History YMMV / Martin1977

!!YMMV tropes for the TV show:
* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: All three versions of [[https://youtu.be/kF4H5vZ-Km4 the]] [[https://youtu.be/LICew-bwFHM opening]] [[https://youtu.be/bjImwACuh7w credits]] definitely qualifies.
* DesignatedHero: Martin. He's loud, rude, confrontational, [[NeverMyFault unable to accept responsibility for his actions]], and not always the most loyal of friends. Granted, it's shown many times that he's a ''very'' insecure person,[[note]]Plus having a [[MamaBear mother like]] [[MyBelovedSmother Mama Payne]] surely didn't and doesn't help anything.[[/note]] yet it barely excuses his actions.
* EnsembleDarkhorse:
** Bruh Man (from the "fifth flo'"). The audience would go wild whenever he appeared and fans were disappointed that he was phased out in the later seasons.
** Whenever asked who their favorite character played by Martin, an overwhelming majority of fans will say Sheneheh.
** Varnel Hill. He only had two appearances on the show, but fans love him and the "Hollywood Swinging" two-parter he was featured in. To this day, Creator/TommyDavidson still gets compliments on this role (which came as a stroke of luck, as Arsenio Hall declined a guest spot on the show).
** The Reverend Leon Lonnie Love, Pam's sleazy cousin and Gina's one-time rebound after she and Martin broke up. Creator/DavidAlanGrier's brilliant performance made for a memorable character.
* FirstInstallmentWins: Most fans or even people with a passing knowledge of the show mainly remember when Martin was a radio host for [=WZUP=] versus any of his other jobs.
* HarsherInHindsight:
** Watching the "Why Can't We Be Friends?" two-parter is now this after Thomas Mikal Ford died in 2016 from a stomach aneurysm. Even right after his death, the second part was temporarily cut from syndication out of respect for him.
** In the 1995 episode "C.R.E.A.M.", Music/MCHammer comes into the restaurant that Martin and his friends have in the hopes of buying it. Former boss Stan then tells Martin to take him to the cleaners, saying that he looks like he has a lot of money. Hammer would go on to declare bankruptcy in real life the following year.
* HilariousInHindsight:
** In the 1992 Halloween episode "The Night He Came Home," Martin jokes about it being a "dark and gloomy November... [[UsefulNotes/GeorgeHWBush Bush]] got re-elected." This counts as being doubly hilarious; not only was it not to be in 1992, but it eventually ended up [[UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush being completely accurate in 2004]]. Also in the same episode, Tommy ends up [[spoiler:possessed, although it was only just a prank he and the others were pulling on Martin]] and at one point yells out ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}} "I'M NOT TOMMY!"]]''
** Martin's radio station, WZUP, a play on Martin's CatchPhrase, "Wassup?!", became {{defictionaliz|ation}}ed in 2011 when La Grange, North Carolina made an actual WZUP radio station.[[note]]Albeit it's Spanish language instead of R&B/hip-hop.[[/note]]
** Martin's CatchPhrase, which [[https://youtu.be/JJmqCKtJnxM became pretty popular]], [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny if not infamous]], a few years after the show ended.
** One episode has Martin complaining that Charley Pride was the only black man in country music. Not only was that always [[Music/ChuckBerry untrue]], but Darius Rucker, previously of Hootie and the Blowfish, has made quite a name for himself in the genre over a decade after the episode first aired, even winning both a Grammy and a CMA Award.
** One episode had Martin scared of a ex-convict looking for him and tried to keep his friends out out of fear, requesting they watch "''Film/HouseParty'' 6" or something. At the time, there was only three in the movie series. Two more entries have sprouted up since the show ended.
** This series wouldn't be the last time that Creator/TishaCampbell [[Series/MyWifeAndKids would be surprised with a performance by Brian [=McKnight=] for an engagement/wedding gift.]]
* OneSceneWonder: In the first part of "Why Can't We Be Friends?", while going to see ''[[CelebrityParadox A Thin Line Between Love and Hate]]'', Martin and his friends annoy a moviergoer who eventually only identifies himself as Aggravated Man. He is played by Buddy Lewis.
* OvershadowedByControversy: Martin Lawrence's drug use and his sexual harassment of Tisha Campbell. The final season shows how much tension there was behind the scenes and the quality of the show suffered because of it.
* RetroactiveRecognition:
** Creator/JonGries and [[Series/ThirtyRock Tracy Morgan]] appeared on the show before hitting it big.
** For better or worse, radio personality and television host Wendy Williams is seen in the background as a guest at a convention in "Radio Days".
** Creator/MichaelJaiWhite played one of the male partners at the couple's retreat in "Arms Are for Hugging".
** Creator/JurneeSmollett was one of the children in the Big Brothers program in "I Saw Gina Kissing Santa Claus".
* TheScrappy: Shanise, Cole's girlfriend [[spoiler:and eventual fiancée]] from Season 5. She was even ''dumber than Cole'' and her jokes were way too obvious, making them painfully unfunny.
* SignatureScene:
** Any of Martin's fights with "The Puppy" in "Romantic Weekend". Never has scene chewing been this good.
** Martin having Varnell Hill on his radio show in the first half of "Hollywood Swingin'" (especially [[LargeHam Varnell's]] brief but soulful song).
** Martin's breakdown in "No Justice, No Peace" when while in court, he tries to plead insanity for a parking ticket.
** The ShoutOut to ''Film/NewJackCity'' in "Suspicious Minds" with Martin "interrogating" his friends with [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext a fake Doberman.]]
** Martin and Gina's break-up in [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin "The Break-Up"]].
* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: With the fashion, attitudes and perhaps noticeably the slang, this show was ''clearly'' a representative of the '90s. The episode "Suspicious Minds" has Martin bragging about buying a CD player and freaking out when he thinks one of his friends had stolen it when it had gone missing. He ended up paying ''$400'' for it in 1994, whereas nowadays you can buy it for even as low as $20.
* UnintentionalUncannyValley: The later seasons' opening featured a dancing CGI Martin. It looks about like you'd expect for the time.
* UnpopularPopularCharacter: On the show, Sheneheh is an obnoxious, loud-mouthed and combative person that very few people like. The audience, however, adored her for her gaudy outfits, great one-liners and ability to attract any man in spite of her looks and personality. It helped that [[Series/TwoTwoSeven Jackée Harry]] paved the way for her.

