I cut the head off this article.

I had a whole thing written where I set out to prove (bangs fist) that Lucy Ricardo and Martin Payne were the two funniest characters in television history and that Lucille Ball and Martin Lawrence were the two funniest people. I had criteria and candidates to match up with and everything.

Who cares, though? First, there’s no way I’m not going to be biased. I only want to write about these two. Second, you’re gonna like who you like, regardless of what’s said here. So, forget all that “who’s the best” talk, this is gonna be the best of who I like to talk about instead. These are the characters and their actors and their moments that I love. — Off with the head, I only want the heart.

First, the background.

If you didn’t know, Lucy Ricardo was the lead character on I Love Lucy which aired from 1951 to 1957. The show was set in New York City and revolved around Lucy, her husband Ricky and their best friends, Fred and Ethel Mertz. The show was an absolute, smash hit and laid the groundwork for much of the structure of sitcoms and television in general moving forward. If there’s a top five list of sitcoms, or even TV shows at large, Lucy is or should be on it.

Forty years later, Martin premiered and aired from 1992 to 1997. The show was set in Detroit with the character Martin Payne as the star, joined by his girlfriend-to-wife Gina, her best friend Pam and Martin’s best friends Tommy and Cole. Martin was not the heavyweight Lucy was, at least, not as measured by “traditional” Nielsen ratings. Nonetheless, today Martin has earned the status of being the best of the best that didn’t get recognized as it should in its own time.

Both shows achieved their grand stature through great ensembles; but even more so, through totally luminous stars in Lucille Ball and Martin Lawrence. … There were forty years between them and in the almost forty years since Martin ended, no comedic characters, in my opinion, have matched their efforts.

What makes them great? Below, I offer four qualities in which the performers excelled with video clips to match. Please excuse the quality of some of the clips; there were moments I really wanted to feature but the options on the internet were slim. If you’d like to see more, I Love Lucy is on Paramount Plus and Pluto and Martin is on Netflix and Peacock. Please check them out if you haven’t!

Okay, let’s have some fun.

1. FREEDOM!

First things first, you gotta be able to play to be funny. And to be able to play at the highest levels, you have to a certain level of freedom - an ability to let loose, be creative, try things - and both Lucille Ball and Martin Lawrence portrayed utter freedom in performance, though, I think they achieved it in totally different ways.

The cast of I Love Lucy were famously exacting in their preparation. Almost every word and movement were predetermined. That may not sound particularly “free” but in fact it’s that those predetermined words and movement required freedom from a performer in order to be executed properly in the first place. Lucy passed with flying colors. … For Martin and company, improv was heavily factored. It was more “sketch” comedy as you can often see by the faces breaking mid-scene. Thus, we’re lead to believe that much of the hysteria on screen is borne of freedom from Martin and cast.

FREEDOM EXAMPLES — Lucy

Even if you’ve never seen the show, you may have seen the first clip: The Vitameatavegamin Commercial. Lucy was always trying to break into showbusiness like her husand, who was a successful band leader, and here she’s weaseled her way into a commercial spot for a wonder drug that had a little too much of a certain ingredient. In the second clip, Lucy gets mixed up with a thief on a train back to New York City.

For me, it’s all in Lucy’s face. I love the way her eyes slide in between drowsy and drugged up in the commercial and the surprise they show on the train when she learns who the real robber is. Larger, physical movement is more associated with the idea of “letting loose” but what elevates these moments are Lucy’s smaller expressions and voice registers (the “ewww!”), on top of her clever body language.

FREEDOM EXAMPLES — Martin

In the first video, Martin, Tommy and Cole travel to Chicago where Gina (his girlfriend) had a work conference. Martin thinks Gina is cheating on him and confronts her in the hotel room. The second clip shows Martin and Gina on a jet-set vacation that didn’t turn out as advertised. As they come to terms with the accommodation, an unwanted guests starts a melee.

Again, whereas Lucy expertly performed what the scene required, I believe the actions in both these Martin scenes were more or less spur of the moment and that is was Martin Lawrence’s creativity and ability to skillfully “get lost” in the moment that makes them so funny. The script page may have said something like, “Martin gets mad” but it was in the moment that he decided to rough up the handyman or to pin that critter against the door and poke, slap and punch it.

