By: Taren Vaughan
One of BET’s most talked about sitcoms The Game is back for its sixth season. And since last season, the show has undergone some major cast changes, adding Actress Lauren London and Actor Bryce “The Blueprint” Westbrook to the line-up. As there were new editions to the show, there were also some key departures as well as married couple Melanie Barnett-Davis (Tia Mowry-Hardrict) and Derwin Davis (Pooch Hall), a pair of viewers’ faves that always found a way to keep things interesting with the ongoing drama in their relationship, did not return for the new season and had those who are avid watchers of The Game questioning how good it would be without those two, some thinking that the show was bound to face cancellation. The cast members have been talking up the show every chance that they have gotten but it looks like folks just aren’t sold on tuning in as the numbers are in for the season opener of the sixth season of The Game and they don’t come close to the numbers that last season’s opener brought in.
Here’s the report:
“The Game” may still be the top-rated show on BET. But the football-flavored comedy was thrown for a big loss in its sixth-season opener.
The two-part premiere on Tuesday drew 2.5 million viewers, a 58% drop from last season’s season opener, which attracted 5.3 million viewers. More significantly, the audience plummeted 71% below those tuning in to the show’s 2011 launch on BET, which drew a record-setting 7.7 million viewers.
Interestingly, creator and executive producer of the show Mara Brock Akil tweeted a totally different, much higher number for viewership for the season opener of the show:
Looks like viewers aren’t feeling the show’s new changes though things could change though as the show is only one episode in.
Of course. BET ruined this show.
LOL at them lying about the ratings!
This show is terrible.
I was done when Tia and Pooch were fired. Guess I wasn’t alone.
As I…..
Exactly.
FINALLY!!!!! Thanks UB I’ve been waiting to vent about the season premiere. It was terrible the acting was lackluster and the plot didn’t make any sense. I can’t believe The Game has turned into such a disgrace I can’t really say I’m surprised in the drop in ratings because how do you turn a comedy into a wack soap opera. I’m just appalled and disappointed we deserved better then this. And this creator must be smoking that good because I know damn well no 4 mil didn’t watch that mess. I feel like snatching BET and that creator Ms. Akil wigs. P.S Pooch acted his a-s off on the premiere.
Girl you said it all! I am so mad they ruined a perfectly good comedy. I’m not surprised though because I had a feeling BET would make a mess out of it. So sad.
Queen you are the one that really understands me LOL
Just cancel it already. It’s just painful to watch.
You haven taken the words right out of my mouth. If they wasn’t going to maintain the integrity of the show which is what we asked for than they should have just left the show on the shelf. We wanted closure and we received it. Derwin was following Melanie to another state so she can pursue her dreams. Tosha found love with Pookie. Malik found love with the supermodel. Titi started his wing truck business and Jason was going to make his marriage with Brandy work. I was happy with that ending. This mess now is like watching a slow death of a great show.
If they are lying about the ratings, they must know the show is in trouble. I see another cancellation in the near future.
This show sucks so bad now. It used to be my FAVORITE show. BET has a bad habit of ruining things. They didn’t need to make the show so dramatic. I miss how funny it used to be. If I wanted to watch a soap opera, I’d watch The Young & The Restless. At least the people on there can act!
PREACH!!!!!
The only person that has ruined the show for me is Brandy. She can not act.
I guess they figured putting Ciara in it would pull ratings…….BAHHHHHHHHHH HAAAAAA !
I think they just need to bring in more writers. This show has always had a love hate relationship with viewers, I still believe in it.
Of course they gona lie about their numbers, BUT numbers dont lie.The ratings dropped and as figured its because they soo dumb to kick off the MAIN characters. There is a petition going on at change.org to bring melanie and derwin back. MANY MANY unhappy used to be loyal fans! I dont support that mess no more. Happy that BET is feeling the hit by the lowER numbers! HA
Come on People … Change is certain in this world … The Main Charactors were not kicked off Tia decided not to come back after they reduced her appearance ( Ego trip ) and Pooch Halls’ schedule ( for his cable show that he is on) did not work along with the “Game” schedule … there is no bad blood with Tia & Pooch and they were getting paid for this … so why are so many people tripping… also Mara did not lie about the ratings she put the first premiere that aired at 10pm and the encore premiere that showed after .. which did add up to 4million that did watch that night …. THIS IS A BLACK CASTED SHOW / BLACK CREATOR & WRITER … SUPPORT THIS BLACK MOVEMENT …STOP BEING SILLY FOLKS …THAT’S WHY BLACK PEOPLE ALWAYS LOOSE OUT …. WE DO NOT SUPPORT EACH OTHER …. ACCEPT THE CHANGE AND KEEP IT MOVING … SUPPORT YOUR PEOPLE
I don’t mind change,but lets get real. This show is lacking a storyline. Tosha smoking weed really. I rolled with that one. Tosha apologizing to Kelly at the beginning of last season and telling her its just another story of a black woman hating on a white woman for having a beautiful relationship with a black man. I thought Kelly was dreaming,but to find out she wasn’t. Tosha Mack would have never said that. Okay rolled with that too. The insults kept coming. Jason making degrading comments to Brandy. He kissed her forehead and made a comment about how greasy it was. Brandy acting like some ghetto hood rat. This season is no better. She wearing that ridiculous belt with Pitts on it. Really, I am sick of this foolishness. I would rather the show go off the air before we keep watching these people mess up what use to be a nice show. Tosha have some hood in her,but she is a business woman. She was intelligent. Brandy is just a mess. Kill the show and lets move on with our lives.
