The first three seasons of Martin Lawrence's comedy were great, almost brilliant. Lawrence showed himself to be an incredible comedian and impersonator. The show had a crazy energy about it, and it was nice seeing another comedy with an all-black cast succeed.
Unfortunately, the last couple of seasons of the show were horrible. The characters started using established tics and catch phrases as crutches. The writing got very sloppy, almost to where it seemed (to me) the actors were improvising half their lines. And Martin Lawrence, perhaps getting a little too enamored of his own success, got increasingly out of control in real life. How bad did it get? Eventually Tisha Campbell, who played Martin's girlfriend Gina, refused to do scenes with him! There's a point in the last season where you will not see the two actors in the same location at the same time. Like another popular sitcom featuring a stand-up comedian (Roseanne), Martin went in with a bang and out with a whimper. Still, it's worth catching the first seasons of the show to see Martin Lawrence at his best.
Unfortunately, the last couple of seasons of the show were horrible. The characters started using established tics and catch phrases as crutches. The writing got very sloppy, almost to where it seemed (to me) the actors were improvising half their lines. And Martin Lawrence, perhaps getting a little too enamored of his own success, got increasingly out of control in real life. How bad did it get? Eventually Tisha Campbell, who played Martin's girlfriend Gina, refused to do scenes with him! There's a point in the last season where you will not see the two actors in the same location at the same time. Like another popular sitcom featuring a stand-up comedian (Roseanne), Martin went in with a bang and out with a whimper. Still, it's worth catching the first seasons of the show to see Martin Lawrence at his best.