Since its premiere on The CW back in 2006, The Game has taken dedicated viewers through a slew of plights, perils and scandalous sexcapades concerning its rather colorful characters. However, through it all, the show itself seemed to have gone through an identity crisis of sorts. What started off as a fun sitcom quickly evolved into something out of a lackluster Tyler Perry film. So, what happened? I’ll be damned if I know, but I am willing to try to figure it out. To that end, my new friend, fellow Clacker Brittany Frederick, and I decided to dissect what happened to one of our favorite programs and offer ideas for improvement.
Jaylen: Okay, what has happened? Is this a sitcom or a drama? I don’t know whether to laugh, cringe or keep a box of Kleenex handy. I thought this season was going to rectify the soapy mistakes of the past.
Brittany: Trust me, after the premiere? It went back to the same old stuff. I’ve got the same issues with season five that I did with season four which is ridiculous. The show isn’t all that funny anymore. In fact, the characters have gone from universally appealing and likeable to egotistical, and suddenly there’s a bigger racial aspect to things. We got a whole speech the other night on the “plight of the black woman.”
And stuff gets started and then drops as soon as the writers seem to get tired of it. We had the whole thing late last season [and] early this season with Malik and Jenna, and guess what? The other night he was “forced to break up with her.” Off-screen.
And did you notice Brittany kind of only shows up when it’s convenient? Wouldn’t it be great if you could have kids and only see them like when it fits into your schedule?
Jaylen: I don’t know. I think I’d want to see my kids on a regular basis. I don’t know if I’d simply like seeing my children whenever my plot of the week called for it. Generally when that happens, that means the child is about to cause havoc in the life of the main character. They do this stuff all the time on Desperate Housewives.
Things have undoubtedly changed. I believe this could be attributed to the fact that the show moved to BET. On The CW it was a comedy … although it was definitely heading towards the melodramatic zone. However, once it hit BET, it seemed to undergo some kind of metamorphosis. I think Kelly changed the most. Just my opinion.
So, what do you think about the addition of Brandy as … wait for it … Chardonnay? Pretty face. I’d prefer Kelly Pitts though.
Brittany: Honestly, I don’t really care for Chardonnay … it has nothing to do with Brandy, who seems like a lovely person, but the character is a bit annoying to me. Like [on the last episode], her talking in a movie theater … I hate when people do that! I don’t see what she really does for Jason other than that she’s black. But so was Camille, speaking of characters who disappeared.
I do agree with you that Kelly changed the most. The sad thing is since Brittany Daniel isn’t in this season for personal reasons, there’s not an opportunity yet to correct that. So the writers went ahead and gave Jason a new love interest this season, which unintentionally just further annoys the fans who are still hoping for Jason and Kelly to get back together.
The sad thing about Brittany is Kelly and Jason used to be good parents. Even when their marriage sucked, they took care of their daughter. Like when Kelly didn’t want Roman meeting Brittany? Last season we had Jason trying to pawn Brittany off on Mel so he could go golfing after Kelly left her with him so she could go find herself.
Jaylen: Agreed. I like Brandy as an actress. I do. However, I think all of us would prefer Jason with Kelly. I know I certainly would. Brittany Daniel is easy on the eyes, and I liked the chemistry that she and Coby Bell had. I especially enjoyed the two of them in the earlier seasons. Seeing her annoyed by Jason’s penny pinching was always humorous. I didn’t exactly care for her last season. She didn’t appear to have a solid story, and her appearances were few and far between.
Also, good point about the character Brittany, or as her father used to call her, Britt-Brat! Don’t forget that Jason pawned her off on Tasha towards the end of last season. Quite frankly, I preferred the first actress to play the role. The new one leaves a lot to be desired. Let’s shift gears here for a second. Can we discuss Malik? He has to be my least favorite character on the show. He’s just too egotistical. I don’t like it. Come to think of it, I don’t know if I like Tasha as much either.
Brittany: Malik is so incredibly one-note. He’s either A) arrogant, B) overspending ,or C) both. This is the guy that had a strip club in his house.
Now, I could roll with that for a little bit, but his character has shown no growth. In fact, he’s gotten kind of worse. Remember when he slept with Tee Tee’s girlfriend Allison? I was so excited when he got with Jenna, because he was acting like a mature adult — telling Tasha he loved her and really wanting to help her. I said, “Okay, maybe dude is finally going to grow up.”
Nope. She hasn’t been discussed since Malik took her back to rehab at the end of the season five premiere and then [in the last episode] we get one line where he says he was “forced to break up” with her. So much for that idea! Hosea Chanchez is a cool dude, though. Interviewed him last year.
Clacked by Jaylen Christie 
on Feb 02, 2012 @ 16:26 EST5EDT
Wow I was surprised to see a post like this here.
I agree, “The Game” has gone down hill since moving from the CW to BET. Thank goodness “Girlfriends” didn’t live long enough to make the transition to BET.
The Game and Girlfriends on the CW had the burden of making black characters/situations relatable to a white audience which ironically made for a more organic BLACK show. I still Remember the hilarious cultural references and Easter eggs; Racial situations were prevalent but weren’t rammed mercilessly down our throats.
BET is really playing up the stereotypes which is a shame. When Jason went on about why he dates White women I almost took the show off Series Record.
I still remember watching The Game (when it was still on the CW) and asking my sister, “When the hell did The Game get so good?” We dont talk about how good the show is anymore.
*POST AUTHOR*
Hahaha! No, don’t be surprised!
