Tommy Davidson has been preparing for this moment.
The comedic actor — a D.C.-area native who burst onto the national scene as a key member of the groundbreaking ’90s sketch comedy series “In Living Color” — is finally playing the leading man in “The Varnell Hill Show,” Paramount+’s “Martin” spin-off that premiered Tuesday.
“I lived to it,” is how Davidson put it in an interview with The Washington Post. “Every experience that went into making ‘Varnell’ was the culmination of my experiences, in real-time.”
Davidson has been a bit of an unsung comedic force, but he’s a master impressionist and character actor. He got his start in stand-up comedy and still does tours, and he has played a variety of television and movie roles during his almost four-decade long career. He is now sitting in the driver’s seat not just as a star, but as an executive producer.
It’s not so much that he’s got the confidence for this, he says. It’s more of a knowing, born of his decades in the business. “I came to this show with full capacity. Hell of a writer, hell of a producer, hell of a performer, hell of an actor — hell of an opportunity.”
“Varnell” is inspired by a two-episode arc from Season 2 of “Martin,” the 1990s sitcom starring Martin Lawrence as Martin Payne, a Detroit radio host. In those episodes, Davidson plays a scene-stealing, successful late-night talk show host whom Payne is first jealous of, then wants to emulate.
Davidson made that character sing. In one memorable scene, Davidson improvises lines that almost gets Lawrence to break character.
Maybe a two-episode guest starring role wouldn’t lead some folks to think “spin-off potential,” but Davidson said “I’d always think of that.”
“It’s like, I’d go and be a guest star on ‘The Ms. Pat Show,’ and we have such a great time that at any moment, I could be a cast member,” he said.
“Varnell” comes amid broader ’90s nostalgia, with spin-offs, sequels and reboots to beloved shows and characters. Peacock wrapped four seasons of “Bel-Air,” the reboot of Will Smith’s “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” Now, the network is reportedly considering a “Bel-Air” spin-off, called “Hilary.”
And a sequel series of the ’90s comedy “A Different World” (itself a “Cosby Show” spin-off) premieres Sept. 24 on Netflix. This new series is set on the same fictional campus as the original, and it picks up the story with the daughter of alums Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison) and Whitley Gilbert (Jasmine Guy).
But many of these updates depart from the originals in tone; they’re single-cam shows and are more like dramas or dramedies than straight comedies. “Varnell,” by contrast, feels closer to the original vibe of “Martin,” with a multicam production and laugh track.
And, because it’s airing on a streaming service, it’s not bound to keep expletives out.
“Varnell,” billed as a workplace comedy, deals with the changing media landscape, generational divides over comedy, declining TV ratings and the impact of social media. There are callbacks to “Martin,” including Hill’s signature catchphrase, “Did you miss me?” and moments where characters break the fourth wall and speak to camera. The eight-episode series, produced with BET Studios, has Lawrence on as an executive producer (he also makes a cameo). New episodes will be released on Tuesdays through Oct. 13.
The genesis of the show dates back to seven years ago, when Davidson and friend Christopher Reid — as in, Kid from the old-school rap duo Kid ‘n Play — were talking about the lack of Black late-night talk show hosts. How about addressing that, Reid suggested, by bringing back the Varnell Hill character?
Thus “Varnell” was conceived as a late-night show within a show; most episodes include musical acts playing themselves and performing, such as Kirk Franklin and Omarion. (It’s also a callback the original “Martin” episode when Jodeci performed.)
For Davidson personally, late-night shows played a big role in his career. His first appearance on the popular “The Arsenio Hall Show” was a breakout moment. But now, there isn’t a successor to Arsenio on traditional late-night.
“That’s the missing link, or what we see as a missing link in late night. That’s the only choice, whereas then we had the choice,” he said. “The choice to see some hip-hop acts or some people that you wouldn’t see in mainstream, that would become mainstream.”
Shows like “In Living Color” also gave a platform to up-and-comers who didn’t have the same kind of access to traditional late-night shows. Davidson mentions his fellow sketch-show castmates. “If me, Jim [Carrey], David Alan Grier, Jamie [Foxx], Jennifer Lopez didn’t have national exposure, what would the business be now?”
Davidson remains in a reflective mood about his own work, too, and all his days on stages and screens that lead him here. Days before “Varnell Hill” premiered, he said he was feeling “elated — and relieved.” Relieved that what he’s worked so hard toward will finally be out in the world.
“Doing this is hard. Waking up, and your job is hope. Your job is creativity. And then convincing people that it works,” he said.
The post The new ‘Martin’ spin-off adds to our ’90s nostalgia moment appeared first on Washington Post.
