The humor comes off as too broad, characters stereotypical and plot almost completely unconnected from episode to episode.
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As the fourth season of "Martin" opens, the newlywed Mr. and Mrs. Payne (Martin Lawrence and Tisha Campbell) have returned to their Detroit apartment from their honeymoon. Very shortly thereafter, they are deluged by their closest friends: Pam (Tichina Arnold), who has a love-hate relationship with Martin; Tommy (Thomas Mikal Ford), a tall, bald brother who is really a pussycat; and Cole (Carl Anthony Payne II), the group´s comic relief. Throughout the 27 episode season, this core group is at the center of the "Martin" universe, learning to live together when the relationship dynamics change and even being ripped apart by pettiness.
I´ll be honest: I never watched "Martin" in its original Fox network run. It did spawn five seasons, a total of 132 episodes, yet never manages to achieve true sitcom gold, like "Cheers," "The Cosby Show" or "The Brady Bunch." Why? I firmly believe the relative lack of success for the series rests on the shoulders of star/producer/writer/creator Lawrence. In two words, he´s not funny. Sure, in an overacting, over emoting, over enunciating and stereotypical way, he can be to the right audience, one that wants to see themselves on the screen. Yet I even question whether anyone can see themselves in this show.
Lawrence isn´t the only offender in his acting. The entire cast is uniformly larger than life, almost as if they are putting on a theater production and audience members in the cheap seats need to understand what´s going on. Martin, Gina (Campbell), Pam, Tommy and Cole all scream and yell their lines as if there isn´t a microphone sitting a foot away from their mouths. Their actions are wild, something my father would call "being dramatic." Most of the humor is at the expense of the other characters, especially Pam. Martin calls her a litany of names throughout the season-and most likely through the series-prompting me to wonder if he ever gave her a complex.
Each plot is distilled down to its barest elements. In one early episode, both Gina and Pam sneak onto the set of Martin´s television show to audition for a back up singer slot behind the Notorious B.I.G. This episode is clearly inspired by-or a homage to-Lucy and Ethel from "I Love Lucy." I mean, how can it not be? Both women dress up in ridiculous costumes, hoping Martin doesn´t recognize them. They ham up their individual acts for the audience (and Biggie), basically running over each other in an attempt to gain superstar status. (To be fair, both Campbell and Arnold have amazing voices.) And yet Martin is completely blind to what´s happening right in front of him for most of the episode. The problem is we´ve seen this set up and execution before…and brought to the screen with more humor, grace and elegance than anything the cast is capable of.
Being a sitcom, I know I shouldn´t expect any sense of reality to permeate each installment. But I do, I can´t help it. Just like each "Brady Bunch" dilemma is wrapped up in 25 minutes, each and every plot (aside from the two part season finale) is tied up with a nice little bow by the 22 minute mark. (Each episode runs approximately 22 ˝ minutes.) Martin lies to Gina and gets out hustled at a pool hall? No worries, Gina forgets all about it by the end. Martin and Tommy sever their friendship? A couple words is all it takes for the argument to be resolved when the final credits roll. I understand this is how a sitcom works, yet it´s too pat for my liking.
In every single scene, it looks like each actor is about to bust out laughing while saying their lines. The material isn´t that funny, though this is a phenomenon I´ve also noticed in the criminally over rated "Seinfeld." As if the mere thought of the punch line being vocalized makes them all want to burst into fits of laughter, it is impossible to gloss over the way their cheeks puff out moments before it is shared with the audience. Again, the most egregious offender here is Lawrence, though nearly everyone commit´s the sin at least once.
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