'Game' being pitched as dramedy

Mara Brock Akil hoping CW will spark to genre switch

By Nellie Andreeva

April 5, 2009, 11:00 PM ET

With the CW expected to complete its exit from the half-hour comedy genre at the end of this season, the creator/executive producer of one of the network's two remaining comedies, "The Game," is mulling turning it into an hourlong series. Mara Brock Akil is expected to pitch the idea to the CW brass this week.

A show switching genres is extremely rare. (In 1999, Fox launched the short-lived "Ally," a half-hour version of David E. Kelley's hit hourlong dramedy "Ally McBeal.") However, for "Game," such a transformation would actually make sense creatively. As a hybrid multi/single-camera series with no live audience, "Game" has a single-camera feel and already plays like a half-hour dramedy as it mixes comedy with drama more than a traditional sitcom does.

Still, keeping the three-year-old "Game" on for another season is considered a long shot. Once a promising newcomer airing behind "Girlfriends," the series that spun it off, "Game," as well as CW's comedy "Everybody Hates Chris," have been relegated to the low-rated Friday night, where "Game" has averaged 1.9 million viewers and a 0.8 rating in adults 18-34 this season.

Additionally, an hourlong "Game" wouldn't necessarily mesh well with CW's other dramas, which are skewing younger and far less urban, and a format switch after three seasons also would complicate a potential syndication run of the show.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/conten...553a8917eec408b

I hope this happens. I really like The Game. My CW viewers like it too. They keep up with episodes via computer, messageboards. They're that favored 18-34, Gossip Girl, 90210, group. They TIVO all of these shows.

I could see the show as an hour long dramady.

i hope so i love this show.

That would rock. The Game is such a soap opera. I can definetly see it actually becoming one. My biggest fear though is that they would have to expand the cast and that could be disastrous depending on how its handled

Additionally, an hourlong "Game" wouldn't necessarily mesh well with CW's other dramas, which are skewing younger and far less urban, and a format switch after three seasons also would complicate a potential syndication run of the show.

The show is already in syndication. BET airs reruns. One way around this would to just cancel The Game and relaunch it as a spinoff

Edited April 10, 200916 yr by Cheap21

If The Game moves to a one hour drama, I would absolutely watch it.

That would rock. The Game is such a soap opera. I can definetly see it actually becoming one. My biggest fear though is that they would have to expand the cast and that could be disastrous depending on how its handled

The show is already in syndication. BET airs reruns. One way around this would to just cancel The Game and relaunch it as a spinoff

Or they could just keep it "The Game"(without the studio audience/laugh track) and then split the episodes into half hours and still syndicate it as so.

I'm more pissed about "Everybody Hates Chris."

i hope you guy's watch the one-hour season finale of the game tonight.

i hope you guy's watch the one-hour season finale of the game tonight.

I just did. They wrote it as a series finale which could also serve as a pilot for a new dramatic The Game. There was no laugh track and they tried to play this one up seriously. It could have used a bit more touching up but overall I thought it did work. I really hope the CW pick it up for the fall season but if they dont, I do like that they managed to wrap things up

I just did. They wrote it as a series finale which could also serve as a pilot for a new dramatic The Game. There was no laugh track and they tried to play this one up seriously. It could have used a bit more touching up but overall I thought it did work. I really hope the CW pick it up for the fall season but if they dont, I do like that they managed to wrap things up

I like it also. So glad the laugh track is gone i hated that. After looking at this epi this show should have never been a sitcom it's beter as a drama/dramady. The beginning reminded me of a soulfood/new york undercover episode. I also loved the way they wrap things up and not giving everybody a happy ending like most shows do becuz it's not realistic.

YES THE CW BETTER BRING THIS BACK!!!

one thing i hated u know tasha will never let kelly hit her like that and get away with it.

After seeing last nights episode, I can't blame the CW if they decide not to pick it up.

one thing i hated u know tasha will never let kelly hit her like that and get away with it.

lol...tell me about it. in real life Tasha would have tore her apart.

While I found Malik's sister annoying, she'd be good as a regular on a more dramatic The Game. I can alot of potential explored with her, especially with Tasha mentoring her by starting up her own record label

I hope the CW decides to give this show another chance. It definitely has potential as an hourly drama, provided they change the production style a little... I've thought it should have been more of a drama for the majority of this season, and I think the characters and their situations have tremendous potential. I heard (from Tia Mowry's Twitter) that the ratings are improving and they are "killing it" in their key demo.