The past few years have seen many former hit shows’ cast members coming together once again for reunions of all kinds, whether they be full-blown Emmy-winning specials like Friends: The Reunion, episodic recreations like the The West Wing team put together, Zoom gatherings like Parks and Recreation did, and more. There was a bit of a drop off in the last year or so, but BET+ is thankfully saving us from that nostalgic drought with Martin: The Reunion, featuring original stars Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell, and more. And now we know when that special will be available for streaming audiences to dig into.
BET+ will unleash Martin: The Reunion on the masses starting on Thursday, June 16, a little less than two months shy of the hit sitcom’s series premiere on Fox. (That happened on August 27, 1992.) Fans can look forward to a 90-minute special that will feature the highly anticipated on-screen reunion between Martin Lawrence and Tisha Campbell 15 years after their high-profile and litigious feud stalled the comedy’s future.
The special is confirmed to feature not only Lawrence and Campbell, but also their former co-stars Tichina Arnold and Carl Anthony Payne II, as the group looks back on creating such a successful series, both as a classic ‘90s comedy and as a project fronted almost entirely by Black actors. It will be hosted by comedy actor Affion Crockett, known for his roles in Pixels, the A Haunted House parodies, and The Wedding Ringer, among others.
What’s more, the conversations will take place within Martin’s living room set, which will be huge for fans who could detail every piece of furniture and decoration within that apartment. Especially after the series finale wrapped on the living room being mostly bare ahead of Martin’s big move. (For a quick reminder, anyone with an HBO Max subscription can easily stream all five seasons of the show.)
Here’s how BET+ describes Martin: The Reunion:
The cast will look back on the show’s most hilarious moments, revisit the iconic characters Martin made famous and pay an emotional tribute to the late, great Tommy Ford. Complete with musical performances and drop-ins by celebrity super fans, Martin: The Reunion brings back the wazzup wazzup wazzup passion fans have been waiting for.
As many fans are aware, Martin's final season was upended once Tisha Campbell filed a lawsuit against Martin Lawrence and the sitcom's producers, claiming sexual harassment, verbal abuse and physical abuse. Though the suit was later settled with HBO Studios, Campbell's character Gina was almost entirely missing from Season 5, save for the two-part series finale. That said, the agreement was such that she and Lawrence didn't share any scenes together in the episode, and their characters only interacted with each other via split-screen. Things have reportedly gone more positively as years have passed, otherwise this reunion might not be such a happy occasion.
Remember to tune into BET+ starting on Thursday, June 16, to see Martin’s cast come together for at least one more time.
