Martin (TV series)

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Martin
The Martin cast. From left to right: Tommy Strawn (Thomas Mikal Ford), Gina Waters (Tisha Campbell), Martin Payne (Martin Lawrence), Pamela James (Tichina Arnold), and Cole Brown (Carl Anthony Payne II).
Genre	Sitcom
Creator(s)	John Bowman Martin Lawrence Topper Carew
Starring	Martin Lawrence Tisha Campbell Carl Anthony Payne II Tichina Arnold Thomas Mikal Ford Jon Gries (1992-1994) Garrett Morris (1992-1994)
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	132 (List of Martin episodes)
Production
Running time	30 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	FOX
Original run	August 27, 1992 – May 1, 1997
Links
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Martin was an American television sitcom produced by HBO Independent Productions (a subsidiary of HBO, in turn a division of Time Warner) that aired for five seasons from August 27, 1992 to May 1, 1997 on FOX. The show starred comedian Martin Lawrence and Tisha Campbell.

Contents 1 Overview 2 Episodes 3 Recurring supporting characters 4 Catchphrases 5 Cancellation 6 Special guest appearances 7 DVD releases 8 Trivia 9 Movie connections 10 References 11 External links

[edit] Overview

The show revolved around a macho, stubborn, derisive twenty-something radio deejay/talk show host named Martin Payne (played by Lawrence), who worked at WZUP, an urban talk radio station in Detroit, Michigan for the first half of the series and the local cable-access TV station, Channel 51, for the second half until the series' end, when he was offered his own nationally syndicated talk show in Los Angeles, requiring him to move there. His girlfriend (and later, his wife) was Gina Waters (played by Campbell), an ad executive who could, on occasion, be as egotistical and badly behaved as Martin, but otherwise maintained a level head. Speaking of Gina's head, a common running gag was to poke fun at Gina for her oversized head. In the series finale, she was promoted to Senior Vice President of the ad office in Los Angeles after the Detroit office ceased operations, necessitating her move there with Martin.

Martin's closest friends were Tommy Strawn and Cole Brown. Tommy (played by Thomas Mikal Ford) was a friendly, exuberant guy who seemed to get the most irritated with Cole's stupidity out of everyone else in the gang, often commenting, "Cole... you stupid." Because no one ever knew what Tommy did for a living, a common running gag occurred whenever Tommy mentioned his job in a given situation- everyone exclaimed in unison, "You ain't GOT no job!" Cole Brown (played by Carl Anthony Payne II, who had previously played Theo's friend Cockroach on The Cosby Show) was a loyal yet idiotic airport attendant who initially had a crush on Gina's sassy, attitude-having best friend and co-worker Pamela James (played by Tichina Arnold, who co-starred with Campbell in the theatrical adaptation of the off-Broadway musical Little Shop of Horrors). Pam completed the circle of friends. She and Martin constantly insulted and belittled each other in every episode. Ironically, Arnold is one of Lawrence's closest friends in real life.

Later in the series' run, Tommy and Pam dated each other exclusively for awhile, then returned to just being friends. Cole's romantic interest for a couple of seasons was Big Shirley, a mountain of a woman who was seldom seen; when she was, it was only a shot of a portion of her huge frame, the joke - presumably - being that she was just too large to fit into the shot. In the final season, Cole found a kindred spirit in Shanice (played by Maura McDade), a dimwitted but well-meaning girl. They became engaged in the final episode.

[edit] Episodes

Main article: List of Martin episodes

[edit] Recurring supporting characters

One of the trademarks of Martin was Lawrence playing multiple characters in the series, utilizing various costumes. The most notable of Lawrence's other roles on the show was that of Sheneneh Jenkins, a stereotypical "Detroit ghetto girl" and owner/operator of Sheneneh's Sho' Nuff Hair Salon, whom Lawrence played in drag. Sheneneh was an awkwardly large girl with unladylike tendencies, yet she often characterized herself as a "la-a-a-dy." She lived in an apartment across the hallway from Martin's, and factored into many of the sitcom's stories by making her presence known when it wasn't desired. Her dialogue consistently makes use of phrases such as "aw-awight" and "oh no you di-in't", and her character is generally portrayed as being a troublemaker and a hindrance. Sheneneh also had several friends who appeared occasionally in some episodes. They included Bonquisha (played by Kim Coles), Keylolo (played by rapper Yo-Yo), and her loudmouth girlfriend Laquita, (played by actress Simbi Khali).

