'The Game' kicks off season 5 new twists, cast members

theGRIO REPORT - BET's most popular prime-time show, 'The Game', returns for it's fifth season tonight at 10 p.m...

Jan 10, 2012

BET’s most popular prime-time show, The Game, returns for it’s fifth season tonight at 10 p.m. The once cancelled CW dramedy found a new home last season on BET after a two-year break. While the CW may not have been too fond of the series, viewers were thrilled with its return to prime time. The Game’s season four premiere pulled in a whopping 7.7 million viewers. The series also ended on a ratings high, with 4.4 million viewers tuning in to watch the season finale.

Why are there so many fans of the once fledgling series? While on the CW it only managed to pull in around 1.8 million viewers. Tia Mowry-Hardrict, the star of the show seems to think the change of networks has worked wonders.

“We were always extremely stressed. We felt like we could never be extremely creative. We never felt like the network got us,” she said recently in an interview with theGrio.

Maybe that’s true because season four had a flurry of drama and plot twists to keep audiences tuning in each week.

WATCH THE TRAILER FOR SEASON 5 OF ‘THE GAME’ HERE

Season four picked up two years into the future from the previous season-ender. Melanie and Derwin are dealing with drama from the outset. Starting with Melanie, now a med school graduate, but has turned into a suspicious housewife and stepmom to Derwin’s 2-year-old son whom he fathered with Janaé, an old girlfriend.

These two go through everything from stolen hair for a DNA test to a failed threesome attempt. The juiciest storyline came during last segment of the season finale. Melanie and Derwin are visiting a fertility doctor when it is revealed that Melanie had an abortion, leaving the stunned Derwin to question if she aborted his baby.

Tasha also faced her fair share of love drama, per usual. She began the season dating a 25-year-old played by Terrence J (host of 106 & Park). No surprise, the relationship crumbles a few episodes in. Tasha then finds herself in love with a terminally ill cancer patient played by Mario Van Peebles. Don’t shed a tear yet, it turns out her new beau also named Beau is not dying in fact he has a wife and children!

The love drama continues with Jason and Kelly wrapping up their divorce. The highlight of this story was Kelly desperately trying to save her reality show by dancing provocatively for Fabulous, thus turning her into an Internet superstar. When Kelly finally comes out of her Kardashian pipe dream, she decides to leave town and her teenage daughter Brittaney with Jason.

The most dramatic character is also the last. Malik saw many a dark days this season. Basically, he ends up checking into rehab for pills and alcohol after alienating his loyal sidekick, Tee-Tee and the Sabers. His issues with the team were more so due to the fact that he was sleeping with the owner’s wife — Meagan Good! (her character’s name is Parker) BET pulled out all the stops with cameos during this past season. So the affair is revealed after Meagan Good blackmails Malik into sleeping with her. What does she hold over him? Believe it or not, a rape.

Although some may consider this a crude and cringe-worthy plot point, but Mara Brock Akil, the writer and executive producer, chose to go there. So, Malik’s story ends with him pretty much out of a job, scorned by friends and dumped by the women he fell in love with while in rehab.

Season five is sure to start off with a bang, but not literally the gun shot fired from Malik’s bodyguard. Audiences are looking forward to finding out whose baby Melanie aborted, because she did get a little reckless a few seasons ago. They also hope to see more of stories involving Jason’s daughter Brittany. Now that R&B star Brandy is joining the cast as a love interest for Jason, we’ll surely see more of the dysfunctional tween.

Regardless, millions will be tuning in to tonight’s season premiere at 10 p.m on BET.