To very little surprise, the CW has cancelled one of its few remaining sitcoms, The Game. Is this the end for the series or could it still return?
Created by Mara Brock Akil, The Game began as a spin-off of Akil’s long-running comedy, Girlfriends. The series centers around a first year medical student (Tia Mowry) who chooses to follow her pro-football boyfriend (Pooch Hall) to San Diego. Others in the cast include Brittany Daniel, Coby Bell, Hosea Chanchez and Wendy Raquel Robinson.
The first sitcom to debut on the CW network, The Game averaged 2.3 million viewers in season one. For season two, the ratings dropped to 2.07 million and a .96 rating in the 18-49 demographic. This season, it’s fallen to an average of 1.68 million viewers and a tiny 0.7 rating in the demo, in part because it was given a Friday night timeslot.
The CW is essentially getting out of the sitcom business and has cancelled The Game after 64 episodes. There had been talks about changing the show’s format to an hour-long dramady, to make it more compatible with the network’s other programming. That was seen as a long-shot at best and actually would have created its own set of challenges for syndication.
Though The Game only has 64 episodes, BET recently signed a syndication deal to air the first two seasons and season three will be added this Fall. To increase the show’s number of episodes, there have been discussions between the cable channel and CBS (the show’s studio) about co-funding original episodes. The deal would likely come with some cost-cutting measures.
There’s been no further word on the potential deal with BET so, as of right now, “The Wedding Episode” is the series’ last.
If The Game isn’t rescued from cancellation, are you satisfied with the way the sitcom ended — with Melanie and Derwin finally getting married?
Image courtesy CW.
I would like the show to get picked up by BET or TBS, because we need more sitcoms that reflect our percent of the population. We need to see how people of color handle situations on t.v., because as much as we watch t.v. a little something should stick with us. This show had a message for everyone! No matter what situation you were in, you could look at the characters and relate, and then you could take that message and apply it to your own situation! I just started watching the show, and I am addicted to the story… Read more »
The Game needs to go back on ASAP!! I pray that BET picks the show =] .. i need to know what’s going on with Kelly & Jason and how Melanie’s and Dawrin’s married life is going and what’s going on with the babyy.. THEY NEEED TO MAKE A 4TH SEASON
I cant trust CW to ever finish a show. First Eve, One on One, and then The Game. Im sick of it.
Well i just got done crying to the last episode. And waiting for season 4 to start up. See this cast was amazing to watch. You understood them and most important there was lots to relate to. I’m a second time married black women, 28 years old and mother of three. I am also marrried to the military this show has help me focus on the real meaning of love and releationship. What these story lines have pertrayed really happens to people. What ever channel picks up this show will happy and satified with the ratings.
THEY REALLY NEED TO BRING BACK THE GAME IT WAS WHAT I LOOKED FORWARD TO EVERY WEEK JUST ONE MORE SEASON WITH THE RIGHT ENDING WOULD AT LEAST BE ENOUGH
KEEP THE SHOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Please come out with a 4th season of The Game!!!!!! All the black folks really enjoyed it… It was like the black stories!!!!! BET please do your best to keep the sitcom going, please and thank you.
Bring THE GAME BACK it is sooooo messed up that they got cancelled and for what to put some new bull ishhhhh.. non black show on. Everytime there is a good African American show..which by the way always in corporates other nationalities..they always get cancelled. They should never have put the show on a Friday night (CW doomed it for failure) the show needs to be on a Sunday night…SOME ONE BET,TV1 PICK IT UP…
The show should re-air.. brought back to life because there are so many things that can be done to make it better. More drama more actiong more superbowls to be won by the sabers. Bet please to ya best to keep this young black hip tv sitcom to continue, Please and thank you
i really liked the show but when they changed the time i thought it was canceled then that might be a big reason for the ratings dropping they didnt advertise the change of the time well enough i sure im not the only one who didnt know what happened to the show but great really would like to see what happens next
I am upset that The Game is cancelled. My husband and I finally got time to watch the reruns on BET and got hooked. It’s a great show. Me being in medical school, I definitly liked seeing a medical student on TV. I wish BET can get season 4. This is the only show that I have liked since Girlfriends. SADDD….
I am really disappointed … The Game was a good show and I do hope that BET picks it up. It’s a bit sad that all the shows with the cast being majority african american has been cancelled on the CW. What happen to One on One, Half n Half, and Girlfriends …. I wonder how long Tyra has before she gets the boot? I just really loved The Game and I hope that they do pick up another season as well as Girlfriends.
B4 i get into everything i want to address, HELL NO! IM NOT HAPPY WITH THE WAY THE SHOW ENDED!! Okay, glad they finally got married, but what about the baby…was it really Derwin’s? Is Kelly and Jason gonna get back together, cuz she was really hurt at the hearing when he left with Camille. There was alot of unanswered questions in my opinion………………There is no reason that this show shouldn’t return. The Game was 1 of the best shows in awhile and i was lookin forward to its return ; as well as other ppl i know. The only… Read more »
I was hoping that BET would pick up this show the Derwin and Melanie and Janay baby situation would open up so many new ideas and minds of people that are dealing with the same type of situation in their own lives but have no outlet to deal with it as well as Malik finally growing out of momma mack’s shadow Kelly and Jason how do they move foward will Jason go to jail and what happened to Dionne will rick and momma mack get back together questions we want answers and BET is the only way we can get… Read more »
SO TIRED OF ALL THE GOOD TV SHOWS BEING CANCELLED! I DON’T WANT TO SEE REALITY SHOWS ALL THE TIME. THIS SHOW WAS VERY ORIGINAL.