The Game (U.S. TV series)

The Game
Genre	Comedy-drama
Created by	Mara Brock Akil
Starring	Tia Mowry Hardrict Brittany Daniel Wendy Raquel Robinson Pooch Hall Coby Bell Hosea Chanchez
Theme music composer	Kurt Farquhar Def Jef James D. Joiner III
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	5
No. of episodes	80 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Mara Brock Akil Kelsey Grammer Kenny Smith, Jr.
Producer(s)	Dan Dugan
Editor(s)	Travis G. Rendich Timothy Mozer
Location(s)	Atlanta, Georgia
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	22–24 minutes
Production company(s)	CBS Television Studios (2011–present) CBS Paramount Network Television (CW's run) Grammnet Productions Happy Camper Productions (CW's run) Georgia Entertainment Industries Akil Productions BET Originals
Distributor	CBS Television Distribution
Broadcast
Original channel	The CW (2006–2009) BET (2011–present)
Picture format	480i (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV)
Audio format	Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1
Original run	October 1, 2006 (2006-10-01) – present
Chronology
Related shows	Girlfriends
External links
Website

The Game is an American comedy-drama television series created by Mara Brock Akil and produced by Kelsey Grammer. Premiering on October 1, 2006, the series debuted as the only new comedy series chosen for The CW's primetime schedule. Along with Runaway, it was one of only two series on the new network not to be inherited from either of its predecessor networks, The WB and UPN, during the network's first season. The series is a spinoff of the long-running UPN/CW sitcom, Girlfriends.

After three seasons, the series was canceled by the CW in May 2009. BET struck a deal with The Game's parent company CBS to develop new episodes of the series, relocating taping of the show from Los Angeles to Atlanta, and announcing its renewal at the April 2010 upfronts. The Game returned to the air for a fourth season on January 11, 2011, with a record breaking 7.7 million viewers. The series was recently renewed for a fifth season (to consist of 22 episodes), and premiered on January 10, 2012.

Origin

With the growing success of Girlfriends, the series' creator and producers decided to capitalize on their success and create a second series that would serve as a spinoff. On April 17, 2006, an episode called The Game focused on a young woman who decides to put her pending career plans on hold for the rising success of her star athlete boyfriend. The character, Melanie Barnett, was introduced in the episode as the first cousin of Joan Clayton, Girlfriends' principal

The episode performed well and gained enough interest for The CW network to pick up the backdoor pilot as a new series for its fall 2006-07 primetime line-up. Originally, actress Renee Bruce was cast for the role of Melanie but was later replaced with Tia Mowry (of CBS Television Studios' own Sister, Sister fame). Before debuting on The CW, more cast changes occurred. Aldis Hodge and Jennifer Baxter, both of whom appeared in the pilot episode, were replaced by Pooch Hall and Brittany Daniel respectively. Coby Bell, Hosea Chanchez and Wendy Raquel Robinson were the remaining cast members.

Backdoor pilot

#	Airdate	Title	Overview
133*	April 17, 2006	The Game	Joan Clayton tries to persuade her cousin, Melanie Barnett, to pursue her career in medical school instead of putting her life on hold for her boyfriend, waiting for his career to kick off. Joan is the primary character of the now-canceled Girlfriends. Joan sometimes comes on the show to make an appearance.

Synopsis

As the series premieres, Melanie Barnett (Tia Mowry) is a first-year medical school student who has given up an offer of admission to Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore to follow her boyfriend Derwin Davis (Pooch Hall), a professional football player, to San Diego, against the advice of her parents. Derwin Davis is a first-year rookie with a fictional team called the "San Diego Sabers". As Melanie settles into her new life, she meets Tasha Mack (Wendy Raquel Robinson), the mother of Sabers' starting quarterback Malik Wright (Hosea Chanchez), and Kelly Pitts (Brittany Daniel), the then wife of Sabers' captain Jason Pitts (Coby Bell). As she learns to balance her new roles as both med student and the partner of a professional football player, Tasha and Kelly immediately warn her to keep a close eye on her boyfriend because of the numerous "gold diggers" who approach the professional football players.

