Living Single, Martin, Girlfriends, Jaime Fox Show, Everybody Hates Chris, Half & Half, Different World, The Hugley’s, The Steve Harvey show, Moesha. These are all Black sitcoms that made us laugh, cry, and broke our hearts when they were suddenly off the air. When other shows like Friends or Everybody Loves Raymond come to an end, the networks put on this huge “Series Finale” saga, but when one of our shows comes to an end, that’s it-It just ends. The relatable drama, The Game was no different from its predecessors; however unlike the shows before it- fans of The Game fought back.
It was about four years ago on an episode of “Girlfriends” where we first met Melanie and Derwin Davis. We then sat on our couches glued to our televisions as we watched the two characters walk off the set of Girlfriends and into the set of their San Diego apartment on the show, The Game. As our hearts healed over the sudden end of our favorite black sitcom, Girlfriends, we began to trust the networks again when they gave to us The Game, a show about a group of NFL players and the women who had their backs. WE grew tied into the drama, Derwin cheating on Med School with her favorite R&B singer, Mel jumping into bed with Derwin’s teammate, Malik, Tasha Mack learning to separate her career from family and becoming willing to love, Jason and Kelly Pitts fighting over her buying a name brand of toothpaste- the show was a hit! Then suddenly the CW started moving the time slot so often that the show’s fans couldn’t figure out what time or day the show would air- eventually KILLING the show’s ratings! Needless to say, our show got cancelled, leaving viewers craving to know more after seeing Melanie and Derwin’s wedding get cancelled when his baby momma calls to say she’s in labor! DRAMA! WE were all frantic about the future of the show, we knew it was cancelled, but refused to accept the idea that it could be over. In for the first time in Black sitcom history, we the fans- fought for our show!
The show returned to television via BET on January 11, 2011, picking up 7.7 million viewers with a share of 10 (better than most shows on network TV <especially CW> can dream of doing these days). The show picks up two years later and drops the audience into the world of the characters two years later, where Derwin and Melanie are married, Derwin is the star player on the Sabers, Tasha Mack works for Derwin, Kelly and Jason are divorced, and Malik is in a downward spiral of celebrity mayhem. Drama at its best! The reboot episode of the series has fans in an anxious torment on what this season will bring. With BET hiring the original cast, keeping the same producers, and most importantly same writers, there’s no question that this show will go on to become not only a hit, but a classic as well. CW, eat your heart out!