!!YMMW tropes for the Romero film:

* IdiotPlot: "Nuttin' Goin' on but the Rent". The gang is in a snowstorm in which, since Martin didn't pay the rent due to its [[ExactWords "increase by five"]], they are getting evicted, there is no heat or water, neither Martin nor Gina bought groceries since "[[NeverMyFault it was the other one's turn]]," they send [[ButtMonkey Cole]] out to a pizza place ''in the middle of said snowstorm'', Martin turns away Hustle Man's food because of his {{pride}}, Cole and the pizza are frozen, and they even contemplate [[IAmAHumanitarian cannibalism]]... [[spoiler:all because Martin refused to pay a five ''dollar'' rent increase]].

* WhatAnIdiot: "Cole on Ice" has Cole playing hooky from work by pretending that he was sick. He decides to hang out with Martin at his show and eventually goes into the studio audience, dances with one of Martin's guests and ask some questions. Needless to say, his boss sees him on the air and promptly fires him.

** In the 1992 Halloween episode "The Night He Came Home," Martin jokes about it being a "dark and gloomy November...[[UsefulNotes/GeorgeHWBush Bush]] got re-elected." This counts as being doubly hilarious; not only was it not to be in 1992, but it eventually ended up [[UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush being completely accurate in 2004]]. Also in the same episode, Tommy ends up [[spoiler:possessed, although it was only just a prank he and the others were pulling on Martin]] and at one point yells out ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}} "I'M NOT TOMMY!"]]''
** Martin's radio station, WZUP, a play on Martin's CatchPhrase, "Wassup?!", became [[{{Defictionalization}} defictionalized]] in 2011 when La Grange, North Carolina made an actual WZUP radio station.[[note]]Albeit it's Spanish language instead of R&B/hip-hop.[[/note]]

* IdiotPlot: "Nuttin' Goin' on but the Rent". The gang is in a snowstorm in which, since Martin didn't pay the rent due to its [[ExactWords "increase by five"]], they are getting evicted, there is no heat or water, neither Martin nor Gina bought groceries since "[[NeverMyFault it was the other one's turn]]," they send [[ButtMonkey Cole]] out to a pizza place ''in the middle of said snowstorm'', Martin turns away Hustle Man's food because of his {{pride}}, Cole and the pizza are frozen, and they even contemplate [[IAmAHumanitarian cannibalism]]...[[spoiler:all because Martin refused to pay a five ''dollar'' rent increase]].

** Creator/MichaelJaiWhite played one of the male partners at the couple's retreat in "Arms Are For Huggin'".

* TheScrappy: Shanise, Cole's girlfriend [[spoiler: and eventual fiancée]] from Season 5. She was even ''dumber than Cole'' and her jokes were way too obvious, making them painfully unfunny.

* UncannyValley: The later seasons' opening featured a dancing CGI Martin. It looks about like you'd expect for the time.

** [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment For better or worse]], radio personality and television host Wendy Williams is seen in the background as a guest at a convention in "Radio Days".

** Varnell Hill. He only had two appearances on the show, but fans love him and the "Hollywood Swinging" two-parter he was featured in. To this day, Creator/TommyDavidson still gets compliments on this role (which came as a stroke of luck, as Arsenio Hall declined a guest spot on the show).

** Varnell Hill. He only had two appearances on the show, but fans love him and the "Hollywood Swinging" two-parter he was featured in. To this day, Tommy Davidson still gets compliments on this role (which came as a stroke of luck, as Arsenio Hall declined a guest spot on the show).

** Watching the "Why Can't We Be Friends?" two-parter is now this after Thomas Mikal Ford died in 2016 from a stomach aneurysm.

* WhatAnIdiot: "Cole on Ice" has Cole playing hooky from work by pretending that he was sick. He decides to hang out with Martin at his show and eventually goes into the studio audience, dances with one of Martin's guests and ask some questions. Needless to say, his job sees him on the air and promptly fire him.

** [[Film/NapoleonDynamite Jon Gries]] and [[Series/ThirtyRock Tracy Morgan]] appeared on the show before hitting it big.