I totally agree!!!
Can someone post the link for the online petition plz
It’s time for this show to END!!!
Actually, its two seasons too late. I have seasons 1-3 on DVD, so UPN got my money. I’ll have to just live with those three seasons and pretend that seasons 4-6 didn’t happen.
In my dreams, the final two seasons involve the following general story lines:
Malik continues to be a player but eventually meets the woman he will marry. He goes broke but earns it all back. His relationship with his father grows. Kelly and Jason work things out and are remarried. Derwin and Melanie go through their ups and downs but never split. Juvon is paralyzed on the football field, but his gold-diggin’ wife Jaz surprisingly grows into a real woman during the ordeal and sticks by his side, even investing his money well for their future. Juvon eventually walks again and becomes a successful sports agent…”the new Rick Fox”!
Tosha Mack winds up with Rick Fox…married and living happily ever after. Tee-Tee becomes a wealthy entrepreneur and marries his assistant, WHO NEVER SLEPT WITH MALIK because season-4 never happens.
If the ending could have been like that…
Oh well, BET ruined it.
I THINK YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE WRITER ON THE SHOW? JUST GIVE MELANIE AND DERWIN THEIR OWN CHILD IN THE END! I DON’T EVER WANT TO WATCH THE GAME AGAIN WITHOUT MELANIE AND DERWIN!
I just wanna ask Ms. Akil why she chose to make Derwin’s exit so ridiculous? I mean he and Melanie was the reason I tuned in, and all thought Pooch did a wonderful job portraying a hurt/misused player it bothers me to see him leave off the show that way. I believe I was a loyal fun I tried and watched the season premiere but I can promise this as long as Melanie and Derwin are gone I will not watch this show! It’s just really sad because I love the chemistry among the original cast ( Melanie, Derwin, Tasha, Kelly, Jason, Malik). If Ms Akil could get that original cast back I know for fact her ratings would sky rocket. #bringbackoriginals
THE GAME NEW DIRECTION IS OFFENSIVE TO ME AS A BLACK PERSON. WHEN THE SHOW WAS ON THE CW, IT SHOWED CLASS AND INTEGRITY. TASHA M. WAS SOME GHETTO, BUT STRONG WITH CLEAR AND GOOD STANDARDS. MALIK FOLLOWED, FLAWED BUT STRONG AS HE WORKED HIS WAY THRU UNDERSTANDING HIS LIFE. JASON AND KELLY WAS PERFECT TOGETHER AS WELL AS DERWIN AND MELANIE. BOTH COUPLES GOING THRU THE UPS AND DOWN OF BEING IN LOVE. ALL OF US THAT WATCH, FOUND IT TO BE— LIKE IT WAS REAL!
NOW ON BET THE SHOW IS NOW THUGGISH, N-GGERISH, AND SKANERISH WITH NO STORY LINE.
BET IS THIS WHAT YOU THINK OF US AS BLACK PEOPLE?
SOMETIMES CHANGE MAY NOT BE GOOD. IF IT A BROKE, DONT FIX IT!!!!
I agree, BET turned a decent show into a ghetto mess. Its like BET wants to dumb down their audience into the stereotype. Why did they take “Don’t Sleep w/ TJ” off, why did they take BET news off? BET is supposed to represent the best in black owned/black managed shows, but we are getting shows that promotes stereotypes instead of more positive images,good comedies, and intelligent programming.
Smh dis show is just horrible now when it was on cw it was great and sadly i started watchin it right before it left cw. But i must say when the game was on cw it was funny and worth watchin, now it’s just degradin and bad it makes black women look like all we do is fight call each other out of our names, smh i could go on for days but dis show just needs to be berried in a grave bcus its dead now, R.i.p “The Game”.
This was once my favorite show….Now I dont watch it….Without Derwin & Melody dis show SUCKS….Tasha Mack is da only person holding dis show together…..
I agree with everyone seasons 1-3 was so good I made sure I tuned in…. After those seasons it got stupid and I lost interest please bring all original cast back. It would have been ok to add cast members but to loose the ones that made the show actually killed tge show.