IT'S A DIFFERENT WORLD....

The (New) Game BET

It's a different world, than where you come from....  I'm not talking about the famed Waynes, Whitley and Dwayne; I'm talking about BET'S THE GAME.

When I first started blogging in 2010, I formed a partnership with a brilliant fellow, veteran Blogger, half of Girl TD aka Rainy Day Diva.  We connected over wine and a Miami sunset about our love and excitement for the soon to be returning beloved show, The Game (CW).  We, Girl TD were thrilled and it didn't matter that it was returning to BET.  Although skeptical, we championed BET's The Game and with our words fought anyone who said differently.

But the show returned and it was different, far different than what we imagined.  After all, the same writers and production people were returning.  So despite the change in network, a few cast changes, I sniffed that when a BET poll asked if it we'd still love the show if all of the characters didn't return, the show was strong.  We'd later learn it was Kelly getting the ax--the glue between Tasha and Melanie--the one we hated to love but just did.


Then the BET of old fell on my favorite show.  It was dumbed down, Tasha became the personification of every Black woman stereotype we fear and Derwin and Melanie, the show's lead, were axed.  Add, newcomers Chardonnay, Blue & Keira and you got a whole new show.

Every once in a while, the fantastic show of old would peak through, but as my Blog partner would invite me to learn and remember, it was a different show.  And for two people that breathed, slept, wrote and ate THE GAME we were less than pleased.  It also didn't help that at a conference, I encountered two BET executives, one of which was the most unnecessarily arrogant and defensive person I've encountered. The other, thanked me for our service with a tone of "we really don't need you and don't want you...." 

We got the message and before I could get home, Rainy Day Diva changed our banner, our direction was moved from championing The Game to the lifestyle of other shows that would appreciate us generating buzz.

Although I no longer blogged about The Game, I continued to watch. Ultimately it became and remains background noise, meaning if I catch it I do, if I don't, I dont; the DVR acts the opposite of James Cameron's Avatar.

And just recently Rainy Day Diva reminded me that, THE GAME is a different show.  It's geared solely for the 18-38 market and while the CW's version captured three generations generously, BET's The Game does not care to.

The Game is now in A Different World and I receive it.  #Carryon

This is Toni Staton Harris checking up and checking in on how you feel about The Game?  Comment on any other shows you feel have gotten better or worse.

Is A Different World coming back....