Martin Lawrence Finally Returning To Television In Highly-Anticipated Series
Martin Lawrence might be waiting to see if the Bad Boys franchise is going forward, but the man has now been cast in his first TV role in eight years.
After an eight-year hiatus, Martin Lawrence will be returning to television screens everywhere. The comedian and actor has signed on to appear in AMC’s drama, Demascus. The series, which was greenlit by the network back in February of this year, will center around its titular character, a 33-year-old Black man who is looking to try out different experiences in his lifetime. With the help of brand-new technology, Demascus will see who or what he could have been in alternate realities and timelines.
Martin Lawrence will join the six-episode series in the role of Uncle Forty. Uncle Forty is Demascus’ (Okieriete Onaodowan) uncle who is down on his luck both in life and in health. Through it all, Uncle Forty still wants to be treated as the strong man that he once was and lead his family as he sees fit. Along with Lawrence and Onaodowan, the series will also star Janet Hubert, Caleb Eberhardt, and Shakira Ja’nai Paye. We can expect to see Uncle Forty appear in three episodes.
Although he’s known for his roles in films such as Blue Streak, Black Knight, and the Bad Boys franchise, Martin Lawrence was a longtime regular on home screens everywhere with his self-titled sitcom, Martin. The five-season running show starred Lawrence as a Detroit-based DJ who has dreams of something bigger. Over the episodes, Martin’s sass, wit, and antics would drive a wedge between him and those closest to him, but he’d always come out on top with everyone in good spirits.
The final season of the show got a little bit dicey as Martin Lawrence’s co-star and on-screen girlfriend, Regina Waters, played by Tisha Campbell, filed a lawsuit against both Lawrence and the show’s producers alleging that sexual, verbal, and physical harassment had taken place. Because of this, the final season is mainly missing Campbell and when she does appear, Lawrence is never in the same room. Despite the alleged misconduct, Martin was one of Fox’s highest-rated shows during that period. The series also recently held a reunion to celebrate its 30-year anniversary.
Prior to his new role on Demascus, the last time Martin Lawrence appeared in a televised series was back in 2014 in FX’s Partners. The sitcom also starred Kelsey Grammer and saw the co-stars appearing as two Chicago lawyers from different ends of the world. When their paths cross during a mutually terrible day in court, the two hit it off and eventually begin their own partnership. The one-season series also starred the likes of Rory O’Malley, Edi Patterson, Telma Hopkins, Danièle Watts, and McKaley Miller.
Outside of his new AMC series, Martin Lawrence is still pushing for another feature in the Bad Boys franchise. Currently, the story sits with four installments, the last one came out in 2020. Following “slapgate” aka Will Smith striking Chris Rock with a slap at this year’s Academy Awards ceremony, it was called into question as to whether there would be room for another Bad Boys down the line. According to Lawrence, the answer is a resounding yes and that the project has been in the making for some time now.
