Martin Lawrence’s 1st Amendment Stand-up returns to Starz July 9 at 10 pm EST for its third season. So if you haven’t caught any of the first two seasons, now’s the time to check it out. We’ve seen the first two episodes and were not disappointed. The series is amazingly produced – very slick – chock full of audience reaction shots (you’ll even see a leather-clad Martin Lawrence in the balcony) and an energy that hasn’t been seen since the peak of Russell Simmons’ Def Comedy Jam. The idea behind the show, Lawrence says is “to present talented up and coming comics and to catch up with some old friends and seasoned veterans.”

For the new episodes, 10 shows were shot at Washington DC’s historic Lincoln Theatre. Comedian Doug Williams hosts each episode doing a few minutes of comedy up front and then bringing up two to three better known black comics to the stage during the 30-minute show. Biz Markie is back as the show’s DJ because, what’s stand-up comedy without a giant man spinning and beat boxin’?

The first episode features Don “DC” Curry and Ricky Smiley; the second episode will see the likes of Bruce Bruce, Deon Cole and Rodney Perry. The show’s official site on Starz has the entire list of future performers. Check it out.