I Only Made It Through One Episode of The Varnell Hill Show — Yes, It’s a Hot Buttered Mess

I wanted to like The Varnell Hill Show. I really did.

It was exciting to learn that Tommy Davidson was bringing back the outrageous talk show host more than 30 years after we first met him on Martin.

Then Paramount released the trailer, and “unimpressed” is an understatement. Curiosity won out, but there was no rush to watch the series when it premiered.

Once comments started rolling in on social media, real curiosity kicked in.

Some people liked it, but plenty of reactions were negative, and I had to see for myself.

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N-Words and F-Bombs? Really?

Within the first minute of the first episode, the N-word was used, and that was an automatic turnoff for me. I don’t like the word. Period.

And then there was the F-bomb — several times.

No, I’m not a prude, and I can handle profanity. It just didn’t seem like the N-word and F-bombs to be part of The Varnell Hill Show.

Martin was comedy you could sit down with your family and laugh together. That’s more along the lines of expectation here.

The foul language was completely unnecessary.

Maybe the writers were trying to appeal to a younger audience. It’s hard to know, but what I do know is that trying to be “hip” is hurting it.

It’s Just Not Funny

The biggest problem with The Varnell Hill Show is pretty simple: it’s just not funny.

Fifteen minutes into the first episode, I hadn’t laughed once. The comedy is forced, and the supporting characters don’t help.

They feel more like caricatures than characters. Everybody is over the top, and instead of seeing people who could grow into likable characters or eventually become favorites, they’re just irritating.

The acting is too big, too forced, and honestly, just bad.

And that canned laughter doesn’t help. Hearing a laugh track after jokes that aren’t funny only makes the whole thing worse.

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Too Much Extra, Not Enough Varnell

Another problem is that the show spends too much time setting up the supporting characters and the backstory.

I came to see Varnell Hill. I wanted Tommy Davidson on that set, cutting up and being the guy we waited more than 30 years to see again.

There’s also way too much breaking the fourth wall. Varnell and the other characters are constantly turning to the camera with little side comments, and after a while, it just gets old.

Then there’s Varnell running around in a yellow pimp suit. There is just too much going on, and most of it doesn’t add anything. It’s a hot buttered mess.

Even Varnell’s Show Within the Show Falls Flat

Even when the show finally gets to Varnell on set with celebrity guests, it still doesn’t work.

The back-and-forth between Varnell and Kirk Franklin feels forced, and the studio audience is lackluster.

On Martin, Varnell’s audience was packed and hype. They were into it. This audience is a fraction of that size and mostly just seems to be there.

The music was the best part of the episode. Doug E. Fresh’s beatboxing and Kirk Franklin’s performance gave the show a little life. The rest of it? A hard no.

Martin Is Here, But He’s Not Martin?

Then Martin Lawrence shows up. Great, right? Not exactly.

He’s not playing Martin Payne. He’s Mr. Dupree, a loan shark trying to collect money from Varnell’s nephew.

Make it make sense. Bringing Lawrence into this spinoff and not having him play Martin Payne was a missed opportunity.

We needed to see those two characters interact again and bring back the chemistry and connection that made viewers want Tommy Davidson to get his own Varnell Hill spinoff all those years ago.

Instead, we got Martin as an overdressed gangster with a gold tooth.

One Episode Was Enough

I made it through the entire first episode and didn’t laugh once. That pretty much says it all.

As a longtime fan of Tommy Davidson and Martin Lawrence, and after waiting more than 30 years to see this character again, I wanted this to work.

Instead, I’m disappointed and disgusted.

I won’t be watching Episode 2.

Maybe the moment for a Varnell Hill spinoff has passed, or maybe this just wasn’t the way to bring him back.

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So, is The Varnell Hill Show really that bad? Yes.

Of course, you can judge for yourself. It’s streaming now on Paramount+.

Have you watched it? What do you think? Let us know in the comments.

The post I Only Made It Through One Episode of The Varnell Hill Show — Yes, It’s a Hot Buttered Mess appeared first on TV Fanatic.