How did The Game’s anniversary dinner come to life this past weekend to celebrate the cast and the series premiere 20 years ago on The CW?
“Hosea Chanchez, he has been the leader of the pack,” Tia Mowry told EBONY about that special night at Lucia’s in Los Angeles. “He put all of us in a group chat and was the first person who brought [this anniversary] up. All of us were just going insane and going crazy because it feels like a while ago, but it does not feel like 20 years.”
Credit: Nikki Boutte @creativenlb5
The show, a spin-off of Mara Brock Akil’s Girlfriends, centers on Joan Clayton’s cousin, Melanie Barnett (Mowry), and her San Diego Sabers wide receiver boyfriend, Derwin Davis (Pooch Hall). As the two navigate their relationship, Barnett’s doctor aspirations and Davis’ rookie year as a professional athlete, they are guided (and sometimes misguided) by hot-tempered quarterback Malik Wright (played by Chancez), his sharp-tongued momager Tasha Mack (Wendy Raquel), star wide receiver Jason Pitts (Coby Bell) and his spirited, Sunbeams President wife Kelly Pitts (Brittany Daniel).
The Game ran for three seasons on the CW before it was canceled, much to die-hard fans’ chagrin. After BET aired highly rated reruns, the network picked it up for another six seasons, ending its run in 2015. In 2021, Paramount+ ordered a two-season revival.
Across its many iterations, the show remains a nostalgic goldmine for audiences both old and new. Most recently, X and TikTok zeroed in on one of the show’s most shell-shocking scenes: the day Melanie found out Derwin’s new girlfriend Janay Brice was pregnant in the season three premiere.
“ We always seem to be a part of someone’s conversation, and I think that says a lot about the show in itself,” Mowry said. “It just goes to show how this show resonated with so many people, and it even resonated with me. I learned a lot from Melanie. A lot of Melanie was me, and a lot of me was Melanie.”
Melanie’s Wild Ride
Melanie’s journey on The Game was a wild one. She focused heavily on supporting Derwin, sometimes at the expense of her own studies as she worked toward medical school. Things came to a head when she learned that he stepped out on her with budding musician Drew Sidora (yes, *that* Drew Sidora!). From there, Barnett and Davis’ love story became a topsy-turvy mess of pettiness and betrayal. Yet, the two ultimately longed for each other and committed before the series ended.
Fans still critique their journey to this day: Where exactly should Melanie have cut things off for good? Did Barnett bruise Davis’ ego beyond repair? Was their love story a “toxic” one? Was Davis ultimately a villain?
Mowry finds that to be a layered question.
“ I wouldn’t answer the question in the way of saying, ‘It’s Melanie’s fault, or it’s Derwin’s fault,’” she stated. “Basically, I would answer the question from the perspective of what role Melanie played in all of this? She has to take accountability to see why they got where they are. And guess what? He does, too.”
Mowry says this perspective has come with age and time. On September 17, she took to Instagram to share her personal reflections on Melanie Barnett ahead of the show’s anniversary. In the carousel, she shared a scattering of thoughts, including: “Ask yourself what YOU want before asking what Derwin wants,” “You do not have to prove you’re a ride or die,” and “Stop ignoring the red flags because you love the potential.”
The emphasis truly lies on self-understanding, a message Mowry wants to instill in her children.
“Growing up, my main goal as a woman was to get married and have kids. That’s not a terrible goal, of course. There are just so many other amazing things in life that you can also do that will help you learn more about who you are and about what you want,” Mowry expresses. “I want my children to be able to define those wants and desires for themselves. And that’s why I’m saying look inward, really become curious about life. And then once you get on that journey yourself, then I truly feel that you will have more of an aligned, authentic story.”
Another reflection from Mowry? “Listen to Tasha…occasionally.”
The World According to Tasha
Tasha Mack was unlike any other character. She spoke hard and fast, but as the series progressed, audiences were let into the softer, scarier and more insecure parts of her. Wendy Raquel has been a part of every single iteration of the series, from The CW to Paramount+. Mack is a character she continues to hold dear.
