"Martin" Ended With A Pathetic Whimper 20 Years Ago This Month

[TMC]

For a show that started in with a bang five years earlier, it was tragic to see how far that show had fallen when it limped to its series finale 20 years ago this month:


A show that had so much spunk and comedy bowed out and left fans/audiences confused and disappointed. Season 4 seemed to be the beginning of the "end" of Martin. There were stories about Martin Lawrence and his problems with drugs and having a nervous breakdown in the middle of Ventura Blvd in the Valley were all over the press. There were scenes during Season 4 where he seemed high and/or totally out of it. And then the story about Tisha Campbell and the lawsuit just added fuel to the fire, making things worse.

[EccentricGenius]

Originally Posted by TMC

For a show that started in with a bang five years earlier, it was tragic to see how far that show had fallen when it limped to its series finale 20 years ago this month:


A show that had so much spunk and comedy bowed out and left fans/audiences confused and disappointed. Season 4 seemed to be the beginning of the "end" of Martin. There were stories about Martin Lawrence and his problems with drugs and having a nervous breakdown in the middle of Ventura Blvd in the Valley were all over the press. There were scenes during Season 4 where he seemed high and/or totally out of it. And then the story about Tisha Campbell and the lawsuit just added fuel to the fire, making things worse.

Oh, my God...has it REALLY been twenty years since "Martin" was cancelled? Good God, I'm old!

But seriously, TMC...despite respectable ratings--"Martin" was holding its own against NBC's smash hit "Friends"; in fact, FOX's entire Thursday night lineup (consisting of "Martin," "Living Single," and "New York Undercover") was a formidable competitor to NBC's massively successful "Must See TV" block--FOX network executives had had enough of Martin Lawrence's off-screen antics and decided to pull the plug. Once Tisha Campbell walked out midway through season five (Campbell returned to tape the hour-long series finale, under the condition that she never have any interaction with Lawrence whatsoever--neither on nor off camera), the writing was definitely on the wall. Campbell's accusations against Lawrence--she accused him of sexual harassment, as well as verbal and physical abuse--were the last straw.

I also mentioned--on another thread--that FOX was slowly starting to attract more affluent and upscale viewers (translation: white people) around the time "Martin" was nearing the end of its run...during the 1990s, FOX had transformed into a mainstream network, having successfully obtained NFL broadcast rights from CBS in 1993. As a result, FOX began abandoning and alienating their core audience--African-American viewers--by canceling not only "Martin," but also "Living Single" and "New York Undercover." Even their cornerstone series, "Married...With Children," was unceremoniously terminated after eleven seasons.

"Ally McBeal" debuted on FOX in the autumn of 1997 and quickly became a critics' darling as well as a mainstream success; once "Ally McBeal" was off and running, there was no turning back. FOX did attempt to hold on to their rapidly diminishing African-American audience with two new urban-oriented programs that premiered the same season (1997-98) as "Ally McBeal"--the lightweight buddy comedy "Between Brothers" and Damon Wayans' critically acclaimed urban drama "413 Hope St." Unfortunately, neither "Between Brothers" nor "413 Hope St." lasted a full season--once again, due to heavy competition from NBC's aforementioned "Must See TV" juggernaut--and both were pulled from the schedule in January of 1998, although "Between Brothers" resurfaced briefly on UPN the following year.

Well, there you have it, TMC. Good night!

[EccentricGenius]

One more footnote, TMC: Because of Tisha Campbell's walkout on the set of "Martin" in late 1996 (midway through season five), many episodes began to focus more on Gina's best friend, Pam James (Tichina Arnold), and not entirely on Martin and his pals, Cole (Carl Anthony Payne II) and Tommy (the late, great Thomas Mikal Ford).

Two notable examples include "One Flew Over The Hoochie's Nest" (Tichina Arnold appears in a dual role as Pam's cousin Tammy, an escaped mental patient who everyone mistakes for Pam, while Pam herself is institutionalized after she's mistaken for Tammy) and "Goin' For Mine" (Pam applies for an A&R position at Keep It Real Records after she loses her job at Gina's advertising agency [Gina had relocated the ad agency from Detroit to L.A.--hence Tisha Campbell's absence] despite the fact that she had no experience whatsoever in the recording industry).

"Goin' For Mine" is an interesting episode, because it was also a backdoor pilot for a proposed spin-off series that would've starred Tichina Arnold (reprising her role as Pam James). I've watched the episode a few times over the last twenty years, and it always brings a smile to my face every time I watch it...Tichina Arnold's performance was quite charming; her chemistry with guest stars Tyrese Gibson (pre-"Baby Boy"), Phil Morris (best known for his role as Johnnie Cochran-esque attorney Jackie Chiles on the series finale of "Seinfeld"), Jenna Von Oy (best known for her role as Blossom's best friend Six on "Blossom"), Anthony Johnson (best known for his role as Ezal in the urban stoner comedy "Friday"), and Dondre T. Whitfield (who had a co-starring role on FOX's short-lived sitcom "Between Brothers") was top-notch. It also baffles my mind that FOX didn't add "Goin' For Mine" to their schedule that September...the pilot certainly had the potential to stand on its own. I think the reason FOX declined to pick up "Goin' For Mine" for the 1997-98 season was because of "Martin's" abrupt cancellation; as I mentioned before, FOX was tired of dealing with Martin Lawrence's antics both on and off camera, and network executives decided to cancel "Martin" outright rather than renew the sitcom for a sixth season (despite respectable ratings). I also theorize that FOX network executives were uncertain, and a little leery, about Tichina Arnold's abilities to headline a half-hour sitcom; FOX would've been saddled with attempting to market and promote the spin-off had it materialized beyond the pilot.

Enjoy your day!

[Mace Dolex]

This is very interesting, I lost track of the show maybe around the 4th season that it's hard to believe the show without Martin and Gina together.

[TMC]

https://theundefeated.com/features/m...0-years-later/

The finale of Martin aired in May 1997 as its five-season run limped to the finish line. Its demise was affected by a set of circumstances — allegations of sexual harassment, an emergency cruise storyline, a restraining order — that included Tisha Campbell walking off the Detroit set in November 1996. Core fans often omit mentioning the final season in discussions of the show, even decades later. The pain and discontent of the fifth season goes hand in hand with why Martin held such a prominent place in African-American culture during the 1990s to begin with.

[EccentricGenius]

Wonderful article...after reading it, I now realize how much of an impact "Martin" had on hip-hop, as well as African-American, culture; a quarter century after its debut (and two decades after its abrupt cancellation), "Martin" is still fondly remembered. It's unfortunate that we'll never see a reunion special or film, due to Thomas Mikal Ford's untimely death last year. Thanks for the link, TMC.

[Blackout]

Originally Posted by EccentricGenius

Wonderful article...after reading it, I now realize how much of an impact "Martin" had on hip-hop, as well as African-American, culture; a quarter century after its debut (and two decades after its abrupt cancellation), "Martin" is still fondly remembered. It's unfortunate that we'll never see a reunion special or film, due to Thomas Mikal Ford's untimely death last year. Thanks for the link, TMC.

RIP Tommy

[TMC]

In 2019, Carl Payne would sit down with us for his first one on one with Comedy Hype. During this moment from our interview, Payne would open up about the show ending and if the series could have kept going after Tisha Campbell would leave? Instagram: @ComedyHype & Twitter: @ComedyHype_