Get Your Head In "The Game"

The countdown til Game Day has officially begun!!!! Like many, I am anxiously awaiting the popular sitcom "The Game's" return to television. I've been watching the re-runs as if I haven't seen them a million times already. This got me thinking. What exactly is the show's appeal? For me, its the layers that all of the characters portray. Many shows featuring an African-American cast depict characters perpetuating stereotypes. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of stereotypes interlaced throughout the characters in this show. For example, Tasha Mack is the slick talkin, neck-rollin, no non-sense, loud baby-mama, but to write her off as just that would be a huge mistake. She's also a millionaire single mother and a smart and successful business woman who turned her star athlete son into a franchise player and one of the richest athletes in the league. She's far from a statistic.

I would say that The Game's portrayal of life in the professional athlete world is, dare I say, MORE REAL than VH1 reality show Basketball Wives. The women are in no way overshadowed by their male athlete counterparts and reduced to making pitiful attempts to compensate like on Basketball Wives. They are working to form their own identities, and with tact.

The show's ability to balance challenges within the black community from different angles using humor is definitely a key part of its allure.

I love my reality tv shows as much as the next person, but I am soooo glad to see the SUCCESSFUL return of the black sitcom, and elated that BET made the smart decision to be apart of its revival.

If you haven't already, get your head in "The Game" before the new season starts 1-11-11. The network is running re-runs all weekend.

Here's a interview with Game stars Pooch Hall (Derwin) and Tia Mowry (Melanie).



More on black sitcoms to follow....