Who could forget Mack’s unforgettable performance of Rihanna’s “Take A Bow” in Season 3, Episode 15, between her tearful recital, Rick Fox’s pleading, and a host of antagonistic quips from shark-like manager Irv Smith, played by P.J. Byrne. It’s a perfect showcase of the show’s endearing absurdity and comedic beats that resonate with its undying fanbase.
“ It’s one of those moments that, in reality, would probably have never happened, but I always say commit to the bit,” Raquel said with a laugh. “And when I read it, it was beyond a bit. I didn’t know it would be as monumental in the series as it was. But for me, it was huge on so many different levels because there was pain, but there was performance, too. I feel like everybody was in their own zone. For me, it was a symphony.”
A conversation that continues to bubble up on social media is whether Tasha was a true friend to Melanie, whom she called “Med School,” and Kelly Pitts.
“At the end of the day, it was about business for Tasha, so she made allies,” Raquel stated firmly. “She managed, Med School’s man, so I gotta be cool with her. Jason Pitts was the wide receiver, so she had to make sure that everything was good for her son to win. Tasha Mack was all about relationships and how she related to those characters by any means necessary.”
One of Tasha’s key arcs was her struggle to fully trust men again after things soured with her son’s father. Motivated by spite and running on survival, she did things that proved unsustainable and often got in the way of her romantic relationships. In fact, one of Tasha’s coined phrases and gestures was “emotional walls.”
”Sometimes as women we’re just so used to doing everything and being the pit bull when we don’t have to be,” Raquel reflected. “It’s okay to be the puppy. It’s okay to be the little kitten. It’s okay to be taken care of, and that doesn’t make you weak.”
That kind of vulnerability and lived experience is what Mowry and Raquel have shared off-screen. Mowry has found love again with artist and teacher Javon’e Williams following her 2023 divorce. Similarly, Raquel has also found herself in a long-distance relationship with an unnamed gentleman
Mowry revealed that at one point she “believed I would grow old alone with a bunch of cats.” Raquel says she once felt that way, too, but this feels like the start of something new.
“ It’s a new chapter in my life that I’m entering, and it’s like, okay, what is this season gonna really bring to me? ‘Cause I deserve,” she asserted. “I so deserve. And I went through a phase very similar to Tasha, where not believing that you deserve. Every day and every iteration we’re constantly becoming. And I think I’m in a space now of smelling the roses.”
This kind of mirroring between Mowry and Raquel was also reflected in their characters.
“There was something that Med School saw in Tasha. She wanted to fight like Tasha and have that kind of backbone. And then I think what Tasha saw in Med School was that she had both parents. She had supportive parents and a very supportive man. She had all of the bells and whistles Tasha never had. Med School definitely made Tasha do the shadow work.”
A Fifth Quarter Revival?
Would either of these women be involved in yet another installment of The Game? Mowry says “if everything aligns,” while Raquel says she’ll come back time and time again.
“ We need to come back one more season!” Raquel exclaimed. “I wanna see Malik. He’s probably still coaching. My daughter, she’s grown. She’s probably in the front house. It’s just so many different things. And we’d have to bring in those legacy characters, too.”
Ultimately, Melanie and Tasha’s struggles and triumphs are etched into the experiences of Black women everywhere. In male-dominated fields, women keep finding ways to rise, no matter the obstacle or interference. For Mowry, that kind of determination is what she hopes Barnett’’s legacy is, no matter if her decisions made sense or were the “right” choice.
“ I truly like the idea that she was never a quitter,” Mowry remarked, after taking a moment to think. “For Black women, no matter what it is that you believe in, whether it’s love, yourself, wanting to be a mother, wanting to be an entrepreneur or just a boss-ass b*tch … My goal and want for all Black women is to not give up and to continue to have that endurance and that tenacity towards the goal.”
And in true mirrored fashion, Raquel expressed a similar sentiment.
“Always bet on yourself. Listen to your instincts and follow your gut. Because I truly believe that instinct, that’s nothing but God just whispering in your ear.”