Martin Lawrence finds Second Career as Television Producer

By TV Insider
JR Staff Writer

During the late 1980s, Martin Lawrence began rising the ranks of fame. Lawrence had built a solid career as a stand-up comedian, but he was on the verge of much more. By the early 1990s, the comedian had launched a production company. This company partnered with HBO to create "Martin."

In 1992, FOX picked up the series and Martin Lawrence gained international fame. The comedian soon became one of the biggest stars in the planet. His series went from being a major hit to becoming iconic. Nearly twenty years after the series premiered, it still is met with high ratings.

Following his time on "Martin," Lawrence hit the big screen in a major way. Throughout the early 2000s, Martin Lawrence became a movie star. Soon, Lawrence began producing these films before his health became a major issue. In 2005, Martin Lawrence attempted a minor comeback before returning to the spotlight in 2008.

In 2008, Martin Lawrence launched another television production company and began working on several television programs. Lawrence's hit sitcom, "Martin," had posted major ratings for TV One, the upstart rival to BET. Because of what his sitcom had done for the network, Martin Lawrence pitched his sitcom idea to the network. TV One agreed to pick up his series, which had cast Tatyana Ali in the starring role, also teaming up with a few former UPN producers.

His "Love that Girl" series has become one of the highest-rated series on TV One. Martin Lawrence has become the face of TV One through both his "Martin" sitcom and "Love that Girl." The network has accepted Martin Lawrence as the producer of their only scripted original program. Recently, Martin Lawrence was featured in an exclusive "TV One on One" interview with Cathy Hughes. Following the success of his first series, Martin is interested in creating more television programs in the future.