Tommy Davidson steps into the spotlight, Martin Lawrence returns, and Paramount+ bets big on a fan-favorite rivalry 30 years in the making.
ByBernadette Giacomazzo
August 6, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Paramount+ is launching The Varnell Hill Show on September 1, a new comedy spin-off of Martin led by Tommy Davidson, with Martin Lawrence returning as Martin Payne in a recurring guest role more than 30 years after their original on-screen rivalry.
- Set behind the scenes of Varnell’s long-running late-night talk show, the series follows him battling shifting network demands, chaotic writers, messy celebrity guests, and his own oversized ego to stay relevant in a changing entertainment landscape.
- Produced by Lawrence and co-starring Kym Whitley, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Nick Cafero, Emmanuel Hudson, and Chris Williams, the show revives a fan-favorite character from a classic 1993 Martin arc without attempting a full reboot after the death of Thomas Mikal Ford.
Martin Payne is officially back in the building—even if his name is no longer on the marquee.
Paramount+ has released the first images from The Varnell Hill Show, the upcoming Martin spin-off led by Tommy Davidson, and the photos confirm that Martin Lawrence will reprise the role that made him a television superstar. According to Entertainment Weekly, the new comedy premieres September 1, more than three decades after Davidson’s loud, flashy talk-show host returned to Detroit and made Martin question his entire career.
Lawrence will appear as a guest rather than the show’s lead, while Davidson takes center stage as Varnell Hill, the former WZUP personality who left Detroit, found success in Los Angeles and never missed a chance to remind Martin Payne about it.
The first-look photos show Lawrence and Davidson together again, along with cast members Kym Whitley, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Nick Cafero, Emmanuel Hudson and Chris Williams.
Executive produced by Lawrence, The Varnell Hill Show moves the action behind the scenes of Varnell’s long-running late-night program. The host is now fighting to hold onto his place in an entertainment business that keeps changing around him. Network executives want upgrades, the writers’ room is unpredictable, celebrity guests bring their own complications, and Varnell’s ego remains large enough to create problems without any outside assistance.
The character originally appeared during a two-part Season 2 storyline of Martin in 1993. Davidson, an original In Living Color cast member, played Varnell as Martin Payne’s successful former radio colleague and professional rival.
After Varnell returned to Detroit bragging about his Hollywood life, Martin followed him to Los Angeles expecting his own big break. Instead, he discovered that Varnell’s invitation carried considerably less weight than advertised.
Despite appearing in only that brief arc, Varnell became one of the sitcom’s most remembered guest characters. Davidson’s competitive back-and-forth with Lawrence helped turn an exaggerated late-night host into a lasting part of Martin lore.
That history now gives Paramount+ an established character, a familiar rivalry and a reason to bring Lawrence’s Martin Payne back without attempting a full revival of the original series.
Lawrence has repeatedly said that a traditional Martin reboot is not happening following the 2016 death of Thomas Mikal Ford, who played Tommy Strawn. “No, I think we’ve done everything we had to do,” Lawrence previously told Entertainment Weekly. “We had a loss with Tommy Ford. And it wouldn’t be the same.”
