- Davidson collaborates with Martin Lawrence to expand Varnell’s story, blending his past and present in Black entertainment.
- Varnell must adapt his long-running talk show to a rapidly changing industry driven by social media and technology.
- The comedy aims to make audiences laugh while tackling the challenge of staying relevant in an evolving cultural landscape.
Nearly 30 years after Tommy Davidson introduced audiences to Varnell Hill on Martin, the comedian is revisiting the fan-favorite character, but a lot has changed since viewers last saw him.
Davidson stars in and executive produces The Varnell Hill Show, a new Paramount+ workplace comedy premiering Sept. 1. This time, Varnell is running his own long-running late-night talk show while trying to stay relevant in a rapidly changing entertainment industry. Between network executives pushing him to modernize, a chaotic writers’ room, celebrity guests, family drama, and his own oversized ego, keeping his TV empire intact proves to be a challenge.
During an exclusive interview with BOSSIP’s very own Lauryn Bass, Davidson said returning to the character has allowed him to not only reconnect with his past but also create something that speaks to where entertainment and culture are headed.
“It’s exciting bringing it back, you know, and it’s challenging, and it’s fun, and it’s fulfilling,” Davidson said.
Tommy Davidson On Bringing Varnell Hill Back Nearly 30 Years Later
For Davidson, Varnell Hill’s return also marks another chapter in a creative relationship with Martin Lawrence. One that began before either comedian became a household name.
“Me and Martin started out together 30 years ago as comics,” Davidson said. “We both did very well, both got our own movies, both got our own series.”
Davidson said his original appearance on Martin came together after a writer he knew from In Living Color moved to the sitcom and told him they had a character for him.
When Davidson arrived, Lawrence gave him room to create.
“Martin says you can do whatever you want, right? Like In Living Color, right? You could do what you wanna do.”
Decades later, Lawrence is among the executive producers helping expand that character into an eight-episode, half-hour series.
Davidson said the project also gives him a rare opportunity to bring together different periods of his career and Black entertainment.
“I couldn’t have a better project ever, because I get to work with my man Martin and everybody involved in the ’90s,” he said.
Executive produced by Martin Lawrence and Bentley Kyle Evans, the eight-episode series also stars Kym Whitley, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Nick Cafero, Emmanuel Hudson and Chris Williams, with guest appearances from Ms. Pat, Deon Cole, Damon Wayans, Mike Epps, Omarion and Lawrence himself.
While the comedy takes viewers behind the scenes of Varnell’s fictional program, Davidson said the musical performances are very real.
“It’s a TV show about a late-night talk show, that’s really a late-night talk show,” Davidson said. “October London killed it. Omarion killed it. You know, Kirk Franklin killed it.”
Varnell Hill Meets A Very Different Entertainment Industry
Varnell may still have the personality audiences remember, but Davidson said the character can’t exist in 2026 without confronting how dramatically the culture around him has changed.
Social media, technology and the pressure to modernize are built into the premise as Varnell attempts to hold onto his television empire.
Davidson said that adjustment isn’t limited to his character.
“He’s got to change,” Davidson said. “Our generation has to change, like all do. You know, we have to accept certain things about reality.”
For Davidson, that includes recognizing the role social media now plays in everyday life and entertainment.
“We got to accept the fact that social media has a legitimate part of this whole culture and society,” he said.
Davidson joked that his own relationship with technology often requires assistance from his children because it wasn’t something his generation learned through formal education.
“If one of them ain’t around, I’m curtains,” he joked.
But underneath the generational humor is an idea Davidson considers important to what the series can offer audiences.
“The sobering part of this, the part where we get a good balance and something positive out of it, is it’s our past, our present and our future at once,” he said.
Davidson added that Black audiences have rarely had the opportunity to experience all three within one television vehicle.
‘Everything I Can’: Davidson Is Ready To Find The Funny
Technology isn’t the only thing fair game for Varnell.
Asked what parts of today’s culture and entertainment industry he is most excited to poke fun at, Davidson didn’t hesitate.
“Everything I can, everything I possibly can, because you better learn how to laugh now,” he said.
Davidson connected that approach to his years on In Living Color, where comedy could pull from different communities, experiences and cultural conversations without limiting who was invited to laugh.
“We’re playing exactly the role that we played on In Living Color,” Davidson said. “We came into the world as a show that can get everybody laughing, no matter who you are, what your orientation is, what your background is culturally, your education.”
His comparison for the type of comedy he’s hoping to create was much simpler.
“We coming in there like bread. Everybody like it.”
Staying Relevant Isn’t Just A Varnell Hill Problem
For all of Varnell’s antics, his central conflict is one that extends beyond television: figuring out how to evolve without losing what made people connect with you in the first place.
Davidson said that part of Varnell’s story feels personal.
“I think the thing I love about it the most is that it’s personal to all of us to stay relevant,” he said, “especially in these days and times where we’re dependent on instruments, on physical instruments to stay relevant and to stay connected.”
That conversation now includes artificial intelligence, another piece of modern technology Davidson is already finding humor in.
Davidson joked about asking AI questions only to have it acknowledge a mistake, return with a new answer, and still get the information wrong.
The comedian sees those changes as more material for a series that can address where culture is headed without losing the comedy that first introduced audiences to Varnell.
“It gives us the opportunity to move in a different direction with comedy and with television,” Davidson said. “Those things don’t happen that often.”
Three decades after Varnell Hill first appeared on television, Davidson sees the character’s return as an opportunity to connect generations, talk about the realities of a changing industry and, most importantly, make people laugh.
“Let’s have some fun again,” Davidson said.
The Varnell Hill Show premieres Sept. 1 exclusively on Paramount+.
