The Varnell Hill Show Season 1 Review: A Decent Return to Sitcoms for Davidson

As the decades pass, Martin continues to earn its place in TV history. The comedy series was one of the most popular sitcoms of the 1990s, helping launch the careers of dozens of comedians while making Martin Lawrence a bankable star. The Varnell Hill Show returns us to the world of Martin by giving one of its side characters a glow-up to the lead role. Tommy Davidson returns to the role that helped launch his career, and it’s a fun return. However, some unfocused aspects of the series lead to a rocky start.

What is The Varnell Hill Show about?

Set in the modern day, Varnell Hill (Davidson) finds his world turned upside down. A new studio head, Jonah (Nicholas Cafero), wants to make Varnell so miserable that he quits his spot on late night. Hoping to expedite the process, he hires the demanding executive producer Rachel (Wendy Raquel Robinson), who immediately adds three younger writers.

In the middle of the culture change, Varnell tries to push back and keep his show the way it’s always been. However, longtime assistant Kym (Kym Whitley) reminds him the change is needed. With Rachel and Kym in his corner, Varnell starts to change his approach. Embracing social media, he finds himself back in the game and with a chance to upend Jonah’s plans.

Critique

While Tommy Davidson has been speaking about his return to Varnell Hill since before Covid, the character dates back to a 1993 guest star performance. Davidson became something of a rival to Martin Lawrence during the initial show, but now, he takes us into Varnell’s life thirty years later. More than anything, The Varnell Hill Show is a nostalgia play, but it does function as a workplace comedy. In that regard, the series is pretty much a standard outing.

However, The Varnell Hill Show gets a lot of support from Davidson’s friends to give the show some juice. This starts with an absurd number of cameos, with actors like Damon Wayans, Mike Epps, and Martin Lawrence (playing a new in-universe character) joining the fun. Athlete Matt Barnes pops up for an episode that explores Darnell’s struggles with aging. The show within the show even pulls musical guests, with Omarion and the recently passed D’Angelo standing out. In many ways, The Varnell Hill Show takes a page out of the Hacks, 30 Rock, and The Larry Sanders Show playbook.

However, the series also makes some strange missteps. For one, it wants to incorporate breaking the fourth wall. While this occasionally worked on Martin, the direct-to-camera asides are not particularly effective. While Davidson is not the only character that gets them, they do little to keep the momentum of the show. Worse, they’re rarely funny, taking away valuable space for a joke that could actually work.

In that regard, The Varnell Hill Show usually succeeds. There are certainly misses, including some tired jokes about pronouns and woke culture. However, there are some surprisingly effective bits, including a running side plot about one of the writer’s stand-up bits that gets misinterpreted. Lawrence comes back and gets off a few jokes, while Davidson roasts Damon Wayan while praising his brothers (and even his son). When the nonverbal of the actors are on point, as they often add humor to scenes missing any laughs.

In this regard, Kym Whitley is one of the MVPs of the show. The actress has bounced between sitcoms in the past, and while she’s playing a similar character to her Young & Hungry and The Upshaws, she’s still a comedic force when given the opportunity. The Varnell Hill Show gives her emotional beats and allows her to take on a voice-of-reason role in the lives of the characters, making her an indispensable piece to solving the spin-off’s tone.

Is The Varnell Hill Show worth watching?

Yes, the return of Davidson to the sitcom gives the series juice. However, without focus early on and an attempt to mix in some poorly timed fourth-wall-breaking humor, Varnell Hill does not reach its full potential. It’s impossible for The Varnell Hill Show to meet the standards set by its predecessor. However, we still think it’s going to find its audience, and you could do a lot worse with a sitcom in 2026.

The Varnell Hill Show releases on Paramount+ on September 1. Eight episodes were provided for this review.

The Varnell Hill Show Season 1 Review: A Decent Return to Sitcoms for Davidson