Main Cast

Further information: List of The Game characters

• Tia Mowry Hardrict as Dr. Melanie Barnett-Davis, M.D. - Melanie Barnett-Davis is the show's main protagonist. In season one, Melanie is a medical student who gave up the chance to attend Johns Hopkins School of Medicine to move to San Diego with her boyfriend Derwin Davis. Melanie is the cousin of Los Angeles attorney-turned-restaurateur Joan Clayton. In season 1, Melanie and Derwin break up due to Derwin's infidelity, whilch starts a series of ups-and-downs between the two. In the season three finale, Melanie finally marries Derwin during a private ceremony.

• Pooch Hall as Derwin Davis - Derwin Davis is a wide receiver for the San Diego Sabers and husband of Melanie Barnett. In the season one finale, Derwin has an affair with Drew Sidora, and Melanie breaks off the relationship. In the season two finale, he finds out his ex-girlfriend Janay is pregnant with his baby. In the season three finale, Derwin's son is born and he finally marries Melanie in a private ceremony. In the fourth season premiere, there are some questions regarding the true paternity of Derwin's son. Derwin also emerges as a superstar player in season 4, getting numerous endorsement deals, including Nike, and becoming the new face of the Sabers organization.
• Coby Bell as Jason Pitts - Jason Pitts is the San Diego Sabers team captain and superstar wide receiver. He is the ex-husband of Kelly Pitts, whom he divorced in season 3. Jason and Kelly have one child, Brittany Pitts. Jason had a girlfriend briefly in season 3 (guest star Stacey Dash); however, he is single at the beginning of season 4. Jason is officially cut from the Sabers in season 4, and he becomes a correspondent on Benched, a sports news television series hosted by former NBA basketball player Chris Webber.

• Brittany Daniel as Kelly Pitts - Kelly Pitts is the ex-wife of Jason Pitts, mother of Brittany Pitts, and former President of the Sunbeams. Kelly and Jason divorced at the end of season three. At the start of season 4, it is revealed that Kelly is now a reality TV star, with her own show centered around the ex-wives of professional athletes. Her character was bumped down to recurring in season 4.

• Hosea Chanchez as Malik Wright- Malik Wright is the San Diego Sabers superstar quarterback and the son of Tasha Mack. He considers himself a playboy and is quite cocky about it. He falls in love with actress Robin Givens and convinces her to marry him as a publicity stunt. In the beginning, he lived with his mom but eventually gets his own place for the purpose of being able to party every night. He also fired his mom in season 2. In the third season, he finally meets his father and his half sister, Pucci, whom he tries to help with her singing career. In season 4, Malik is still a cocky, spoiled playboy who is sleeping with the wife of the Sabers' new owner (guest star Meagan Good). Malik gets incarcerated for assaulting a cop and DUI, and goes to rehab to solve his newfound problems.

• Wendy Raquel Robinson as Latasha "Tasha" Mack - Tasha Mack is the mother of Malik Wright and starts off as his manager. Malik eventually fires Tasha. She eventually starts her own management company but dissolves it to join Irv Smiff Management (ISM). In season three, she falls in love with former NBA basketball player Rick Fox, who also works for ISM. Tasha gets fired from ISM, and dumps Rick, assuming that he knew all about Irv Smith's plans to fire her. In the season three finale, Kelly Pitts punches Tasha when she finds out that Tasha set her ex-husband, Jason, up with his new girlfriend, Camille. Season 4 started with Tasha as Derwin's agent. She was also dating a much younger man named Donté (played by 106 & Park host Terrence J).

