Six years after ending, ‘The Game’ gets Paramount+ reboot with old and new cast members
Let “The Game” begin — again.
Six years after it ended, Paramount+ will stream a reboot of the popular comedy “The Game.”
On Thursday, the ViacomCBS-owned streaming platform announced it has given the green light to a 10-episode revival of the Mara Brock Akil-created series about professional football players and the women who love them.
The new show, which will relocate from San Diego to Las Vegas, will include original cast members Wendy Raquel Robinson and Hosea Chanchez in their original roles of sports agent Tasha Mack and her son, third-string quarterback Malik Wright.
Several other legacy cast members will make special appearances on the half-hour series, which will be helmed by “American Soul” writer Devon Greggory.
“Fifteen years ago I created ‘The Game’ and am so proud of the success we had, and that I was able to create characters and stories that resonated with so many people,” Akil said with the announcement. “I couldn’t be happier about leaving my beloved characters like Tasha Mack and Malik Wright in the hands of Devon, Wendy and Hosea, who I know will build off of the rich foundation the show has.”
According to the network, the reboot will offer a modern-day examination of Black culture through the prism of a pro football team tackling racism, sexism and classism as they fight for fame, fortune, respect and love.
“‘The Game’ is a show I faithfully watched, with characters I grew to love, and now I have the honor of guiding them into the future,” Greggory added. “I’m simply thrilled to be hand-selected by Mara, Julie and CBS Studios to take over the creative reins of such an iconic and culturally significant series.”
The series originally starred Tia Mowry-Hardrict, Brittany Daniel, Chanchez, Coby Bell, Pooch Hall, Robinson, Brandy Norwood, Lauren London and Jay Ellis before ending in 2015 after nine seasons.
Executive produced by Kelsey Grammer, “The Game” premiered on The CW and ran for three seasons as a half-hour sitcom before it subsequently moved to BET for six further seasons, breaking cable records and evolving into an hour-long drama-comedy hybrid.
“From the moment it debuted, ‘The Game’ was a groundbreaking series that used humor, heart and memorable characters to explore real issues involving race, gender and, of course, football,” Paramount+ programming chief Julie McNamara added. “What better time for Devon and the whole team to reunite for a fresh look at a world that has only become more at-the-center of the cultural conversation today.”
The series is currently streaming on Hulu, Amazon and Paramount+, with the first three seasons available on Netflix.
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