Martin: The Reunion. A Heartwarming and Hilarious Reunion.
Warning: If you haven’t seen the reunion on BET+ yet I urge you not to read this article yet because there will be SPOILERS!!! Welp… now that that’s out the way….
WZUP? WZUP? WZZZZUP!?” On June 16th Martin, Gina, Pam, Cole and Tommy in spirit reunited on BET + to reminisce about all the joy and laughter they had on set and gave to us, the audience over the past thirty years. The Martin show is to this day one of the most pivotal Black shows in television history as well as just one of the greatest and funniest sitcoms ever created in general. The casting was perfect, the chemistry was genuine and the laughs were strong and never ending. Martin, Gina, Tommy, Cole, Pam, Sheneneh, Jerome, Hustle Man, Bruh Man, Roscoe, Mama Payne, Otis etc. became household names, and the stars all shone bright after the series with Martin Lawrence going into a huge film career with the likes of the Bad Boys franchise, Big Momma’s House, Life etc. Tisha Campbell and Tichina Arnold went on to play mothers on two other classic sitcoms such as My Wife & Kids and Everybody Hates Chris, as well as Dr. Ken, Last Man Standing, Survivor’s Remorse and The Neighborhood. Carl Anthony Payne and Thomas Mikal Ford went on to do many film, television and theater productions, and we all know how much Tracy Morgan blew up. The show was so popular in its time that it boasted many iconic guests including Tommy Davidson, Snoop Dogg, Biggie Smalls, Marla Gibbs, Pam Grier, Antonio Fargas, the cast of the Love Boat and many more. After such a high level of success, it was about time we got the crew in Detroit back together again in Marty Mar’s nicely renovated apartment talking about the legacy of their iconic sitcom.
First off, let me just say how impressed I was to see how amazing the recreated Martin apartment set looked. It felt like no time had passed at all since the show concluded back in 1997. I was hit with a wallop of nostalgia, and the cast felt the same way as they greeted each other and host Affion Crockett as they came back home. Affion was a fantastic choice as a host for this reunion, as he is clearly a die hard Martin fan and you could just feel his joy at being there talking and chilling with that remarkable cast. He also just seemed to have a natural repore with the cast and it was just enjoyable to watch the interactions between them all.
The Guests:
Earlier I mentioned the amazing guests that stopped by Martin’s crib on the show, and this reunion had quite a few bright stars popping up as well. It was great to see such amazing and iconic figures as Tommy Davidson, Brian McKnight, (who made an incredible entrance, btw) Snoop Dogg and the one, the only and the always sharp and lovable Marla Gibbs, stopping by to make us laugh and share their memories with Marty Mar and the gang. Doesn’t Marla still look great btw? 91 and still killing us with the sharp zingers. But my favorite drop in was the great Reginald Ballard aka Bruh Man who like always came in through the fire escape window. Still as hilarious as ever, and as grateful for what the show gave to him and to his career.
The Tommy Tribute:
The real tears start flowing when we get back to Nipsey’s for the memorial service\tribute for Thomas Mikal Ford aka Tommy, who left us in 2016 at only 52 years old. Tommy’s beautiful wife and two grown children were there as Martin, Tichinia, Tisha and Carl said a few deep words about their departed friend. Gospel singer Le’Andria Johnson blew the roof of the place as she gave an incredibly powerful performance reducing the room (and yours truly) to tears. Tommy was certainly loved by all who knew him and for all of us who only knew him through the tv screen. The only downside of this whole reunion was the absence of his presence. But… at least now in heaven doing the lord almighty’s work he’s finally got a job!
My Overall Thoughts:
Man, I have been waiting for this reunion for years. It was well worth the wait, and despite the fact that the timing could’ve been better, like before Tommy passed on… It was just a great experience watching one of the all time great sitcom cast talk about the fun they all had together making a legendary show that’s still making people laugh and relax years later.
In closing, as we all know the world isn’t exactly in the best place right now, and in tough times like these we all need to just stop all the BS and just laugh again with each other. A great sitcom can provide wonderful escapism and if I had to recommend the perfect sitcoms to binge watch in order to escape the harsh realities of our world and just laugh til your stomach is killing you and your having a fierce wheezing attack, the Martin show is definitely one of the top choices for sure. Thanks for stopping by to reminisce, folks. Now…
