Martin Returning to TV, Tisha Campbell Replaced with Ashanti
As Fox continues to suffer from poor ratings, the network has once again agreed to reload one of it’s classic series.
The action packed “24” starring Kiefer Sutherland returned this year and now the network has reached an agreement with Martin Lawrence to return his insanely popular comedy series “Martin.”
The series, which originally ran for 5 seasons (1992-1997), is considered one of the best black television comedies off all-time. From 1996 – 1997, Martin, New York Undercover, and Living Single were the top rated shows among black audiences.
The show starred Martin Lawrence (Martin Payne), Tisha Campbell-Martin (Gina Waters) , Thomas Mikal Ford (Tommy Strawn) , Tichina Arnold (Pamela James), and Carl Anthony Payne II (Cole Brown). The entire cast has agreed to return with the exception of Tisha Campbell-Martin, who has been replaced by popular R&B singer/actress Ashanti.
In 1996, Campbell-Martin filed a lawsuit against Martin Lawrence alleging he s*xually harassed her. HBO Studios settled the case for an undisclosed amount and Campbell-Martin agreed to finish the final season of the show, but refused to appear in any scenes with Lawrence. The fallout between the two stars is what led to FOX pulling the plug on the series.
Ashanti recently spoke about playing the role of Gina Waters saying, “Like many people, I grew up watching Martin and it was probably my favorite TV show ever. I know it will be difficult for many people to see me as Gina, but I hope I bring a new dynamic to the role. I see it no differently than when Aunt Viv was replaced on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. At first the audience was not feeling the character change, but she eventually won them over. I am hoping I can do the same thing.”
http://www.thenewsnerd.com/entertainment/m...
Production for the show is underway and it will return to television in the fall of 2015.
The action packed “24” starring Kiefer Sutherland returned this year and now the network has reached an agreement with Martin Lawrence to return his insanely popular comedy series “Martin.”
The series, which originally ran for 5 seasons (1992-1997), is considered one of the best black television comedies off all-time. From 1996 – 1997, Martin, New York Undercover, and Living Single were the top rated shows among black audiences.
The show starred Martin Lawrence (Martin Payne), Tisha Campbell-Martin (Gina Waters) , Thomas Mikal Ford (Tommy Strawn) , Tichina Arnold (Pamela James), and Carl Anthony Payne II (Cole Brown). The entire cast has agreed to return with the exception of Tisha Campbell-Martin, who has been replaced by popular R&B singer/actress Ashanti.
In 1996, Campbell-Martin filed a lawsuit against Martin Lawrence alleging he s*xually harassed her. HBO Studios settled the case for an undisclosed amount and Campbell-Martin agreed to finish the final season of the show, but refused to appear in any scenes with Lawrence. The fallout between the two stars is what led to FOX pulling the plug on the series.
Ashanti recently spoke about playing the role of Gina Waters saying, “Like many people, I grew up watching Martin and it was probably my favorite TV show ever. I know it will be difficult for many people to see me as Gina, but I hope I bring a new dynamic to the role. I see it no differently than when Aunt Viv was replaced on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. At first the audience was not feeling the character change, but she eventually won them over. I am hoping I can do the same thing.”
http://www.thenewsnerd.com/entertainment/m...
Production for the show is underway and it will return to television in the fall of 2015.
