The Game (2006 TV series)
The Game is an American television series created by Mara Brock Akil. A spin-off of UPN's Girlfriends, the series premiered on its successor network The CW on October 1, 2006.
This article is about the original 2006 TV series. For the 2021 revival TV series, see The Game (2021 TV series).The Game
- Sitcom (seasons 1–5)
- Comedy drama (seasons 6–9)
- Kurt Farquhar
- Def Jef
- James D. Joiner III
United States
English
9
147 (list of episodes)
- Mara Brock Akil
- Salim Akil
- Kenny Smith Jr.
- Erica Montolfo-Bura
- Kelsey Grammer
- Devon Greggory
- Tom Russo
- Peter O'Fallon
- Kevin Bray
- Jordan McMahon
- Dan Dugan
- Ken Farrington
- Bobbi Sue Luther
- Travis G. Rendich
- Timothy Mozer
- Georgia Media (seasons 7–9)
- Happy Camper Productions (seasons 1–2)
- Akil Productions (seasons 3–9)
- Grammnet Productions
- CBS Paramount Network Television (seasons 1–2)
- CBS Television Distribution (season 3)
- CBS Television Studios (seasons 4–9)
- BET Original Productions (seasons 7–9)
October 1, 2006
May 15, 2009
January 11, 2011
August 5, 2015
The series was canceled in May 2009 after three seasons.[1] Viacom's BET Networks would strike a deal with CBS Corporation 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. New seasons began airing on BET starting January 11, 2011, with the fourth season premiere drawing 7.7 million viewers, making it the most watched sitcom premiere in cable television history.[2] The show would air for six seasons on BET, being renewed for its final two in 2014, and concluding its run on August 5, 2015.[3][4]
In May 2021, a revival of the series was ordered by Paramount+ with Robinson and Chanchez returning. The revival series premiered on November 11, 2021,[5][6] and was renewed for a second season in February 2022.[7] On June 23, 2023, it was announced that the series was canceled after two seasons.[8] On June 26, 2023, The Game was removed from Paramount+.[9]
Premise[edit]
For the first five seasons, The Game was centered around Joan Clayton's first cousin, Melanie Barnett (Tia Mowry), who was first introduced in the 2006 Girlfriends episode of the same name. Melanie 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), to San Diego, against the advice of her parents. Derwin is a first-year rookie American football player with a fictional "San Diego Sabers" team. 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), who warn her to keep a close eye on her boyfriend because of the numerous "gold diggers" who approach the professional American football players. As Melanie learns to balance her new roles as both med student and the partner of a professional American football player, the series focuses on the evolving relationships between the players and their significant others.