BET’s ‘The Game’ continues to lose ground in midseason finale

Press materials for BET’s football-flavored “The Game,” the network’s signature series, label its 2011 launch as “the #1 sitcom debut in the history of cable television.”

The debut of “The Game” drew a record-setting 7.7 million viewers and was a clear triumph for BET, which rescued the series after it had been canceled by the CW. The show was one of the network’s scripted success and ushered in a new era of attention-getting comedies such as “Real Husbands of Hollywood.”

But as “The Game” closed out its midseason finale this week, the show is in danger of setting another record: biggest loss of viewers in two years.

Tuesday’s installment of “The Game” drew only 1.7 million viewers, a sharp decline from the already-alarming turnout of 2.5 million viewers who tuned in to the season opener in March.

The series this season is dealing with the loss of its two most well-known stars, Tia Mowry-Hardrict and Pooch Hall. The show’s fans apparently have not warmed to new cast members Lauren London, who plays a former child star trying to revive her career, and Jay Ellis, a top draft pick.

Network executives obviously still have confidence in “The Game”: The show is being used as the leadoff for the pilot of BET’s first drama, “Being Mary Jane,” on July 2. The series will premiere next year.

“Being Mary Jane” is from the husband-and-wife team of Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil, the creative forces behind “The Game.”

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