Stars Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell, Tichina Arnold and Carl Anthony Payne II reunited during the awards ceremony.
The 75th annual Emmy Awards gave its audience a welcome blast from the past on Monday night. The cast of Martin came together onstage at the the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California, for a hilarious reunion that proved their chemistry hasn't gone away in the 30 years since they graced primetime TV together.
Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell, Tichina Arnold and Carl Anthony Payne II, four of the actors who brought the iconic comedy to life in the '90s, reunited during the show to present the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.
However, instead of simply coming out onto stage together, the group was introduced sitting around a recreation of Martin's apartment from the hit sitcom. The reunion served as a bit of a sketch, in which Campbell pointed out how unfair it is that their show never got nominated for an Emmy. "Despite 132 episodes, huge ratings, and being in syndication so much that it's a little hard to see the '90s, spank-less version of myself," she said.
Host Anthony Anderson interrupted the debate about Martin deserving an Emmy, joking, "Like me, for the last 11 times, you're not going to get an Emmy."
The reunion added a sweet touch of nostalgia to the evening, evoking memories of the series' most hilarious moments and reminding fans of the undeniable chemistry and talent that led to Martin's groundbreaking five seasons.
The only missing piece was the cast's late co-star, Tommy Ford, who played Thomas "Tommy" Strawn throughout the series' run and died in October 2016. And the stars made sure to include the late star in the special moment, never missing a chance to pay tribute to their close friend.
The Martin reunion wasn't the only such callback at the 75th Emmy Awards. TV's biggest night included several reunions like this sweet moment, a testament to the awards show's producers' plan to lean heavily on the history of TV for the award's diamond anniversary. Tributes and reunions focused on decades from the 1950s to the present.
After being announced as this year's host, Anderson told ET that the Emmys would pull off a special celebration to ring in its milestone anniversary.
"There's a special commemorative Emmy that's going to be given out that night to commemorate 75 years. We're going to be paying homage to iconic shows that kind of changed the landscape of television and entertainment. So I'm excited to be a part of all of that," he shared.
Emmy Awards executive producers Jesse Collins, Dionne Harmon and Jeannae Rouzan-Clay further expanded on their plans in an interview with Variety, revealing that other reunions would include the casts of Ally McBeal, The Sopranos, Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update stars Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, American Horror Story and Grey's Anatomy
"We are definitely addressing history in a different way that it's been done in the past. In three hours, I think we get some big moments and some big pieces of television history." Collins told the outlet. "The show needed to be about a week long to get to everything. But in three hours, I think we will share some big moments and some big pieces of television history. And hopefully people will like our approach to it."
The Martin cast reunion at the Emmys invoked memories of their special celebrating the beloved show's 30th anniversary, which premiered last June on BET+.
Speaking with ET ahead of the special's airing, the cast answered the long-asked question of whether they could ever return for a reboot or revival of the series. The foursome didn't have a definite answer, but they explained that no return would ever be the same without Ford.
"Martin will never be the same without Tommy," Arnold stated. Lawrence echoed the sentiment, noting, "What we had, it was like catching lightning in a bottle. And without Tommy, like you said, it wouldn't be the same."
If they were to reunite, the cast considered turning to animation rather than live-action. But even with that idea, the issue would be getting everyone on the same wavelength. As Campbell pointed out, "We got to get our schedules together because everybody's -- thank God -- still working."
But fans shouldn't feel too discouraged! Lawrence said he would "never say never."
"Just seeing [how] things live forever, I think we don't have to do it again," Arnold concluded. "It's living forever."
The 75th Primetime Emmy Awards, originally set to take place last September, was postponed due to the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes. Hosted by Anthony Anderson at L.A. Live's Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, the ceremony aired live Monday, Jan. 15 at 5 p.m. PT, 8 p.m. ET on Fox, and will be streamed Tuesday, Jan. 16 on Hulu. Keep checking ETonline.com for complete Emmys coverage and for the full winners' list.
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