“The Varnell Hill Show” Brings Tommy Davidson’s “Martin” Character Back to Television

Martin Lawrence and Tommy Davidson appear in Paramount+’s first look at “The Varnell Hill Show.” PowerPage branding added.

Varnell Hill is headed back to television nearly three decades after Tommy Davidson introduced the unforgettable talk-show host on “Martin.” Paramount+ has set “The Varnell Hill Show” for a September 1 global premiere, beginning with two episodes and continuing with one new episode every Tuesday through October 13. The first season contains eight half-hour episodes.

The new series does more than pull a familiar character out of a classic sitcom. Paramount+ describes it as a workplace comedy set behind the scenes of Varnell’s long-running late-night show, where he is fighting to remain relevant while network executives push for change. That premise gives Davidson room to preserve Varnell’s oversized confidence while placing it inside a television business that looks very different from the one “Martin” satirized in the 1990s.

The cast makes the cultural connection even stronger. Kym Whitley, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Nick Cafero, Emmanuel Hudson, and Chris Williams join Davidson in the ensemble. Announced guest stars include Ms. Pat, Deon Cole, Damon Wayans, Mike Epps, and Omarion, while Martin Lawrence is scheduled for special appearances. The lineup brings several generations of Black comedy and entertainment into one workplace instead of treating the show as a one-character nostalgia vehicle.

https://youtu.be/x1M3RC1wvlg

Bentley Kyle Evans serves as showrunner, writer, director, and executive producer, with Davidson and Lawrence also among the executive producers. BET Studios is associated with the production alongside Jesse Collins Entertainment, Runteldat Entertainment, and Harvest Studios. Those credits matter because the series is not simply borrowing a name from “Martin”; it reconnects key creative voices with a modern streaming platform and a new weekly release structure.

The central joke also carries a real industry question. What happens when a personality built for the old broadcast era has to survive new executives, fragmented audiences, social clips, streaming metrics, and constant demands to modernize? Varnell’s ego makes that conflict comic, but it also gives the show an opportunity to examine who gets to remain visible as Black television moves between legacy networks, studios, and global subscription services.

PowerPage’s coverage of Paramount’s Warner Bros. Discovery deal followed the corporate scale surrounding film and streaming libraries. “The Varnell Hill Show” offers the audience-facing side of that business: a recognizable Black television character, an ensemble of working comedians and actors, and a release plan designed to turn an older sitcom connection into a new weekly streaming habit.

The current official material establishes the cast, premise, production team, eight-episode order, and release schedule. It does not justify predicting whether the series will recreate the chemistry of “Martin” or how large Lawrence’s appearances will be. Those judgments should wait for the episodes. What is confirmed is enough to make the show one of the most culturally relevant television-and-streaming stories missing from the original Afternoon slate.