Game, The (2006, The CW-BET, Tia Mowry, Brittany Daniel)

In sitcom The Game, being the wife or girlfriend of a pro-football player might sound like a glamorous and stress-free existence, but Melanie Barnett (Tia Mowry) is about to discover the truth. When her boyfriend Derwin Davis (Pooch Hall) is chosen as the new third-string wide receiver for the San Diego Sabers, she decides to forgo Johns Hopkins Medical School to attend a local college so she can be with him. While Derwin worries about the plays on the field, Melanie learns how to deal with egos, groupies and image consultants.

Melanie quickly bonds with Tasha Mack (Wendy Raquel Robinson), a single mother who is the manager of her son, quarterback Malik Wright (Hosea Chanchez, ‘For Your Love’). Taking control of his career to make sure he is getting the best deals and not getting the wrong women, Tasha is adamant that they will never be in the poor house again. Although Malik is a player on and off the field, he loves and respects him mom and encourages her to get back into the dating scene (as long as it is not someone he works with) to find happiness for herself after looking after him for all these years.

Welcoming Melanie and Derwin to the San Diego Sabers family is interracial couple Kelly (Brittany Daniel) and Jason Pitts (Coby Bell). Kelly, who always receives flack about marring her African-American husband, is the typical supportive NFL trophy wife, but as a result of meeting Melanie and Tasha, she is empowered to explore the other aspects of her life. Although her husband is a star player, he is also a notorious cheapskate and demands that the family be extremely frugal.

As Melanie adjusts to her new lifestyle, she gets a play-by-play account of the lives and relationships among NFL wives, girlfriends and mom/managers who use their best ‘game’ help their men stay on the field and on their arm.

Premiering on October 1, 2006, the series debuted as the only new comedy series chosen for The CW’s primetime schedule. Along with Runaway, it was one of only two series on the new network not to be inherited from either of its predecessor networks, The WB and UPN, during the network’s first season. The series is a spinoff of the long-running UPN/CW sitcom, Girlfriends.

After three seasons, the series was canceled by The CW in May 2009. BET struck a deal with The Game’s parent company CBS to develop new episodes of the series, relocating taping of the show from Los Angeles to Atlanta, and announcing its renewal at the April 2010 upfronts.

production details
USA | The CW – BET – CBS | 147×25 minutes | Broadcst 2006 – 2014

Creator: Mara Brock Akil

cast
Tia Mowry as Melanie Barnett
Pooch Hall as Derwin Davis
Wendy Racquel Robinson as Tasha Mack
Brittany Daniel as Kelly
Coby Bell as Jason Pitts