‘The Game’ Is Coming Back With Hour-Long Episodes; Original Cast Members Set To Return For Reboot

Fans of the hit television series “The Game” can rejoice as Deadline has announced that the show is returning to the CW as an hour-long dramedy.

‘The Game’ debuted 13 years ago on the CW as a half-hour comedy, where it aired for three seasons from 2006-2009 before being canceled by the network. However, after fans of the show were upset with how the series ended, they began an online petition requesting that the show get another season.

Three years later, BET caught wind of the strong desire for the show’s return and ultimately ended up picking the series up for its network. The first episode of Season 4 premiered in January 2011, amassed 7.7 million viewers, making it the most-watched sitcom premiere in cable television history at that time. The show aired on the network for another six seasons from 2011-2015, bringing it to a total of nine seasons.

Now, nearly five years later, the show’s original creator #MaraBrockAkil is set to return to write and executive produce the show while ”American Soul” co-creator #DevonGreggory is set to be the showrunner.

The rebooted edition will see ”The Game” cast members head to the East Coast. Some members of the original cast will return for the show’s second revival.

According to Deadline, ”’The Game’ beloved characters of the hit show ”decided to pick up and move from a half-hour sitcom in San Diego to a one-hour dramedy in Baltimore. This time, our out-of-touch old-timers are determined to help a bunch of knucklehead new-schoolers navigate the ruthless game of football on and off the field. They will clash through the pitfalls of fame, fortune, and love. Some will win, others will lose, but that’s what happens when you play The Game.”

Salim Akil and Kelsey Grammer, as well as Tom Russo of Grammnet NH Productions, are all set to be executive producers of the upcoming offshoot. Grammer’s Grammnet, along with CBS TV Studios, who were apart of the original series, will produce the new incarnation of the show.

Speaking on the changes during the time of The Game’s ending, Akil said, “I’m really proud of the look of our show, that we took a multi-cam budget and turned it into a single-camera show. Its look, its tone, its approach, the characters’ development – that, yes, we were a half-hour comedy, but we used our moments to deepen the characters. We also offered drama in a half-hour space. And that was my own personal desire, but it was also reflective of what the audience has been wanting, which is more well-rounded, deeper, richer, layered characters, and they got that in ‘The Game.’”

Mara Brock Akil, also known for creating “Girlfriends” and “Being Mary Jane,” is currently coming fresh off an overall deal at Warner Bros.

It is currently unclear which cast members will return for the reboot, but several members have posted about the reboot to their social media hinting at their return.

#PoochHall who played Derwin Davis on the show, took to Instagram to express his excitement stating, “Is it #Tbt yet? #lol anyways. What’s good!? The #turnup is #Real #transformationtuesday.”

#BrittanyDaniel who portrayed the character, Kelly Pitts, also shared her joy for the show’s second return on Instagram, saying, “Ya’ll! I am SO excited to announce @thecw @maraakil, and @devon_greggory are developing a one-hour followup series to #TheGame! Can’t wait to get the Game family back together. Who’s excited?! I can’t wait to share more with you.” Daniel then proceeded to tag the entire main cast of the show while hashtagging ‘The Game’ Reboot leaving followers to wonder if all six members are returning.

#HoseaChanchez who played Malik Wright, shared his excitement for the reboot on Instagram writing, “Well looks like the cats out the bag folks! Yes, you are reading this correctly, THE GAME (Hourlong) reboot on @thecw !!! Here we go Again. Again? Again!!”

However, #TiaMowry, who played Melanie Barnett-Davis, #WendyRaquelRobinson, who played Tasha Mack, and #CobyBell, who played Jason Pitts, have not posted any information regarding the reboot online.

So far, a release date for the reboot has not been announced.