2. MOXIE

“Moxie” is a close cousin of freedom, but it’s more about the places you’re willing to go, rather than where you’re willing to go in the place you’re already in. I hate to make you roll your eyes, but it’s having a bit of courage, at least in the realm of entertainment and the arts. It’s just a willingness to go farther, for it’s often on the other side when a moment goes from good to great.

Now, sure, both programs were constructed to be high and broad comedy. They were supposed to be ludicrous and to put the actors in positions that were far-fetched, even for television’s sake. It’s still on the onus of your lead actors and characters, though, to go along with the absurdity put before them, and what’s more, it’s on them to tackle any personal discomfort or outside pressure in order to to make the moment its best.

MOXIE EXAMPLES — Lucy

The first clip features Lucy at a ballet class. In an effort to - as always - convince Ricky to put her in one his shows, she lies about the extent of her background in ballet and must hone her skills with a class. The second clip shows Lucy and the gang getting ready for the imminent birth of her and Ricky’s first child, Little Ricky. The clip actually features less of Lucy but it’s so iconic I had to include it.

The ballet illustrates Lucy’s willingness to suit up, flash a little leg and perform along with professional dancers, resulting in great fun. Unfortunately, the clip stops before her attempt to raise and then hold her leg on the balance bar. (Please seek the episode just for that bit). … As for clip two, the moxie is more meta. Television at the time was real conservative. You couldn’t even say the word “pregnant” on television, let alone be it. Lucille Ball, though, leveraged the show’s popularity and went against the network’s judgement that her real-life pregnancy be concealed as much as possible. Instead, with her resolution, it was made into a major storyline.

MOXIE EXAMPLES — Martin

Apologies for the quality of the first clip, but I love that episode and that scene so much I had to find something. In the episode, Martin has gone off the rails on a health kick and Gina plans to bring him back by tempting him with good food (“Not my momma biscuits, Gina!”). Clip two is Martin as Sheneneh Jenkins, one of many Martin-played characters that included Jerome, Momma Payne, Ol’ Otis, Roscoe and more. Here, Sheneneh gives Gina and Pam a hard time as Gina moves into the building.

Hang with me on the first clip; it’s not the most spirited moment, but in a way, that’s the point. It takes a certain amount of competence and more importantly confidence to play a scene solo and with no dialogue and to make it as good as Martin does here. … As for Sheneneh, some people might say it hasn’t aged as well. Some might say the cross dressing and portrayal are disrespectful or that it’s selling out. Some people are punks, though. I enjoy Sheneneh and all the Martin-played characters for what they are - a willingness to go further and to try, for better and for worse. (Here, mostly, for better).

3. B R E A D T H

If you can be one thing, that’s good; if you can be more than one thing, that’s better. Yeah, no duh. But then, if you can be many things at a high level, you’re closer to being on par with Lucy and Martin. We know each performer can be wild and act up and we admire them for that. But Lucy and Martin could also tone it down or self-deprecate or flash the unexpected and it’s when performers (and people) give more of themselves that we go from admiration to adoration for them.

Now, if you’ve seen either show, you know it’s not that either actor showed off any great, dramatic chops against their comedic ones. It’s not to say they couldn’t, but the shows weren’t built for that, not even for a moment. The most you could get is smaller moments of sincerity. So, how Lucy and Martin showed breadth within the farcical boxes that were the shows was their readiness and ability to layer in little things that rounded their characters and amplified their personas.

BREADTH EXAMPLES — Lucy

Clip one shows Lucy finally breaking through and getting herself into one of Ricky’s shows at his nightclub, The Copacabana. They perform a rendition of “Cuban Pete” (one of Desi Arnaz’s best songs in real life). The next clip is the famous grape stomping scene from the gang’s European adventure. While in Italy, Lucy gets cast in an Italian movie and she wants to prepare for her role by living as the locals do.

