The Game (TV series): Difference between revisions

Back in 2006, '''''The Game''''' was one of the first TV shows that debuted with the newly merged CW network. The series centers on a trio of football players who play for the San Diego Sabers, and the women who support them. Derwin Davis is the engaged rookie receiver who's trying to resist the temptation filled life the NFL offers, while veteran quarterback Malik Wright already indulged into those same perks by building his own strip club and sleeping with enough women to fill a personal library of amateur porn (no, really). Aging wide receiver Jason Pitts has already experienced his fair share of the high life, but with his years in the league being numbered, he’s obsessed with winning an NFL championship ring to escape his father’s shadow. Jason’s also determined to avoid bankruptcy that affected his father and indirectly, himself, even though his actions are placing a strain on his own family.

As ''The Game'' progresses, it becomes clear that being involved in the professional sports world comes with a personal price. All three couples get into conflicts between family and business. Fallouts between friends and even loved ones are pretty common, and the ubiquitous media presence sometimes catches too many unauthorized glimpses of the resulting carnage. Ironically enough, The Game preceded several reality shows that focus on famous athletes and the women behind them, which makes the show all the more prophetic, if not necessarily surprising.

However, ''The Game'' isn’t perfect. It often suffers from an overabundance of guest stars, mainly used as [[Deus Ex Machina|plot conveniences]] ([[Special Guest|Rick Fox’s extended role]] comes to mind). Also, its [[Take That|declarations]] against the [[Real Life Writes the Plot|controversial real life sports stories]] are anything but subtle, its portrayal of the male-centric and/or racist administrative side of the sports world isn’t handled very deftly, and most of the non-primary white characters are portrayed rather idiotically. [[The Wire]] of the sports world, it is not. But overall, The Game shows a surprising amount of depth with the professional sports world’s uglier side. One could make a case that [[Crap Saccharine World|beyond the glitz and glam, it’s a dog-eat-dog cutthroat environment]].

For some, ''The Game'' reminds viewers of the [[Too Good to Last|ill-fated]] but scarily realistic ESPN drama ''[[Playmakers]]'' (which also involves NFL players and their controversial lives), even though it avoids the grimness of ''Playmakers'' by [[Lighter and Softer|mixing a good balance of drama and humor]]. The third and (especially) fourth seasons get progressively darker, but never quite extinguish the lighter elements that made the show a delight for fans early on. It might be a reason why The Game didn’t offend the NFL the way ''Playmakers'' did. Then again, The Game didn’t get much attention in the sports media world, possibly because of the [[Friday Night Lights (TV series)|''other'' major football show on NBC]] or perhaps because of the [[Unfortunate Implications|ugly stigma that often follows shows with mostly black casts]]).

Alas, that attitude was present within CW itself, and it eventually caused [[Screwed by the Network|''The Game’sGame''’s cancellation after three seasons]]. Many black viewers feared that might happen after the WB merged with UPN – the only network rife with black casted comedies – because the WB side might whitewash the UPN side. Three seasons after the CW and The Game debuted, that’s exactly what happened. Hence, [[Internet Backlash|minority viewers’ backlash]] against the big networks for the lack of racial balance with their shows ([[Everybody Hates Chris]] getting canceled with The Game and ABC’s [[Ugly Betty]] getting canceled months later didn’t help).

Fortunately for ''The Game'', [http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/17/business/media/17bet.html?_r=1 BET wasn’t deaf to the acrimony], and met with the show’s producers to [[Uncanceled|resurrect the canceled sitcom]]. Thanks to the growing interest in cable programming, [[BET]] already re-structured its schedule to re-air black sitcoms for reruns, and that included The Game. BET’s reruns of The Game consistently got higher ratings than its original CW airings, and the fanbase grew exponentially during this period. The network also needed a vehicle for its own original scripted programming - with sitcom Let’s Stay Together being the first – [[Network to the Rescue|which made The Game a perfect candidate]]. When The Game finally returned with new episodes on Jan 11th, 2011, nineteen months since CW’s cancellation, the ratings hit an unprecedented ‘’7.7 million’’ viewers during the premier, [[And the Fandom Rejoiced|the largest viewing audience in cable history]]. The numbers dwindled to a steadier 4.4 million, come the season four finale, but it’s still much higher than the CW days. In fact, [[Laser-Guided Karma|''The Game’sGame''’s current ratings often match or even ''surpass'' the CW’s current lineup]].{{when}}