Varnell Hill Is Back — And This Time He Has His Own Show

Some television characters become popular because they were given years to develop. Varnell Hill did it with considerably less.

Tommy Davidson’s fast-talking, extravagantly confident television host originally entered the world of Martin as a guest character. Varnell carried himself like the biggest personality on television, arriving with enough swagger, celebrity energy and self-importance to immediately become memorable.

Now the character has been given something fans of the original sitcom probably never expected to see: his own television series.

From Martin to His Own Spotlight

The idea immediately carries a layer of nostalgia.

Martin helped define a generation of Black television comedy during the 1990s, and its supporting characters became nearly as important to its legacy as Martin Payne, Gina, Tommy, Cole and Pam.

Varnell Hill was different. He was essentially television stardom exaggerated until it became comedy — the clothes, the confidence, the celebrity friends and the assumption that everybody in the room should already know exactly who he was.

Davidson played the character broadly, but there was always enough truth inside the joke to make Varnell recognizable.

The new series takes that personality and drops him into a television industry that looks very different from the one that created him.

Old-School Star Power Meets Modern Television

The Varnell Hill Show takes viewers behind the scenes of Varnell’s long-running late-night program as he fights to remain relevant in an entertainment business obsessed with reinvention, younger audiences and whatever happens to be trending next.

That gives the show more to work with than simple nostalgia.

Varnell represents an older version of celebrity — big personality, big entrance and absolute belief in the power of being a star. The people surrounding him represent a newer entertainment business where executives, corporate priorities, social media and changing audience expectations can be just as important as whoever sits behind the desk.

A Familiar Comedy Family Returns

The connection to Martin extends beyond Davidson.

Martin Lawrence and longtime collaborator Bentley Kyle Evans serve as executive producers, reconnecting creative voices closely associated with the original sitcom.

Davidson is joined by Kym Whitley, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Emmanuel Hudson, Chris Williams and Nick Cafero, while the first season also opens its doors to a particularly strong collection of comedy and entertainment guests.

Martin Lawrence, Damon Wayans, Mike Epps, Deon Cole and Ms. Pat are among the familiar names scheduled to appear, along with singer Omarion and other guests.

That casting makes the series feel less like an attempt to simply resurrect a 1990s character and more like an opportunity to build a comedy world around him.

The Real Test: Can Varnell Work Without Martin?

Spinning a supporting sitcom character into a full series is never automatic.

What works brilliantly for ten minutes inside someone else’s show doesn’t necessarily work for eight complete episodes.

Varnell, however, has one advantage: the character was practically built for this particular moment.

A fading television personality desperately protecting his relevance in an entertainment business that keeps changing is a surprisingly contemporary premise for a character created decades ago.

If the series can balance that idea with Davidson’s exaggerated performance, workplace comedy and the chemistry of its supporting cast, Varnell Hill may prove he was capable of carrying his own television show all along.

And knowing Varnell, he probably never doubted it.