• Roscoe: a 10-year-old kid with a consistently runny nose and a smart mouth. Lawrence played the role by standing still on his knees, and attaching shoes to his kneecaps.
• Otis: an old, overweight security guard usually depicted as being inept. Despite often screwing up and not seeming to have much knowledge about the real world, Otis is in fact very strong and has been known to beat up offenders, even if it sometimes is at the very last second.
• Jerome: a flashy Detroit pimp who makes big entrances, often yelling and singing variations of his own theme-song "Jerome in the house! I say Jerome in the house! Watch ya' mooooooouuuth", upon arrival. He runs a casino, wears a family gold tooth, often parties, and regularly hits on Pam. His nickname for Pam is "Junk in the Trunk" or just "Junk" for short. His nicknames for Gina is "Hi-Yellow" and "Red Bone" or just "red" for short.
• Edna (Momma) Payne: Martin's shrill, touchy, berserk mother, who is overprotective of Martin and dislikes Gina immensely. Ironically, this is one of the few roles in which Lawrence does not cover up his mustache with stage make-up. This is probably due to the fact that Lawrence thought it would be humorous to portray an elderly woman as having a thick mustache equal to that of her son.
• Dragonfly Jones: A martial arts "expert", who was beaten up in nearly every appearance. He always seemed to owe money to a real martial artist, who was actually a student of his who would then beat him up.
• Bob: A white man who works in the marketing department of Gina's company who is best described as a stereotypical "surfer dude". He speaks in a Southern Californian accent mixed with a Texas twang and often uses words like "dude" and "man" even in professional settings. Lawrence achieves his appearance as this character with stage make-up and a prosthetic nose attachment to make him appear White, as well as wearing a long blonde wig to complete the look.
• Elroy Preston: The fictional "Godfather of Black Surf Music" who is now basically forgotten and washed up. Preston now works as an auto mechanic, and is best known for randomly breaking into song while performing his mechanical duties. This character often distracts himself and irritates others when reminiscing on things that involve his trademark song. The song consists of Preston singing "Don't you know no good!" over and over.

These characters were generally very popular with audiences, although Sheneneh was the most famous. Lawrence would later dress as alter-egos in his feature films, notably Big Momma's House and its sequel, Big Momma's House 2. As much of Martin was taped before a live audience, the Martin Payne character very rarely shared screen time with Lawrence's costumed alter-egos. Periodically, however, split-screen filming techniques allowed Martin and Sheneneh or Martin and Otis to appear onscreen together.

There were also other recurring characters, such as Brother Man (pronounced "Bruh Man", played by comedian Reginald Ballard). Bruh Man lived on the fifth floor, directly above Martin, and often climbed down the "f-a-a-a-ah 'scape" to break into Martin's apartment, taking food, borrowing assorted items and generally lounging around as if he lived there. One memorable quote was in an episode where Martin had recurring dreams about Pam. Martin wakes up around 3 0'Clock and walks into his living room to find Bruh Man making a sandwich. After some words Bruh man says "What you doin up. I usually have the place to myself round' this hour." Another notable character was Ms. Geri (played by Jeri Gray), a tough trigger-happy senior who, regardless of her age and diminutive size, had no qualms about whooping ass. Most of her physical confrontations were with Martin in mundane, everyday situations, such as standing in line at the DMV or at the unemployment office. Hustle Man (played by comedian Tracy Morgan), always came around to sell whatever crazy items he had from the 'hood, always greeting with his trademark "What's up, chief?" There was also Nipsey (played by Sean Lampkin), the rotund, good-natured bartender who owned Nipsey's Club, the group's favorite hangout.

In Seasons 1-3, Martin had a co-worker at the radio station named Shawn, played by Jon Gries. Martin always found himself having rather strange conversations with Shawn. Shawn usually did things that upset Stan and once even tried to get a record deal from Snoop Dogg. Shawn was later fired, along with Martin, when Stan sold the radio station. Stan, played by Garrett Morris, was Martin's and Shawn's boss and the owner of WZUP radio station. He always had on bad cologne and outdated clothing from the 1970s. Martin knew Stan to be cheap and somewhat untrustworthy, and just when Martin didn't think Stan could sink any lower with his schemes, Stan always surprised him. Furthermore Stan got into trouble with the IRS due to unpaid taxes, so he sold the station and fled. He came back later on to start a partnership with Martin to help him open a restaurant Marty Mart's Meatloaf and Waffles. Their venture together wasn't successful. Stan left and was never mentioned again on the series.

[edit] Catchphrases

This show introduced a plethora of catchphrases, including Get ta steppin!, Somebody done told you wrong!, Damn, Gina!, You ain't GOT no job!!, and Wazzuuppp!, Aawww hell no, Woooowooowooooo, Talk to the hand!, Gimme Love, You go Girl, You go boy! among others.

[edit] Cancellation

During the last two seasons of the show, Lawrence began abusing drugs, the effects of which very obviously affected his performance on the show, and he suffered numerous psychological effects as a result.^{[citation needed]} Campbell sued Lawrence for sexual harassment, alleging that Lawrence acted inappropriately while he and Campbell taped scenes of Martin and Gina sharing a bed.^{[citation needed]}

The episode in which the alleged harassment took place was 'Back in Trouble Again' (Season 5, Episode 2). It was the last bed scene between Campbell and Lawrence. During the end of the episode, there was a gag reel of outtakes of the two under the covers and they both seem to be joking around. This supports some of the doubts of the allegations.^{[citation needed]}

Other allegations were that Lawrence threatenend the cast with a firearm. Campbell also alleged that Lawrence would have outbursts during tapings. Campbell claimed that she feared for her life and that she began to install locks on her dressing room. She also claims she had spoken with the shows producers about installing a 'panic' button in her dressing room. None of the other cast members have made claims about how their work enviornment was.

