Tv Series Martin

The show starred 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. Martin has frequently been regarded as one of the most influential and "pivotal" for sitcoms of all time.^{[citation needed]} In 2024, the cast reunited at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards.

Martin
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	John Bowman Martin Lawrence Topper Carew
Starring	Martin Lawrence Tisha Campbell Carl Anthony Payne II Thomas Mikal Ford Tichina Arnold Garrett Morris Jon Gries
Theme music composer	Steve Keitt for Kid Entertainment, Inc. Joey Kibble II Mark Kibble Paul Wright III
Composers	Bill Maxwell (season 2-5) Greg Poree Paul Jackson Jr. (season 1)
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	5
No. of episodes	132 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	John Bowman Topper Carew Martin Lawrence Bentley Kyle Evans Billy Van Zandt Jane Milmore Samm-Art Williams
Producers	Walter Barnett Terry Crotzer Mark J. Greenberg Cheryl Holliday Bennie R. Richburg, Jr. Robert Lawrence
Production locations	Universal City Studios, Universal City, California
Cinematography	William Updegraff Gary W. Scott Alan Walker
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	22–24 minutes
Production companies	You Go Boy! Productions (1994-1997) (seasons 3-5) HBO Independent Productions
Original release
Network	Fox
Release	August 27, 1992 (1992-08-27) – May 1, 1997 (1997-05-01)

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.

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 3–5)
• 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 (Brother For 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)

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.

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 Global, including MTV2, VH1 and BET, with Max and Netflix also carrying the full run of the series.

Besides being purchasable on most digital video retailers, HBO Home Video released all five seasons of Martin on DVD in Region 1.