The Varnell Hill Show is set to land on Paramount+ on September 1 with a two-episode premiere, putting Tommy Davidson back in the role of Varnell Hill and giving the Martin spinoff a new home after its move from BET+.
That date matters because the launch is no longer just a development note. It is now a fixed start on the calendar, with one new episode set to follow every Tuesday through October 13. For viewers who first met Hill nearly three decades ago as a guest character on Martin, the question has shifted from whether the show would return to when it would arrive.
Davidson again headlines the half-hour workplace comedy as a late-night host trying to stay relevant in an entertainment landscape that keeps changing around him. The setup keeps the action behind the scenes of the show, where network executives want modernization, a chaotic writers’ room keeps the machine moving, and Hill’s own ego becomes part of the problem. Martin Lawrence also returns in a recurring role, tying the new series back to the original world that made the character familiar in the first place.
The cast around Davidson includes Kym Whitley, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Nick Cafero, Emmanuel Hudson and Chris Williams, while guest appearances are set for Ms. Pat, Deon Cole, Damon Wayans, Mike Epps and Omarion. Special appearances by Lawrence are also part of the run, giving the spinoff a mix of familiar faces and new energy as it tries to turn a legacy character into a current-series draw.
The move from BET+ to Paramount+ gives the show a broader streaming platform, but it also comes with a clean split from the service that first ordered it. BET+ has recently been phased out, and its slate migrated to Paramount+, which is why the show’s premiere announcement now lands under the Paramount+ banner rather than its original home. The change does not alter the format, but it does change the audience it reaches on day one.
There is still one detail left unresolved: the full episode count beyond the two-part debut. What is clear is the rollout pattern. After September 1, the series will settle into a weekly Tuesday release through October 13, giving Paramount+ a steady run for a show built on the clash between old fame and a business that keeps demanding something newer.
