‘Some Things Are Better Left Alone’: Martin Lawrence Drops Bombshell Months After Tisha Campbell Shuts Down Hopes of a ‘Martin’ Revival

Comedian Martin Lawrence transformed television culture in the 1990s with his iconic sitcom “Martin.” Now, he’s reviving his beloved character, Martin Payne, with a fresh, young, and dramatic twist.

Nearly 30 years after the original series, Lawrence is introducing “Young Martin,” an hour-long drama produced by his RunTelDat and Marvin Peart’s WonderHill Studios.

The show will explore Payne’s formative years, delving into the adolescent trials and tribulations that shape the journey to adulthood, reimagining the character that captivated audiences during its initial five-year run on Fox from 1992 to 1997, Deadline reports .

This announcement coincides with Tisha Campbell, who played Gina Waters-Payne on the original show, previously declaring there will never be a reboot. According to Campbell, the cast and crew have all declined to do another “Martin” episode without the full original cast, which included the late Thomas Mikal Ford.

During an interview with ET’s Kevin Frazier at the NAACP Image Awards, the journalist asked about the possibility of a return to Garden Court Condominiums, where she, Payne and their neighbors Sheneneh Jenkins and Brotherman from the fifth floor lived. She flat-out said, “No. Tommy’s not with us.”

“He was too much of an integral part of our cast and the whole entire legacy of it all,” Campbell continued, adding, “I can’t see myself doing anything without Tommy. He’s too important to us.”

She may be right, which could be the reason that Lawrence followed his “Bad Boys” franchise co-star Will Smith and created a darker drama based on his original show.

In 2022, Smith and his Westbrook Studios partnered with Peacock to put out “ Bel-Air, ” a darker and more dramatic spin on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” the 1990s sitcom that launched the Oscar winner’s acting career.

By following a new path like Smith did with his NBC show, Lawrence and his team will be able to explore Payne’s story, set in 2024 Detroit, without compromising the deep ties the cast has to the old story and characters no longer around to play their former parts.

Fans suspected that Lawrence had something up his sleeve, noting that he had been reposting old clips of the show on social media for weeks.

“Martin Lawrence must be hinting at a Martin reboot or something because he’s been posting a lot of old clips recently lol,” one tweet in June read.

Another fan made note that Gina and Martin’s chemistry was so great that the show’s decline hinged on the critical split between Campbell and Lawrence over alleged harassment.

“The relationship between Martin and Gina was so important that the show died when Tisha Campbell-Martin filed a lawsuit citing sexual harassment and verbal abuse against Lawrence,” the critic explained.

Campbell accused the “Big Momma’s House” actor of groping her during love scenes and persistently making unwanted sexual advances. She also alleged that Lawrence was verbally abusive to the cast, claiming he engaged in “repeated and escalating sexual harassment, sexual battery, verbal abuse, and related threats.” Lawrence has strongly denied these allegations, and the matter was ultimately settled out of court.

The two have since reconciled and reunited in 2022 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of “Martin.”

One reunion in April 2024 saw Campbell go back to the old lot that the show was filmed on.

She documented the visit on her social media, saying, “This is where we filmed the ‘Martin’ show. Me and Tichina, we always listened in when Tommy… we would always take — like cartoons — we would take glasses and try to listen to see what Tommy was up to and we put it to our ears and put our heads to his wall, because he was always on something sneaky, so we would tease him.”

“And all he would say every single day, ‘F—k you, Tisha and Tichina!’ … Oh my God, I’m tearing up, but in a good way,” Campbell said.

As Lawrence prepares for the Martin prequel, there is no word on whether any of the characters of the original “Martin” show will appear as teens, whether any of the original cast will make guest appearances, or when filming will start.

Though little is known of what’s to come, many fans have already started sharing their opinions.

“Some things are better left alone ijs,” a fan wrote on Instagram.

“I’ve been waiting all my life for this the original shot in the same building I grew up in” another commented.

‘Some Things Are Better Left Alone’: Martin Lawrence Drops Bombshell Months After Tisha Campbell Shuts Down Hopes of a ‘Martin’ Revival