'The Game' stars Tia Mowry Hardict, Pooch Hall to leave BET series

Tia Mowry Hardict and Pooch Hall, the stars of BET's comedy "The Game," is leaving the series.

BET said the stars, who play a couple on the sports-flavored series, will not return for the sixth season as regular cast members.

"As a result of Pooch's involvement on a new project, BET is in the process of reworking the casting and storyline of the show," said a statement from the network. "That said, we hope both Pooch and Tia will make several guest appearences. While we miss the incredible adventures of Melanie and Derwin on 'The Game,' we appreciate all of their hard work, the laughs and wish them both the best in their future endeavors."

"The Game," the cable network's most popular series, premiered to record ratings on BET in January 2011. The series had been canceled by the WB in 2009, but BET's revamp of the show gave it new life.

Hardict said she will continue to appear with her identical twin sister, Tamera Mowry, on their Style Network reality series, "Tia & Tamera."

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PHOTO: Tia Mowry Hardict, left, and Pooch Hall in "The Game." Credit: Paul Abell / PictureGroup.

 

 

BET's 'The Game' scores but can't match last year's ratings mark

BET last January was the envy of the TV cable world. The network targeted to African American viewers had nabbed record ratings for the debut of "The Game," the comedy about the women behind the players on a fictional San Diego football team.

The season premiere last year topped 7.7 million viewers, making it the top-rated ad-supported sitcom broadcast in cable history.

"The Game" returned for its second BET season Tuesday, but while it performed impressively, it failed to match that record. The show drew 5.3 million viewers. The viewership was still a boost from the season finale last year, which reached 4.4 million viewers.

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Photo: Cast of "The Game" at Hollywood premiere Jan 11. Credit: Gina Torres

BET's 'The Game' hopes to score an Emmy nomination

 
BET wants to play ball with the Emmy Awards, thanks to "The Game."

The comedy about the women involved with the members of a fictional football team has been submitted by BET for consideration in the category for outstanding comedy series, marking the first time in the 30-year history of BET that a scripted series has been submitted into a major Emmy division.

Vying for a major Emmy marks another milestone for "The Game," which was resurrected by BET after it was canceled by the CW in 2009 due to low viewership. The premiere of "The Game" in January scored record ratings while outdistancing other more highly publicized shows like FX's "Lights Out" and ABC's "Off The Map."

The success of "The Game" has also been a major boost for BET, which had come under continual criticism for several years by critics and others who claimed the network was not being active enough in developing original scripted series. Much of BET's programming under previous management centered on music videos and reality shows. Executives for the network are developing other scripted comedies and dramas.

BET also submitted "The Pitsy Shuffle," a comedic song on "The Game," in the outstanding music and lyrics category.

"Let's Stay Together," BET's other scripted comedy which is paired with "The Game," was not submitted for Emmy consideration.

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Photo: Cast of BET's "The Game." Credit: Paul Abell / Picture Group

BET's 'The Game' ends season on a winning note

 
 
"The Game," BET's football-themed comedy about the women involved with the players of a fictional San Diego football team, scored sizable ratings in its season finale.

Tuesday's episode drew in 4.4 million viewers, according to Nielsen.

The series, which stars Tia Mowry Hardict and Wendy Raquel Robinson, broke records in its season premiere in January when it attracted 7.7 million viewers, making it the highest-rated ad-supported sitcom broadcast in cable history.

BET acquired "The Game" after three seasons on the CW, which yanked the show from its schedule in 2009 due to low ratings.

-- Greg Braxton

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Photo: Coby Bell, Hosea Chanchez, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Tia Mowry Hardict, Pooch Hall and Brittany Daniel of "The Game." Credit: Paul Abell / Picture Group

 

 

Wendy Raquel Robinson of 'The Game' wants to play with Charlie Sheen

Details are still sketchy on what Charlie Sheen plans to do on his upcoming live My Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat Is Not an Option tour, but Wendy Raquel Robinson of BET's "The Game" is already game. She wants to hit the road with him.

Robinson, who plays sassy manager Tosha Mack on the comedy, tweeted, "Just got an offer to go on tour with Charlie Sheen. What y'all think?"

Actually, Robinson is jumping the gun -- she has not received an offer or even been in touch with the fired "Two and a Half Men" star. But a representative for the actress said she would love to appear on the tour as her "The Game" character and wants to let it be known that she is available.

"She's thinking outside of the box," said the spokewoman.

What do you think of Robinson's offer? Should Sheen take her up on it?

— Greg Braxton

 

 Photo: Wendy Raquel Robinson. Credit: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

 

Tweeter's Digest: Celebs tweet about Japan and other kinds of disasters

Tweeter's Digest rounds up the events of the week as seen through the Twitter feeds of TV personalities. Over the last few weeks, the main topic that united celebs was Charlie Sheen.

This week began with horror and sympathy for the people of Japan dealing with the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami. But attention also wandered to "Jersey Shore" star the Situation (@ItstheSituation) and his disastrous turn in the Donald Trump roast, "Glee" star Harry Shum Jr. (@iharryshum) was one of many to puzzle over the rise of viral video star Rebecca Black, and "American Idol" producer Nigel Lythgoe (@dizzyfeet) announced the first Nirvana song performed on the show.

And just in case you were missing Charlie Sheen, "The Game" actress Wendy Raquel Robinson (@IamWendyRaquel) tweeted that she received an interesting offer from the self-proclaimed warlock...

 

 

More Tweeter's Digest after the jump.

'The Game' and Record Ratings Make a Winner Out of BET

 
 "The Game," the comedy about the women involved with the players on a fictional San Diego football team, was a loser when it aired on the CW. The ratings-challeged comedy failed to expand its viewership beyond a devoted fan base and was canceled in 2009.

But a revival this month of "The Game" with the original cast has been a big-time winner for Black Entertainment Television, the urban-oriented cable network that has been criticized since its launch in 1980 by critics who said it perpetuated negative black images and fell way short of being an all-inclusive venue for contemporary African American culture.

More significantly, "The Game," along with its companion romantic comedy "Let's Stay Together," has been a game-changer for BET, ushering in a new positive era for the network after years of controversy and setbacks. Executives say they are capitalizing on the success of the two comedies, using them as a launch pad to develop several more scripted series.

For more on BET's new direction, read here.

---Greg Braxton

Photo: The cast of "The Game (l to r): Coby Bell, Hosea Chanchez, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Tia Mowry, Pooch Hall and Britany Daniel

Credit: Paul Abell/Picture Group 

 

'The Game' still a winner in second week on BET

"The Game," the former CW series which scored a winning return on BET last week with new episodes, maintained its momentum in Week 2 despite a slight drop in viewership.

The comedy about the women involved with the players of a fictional pro football team attracted 5.9 million viewers on Tuesday, down from last week's viewership of 7.7 million viewers, according to Nielsen. Still, network executives were extremely pleased, particularly because the cable network targeted to African American audiences is making an ambitious move into scripted programming.

The news was even more encouraging for "Let's Stay Together," BET's new original comedy paired with "The Game." That series nabbed 3.5 million viewers, down less than a million from last week's viewership of 4.4 million.

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Photo: Coby Bell, from left, Wendy Raquel Robinson and Hosea Chanchez of "The Game" Credit: Jeff Christensen / Associated Press