We try to cover as much television as we can here at CliqueClack! Thanks for commenting! Let’s chat! Yes, I can only imagine what ‘Girlfriends’ would be like if it made the transition to BET. Still, you have to give the network credit for at least bringing the show back. They do deserve points for that. Great observation about ‘The Game’ on The CW. It definitely was a bit more relatable, and I feel that white audiences weren’t exactly turned off by it. It’s a shame that BET is playing up the stereotypes.
One of my problems has always been the character of Tasha Mack. I didn’t mind her too much on The CW, but when she popped up on BET smoking a black…I had some issues.
I really like(d) Tasha and the way she was written. The “you can take the girl out of the ghetto, but you can’t take the ghetto out of the girl” thing she has going on is cliche, but was done in way that still made me root for her. I also like how she brought that same cut-throat mentality to the way she ran business/life. One of the things I enjoyed about The Game was Tasha trying to fit in as an agent/manager in a male dominated field and applying her street savviness to the job and excelling. I REALLY like that she is “hood”, but she isn’t stupid. I dont know, she’s entertaining to me.
Melanie and Tasha need to make up quick. This show is less fun with them fighting all the time, especially now with no Kelly as a go between/buffer.
I give kudos to BET for pulling The Game out TV purgatory; we need more shows not just singular characters (I boycotted LOST for a year when Mr. Eko died) on TV that I can relate to.
*POST AUTHOR*
I don’t mind Tasha being street-smart. That’s cool. However, to me, it now seems a bit over the top in the BET seasons. She seems to be a caricature of herself. It’s just too much. One of my favorite storylines on the show was Tasha with the coach played by Rocky Carroll. It seemed like a wake up call to her, and I envisioned progress for the character. Sadly, that didn’t happen. Don’t get it twisted…Tasha is my second favorite character. Kelly is my first. I can’t stand ‘Med School.’ Never could. LOL
And I am with you on boycotting ‘Lost!’ I felt the same way. I nearly snatched a pickaxe when ‘Desperate Housewives’ handed Alfre Woodard that lackluster storyline back in season two. I digress. LOL
Tasha and Melanie do need to make up. With Kelly gone, I think it’s key to have these two characters working together and being friends. Yes, it’s sad that shows with predominantly African-American casts are few and far between. As an African-American man, I feel we do need more programs, but at least networks like BET are trying to make strides in the right direction, right?
I concur. I’m white, and I’ve been a fan of the show since before the shift to BET. I totally got the show at that point. Now watching some of the BET episodes, things don’t click and I often wonder if it’s because I’m white that things are going over my head. It doesn’t feel so universal anymore.
*POST AUTHOR*
I wonder if they brought in new writers, Brittany. It seems a lot of fans are disappointed. Perhaps they’ll try to tone down some of the drama.
I don’t think so. I know it’s the same showrunners (Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil). So if they did change writers, they still have the same voices at the top.
As far as toning down the drama, well…I remember after season four when the Akils did a Q&A on Facebook and they seemed pretty happy with how the season had gone. It feels like they’re kind of set in their ways.
Completely disagree on Kelly Pitts as a character and being with Jason. The relationship was verbal abusive and Jason lacked respect for her. Kelly was like a kicked dog half the time, which made me dislike Jason. I am not sure how anyone can support such a relationship or even see positive in it. The character Kelly acted so air headed half the time and it seems only “white-girl-is-here” jokes is what made her noticeable. Besides that she had an alcohol problem that was only addressed as comical; to me, that wasn’t funny. When it came to her ‘divorced’ personality, I actually liked that she gained a freakin’ backbone and stood up to Jason!
I have more of an issue with CW executives (or whomever) not letting high rating shows finish properly. The Game was canceled prematurely, resulting in rushed episodes, sudden OOC and an awkward ending. The BET side had go off that last season to continue the arch.
*POST AUTHOR*
You want to know something? It slipped my mind how Jason treated Kelly way back when. Sheesh. I guess it’s been a while since season three, huh? However, I always felt Kelly was smarter than she let on. I got the sense that she was pretending to be dumb when she really wasn’t. To be honest, I never saw her as a token white girl. I feel she held her own, and that was cool. I always thought Brittany Daniel added a little extra something to the show. She was fun and bubbly. I liked seeing her find her strength in season four, but I just feel it was a little too much. She seemed a bit too confident, if that makes any sense. Plus, I didn’t like the new do. LOL But that’s just me. I did enjoy seeing her lose control of the Sunbeams. That was interesting.
Without Kelly, I feel that something is off. The combination of the three leading ladies was significant.
Great point about how The CW rushed those episodes. I’m sure they regret letting ‘The Game’ go. Still, I preferred it on The CW than I do on BET. The tone is drastically different. I don’t find myself laughing as much as I did during the first four seasons.
The relationship was mutually dysfunctional. Remember when they went to marriage counseling? He admitted that he married her because she worshipped him, and she admitted that she married him for the money. Neither of them were blameless, and most of their arguments, they both contributed to.
As difficult as their relationship could be, we also saw a real affection between them. There was when Jason came to Kelly’s rescue when Roman got physical with her, for example. They might not have started out in love with each other, and they did have their differences, but there was a relationship there.
As far as how it ended on The CW: it was Mara Brock Akil’s idea to change the show to a one-hour drama in hopes of keeping it on, so we can look to the showrunner as far as how the show changed. She made that decision because she knew cancellation was a possibility; she wasn’t blindsided. And it’s the same showrunner (and I believe the same writers) on BET as were on The CW, so they have only themselves to blame if they didn’t like where they were picking up from.
Its not necesarry to resolve all the issues all of a sudden. They are gonna be issues. However i liked the show better when all the women were friends, and had funny sun beam meetings with kelly as the pres. i hate how tasha has changed. she is just a bitch now.