The Varnell Hill Show, headlined by Tommy Davidson reprising the beloved talk show host character he played as a guest star on Martin, will premiere on Paramount+ on September 1 with two episodes. The half-hour workplace comedy, executive produced by Martin Lawrence and Bentley Kyle Evans, was originally ordered by BET+, which was recently phased out, with its slate migrating to Paramount+.
Lawrence is recurring on the Martin spinoff, which also has released first-look photos.
Nearly three decades after audiences first met him, Varnell Hill is stepping back into the spotlight — and he’s determined to prove he’s still the star of the show. Set behind the scenes of a long-running late-night talk show, The Varnell Hill Show follows Varnell (Davidson) as he fights to stay relevant in a rapidly changing entertainment landscape. Between network executives eager to modernize the show, a chaotic writers’ room, celebrity guests, family drama, and his own outsized ego, Varnell quickly discovers that keeping a television empire together may be harder than building one in the first place.
Davidson leads an ensemble cast that includes Kym Whitley, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Nick Cafero, Emmanuel Hudson and Chris Williams, alongside a lineup of guest stars including Ms. Pat, Deon Cole, Damon Wayans, Mike Epps, Omarion and special appearances by Lawrence.
From BET Studios, the series is executive produced by Lawrence, Davidson, Jesse Collins and Dionne Harmon for Jesse Collins Entertainment, Stacy Lyles, Rae Proctor, and Robert Lawrence for Runteldat Entertainment, Mark Greenberg, Andrew Horne, and Evans for Harvest Studios, who also serves as showrunner, writer and director.
Following the two-episode premiere, one new episode will drop every Tuesday through October 13.