Recurring

• Barry Floyd as Terrence "Tee-Tee" Carter - Malik's childhood friend, former assistant, and owner of Tee Tee's Cluck Truck. (Season 1 - present)
• Jigga as Bibs - Malik's bodyguard. (Seasons 4-present)
• Erica Gluck (Seasons 1-3) / Katlynn Smith (Season 4-present) as Brittany Pitts - daughter of Jason and Kelly Pitts.
• Shanti Lowry as Dionne Marie Taylor - Derwin's publicist and Melanie's eventual roommate. (Seasons 1-3)
• Rick Fox as himself - former NBA basketball player; Tasha's co-worker and eventual love interest. (Seasons 2-4)
• P.J. Byrne as Irv Smiff - Owner of Irv Smiff Management (ISM). (Seasons 1-3, 5)
• Robin Givens as herself - actress; Malik's ex-wife. (Seasons 2-3)
• Drew Sidora as herself - singer; Derwin's brief love interest. (Seasons 1-2)
• Gabrielle Dennis as Janay Brice - Derwin's ex-girlfriend and mother of his son. (Seasons 2-present)
• Lee Majors as Coach Ross - coach of the San Diego Sabers. (Seasons 2-3)
• Mehcad Brooks as Jerome - Melanie's ex-boyfriend. (Seasons 2-3)
• Kendra C. Johnson as Renee Royce - TV personality and one of Malik's love interests. (Seasons 1-2)
• Chaz Lamar Shepherd as Trey Wiggs - Melanie's college friend and father of Melanie's aborted baby. (Seasons 1-2, 5)
• Jason Olive as McHottie - Melanie's love interest in medical school. (Season 3, 5)
• Michael Boatman as Lawrence Chauncey Wright - Malik's father. (Season 3)
• Lisa Tucker as Pucci Wright - Malik's half-sister. (Season 3)
• Stacey Dash as Camille Rose - Jason's ex-girlfriend. (Seasons 3-4)
• Michael Beach as Roger Keith - Owner of San Diego Sabers. (Season 4)
• Terrence Jenkins as Donté - the younger ex-boyfriend of Tasha. (Season 4)
• Chris Webber as himself - former NBA basketball player; Jason's co-host on the sports news television series Benched. (Season 4)
• Bumper Robinson as Juvon - teammate of Malik, Jason and Derwin, San Diego Sabers Running Back. (Seasons 1-present)
• Tika Sumpter as Jenna Rice - Super Model; Malik met Jenna in Rehab; later Malik's love interest. (Seasons 4-present)
• Meagan Good as Parker - The wife of Roger Keith; had an affair with Malik. (Season 4)
• Isley Anderson as D.J. - Derwin and Janay's son (Season 4, 5)
• Gary W Shaw as G-Big - Latasha "Tasha" Mack's boyfriend (2 episodes)
• Brandy Norwood as Chardonnay - Bartender; Jason's love interest. (Season 5)
• Charles Michael Davis as Kwan Kirkland - the San Diego Saber's new quarterback. (Seasons 4-present)
• Tae Heckard as Jasmine - the wife of San Diego Sabers' safety Juvon. (Seasons 2-present)

Special guest appearances

• Jared Allen
• Nnamdi Asomugha
• Rob Base
• Chico Benymon
• Tisha Campbell-Martin
• Rocky Carroll
• Chamillionaire
• G-Big
• Rockmond Dunbar
• Fabolous
• Melyssa Ford
• Vivica A. Fox
• Kevin Frazier
• Tomiko Fraser
• Rudy Gay
• Irma P. Hall
• Cory Hardrict
• Napoleon Harris
• Hill Harper
• Jim Hill
• Mo'Nique
• Chad Ochocinco
• Terrence J
• Magic Johnson
• Shawn Johnson
• Mike Jones
• Lil' Kim
• Lisa Leslie
• Selita Ebanks
• Shawn Marion
• David Eigenberg
• Leslie Jordan
• Tiffany Haddish

• Eva Marcille
• Duane Martin
• Willie McGinest
• Lonette McKee
• Daryl Mitchell
• Kel Mitchell
• Tahj Mowry
• Penny Marshall
• Musiq
• Eyal Podell
• Shaun Phillips
• Jerry Rice
• Charles Robinson
• Jalen Rose
• Soulja Boy Tell 'Em
• Ephraim Salaam
• Kenny Smith
• Tasha Smith
• Keith Sweat
• Nick Swisher
• Too Short
• Mario Van Peebles
• Chris Webber
• Serena Williams
• Stevie Williams
• Kellen Winslow II
• Jaleel White
• Shereé Whitfield
• Estelle
• NeNe Leakes
• Elimu Nelson

Episodes

Main article: List of The Game episodes

U.S. ratings

Seasonal ratings based on average total viewers per episode of The Game on The CW and BET:

