How Backstage Drama Got Martin Canceled After Just 5 Seasons

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https://screenrant.com/martin-lawren...-season-5-why/

Martin Lawrence's self-titled sitcom Martin made him a star, but after only five seasons, backstage drama caused the hit show to be canceled. Lawrence was one of many stand-up comedians to get their own sitcom in the 1990s, joining the likes of Jerry Seinfeld, Tim Allen, and Ellen DeGeneres. Martin was also part of a wave of 1990s sitcom hits starring Black leads, including such shows as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Living Single, Family Matters, and Hangin' with Mr. Cooper.

Martin was one of the bigger success stories in that bunch, with Lawrence becoming a household name, and moving on to a career as a movie lead afterward, starring in hits like Bad Boys, Blue Streak, and Big Momma's House. While he's dealt with his share of career inhibiting personal struggles in the decades since, he still maintains a loyal fanbase, and effortlessly slipped back into his Marcus Burnett role opposite co-star Will Smith in 2020's Bad Boys for Life.

The second-biggest name to come out of the Martin cast was Tisha Cambell, who played Martin's girlfriend Gina. She went on to be the female lead on My Wife and Kids opposite Damon Wayans for five seasons, then recurred on All of Us and Everybody Hates Chris. A lot of why Martin worked was the charming but sometimes stressful relationship between Martin and Gina, but a big reason the show didn't last longer was due to strife between the two actors behind the scenes.

The main reason Martin didn't make it to season 6, at least according to contemporary reports, was that by season 5, the relationship between Martin Lawrence and Tisha Campbell had completely fallen apart. The two had known each other from prior to the show, and according to Campbell, Lawrence would constantly subject her to unwanted sexual advances, which only got worse once she got engaged. Campbell also alleged that Lawrence would grope her during sex scenes, to the point where she asked the writing team not to write anymore. Lawrence, an executive producer on Martin, would also regularly be verbally abusive to the rest of the cast, sometimes threatening to get them fired, according to Campbell.

By season 5, Campbell had had enough, and ultimately filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Lawrence, resulting in Gina sitting out much of the season. The lawsuit was eventually settled, and Campbell returned for Martin's final episodes, but under the condition she not have to share scenes with Lawrence, making for an incredibly awkward and largely regrettable series finale that saw Martin and Gina repeatedly exit sets before the other would enter. One thing worth noting is that in 2020, Lawrence said in interviews that Martin wasn't canceled, and that he had in fact made the decision to end the show and move on with his career. He and Campbell, as well as the rest of the Martin cast, appear to have mended fences at least, as the group has reunited several times in the past decade.