and what we didn’t — from the special and an interview with Campbell.
The cast didn’t realize how revered the series was until much later.
Campbell, who played Martin’s girlfriend Gina, told The Washington Post that the reunion gave the cast “a chance, collectively, to understand how revered the show is.” They certainly weren’t aware in the ’90s. “We didn’t think of it like that. We just didn’t,” she said. “We were there to feed our families and have a good show and make people laugh.”
Of course, after decades of syndication and now streaming, Campbell started to get an idea of its multigenerational fan base. She started watching — something she didn’t do during its initial five-season run — because “millennials and Gen Zs” would approach her quoting the show’s many catchphrases, including its most memorable: “Damn, Gina!”
To Campbell’s part-chagrin, part-amusement, her own 12-year-old son calls her Gina. “He doesn’t call me Mommy ever. Ever. I don’t mind when other people call me Gina, but when this one calls me Gina all day, every day — ‘Gina, can you go get me something to eat, please?’ ‘Gina, do I have to go to bed right now?’”
“I just gave up,” she laughed. “I just answer. I’m tired.”
The one thing that really hit home for Campbell, though, was seeing photos of the cast at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. “I literally was in shock,” she said. “We don’t think of ourselves as icons, but people call us that. And so, we’re just grateful. We’re grateful.”
The special is very much in celebration of the series, so much so that reporters covering the reunion were advised not to ask about “how it ended,” alluding to Campbell’s 1997 sexual harassment lawsuit against Lawrence. The actress temporarily left the show before settling the lawsuit and returning to film the two-part finale — under the stipulation that she would never be in the same room with Lawrence. Campbell and Lawrence have both said they are on good terms now; they interact warmly and praise each other effusively during “Martin: The Reunion.”
“We worked really hard to reconnect, to forgive,” Campbell told Gayle King this week on “CBS Mornings.” “And this reunion is about a celebration of everything that we did, everything that we accomplished and our growth as human beings. So we concentrated mostly on that.”
Most of the cast knew one another before “Martin” began filming.
This won’t be news to pop-culture buffs, but most of the cast worked together well before “Martin” first aired. Campbell made her theatrical debut alongside Arnold in the 1986 musical “Little Shop of Horrors,” and starred opposite Lawrence in the 1990 comedy “House Party” and its sequel.
Campbell was Lawrence’s one and only choice to play Gina, but it took some persuading because she was set to star in a pilot that had already been picked up. In the special, the pair recall that Lawrence went to Campbell’s apartment to try to persuade her to join the “Martin” cast instead. Unbeknown to Lawrence, Campbell’s roommate at the time was Arnold, who had just auditioned for the Fox sitcom and would soon be cast as Gina’s best friend Pam. Campbell said Arnold made her promise not to tell Lawrence they were best friends because Arnold wanted to get the part on her own merits.
Arnold and Campbell knew Payne from the audition circuit and, of course, his first big role as Cockroach on “The Cosby Show.”
If the cast looked as if they were laughing on camera, they probably were.
Lawrence and his co-stars recall the audience’s energy and the way they stomped their feet during the funniest scenes. But the goal, they said, was always to make one another laugh first. Making Lawrence laugh “was the benchmark,” says Payne, who played Martin’s other best friend, Cole.
The actors giggle while watching a clip from a Season 2 episode in which Martin suspects that one of his friends stole his new CD player (how’s that for a ’90s throwback?) and interrogates them while dragging a very fake attack dog across the apartment he shares with Gina. The scene is made funnier by the fact that Lawrence had requested a real dog but was told he would have to make do with a stuffed version that could not even sit up on its own. Lawrence takes physical comedy to new heights, dragging the dog across the floor and getting Ford to nearly break character during the scene.
“Tommy can’t take it,” Payne says as the cast shares a laugh. “That’s my favorite episode,” Arnold shares. “I did pee on myself.”
Thomas Mikal Ford, who played Tommy, led the cast in prayer before every show.
In one of the special’s most poignant moments, the cast heads to Nipsey’s — the show’s fictional bar and restaurant — to honor the one cast member who is conspicuously missing from the special: Ford, who died in 2016 at age 52. With the actor’s wife and children present, each cast member recalls what they loved about “Tommy.”
An emotional Lawrence called Ford a “true spiritual brother,” and recalled a time he asked Ford to open for him at a stand-up show. Lawrence was almost upstaged. “I had to come on behind Tommy and I’m thinking, 'Okay, well he’s damn near funnier than me,’” Lawrence recalled. “But that’s who Tommy was — his energy, his humor, his laughter, his kindness, his spirit. He was just a great person and he will be missed. My brother, I love you.”
Because Ford loved gospel music and led his co-stars in prayer before every taping, his loved ones then take in a live performance by singer Le’Andria Johnson.
Guest stars also remember the show fondly.
The special recalls some of the celebrities who turned up on “Martin” over the years with some — including Snoop Dogg, Brian McKnight and Tommy Davidson — returning to reminisce with the cast. Davidson, who played the recurring Varnell Hill (and, like Lawrence, grew up in the Washington area), calls the cast “family.”
In a clip, Tracy Morgan, who played the recurring Hustle Man, calls “Martin” “one of the greatest sitcoms ever made.” Lawrence revealed that Morgan didn’t have to audition because the “Def Comedy Jam” host had seen him on the legendary stand-up show. “I knew he was going to kill it,” Lawrence said
Marla Gibbs, who gave a nod to her famous character on “The Jeffersons” with a guest role as Martin and Gina’s no-nonsense housekeeper, also makes a memorable appearance.
