The Game

When her boyfriend Derwin Davis is chosen as the new third-string wide receiver for the San Diego Sabers, Melanie Barnett decides to attend a local college so she can be with him. While Derwin worries about the plays on the field, Melanie adjusts to her new lifestyle. She gets a play-by-play account of the lives and relationships among NFL wives, girlfriends and mom/managers who use their best game to help their men stay on the field and on their arm.

The Game (2006-2015) is a US comedy-drama soap series created by Mara Brock Akil for BET and The CW. Tia Mowry plays Melanie Barnett, who follows her boyfriend Derwin Davis (Pooch Hall), a third-string wide receiver for the fictional San Diego Sabers, by enrolling in a local college. While Derwin frets over his place on the roster, Melanie adjusts to a new life among the NFL wives, girlfriends and mom managers who use their image and social savvy to keep their men on the field and close to them. Principal players include Coby Bell as Jason Pitts, Wendy Raquel Robinson as Tasha Mack and Hosea Chanchez as Malik Wright, whose relationships tangle with the team's politics and their own ambitions. Spanning nine seasons and 146 episodes, the show is a serialized soap in which romance, rivalry and career pressure feed one another from week to week. Its tone blends glossy sitcom banter with melodramatic romance, and its atmosphere is warm, sharp and social, with the locker room and the gossip circle as its twin arenas. Fans of Girlfriends, Being Mary Jane and Ballers will find a similar blend of Black urban ambition, friendship and sports-world romance.

• Being Mary Janeshared soapy relationship drama and sitcom energy around romance and ambition in a sports-adjacent milieu
• Girlfriendsshared ensemble of young Black professionals navigating romance and career in a comedic-dramatic register
• Ballersshared sports-world backdrop with relationship drama centered on partners of athletes

Created by

Mara Brock Akil

Release Date

2006-10-01

Episode runtime

30 min

Rating

6.9 / 10 (43)

What is The Game about?

A third-string NFL receiver's girlfriend enrolls in college to stay close to him while navigating the social world of players' wives and girlfriends.

What is The Game like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Game as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is The Game violent?

No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in The Game.

Which shows are like The Game?

Shows with a similar feel include Being Mary Jane, Girlfriends, and Ballers.

How long is The Game?

The Game: 9 seasons, 146 episodes.

Is The Game still running?

No, The Game has ended.

Where can I watch The Game?

In United States, The Game is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home.