EXCLUSIVE: Neil Brown Jr. (SEAL Team, Insecure) has joined the recurring cast of BET+‘s Martin spinoff series Varnell Hill, alongside the previously announced Tommy Davidson, reprising the titular role, and Kym Whitley.
The new 8-episode BET+ spinoff is a workplace comedy set behind the scenes of the long-running late-night talk show, The Varnell Hill Show, a show within a show. Delving into the chaotic world of TV production, the series explores Varnell’s journey to remain relevant in an ever-evolving industry and the corporate dynamics of network executives, business stakeholders, and creative teams involved in the making of the show.
A blend of satire, humor, cutaways and fourth-wall breaks, Varnell Hill will feature a mixture of new characters and celebrity guest cameos.
Brown Jr. will play Thad Metcalf, the kind of guy who name-drops The Harvard Lampoon within three minutes of meeting you, not to flex, but because he genuinely thinks you’ll be impressed. He’s whip-smart, overly literal, socially awkward, and armed with more obscure comedy references than charm. Thad is a former SNL writer with impeccable credentials and zero people skills.
Whitley will play Kim Jones, Varnell’s longtime assistant, emotional bodyguard, professional fixer, and the talk show’s unofficial executive producer.
The Varnell Hill character only appeared in a two-part episode of Martin‘s second season, but stood out as a fan-favorite through the years. The hit ’90s series was created by Martin Lawrence, who also starred, John Bowman, and Topper Carew, and aired on Fox for 5 seasons from 1992 to 1997.
Lawrence is poised to reprise his Martin Payne role in multiple episodes of the series, which has started production in Los Angeles.
Varnell Hill is co-created by Lawrence and Martin executive producer/showrunner Bentley Evans, who wrote the pilot, will direct, and serve as showrunner. Evans executive produces through his Bentley Evans Productions alongside Lawrence, Stacy Lyles, Robert Lawrence, and Rae Proctor of Runteldat Entertainment, and Jesse Collins, Dionne Harmon, and Andy Horne.
Brown Jr. is best known for his starring role in the CBS series, SEAL Team, which ran for 7 seasons, and for playing Chad Kerr in HBO’s hit comedy Insecure. Most recently, he recurred in the final season of the CBS series The Equalizer, opposite Queen Latifah. He also worked alongside Elijah Wood in the BBC’s Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency.
On the feature side, he can next be seen starring opposite Nicky Whelan in the independent feature, Last Night in Rozzie. He played a lead role in the independent feature, City of Lies, opposite Johnny Depp, as well as a supporting role in the Netflix feature, Naked, opposite Marlon Wayans and Regina Hall. Prior credits include the Universal feature Straight Outta Compton, Netflix’s Sandcastle, Universal’s Fast and Furious, and Columbia’s Battle Los Angeles. He is repped by Artists First, Buchwald and Yorn, Levine, Barnes.
