While it’s looking less and less likely that the CW will renew The Game sitcom for a fourth year, series creator Mara Brock Akil is apparently interesting in changing the show in order to score a renewal. Is it a winning strategy?
The Game is a spin-off of the Girlfriends, the once successful sitcom that ended abruptly last season. Premiering in 2006, The Game revolves around Melanie Barnett (Tia Mowry), a first year medical student who gives up her school plans to follow her professional football playing boyfriend Derwin Davis (Pooch Hall). Others in the cast include Brittany Daniel, Coby Bell, Hosea Chanchez and Wendy Raquel Robinson.
In its first season, The Game averaged 2.3 million viewers each week. For season two, the ratings dropped to 2.07 million and a .96 rating in the 18-49 demographic. This season, CW execs have stranded the series in a little-watched Friday night timeslot. It’s fallen to an average of 1.68 million viewers and a tiny 0.7 rating in the demo.
Along with fellow sitcom Everybody Hates Chris, The Game hasn’t exactly been a ratings powerhouse. It looks very likely that Chris will be cancelled in May but will have 88 episodes, enough for a syndication run that’s scheduled to start on Nick at Nite this Fall. In contrast, The Game will only have 64 episodes.
A renewal for The Game would create a programming conundrum for the CW. With no other half-hour programs in development, they’d have an orphan half-hour in their timeslot to fill.
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The Hollywood Reporter says that one possible solution would be to turn The Game into an hour-long dramedy. The change wouldn’t be a big stretch since the sitcom doesn’t use a studio audience and already mixes comedy with drama. Akil is expected to pitch the idea to the network sometime this week.
The plan is considered a longshot at best considering The Game’s weak ratings and the fact that it doesn’t mesh well with the network’s upcoming slate of dramas. Switching time formats could also cause a problem in syndication, unless each of the hour episodes could be cut into two 30 minute installments.
If the CW network ultimately passes on renewing The Game, the show could still continue. In February, the BET cable channel signed a syndication deal to air the first three seasons. At the time, Barbara Zaneri, BET’s Executive VP of Acquisitions, told Variety, “This [show] is something I went after the minute I got to BET. Not only does it have really fresh African-American stars, but it has a great lineup of guest stars. People like Robin Givens and Vivica Fox — these are people who are regularly on our network.”
It’s been reported (and Mowry recently confirmed) that BET execs have discussed with CBS the possibility of funding a fourth year. The deal would likely entail some cost-cutting to make the deal affordable for the cable channel but it’s in CBS’ best interests to make it work.
Will the show get some “extra innings” or is The Game over? We’ll likely have to wait until May 21st to find out for sure.
Image courtesy CW.
why are they always cancelling shows that are black such as girlfriends but you sex in the city on which I find so dumb. then you cancel the game which was the best show ever did they just put the game on that channel just so they could take it off the air
DON’T CANCEL THE SHOW. MOVE IT BACK TO MONDAYS. GIVE ME THE INFO ON WHO TOLD DERWIN ABOUT MANICOTTI, DID ROBIN GIVENS AND MALIK EVER GET A DIVORCE? WHAT HAPPENED TO THE GAY FOOTBALL PLAYER AND THE MALE SUNBEAM? STILL NEED TO KNOW THESE THINGS
I love The Game it is the best show i ever watch. they should not cancle this show. I’m so addictied to this show . i love this show PLEASE DO NOT CANCEL THIS SHOW IT IS THE BEST SHOW EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Please don’t cancel The Game….
Please dont cancel the show, I love the show, they keep it real, and I like that. I really didnt know what station it played on. KEEP THE SHOW!
i’m so mad …the cw set this show up to fail by changing the time and day 3 times…it was like playin cat & mice with tryin to find the show on…it’s sad how they treat shows with black actors on it
It’s funny. Channel Eleven as it was once called many years ago Had no veiwers after 8 o’clock until the Cleghorne Show(remember? She was the Black comedian on SNL) aired. This was followed by the Wayans Show. Soon afterwards people began watching channell eleven instead of the usual prime time channels 2, 4, 7. Then channel 9 got in on the actionand put out some shows with African American actors (I know. Homeboys in Outer space was the worst) It wasn’t long before 11 and 9 had a loyal follwing and as soon as they did they axed us for… Read more »
I love this show…I have found that besides the reruns on BET most people I talked to couldn’t figure out when it really came on or what channel it aired. EVERYONE however that I come across has nothing but high praises of the show. It would be a shame to loose such a great show!
I love this show!!!!!!!! Not only do I love the show I am addicted LOL
Please do not cancel the show. If the CW is going to drop it then thats there lost……BET please pick this show up the ratings will go through the roof
I need The Game to come back for another season
I adore this show, I have not missed one episode since it started. I think that the CW did not give it a fair chance. When it originally aired it had great ratings but it was also on a prime night. Moving it to Friday nights was just setting it up to fail. When has anyone stayed home to watch tv on a Friday night since TGIF back in the early 90’s when Urkel and Full House were alive. I think this shows just how racist the world still is because look at how the CW did Girlfriends, they did… Read more »
Dont cancel this show is like one of the few show males can actually watch cause its not just set up for female. Plus it ‘s probably one of my favorite shows and i was looking froward to seeing whats happens to Mel and Derwin.
I absolutley love this show! The game talks about every day issues that occur between a man and a woman or any kind of relationship in general. Many other shows on the other stations don’t caputure the essence of authentic creative writing as the game does. Please, please, don’t cancel this show because it’s so relatabale to many of our lives.
I love this show its real and funny and it makes me drop wut im doing to watch it they should show it on a day other than Friday then tha ratings would go back up i love this show i get excited when it comes on and during commercials i cant wait til it come back on cw will be so crazy to cancell this show and if they do i want even watch that cw ever again i hoe top model moves to BET so they can keep their all white shows all tha black shows r gone… Read more »
i love this show, i think if they move it back to Monday nites it’ll be better, Friday nites its party nite i watch it anyway bt i be rushing afterwards to get dressed to go out bt i love this show and it cant end this way its too much more i want to see is jason and kelly getting back together, is that derwin baby ,what janay got to say about derwin and mels wedding dnt cancell the show pls y cancell all the black shows cw
Why T V shows with majority of black actors never last long ,only shows with white actors and one lone black stay on T V . We need good programing for black america.