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.
 Loading ... |
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.
please don’t cancel the game! It is an awesome show and I look froward to seeing it. it is so addicting I look forward to seeing what will happen next. I hate that the good shows are always getting cancelled. i used to watch girlfriends faithfully as well. Has anybody ever thought that maybe the ratings dropped because it stopped being as advertised and they kept changing show times and days? I am a faithful viewer but all of a sudden one day I couldnt find the show at the normal time and day……
Every time when I get into a show it gets booted off!!! The game has to come back!!! I need to know what happened next!!!!
o and ur rating would b better if it was on BET and pick a reasonable time that people can all watch….. :/
hey,the game is a black version of desperate housewives for the hood.a lot of people look for it to help with problems in everyday life………… 🙂
I do not understand why CW is even considering not bringing The Game back. It is one of the best sitcoms ever. CW, you always mess up a good thing.
WOW THIS IS CRAZI THE GAME IS ONE OF THE BEST SHOWS OUT. IT SHOWS WHAT PEOPLE REALLY GO THROUGHT, THE CW ALWAYS DO THIS CANCELL ALL THE GOOD BLACK SHOWS AN BRING MORE NOSENCE TO THE NETWORK THEY NEED TO BRING IT BACK OR LET SOMEONE ELSE PICK UP A GOOD SHOW
I love the Game Please, Please, Please bring it back. I started to watch the Game on the CW as soon as it was aired. I love all the characters they are all great. So again please bring it back I don’t care if its on the CW or BET I will watch it on any channel.
I am inlove with The Game! I actually just started watching it this summer and was amazed! I didn’t watch TV before because there are too many reality shows on that doesnt make any sense to me. But, I can not say the same about The Game. The Game actually keeps my attention and keeps me wanting more. It has an awsome story line to it and it will be very rewarding if you all please continue the show! Im more than sure that it will be watched faithfully!
i love the show and i wish they would bring it back there are not to many good shows out there right now and this was a good one it keep me waiting for the next show its to much reality tv on now and really nothing else so bring the game back
Please keep The GAME!! I love this show. This is a show I can watch with my young daughter and she can see postive things happening in the black community. She can see the ups and down to living a specfic lifestyle. The good and the bad. She can see and learn what is to be and young Christian and how you have to fight to stay stedfast in God. Low ratings??? I just cant see it. We watch the re-runs of this show over and over again and never get tried of it and watched it every Friday night.… Read more »
I must admit like others when the show was on the CW when it first came out I really didn’t pay much attention. I heard that the show was about to be cancelled on one of the online media sites. I then saw that the show had been moved to BET me and my husband started to watch while wating for other shows that we like on BET we are now hook. We can not get enough of this show so please make a season four. We will also be buying all seasons just to have in our movie collection.
Why is there no advertising for this show. Ive seen season 1and 2. Its really confusing for me because i dont know what season is on now . I was looking at bet monday night and the show i saw was back to back of show i havent seen because i thought the 3 season was cancelled. This is such a shame . I love this show . There should be some advertisng for the next season. Take off some of these ridiculous reality show and post THE GAME advertising on BET for the next season. You people r crazy… Read more »
I Love the “The Game!” The writers and actors are very talented. I feel the only way for “The Game” to survive is to move to another network, because the show got more fans just being on BET alone. The CW is the wrong network for the show to be on. I feel like its too good to just be cancelled all together. The fourth season (if its on another network) would be a hit.
KEEP THE GAME!!!
Ok so if this changes anyones mind…hallelujah, if it doesn’t atleast you know how much it kills me that “The Game” has been cancelled!!!! I am the mbager of a business, dancer and choreographer, I have no time to sit and watch television…I never have, really, even before all of my career accomplishments. So for someone like me to be so upset for a televsion show to be cancelled…it has to be good. Anyways, this is the only show that has ever had me so caught up into watching. I can watch episode after episode repeat after repeat and still… Read more »