Malik Yusef: Blowing Money Fast
Something some hope wouldn't have happened eventually did: 'The Game' will not be returning to The CW's fall line-up.A roll-out of three year old network's new shows were unveiled May 21 at Madison Square Garden and the popular urban sitcom – created by 'Girlfriends' producer Mara Brock Akil -- didn't make the cut.
A groundswell of support via a grassroots Internet campaign didn't help the three-year old show, which revolved around the lives of professional football players and the women who loved them.
Starring Tia Mowry, Pooch Hall, Wendy Racquel Robinson, Kobe Bell, Hosea Chanchez and Brittany Daniel, 'The Game' originated as a spin-off of the Kelsey Grammer-produced 'Girlfriends' and served as a launching pad for the network, which is helmed by Dawn Ostroff.
Players of The Game'
The cast of 'The Game' include (clockwise from top) Tia Mowry, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Hosea Chanchez , Pooch Hall, Coby Bell and Brittany Daniel. (Photo: The CW)
As rookie football player Derwin Davis and medical school student Melanie Daniel, Pooch Hall and Tia Mowry have become a favorite couple in prime time television. (Photo: The CW)
Tia Mowry plays medical school student Melanie Barnett on The CW series 'The Game.' (Photo: The CW)
Pooch Hall plays Derwin Davis on the Mara Brock Akil-created series 'The Game.' (Photo: RegginRazzi)
Hosea Chanchez plays bad boy quarterback Malik Wright on 'The Game.' (Photo: RegginRazzi)
Wendy Raquel Robinson plays Tasha Mack, a fast-talking, no-holds-barred "momager" on 'The Game.' (Photo: RegginRazzi)
Coby Bell plays chintzy team captain Jason Pitts on 'The Game.' (Photo: RegginRazzi)
Brittany Daniel (center) plays the bubbly athlete's wife Kelly Pitts on 'The Game.' (Photo: The CW)
Wendy Raquel Robinson and former NBA star Rick Fox chum it up on the set of 'The Game' on April 28, 2008. (Photo: RegginRazzi)
Maybe some viewers.
The other African American-targeted sitcom 'Everybody Hates Chris' won't be returning in the fall either.
The fifth broadcast television network will not program on Sunday nights and has cast aside all comedy in favor of scripted dramas with female appeal and 'America's Next Top Model.'
Mowry, one of the more recognizable stars of the show, was saddened by the news today and thanked her fans via her Facebook page. "Life is so funny. But what is in the dark ALWAYS come to light," she added after making mention of "pathological liars."
Chanchez commented on his: "I thank those of you who helped us to shine for three years. I'm sad but determined to continue to fly high and prosper."
Comments: (318)
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By: whocares on 5/27/2009 2:18PM
who freaking cares????????Seriously the reason there is still "race problems" in the united states is because anything that goes wrong or not in the african americans favor, it is because they are black , give me a freaking break. I am so sick of hearing this crap. Im just saddened that my daughter has to grow up living around all this crap. People get a life, we cant all get along if the race card is used for EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If the show was cancelled its because not enough viewers ...stop making more excuses
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By: AdrieCm on 5/27/2009 5:25PM
If you don't care, why did you comment, whocares, seriously?
Anyway, it's not about race, at least, not to me. It's the fact that no one is watching shows like this anymore. True, a few hundred thousand might, but that's not enough. Most people are too busy watching reality t.v. and that's what is taking over the airways, getting rid of the well-written scripted shows. If we want more of them, people have to switch off the reality and start watching normal, well-written, truthfully scripted shows. The networks will get the message and start coming out with more shows like the ones that are going off and will keep them on longer. I miss the days when a show, any show, would be on for years and years... I Love Lucy, The Cosby Show, Roseanne, just to mention a few. Either do that or start your own networks and bring up some good television.
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By: rikstik71664 on 5/27/2009 2:18PM
I felt same way when Homeboys From Outer Space got cancelled.
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By: lilteabag on 5/27/2009 2:20PM
what if I am black, but never been to Africa. My parents, grandparent, no one in my family have been to Africa. I don't consider myself an African. Don't call me African I am an American 100% full blooded American.
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By: monieet on 5/27/2009 2:31PM
The same thing happened to Girlfriends, but I stuck around because of the Game and ANTM. I have had it with and will no longer view ANYTHING on this network. Year after year they continue to cut shows worth watching. Lets not even talk about the Gilmore Girls A**hole..s. And the worst part is they do it without giving the fans a goodbye show.. Terrible TV manners. Remember beginning, middle and ending with everything.
I AM SERIOUSLY DONE with this network.
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By: Renee on 5/27/2009 2:23PM
This sucks! The CW is doing the same thing that WCIU did. They used black folks to get ratings and advertisers. Then when the station blows up they cancel all the black shows and fill it up with white shows.
And for the person who said it was ratings is incorrect. Girlfriends was their highest rated show and they canceled it. Half n' Half had very high ratings too. Much higher then All of Us but they canceled Half n' Half and kept the crappy All of Us due to Will and Jada. And the Game....it too had very high ratings.
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By: Jack on 5/27/2009 2:28PM
As with so many sitcoms for years now, this show was a straight ripoff of a BBC show called Footballers Wives (football in this case being what we call soccer). The BBC show had a racially mixed cast (just as UK soccer teams are racially mixed) and was far more daring than The Game. American producers love to grab British TV ideas and then they water them down so they are not even imitations of the original. Bill Cosby's last show was supposedly based on One Foot in the Grave, about a bitter, retired elderly man. Yeah, with Cos starring that lasted about two seconds.
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By: Chas on 5/27/2009 2:31PM
How dare the writer of this feature tag this as a "Black" show and only Black people watch it! Why does it have to be a black show and not just a show? You are wrong if you think only black people watch this show, or any show for that matter.
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By: AF1 on 5/27/2009 2:30PM
How good were the ratings for The Game? If it wasn't drawing enough viewers relative to what it costs CW to put it on, that would be a good reason to cancel it.
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By: J on 5/27/2009 2:38PM
Never saw the show, but can tell you the real problem: CW affilates are usually puny, low-power stations run out of the broom closet at some larger, better affiliated stick (broadcasting term for a station). I mean like THREE-HUNDRED watt pea-shooters up against full power 5 MILLION watt UHF and MILLION watt VHF Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC shops. Remember UPN? WB? Gone. Back in the day there was a fourth network called DuMont. It was owned by a company that made TV sets. They were predicted to the "ABC", third place network. They had a few big-time stars like Jackie Gleason and some hit shows. They failed. Why? A. No radio network to fall back on. B. Not enough full-power VHF affiliates to fully cover every important market, plus C. The young upstart ABC sold a big share to United Paramount Theatres in the early 1950's and had an instant hit with "Cheyenne" starring a relative unknown named James Garner. CW is likely to go the same way because the CW doesn't cover every rated TV market completely...sometimes isn't even on cable and doesn't have the heavy hitter stars or advertiser support. No major sports package(s) either. Too bad.
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