As we reported yesterday, BET’s The Game is returning on January 10th for the kick off of the show’s fifth season. BET revived the previously-cancelled series and aired the new episodes earlier this year. They were a huge success for BET so they ordered a full fifth season of 22 installments.

BET has now issued a press release about The Game’s return, as well as the the second season premiere of Let’s Stay Together. The first season of the original sitcom (which ended with a wedding cliffhanger) reportedly averaged 2.9 million viewers per week and was also renewed for 22 new episodes. It stars Bert Belasco, Nadine Ellis, Joyful Drake, RonReaco Lee, and Erica Hubbard.

Here’s the full press release from BET:

BET’s Scripted Series – “THE GAME” and “LET’S STAY TOGETHER” – Return to Entice Fans for Another Hit Season on Tuesday, January 10 at 10 PM*
The Stakes Are Raised, As Grammy Award Winning R&B Star Brandy Norwood Is Added To the Cast of THE GAME, And Acclaimed Actress Kyla Pratt Joins LET’S STAY TOGETHER

NEW YORK, Dec. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — After record-breaking premieres last season, garnering a combined 12.1 million viewers, BET’s top-rated scripted series THE GAME and LET’S STAY TOGETHER are set to return with 22 half-hour episodes, beginning Tuesday, January 10 at 10 p.m.* Boasting all-star casts, both shows up the ante with more laughs and more drama.

As the #1 sitcom debut in the history of all cable TV, season four of THE GAME left viewers on the edge of their seats. The seduction continues as infidelity, ambition, secrets and betrayal collide to make season five the most compelling yet. Picking up where it left off, Melanie (Tia Mowry Hardrict) contends with Derwin’s (Pooch Hall) abortion accusation; Malik (Hosea Chanchez) and Tasha (Wendy Raquel Robinson) struggle to wrangle an intoxicated Jenna (Tika Sumpter); and Kelly (Brittany Daniel) is still off in the world trying to find herself, leaving Jason (Coby Bell) forced to come to terms with his feelings towards Black women. The new season also ushers in a new love interest for Jason, who is sure to shake things up!

In addition to music star Brandy joining the cast, and long-time favorites Melanie, Derwin, Tasha, Malik, and Jason, season five also welcomes the return of the prodigal sports manager Irv Smiff (PJ Byrne); the mother of Derwin’s son, Janay (Gabrielle Dennis); Malik’s former girlfriend, Jenna; as well as Malik’s former assistant turned entrepreneur, Tee Tee and his famous Wing Truck (Barry T. Floyd). The momentum continues with a number of exciting new guest appearances, including Shawn Marion, Estelle, Selita Ebanks, DeRay Davis, Nene Leakes, Rockmond Dunbar, and the Emmy-award winning Loretta Devine among others.

The sexy combination of Tuesday night football followed by a little romance continues as the second season of LET’S STAY TOGETHER premieres immediately after THE GAME. The first episode will answer the big question of what happened at Stacy (Nadine Ellis) and Charles’ (Bert Belasco) wedding from the cliffhanger in last season’s finale, and why he left her standing at the altar. Additionally, Tasha (Joyful Drake) and Jamal (RonReaco Lee) will have their marriage tested by former relationships and other temptations while Charles and Stacy continue to explore the ups and downs of making coupledom work.

In season two, life becomes even more complex when Kita (Erica Hubbard) is inspired to go on a reality show a la Survivor and asks her cousin Crystal (Kyla Pratt) to house sit in her absence. LET’S STAY TOGETHER will explore what it means to be married, date, start and grow a business, establish a new career, and even go to college in modern day Atlanta.

For video sneak peeks and first looks of the new season of THE GAME and LET’S STAY TOGETHER, visit their official pages respectively at BET.com/TheGame and BET.com/Letsstaytogether. Viewers can also find series updates on Facebook by liking the fan pages at http://www.facebook.com/thegameBET and http://www.facebook.com/LetsStayTogether. Also, join the conversation about the shows on Twitter by using hashtags: #thegameBET and #letsstay2gether; follow the shows for all updates & special surprises @thegameBET & @letsstay2gether. For more information about these series visit www.BET.com.

*All times are ET/PT.

About BET Networks
BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), is the nation’s leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel reaches more than 98 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and sub-Saharan Africa. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions: BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; CENTRIC, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the 25- to 54-year-old African-American audience; BET Digital Networks – BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Home Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs and video-on-demand; BET Event Productions, a full-scale event management and production company with festivals and live events spanning the globe; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET in the United Kingdom and oversees the extension of BET network programming for global distribution.

What do you think? Is Let’s Stay Together as good as The Game? Will you be watching the second season?

Image courtesy BET.