Martin: The Reunion gave fans of the Fox sitcom all the things they needed – laughs, great behind-the-scenes stories, and all the feels. Tisha Campbell, Martin Lawrence, and their co-stars were definitely game for anything, as they remembered the comedy series. Additionally, the retrospective served as a moving tribute to late series alum Thomas Mikal Ford, who died in 2016. After seeing the original cast back together again, many may now be wondering more than ever whether a revival of sorts might still happen? Campbell certainly knows that fans are eager for an answer, and she recently shared her thoughts on the possibility.
The actress discussed the idea of a sequel series while speaking with ET at the 2022 BET Awards. Tisha Campbell has been pushing for a Martin revival for years now, long before BET announced the 30th anniversary reunion special. But it now seems that Campbell has cooled down her efforts to revive the beloved Fox comedy after participating in the special. After reuniting with her castmates, she explained why such a project would be "hard" to do:
Tommy is not with us so that's a little hard to say. It really is too hard. We would miss him so much. Well never say never, like Martin [Lawrence] says -- but it's just too hard to see ourselves without him.
She wasn’t wrong in her assessment regarding a follow-up. Thomas Mikal Ford was a major part of the '90s comedy, and his absence would definitely be felt. Ford’s Tommy Strawn served as the intellectual straight man to Martin Lawrence’s selfish Martin Payne and Carl Anthony Payne II’s naïve Cole Brown. Tommy even served as an occasional ally for Campbell’s Gina Water-Payne and Tichina Arnold’s Pam James. So the dynamics between the characters would definitely be different without him present.
On the other hand, a possible revival could always proceed while addressing Tommy's fate with care. Other shows have written out characters in respectful ways while progressing their respective mythologies. Still, one can certainly understand why the group would be hesitant to push forward without the actor and his character.
Whether or not it gets a sequel series, the Fox sitcom emains one of the greatest Black sitcoms of the '90s. It's also worth mentioning that the original cast is quite busy right now. Tisha Campbell will star alongside Neil Patrick Harris in the Netflix comedy Uncoupled. Tichina Arnold is currently starring in CBS’s The Neighborhood with Cedric the Entertainer, while Carl Anthony Payne is now a TV dad on the Nickelodeon sitcom Young Dylan.
As you'd expect, Martin Lawrence has multiple projects in the works, including Bad Boys 4, which has not paused pre-production (despite rumors to the contrary). It would honestly be great to see them all together again on a Martin revival but, at the very least, it's great that Campbell and her co-stars are still thriving in other TV productions.
If you want to catch up with the cast and see some special guests pop up, you can watch Martin: The Reunion by subscribing to BET+. In the meantime, watch all five seasons of Martin by grabbing an HBO Max subscription. And as always, if you're looking for some contemporary viewing options, head on over to CinemaBlend’s 2022 TV schedule to see what new and returning TV shows are premiering.
