The Game: Huge Ratings Return for the BET Sitcom

Last January, The Game returned to television for a fourth season on BET. The show had been cancelled by The CW a couple years earlier and fans welcomed the new episodes with open arms. The Game set a big record for the cable channel, drawing 7.7 million viewers. It was highest-rated airing of a sitcom on ad-supported cable in TV history.

Though the numbers dwindled over the course of the season, The Game remained a big hit for BET and was renewed for a fifth season with a full 22 episode order.

Last night, season five debuted and registered a 2.8 in the 18-49 demographic and 5.286 million total viewers. It easily won the night on cable and actually beat the three major broadcast networks in the demo as well.

The series didn’t come close to these kinds of numbers on The CW. Not bad for a show that was once cancelled. It just goes to show what can happen when a devoted channel, fans, and a beloved show can do when they all come together.

Will these ratings continue? You can follow the sitcom’s numbers this season by checking our ratings page for The Game. It’ll be updated each week as the new numbers come in.

What do you think? Were you watching The Game last night? Why do you think the show is attracting so many more fans on cable than it did on a broadcast network?