Season	Network	Timeslot (ET)	Season Premiere	Season Finale	TV Season	Rank	Viewers (in millions)
1	CW	Sunday 8:30 P.M. (2006) Monday 9:30 P.M. (2006–2007)	October 1, 2006	May 14, 2007	2006–2007	#141	4.35
2		Monday 9:30 P.M. (2007–2008) Sunday 9:00 P.M. (2008)	October 1, 2007	May 18, 2008	2007–2008	#196	2.35
3		Friday 8:30 P.M. (2008–2009)	October 3, 2008	May 15, 2009	2008–2009	#174	1.75
4	BET	Tuesday 10:00 P.M. (2011)	January 11, 2011	March 29, 2011	2011		4.5
5		Tuesday 10:00 P.M. (2012)	January 10, 2012		2012

When the show transferred from The CW to BET it scored a record breaking rating of 7.7 million viewers in its 4th season premiere making it the #1 Ad-Supported Sitcom Telecast In Television Cable History Ever and as of currently the highest rated ad-supported sitcom in Television Cable History.

Lawsuit

In September 2006, writer Staci Robinson filed a $40 million lawsuit against the CW, CBS, Warner Brothers, and Grammnet Productions for copyright infringement. Robinson alleged that after she applied for a job as writer's assistant to series creator and executive producer, Mara Brock Akil in 2001, she sent her novel, Interceptions, to Akil. After receiving the novel, Robinson was interviewed for the job but later declined the position. Robinson further alleged that Akil and a CW screenwriter stole the idea from her novel to create the series. The suit was settled out of court under a non-disclosure agreement in September 2007.

Cancellation and revival

As The CW moved to make its schedule free of half-hour comedies, series creator Mara Brock Akil attempted to convince the network to air the series as an hour-long, single-camera series like the other shows on CW. The principal cast on the show launched a big viral campaign called "Change the Game Campaign" on YouTube, asking all fans to sign the CW message board. Despite the campaign and crashing the message board servers twice, on May 20, 2009, Entertainment Weekly announced that the series was officially cancelled, due to budget cut issues.

On April 4, 2010, The Hollywood Reporter reported that BET, which airs the series in syndication, was close to finalizing a deal to produce new episodes of the series. BET announced the deal during its upfronts in April 2010. Series creator and executive producer Mara Brock Akil is expected to return, along with all of the principal cast members. New episodes began airing on BET on January 11, 2011. The premiere drew 7.7 million viewers, making it the biggest ad-supported sitcom telecast in the history of cable. Stacey Mattocks is credited with creating the Facebook fan page for The Game. Upon finding her, BET hired Stacey to run the fan page which at last count was 5.4 million fans.

Hosea Chanchez officially announced at the 2011 BET Awards that the show will begin its fifth season in 2012.

Syndication

Syndicated reruns of The Game began airing on BET on February 16, 2009.

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Result	Category	Recipient
2007	NAACP Image Awards	Nominated	Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series	Kenny Smith, Jr. (For "The Trey Wiggs Episode")
2008			Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series	Sara V. Finney (For "The Big Chill" episode)
			Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series	Wendy Raquel Robinson
			Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series	Tia Mowry
2009			Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series	Wendy Raquel Robinson
			Outstanding Comedy Series	–
			Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series	Tia Mowry
		Won	Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series	Erica Montolfo (For episode "White Coats and White Lies")
2009	NAMIC Vision Awards	Nominated	Comedy	–
2007	Teen Choice Awards	Nominated	Choice TV Actress: Comedy	Tia Mowry

DVD releases

Season Releases

The First Season
Set details			Special features
22 Episodes 3-Disc Set N/A Aspect Ratio N/A Mins Languages: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)			Includes the backdoor pilot episode from Girlfriends Rift and Separate Interview with Mara Brock Akil To Baby...Or Not To Baby Commentary with Mara Brock Akil The Iceman Cometh Commentary with Mara Brock Akil All-Star Blues Commentary with Mara Brock Akil When the Chickens Comes To Roost (Parts 1 & 2) Offseason interview with Mara Brock Akil
Release date
United States (Region 1)
September 1, 2009

Seasons 2, 3, and 4 are also available in the United States and Canada.

External links

• The Game at the Internet Movie Database
• The Game at TV.com
• The Game at epguides.com
• The Game at Yahoo! TV