Campbell's appearenaces in the show dwindled, oftening sharing screentime only with co-star, Tichina Arnold, or in a split-screen with Martin, or not at all. She did not (and would not) appear in any scenes with Lawrence, save for a split-screen scene taped on separate sets. Campbell's disappearance from the show caused Martin to "jump the shark"^[1] in the eyes of many viewers: the show's ratings and popularity dropped. Despite Lawrence's problems, FOX showed interest in bringing back the show for a sixth season but Lawrence skipped out on a meeting to discuss (reported in the Hollywood blurb on the Atlanta-Journal Constitution in 1997.) As result, Living Single was brought back as a midseason replacement. Meanwhile, FOX waited until things settled between Lawrence and Campbell. Lawrence even had suggested who would take over the role of Gina. Lawrence then made the decision to end the show and FOX agreed.^{[citation needed]} To this day, Lawrence and Campbell are still personally feuding, although Campbell stated in a radio interview that she is still very grateful to Lawrence for giving her an opportunity to be a part of his show.^{[citation needed]}

Some speculate that there had been a rift between Lawrence and Campbell due to Lawrence ignoring her ideas for the show. Others believe it was a ploy for Campbell to get out of her contract with the show.

It was also speculated that Martin Lawrence had plans to cast Regina King to take the role as Gina so that the show could continue.^{[citation needed]}

Following the conclusion of the series, the stars went on to have successful careers. Lawrence has starred in several high-grossing comedy movies and Campbell recently starred on the sitcom My Wife and Kids with Damon Wayans. Ford and Payne continued acting in film, television, and theater while Arnold continued in film and television, recently becoming a main cast member of Chris Rock's semi-autobiographical UPN sitcom Everybody Hates Chris.

[edit] Special guest appearances

Ernest Thomas Snoop Dogg Marla Gibbs Thomas Hearns Coolio Antonio Fargas Salt-N-Pepa Tommy Davidson David Alan Grier Charles Barkley John Witherspoon Method Man

Rudy Ray Moore Notorious B.I.G. Pam Grier Kim Fields Mark Curry Lisa Leslie Gary Coleman Teresa Edwards Dawn Staley Rebecca Lobo Chris Rock MC Hammer

Richard Pryor Little Richard Keith Washington Brian McKnight Bebe Winans Cece Winans Jodeci Fred "Rerun" Berry Randall Cunningham Tyrese Gibson Anthony Johnson Keith Sweat

Sheryl Swoopes Kid (Kid & Play) Billy Dee Williams Clifton Powell Jackie Chan Outkast Lou Rawls Bushwick Bill Will Smith Shaquille O'Neal Phil Morris Kristoff St. John Charlie Murphy John Amos Reggie McFadden

[edit] DVD releases

HBO Home Video has released the first 2 seasons of Martin on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time. It is unknown if the remaining 3 seasons will be released at some point.

Cover Art	DVD Name	Release Date	Ep #	Additional Information
	The Complete First Season	January 2, 2007	27	Bonus features include bloopers and Martin Lawrence commentary on his favorite scenes. [2]
	The Complete Second Season	May 15, 2007	27	Bonus features include a gag reel. [3]

[edit] Trivia

• Campbell had a key role in the Spike Lee film School Daze, while Lawrence was in Do the Right Thing.

• A trademark/running gag on the show was the fact that it was broadcast before a live audience, and the cast would sometimes stumble or improv things or reference the audience, which isn't edited out of reruns.

• Tommy was the only character whose place of residence was never shown in the series. Pam too, although her apartment (Gina's old apartment) was shown.

• Pam's parents never appeared on the show.

• Martin Lawrence's sister can be seen as one of the women at Gina's bachelorette party.

• Cole and his mother's apartment was the Evan's apartment on Good Times.

• One episode had Gina and Pam held up by a stalled car. A mechanic who sings "Don't You Know No Good" offers to fix the car for free, but only if they will listen to his rendition. Although secretly annoyed, they drive out out of the car shop singing it to themselves. The credits to that episode show Gina and Pam wearing sequin dresses with big bouffant hairdos singing it as in a concert. This is reference to Little Shop of Horrors, which Tichina Arnold and Tisha Campbell both appeared in.

• The door next to Sheneneh's apartment, which was a trash chute, sometimes read "Incinerator", and other times read "Trash".

[edit] Movie connections

• Martin Lawrence starred in House Party with Tisha Campbell and Tichina Arnold.
• Tisha Campbell starred in Little Shop of Horrors with Tichina Arnold.
• Kid {from Kid 'n Play} guest-starred in episode ("Forever Sheneneh"), Kid also starred in Class Act with Thomas Mikal Ford.
• Tichina Arnold made an appearance in Big Momma's House, and Wild Hogs which both starred Martin Lawrence.

[edit] References

1. ^ Jump The Shark - Martin
2. ^ http://tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=6474
3. ^ http://tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=6863

[edit] External links

• Martin at the Internet Movie Database
• Martin at TV.com