After Richard Pryor and before Dave Chappelle, the enigma known as Martin Lawrence was a comedic and creative force to be reckoned with. Lawrence, who made his break in entertainment as Maurice Warfield on the 1980s series What’s Happening Now!, not only had a knack for comedy, but also understood the assignment when it came to advancing “The Culture” in the realm of TV and film.
Initially making an impression with his roles in Do the Right Thing, House Party, and Boomerang, Lawrence did us all a favor by co-creating the hilarious sitcom Martin. The series made viewers laugh for five seasons and put the world on to the wonderful talents of Tichina Arnold, Tisha Campbell, Carl Anthony Payne II, and Thomas Mikal Ford. There was also the added touch of Garret Morris, Jon Gries, Reginald Ballard, and Kellita Smith.
Thirty years later, the cast of Martin will be reuniting on the BET+ Original special Martin: The Reunion to recap some of the pivotal moments of the show while on the actual set. Towards the end of the video, host Affion Crockett prompts the query of whether a reboot is possible, leaving viewers in suspense.
The special is directed by Stan Lathan and executive produced by Lawrence, Jesse Collins, Dionne Harmon, Robert Lawrence, Stacy Lyles, Rae Proctor, and Jeannae Rouzan-Clay.
Watch the teaser below:
A lot has changed since the show ended with its last episode airing May 1, 1997. Lawrence went on to have a big movie career, starring in Life, Bad Boys, National Security, and Big Momma’s House. Arnold also hit gold on television series such as, Everybody Hates Chris, Survivor’s Remorse, and The Neighborhood, to name a few.
Campbell flirted with both films and TV, starring in My Wife and Kids, Empire, and Blindspotting. Payne continued in the industry, being featured in a variety of TV movies and series, including The Game and the biopic CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story. He’s currently on the Tyler Perry series Young Dylan.
Ford, who is remembered for his role on the comedy pic Harlem Nights and detective series New York Undercover, would do several projects before his untimely passing at the age of 52 on Oct. 12, 2016. The teaser for the reunion shows the remaining cast members dedicating the special to Ford.
Martin: The Reunion premieres June 16th, only on BET+.
