Did you miss Tommy Davidson as Varnell Hill? When The Varnell Hill Show premieres on September 1, you’ll get back-to-back episodes of the workplace comedy, followed by a new episode every Tuesday through October 13.
The upcoming series, a spinoff of the ’90s sitcom Martin, stars Davidson and Wendy Raquel Robinson (The Steve Harvey Show, The Game), Kym Whitley (Act Your Age), Nick Cafero (Pitch Perfect), Emmanuel Hudson (Wildin’ Out) and Chris Williams. Guest stars include Martin Lawrence, Ms. Pat, Deon Cole, Damon Wayans, Mike Epps, and Omarion.
Lawrence and writer Bentley Kyle Evans are co-creators and will serve as executive producers. Evans will also serve as the showrunner; his production team will produce the series.
What’s the plot of The Varnell Hill Show?
It comedically dives into the stressful, not-so-lavish (but has its perks) world of television production. The press release says, “the series explores Varnell’s journey to remain relevant in an ever-evolving industry and the corporate dynamics of network executives, business stakeholders, and creative teams involved in making the show. With its blend of satire, humor, cutaways, and fourth-wall breaks, the show promises to engage audiences in a fresh and innovative way.”
BET+, which shut down and migrated all of its content to Paramount+, greenlit the show in 2025.
From two episodes to an entire spinoff
In a two-part episode of Martin, Davidson appears as Varnell Hill, a talk show host who ‘went Hollywood.’
In the episode “Hollywood Swinging: Part 1,” Martin quits his job to make his television debut on a popular talk show, The Varnell Hill Show, after Varnell told the radio host that if he ever visited Hollywood, he’d have a spot for Martin, which was a lie. Although the character wasn’t a part of the main cast, he became a classic and is heavily quoted when the show is mentioned.
The classic sitcom that fans still can’t get enough of
When Martin premiered a little over 30 years ago, viewers were introduced to Martin Payne — a confident, hilarious radio show host who knew he was “the man.” The show revolved around his life, his relationships, and his job, providing humorous insight into his world. To his girlfriend (later wife), Gina Waters, he was the love of her life. Martin was the leader of the pack to his homeboys, Tommy Strawn and Cole Brown. To frenemy Pamela James (Gina’s best friend), he was a little guy with too much to say.
No matter what, though, each character had Martin’s back when it mattered the most. Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell, Thomas Mikal Ford, Carl Payne and Tichina Arnold starred in the sitcom that made history and will forever be in the hearts of generations to come.
Header image credit: Paramount+