The lesson of the first clip is that, well, Lucy was kinda bad, though. Sorry to be crude; me man, me like hips, but Lucy Ricardo - for all her absurd antics - had some serious swag, as shown here, where she can be both silly and sensual. … In the grapes scene, Lucy gets an attitude. If you had to give her character only one label, it’d be “sweet-strange”. In most moments, she’s wide-eyed and a little kooky but here she layers a little bit of “strong” onto the character. I doubt it took much, if you’ve ever watched Lucille Ball in an interview, she was actually quite assured and a little sardonic, too.

BREADTH EXAMPLES — Martin

First, we see Martin at a gathering at Gina’s house. In attendance is Keith Washington, a smooth singer who Martin learns used to date Gina when they were younger. For how long? Three months, to which Tommy and Cole confirm to Martin that, yes, they went there. Number two sees Martin challenging a professional boxer, Tommy Hearns, to a fight. After winning a charity boxing match, Martin thinks he’s big time.

If Lucy went from “sweet'“ to “strong,” Martin went the other way. You can’t go one episode of Martin without the character saying in some way how “he’s the man,” the top dawg. And you know what? He was. But not because he said it, but because he wasn’t afraid to play around with his insecurities or shortcomings. In the Keith Washington scene, Martin whimpers in the background at the thought of losing Gina. In the fight scene, Martin plays off his short stature and the stinger from that episode shows him post-fight, totally and hilariously beaten up.

4. (HARMONY)

We can look at the quality of harmony in a couple of ways. 1) Setting the tone, in which a character is so outstanding that they become the one in which all other performers attempt to harmonize with. That’s “laying” harmony. 2) Performers being able to coordinate with one another, or, even if they clash, the greater performer finding a way to play off the lesser or more inexperienced performer regardless. That’s “mining” harmony.

No surprise here, but, Lucy and Martin had it both ways. They were certainly the standard by which all other performers measured themselves, whether that’s the regular cast or a guest performer. And also, no matter who came through the door, both Lucy and Martin could not only expertly coordinate with them, but they could, at times, also help elevate people into a new level of rhythm. … The examples of harmony below will feature guest characters only. We’ll get to the fellow cast members later, but first, let’s show how Lucy and Martin interacted with characters who were less familiar.

HARMONY EXAMPLES — Lucy

In clip one, Lucy finds herself in contact with Harpo Marx … while she’s dressed as Harpo Marx. Earlier in the episode, Lucy lied to her visiting friend, Carolyn, about her relationships with movie stars while living in Los Angeles. So, Lucy hides Carolyn’s glasses and dresses up as stars for a blurry-eyed Carolyn. … Next, William Holden visits the Ricardos as a favor to Ricky, who’s making a movie at the same studio. Ricky knows Lucy would love to meet him. The problem is Lucy already met Mr. Holden earlier at lunch where she left a bad impression, and so, she tries on a different look to hide.

In the Harpo scene, we see something rare: Lucy having to elevate to harmonize with someone else. The Marx brothers had been around for 30 years at this point and Harpo’s legend was his mime tactics. Lucille Ball does excellent work in mirroring him, literally. … When the Ricardos went to Los Angeles for a long stretch of episodes, a lot of stars stopped by. I’m sure it was a blast for them, and of course, the show was a massive hit. It’s so fun to see movie stars like William Holden, John Wayne and Rock Hudson play in the sillier sandbox that was I Love Lucy.

HARMONY EXAMPLES — Martin

Scene one shows Martin interviewing Varnell Hill on his radio show. Varnell was once the host of the same show in Detroit and has since become big-time in Hollywood. Martin is jealous and annoyed at Varnell’s current stature. Scene two features one of the more memorable, recurring guest characters on Martin: Hustle Man. The gang is snowed in and lacking heat (because Martin’s in dispute with the landlord) and Hustle Man drops by to try to flip some “free range chicken” to the hungry crew.

I’ve watched the Varnell Hill interview dozens of times. I just love watching the two comedians riff and seeing Martin’s reactions and then throw-backs off of Tommy Davidson’s (as Varnell) improvisation. … Martin’s displeasure with Hustle Man is as funny as it always is. With the clip, though, I more so wanted to highlight the promotion of some characters through the tone created by Martin. Hustle Man was Tracy Morgan’s first television role before he went on to Saturday Night Live and then 30 Rock. He’s the best example of both Martin being able to harmonize with a newcomer, and then the newcomer (Morgan) advancing their profile by having to harmonize with Martin.

