First Thoughts on The Varnell Hill Show: Black Comedy, ’90s Nostalgia, and a Recipe Worth Rooting For

The Varnell Hill Show Has the Right Ingredients

There is something refreshing about watching a Black comedy that isn’t trying to be extra hood every 12 minutes. The Varnell Hill Show feels like a throwback in the best possible way, blending comedy, music, celebrity guests, colorful fashion, and a healthy dose of ’90s nostalgia into a show that feels familiar while still developing its own identity. After watching it, my first thought is pretty simple: there is something here.

Is it perfect? Absolutely not. Is it entertaining? Absolutely. More importantly, The Varnell Hill Show understands the importance of Black television history while aiming to create something that feels current. It has a great recipe. It just needs a little more flour to bind it together.

The Comedy and Cussing Are Perfectly Timed

Let’s start with the easy stuff: the cussing is great. And I don’t mean that simply because there is profanity. The cussing is often perfectly timed, which is an entirely different skill. Good cussing isn’t about how many curse words you can squeeze into a scene. It’s about delivery. The Varnell Hill Show understands that rhythm, and when it hits, it hits because the actors know how to cuss naturally. It feels like a family gathering with the best griots.

Wendy Raquel Robinson, Kym Whitley, Eman Hudson, and Martin Bring the Experience

That brings me to one of the show’s biggest strengths: the veteran performers. Wendy Raquel Robinson as Rachel Perkins is perfection. There is a confidence that comes from performers who have spent years learning exactly what their face, voice, pause, or reaction can do for a joke. Robinson, Kym Whitley, Eman Hudson, and Martin Lawrence bring that experience to the screen in a way that is immediately noticeable.

Their timing is different. They’re playing the scene. And when these talents share a moment, you can feel the years of comedic experience working in their favor. There is a rhythm between them that is difficult to manufacture because it comes from years of understanding how comedy works, both individually and as an ensemble.

The Acting Is a Little 60/40

The acting overall, however, is a bit more 60/40 for me. There are scenes where everything clicks and the chemistry feels effortless, and then there are moments when you can feel the machinery of the show a little more than you’d like. That’s not necessarily a dealbreaker, especially for a series that is still finding its footing.

Tommy is a good example of that difference in energy. His experience is goated, but his performance can feel less consistent from scene to scene because he’s matching the energy of whatever is happening around him, rather than always landing in the same comedic rhythm as the show’s other veterans. But when he is in scenes with the regulars? Magic.

Those moments make it clear that the potential is there.

Roxanne Reese Is Iconic, But the Writers’ Room Needs a Reset

Then there is the B story, and this is where I think the show loses a little momentum. I love the iconic Roxanne Reese, but the writers’ room storyline is dragging the show down a bit. I’m not rooting for anyone to get fired—let me make that clear—but something has to change.

Find somewhere else to put Roxanne while we sage, cleanse, and reset that writers’ room.

The problem isn’t necessarily the characters themselves. It’s that the writers’ room storyline doesn’t always carry the same energy as the rest of the show. The strongest parts of The Varnell Hill Show feel lively, spontaneous, musical, nostalgic, and full of personality. When the B story slows things down, the contrast is noticeable.

The show doesn’t need fewer characters or necessarily less story; it needs the individual pieces to feel like they’re contributing to the same overall rhythm. Right now, that particular storyline feels like it belongs to a slightly different show. It’s fulfilling the diversity quota though.

The Live Band Gives The Varnell Hill Show a ’90s Talk Show Feel

One of my favorite elements is the live band. There is something about having actual musicians integrated into the show that immediately changes the atmosphere. Add Doug E. Fresh beatboxing and Kirk Franklin orchestrating the creation of a song, and suddenly the show taps into something that goes beyond a traditional sitcom.

There is definitely a little bit of The Arsenio Hall Show in that DNA, and I love it. The live music, the celebrity interaction, and the sense that anything could happen on the set all create the feeling of those old-school talk shows where comedy, music, pop culture, and conversation could exist together without everything needing to fit neatly into one category.

That combination is especially nostalgic because today’s Black television rarely gives us that kind of variety. The band doesn’t feel like a gimmick either; it helps establish the show’s personality.

The ’90s Nostalgia Is in the Details

And then there are the little ’90s details sprinkled throughout the show. I appreciate the subtle ode to the decade because it doesn’t feel like somebody dumped a bucket of nostalgia over the set and called it a day.

The African textured statue next to the couch. The leather monogrammed pillows. And, of course, Varnell’s colorful-ass suits.

These details create those little moments where you look at the screen and think, Oh yeah. I remember when… The show understands that nostalgia doesn’t have to be in your face. It’s fun to peep it randomly. It’s a piece of furniture, a color combination, a fashion choice, or something sitting off in the background.

Damon Wayans, Omarion, and the Celebrity Guests Add to the Show

The celebrity guests are another major part of the show’s appeal. Having people like Damon Wayans and Omarion mixed into the regular world of the show makes it feel bigger and more connected to Black entertainment culture.

Even if they’re just popping in for a random cameo, their presence still becomes part of the show’s larger celebration of Black talent. It also gives The Varnell Hill Show another connection to the variety-show and talk-show traditions that clearly influenced the generation.

And I especially appreciate that the show gives its guests their flowers while they’re here to receive them. There is something beautiful about seeing Black entertainers celebrated in real time. We don’t do that enough.

Too often, people receive their biggest tributes after they’ve passed away. There is value in telling someone, “You did that. We see you. Thank you,” while they can actually hear it.

The Varnell Hill Show Needs to Be Glued Together

If I had to identify the biggest issue with The Varnell Hill Show, it would be cohesion. There are a lot of great ingredients here: veteran comedians with impeccable timing, younger energy, live music, celebrity guests, ’90s nostalgia, Black cultural references, big personalities, and a talk-show-inspired environment.

At times, though, those ingredients feel like several really good ideas happening simultaneously rather than one completely seamless experience.

That’s why I’m not writing the show off. Quite the opposite. I can see this show going the mile with a few tweaks.

The foundation is there. The show knows what kind of world it wants to create. Now it needs to make all of those pieces feel like they belong in the same world at the same time.

Black Television Needs More Comedy

Maybe part of my optimism comes from the fact that I genuinely want The Varnell Hill Show to succeed. I feel this way about almost every Black show that isn’t primarily centered on drama.

We need more comedy.

Seriously.

The world is already heavy enough. Give us something that makes us laugh.

I loved Poppa’s House. I was happy to see The Upshaws make it to seven seasons. I want more Black sitcoms and comedies to get the opportunity to find their audiences, develop their characters, and grow into themselves.

Not every show has to arrive fully formed. Sometimes a series needs time to figure out what works, what doesn’t, and where its strongest chemistry lives.

And that is where I am with The Varnell Hill Show.

I’m Rooting for The Varnell Hill Show

The cast is talented. The comedic veterans bring undeniable experience. The live music gives the series a unique identity. The ’90s references are fun without becoming cheesy. The celebrity guests add surprise and excitement. And there are moments when the chemistry is exactly what you want from a comedy.

Now, tighten the storytelling. Figure out the writers’ room. Find the right balance for Tommy’s energy. Glue the pieces together and let these performers do what they clearly know how to do.

Make us laugh.

Because underneath the uneven moments is a show with personality, history, and culture. And I’m rooting for it.

Here’s hoping The Varnell Hill Show gets the opportunity to make the tweaks, find its rhythm, and go the mile. Black television needs more shows like this—and frankly, the world could use more reasons to laugh.