— Off the subject of harmony, let’s take a moment to recognize the other, regular cast members on I Love Lucy and Martin:

I Love Lucy

  • Desi Arnaz as Ricky Ricardo

  • Vivian Vance as Ethel Mertz

  • William Frawley as Fred Mertz

Martin

  • Tisha Campbell as Gina Waters

  • Tichina Arnold as Pamela James

  • Thomas Mikal Ford as Tommy Strong

  • Carl Anthony Payne as Cole Brown

Lucille Ball and Martin Lawrence couldn’t become "Queen and King of TV Comedy” without such outstanding, fellow actors who uplifted each other’s performances, and thus, raised their respective shows overall to the highest levels. … Ricky and Gina were necessary to humanize the absurdity of Lucy and Martin. Fred and Ethel and Pam, Tommy and Cole were necessary to add variety and depth to the story and to the world in which the leads operated. Cheers and flowers to them all! *

Honorable Mentions.

— Eh. Okay, let’s do it. Let’s end on some other candidates for Queen and King. I’m not going to compare, but rather, I’ll offer names that if I was going to compare, would be included. Here’s four runners up for Queen and King, in chronological order, from the different eras of television.

Queen Candidates.

  1. Alice Kramden, The Honeymooners (By Audrey Meadows)

  2. Edith Bunker, All in the Family (By Jean Stapleton)

  3. Elaine Benes, Seinfeld (By Julia Louis-Dreyfus)

  4. Jenna Maroney, 30 Rock (By Jane Krakowski)

— The Honeymooners could have been on par with I Love Lucy, but Jackie Gleason chose to end the series after only one season (though with 39 episodes; times were different then). … There are great sitcoms in the 1970s to early 1980s but there’s zero competition for the characters on All in the Family. … In Era 3, Gina from Martin has a shout but ultimately it’s Elaine Benes, the vital, female presence on Seinfeld. … The modern era queen is tough. It could honestly be Julia Dreyfus here for Veep, and then promote Tisha Campbell (Gina). Jenna Maroney wasn’t the lead in 30 Rock, but she was just so potent as the eccentric, insecure diva that we’ll include her.

King Candidates.

  1. Ralph Kramden, The Honeymooners (By Jackie Gleason)

  2. Archie Bunker, All in the Family (By Carroll O’Connor)

  3. George Costanza, Seinfeld (By Jason Alexander)

  4. Michael Scott, The Office (By Steve Carrell)

— Again, even though it was a limited run, Gleason shined so bright in The Honeymooners. Ricky Ricardo is a good choice also, though, he was more of the straight man to Lucy. … If there was a Mount Rushmore for television characters across all genres (that’s going in the article bank!), Archie Bunker would probably be on it because of the performance, certainly, but also, the impact. … It was Seinfeld vs. Friends for the runner up of Era 3. Subjectively, I went with George Costanza, whose role had slightly more “art” to it than Jerry, Kramer, Ross, Joey and Chandler. … I think Michael Scott is the pretty obvious, modern day selection.

***

As a final thought, I can’t imagine any characters in comedies today (or since 2015) being considered for the throne. Maybe Quinta Brunson as Janine Teagues on Abbott Elementary is the best right now? But, as good as she is, that character isn’t near the performances above. Larry David on Curb Your Enthusiasm was iconic, but it’s just him walking around, you know? … I think the lack is a consequence of the times. Comedies lean more dramatic or “real” now, plus everything is so niche or spread out that it’s hard for something (and thus someone) to break out unless it’s a grand fantasy or “prestige” vehicle. — Ironically, we don’t have the time anymore for the short-n-sweet sitcom.

I’m quite certain the crowns for Lucy and Martin are safe for the next generation or two, but, here’s hoping that performances and shows like theirs can find a bigger place again in pop culture. I mean, shit, everyone can always use a good laugh — together.

“LUCY + MARTIN FOREVER”