The Game Returns Jan. 10 On BET With Season 5; Home Improvement Is Back On TV Land Schedule And In Primetime

Tuesday, December 06, 2011

The Game Returns Jan. 10 On BET With Season 5; Home Improvement Is Back On TV Land Schedule And In Primetime

The stakes are raised on BET, as Grammy Award-Winning R&B star Brandy Norwood is added to the cast of The Game and acclaimed actress Kyla Pratt joins sophomore multi-camera comedy Let's Stay Together. After record-breaking premieres last season, garnering a combined 12.1 million viewers, BET's top-rated scripted series The Game and Let's Stay Together are set to return with 22 half-hour episodes, beginning Tuesday, January 10, 2012 at 10 p.m. Boasting all-star casts, both shows up the ante with more laughs and more drama.

As the #1 sitcom debut in the history of all cable TV, season four of The Game left viewers on the edge of their seats. The seduction continues as infidelity, ambition, secrets and betrayal collide to make season five the most compelling yet. Picking up where it left off, Melanie (Tia Mowry Hardrict) contends with Derwin's (Pooch Hall) abortion accusation; Malik (Hosea Chanchez) and Tasha (Wendy Raquel Robinson) struggle to wrangle an intoxicated Jenna (Tika Sumpter); and Kelly (Brittany Daniel) is still off in the world trying to find herself, leaving Jason (Coby Bell) forced to come to terms with his feelings towards Black women. The new season also ushers in a new love interest for Jason, who is sure to shake things up!
In addition to music star Brandy joining the cast, and long-time favorites Melanie, Derwin, Tasha, Malik, and Jason, season five also welcomes the return of the prodigal sports manager Irv Smiff (PJ Byrne); the mother of Derwin's son, Janay (Gabrielle Dennis); Malik's former girlfriend, Jenna; as well as Malik's former assistant turned entrepreneur, Tee Tee and his famous Wing Truck (Barry T. Floyd). The momentum continues with a number of exciting new guest appearances, including Shawn Marion, Estelle, Selita Ebanks, DeRay Davis, Nene Leakes, Rockmond Dunbar, and the Emmy-award winning Loretta Devine among others.

The sexy combination of Tuesday night football followed by a little romance continues as the second season of Let's Stay Together premieres immediately after The Game. The first episode will answer the big question of what happened at Stacy (Nadine Ellis) and Charles' (Bert Belasco) wedding from the cliffhanger in last season's finale, and why he left her standing at the altar. Additionally, Tasha (Joyful Drake) and Jamal (RonReaco Lee) will have their marriage tested by former relationships and other temptations while Charles and Stacy continue to explore the ups and downs of making coupledom work.
In season two, life becomes even more complex when Kita (Erica Hubbard) is inspired to go on a reality show a la Survivor and asks her cousin Crystal (Kyla Pratt) to house sit in her absence. Let's Stay Together will explore what it means to be married, date, start and grow a business, establish a new career, and even go to college in modern day Atlanta.

For video sneak peeks and first looks of the new season of both comedies, visit their official pages respectively at BET.com/TheGame and BET.com/Letsstaytogether. Viewers can also find series updates on Facebook by liking the fan pages at http://www.facebook.com/thegameBET and http://www.facebook.com/LetsStayTogether. Also, join the conversation about the shows on Twitter by using hashtags: #thegameBET and #letsstay2gether; follow the shows for all updates & special surprises @thegameBET & @letsstay2gether. For more information about these series visit www.BET.com.
And if you haven't seen it already, read our DVD review of The Game Season 4, which is out on DVD today! Order it!

As of yesterday, TV Land made a last minute schedule change and added Home Improvement back to its line-up. The sitcom will air two episodes every weeknight from approx. 8-9pm ET/PT (fine, 7:56pm-9pm). The Taylor family will replace an hour of Roseanne, but that sitcom will still air in the late night every weeknight and also on weekends. No other schedule change was made, but we will be giving you TV Land's January 2012 schedule very soon and they have acquired a new series to air. We will reveal that to you soon, so stay with us!

Tune in tomorrow night for ABC Holiday Laugh On Wednesday!

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Tuesday, April 1

St. Denis Medical - "Anything to Push Zaluva" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Ron's teasing makes Joyce question whether her friendship with a pharmaceutical rep is genuine; Alex has trouble letting Serena take on a new task; Matt finds a mentor in Bruce.

Night Court - "Hot to Trot" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Abby's friendship with her ex-boyfriend's mother leads to romantic complications; when Julianne's wealthy aunt passes away, the gang vies for a piece of her inheritance.

Tyler Perry's House of Payne - "Love At First Swipe" (BET, 9:00PM ET/PT)
C.J. and Janine receive marital advice from an unlikely source; Peanut seeks help with his newfound online lover.

Tyler Perry's Assisted Living - "Failure 2 Launch" (BET, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Assisted Living is the new situation comedy by Tyler Perry about three generations who must make a new start in the rural backwoods of Georgia.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of March 31)

Tuesday, April 1

Adam Scott (Ghosted/Veep/Parks and Recreation/Party Down) - Catch Adam on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Kevin Bacon (I Love Dick) - Kevin is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Amanda Peet (Brockmire/Togetherness/Bent) - Amanda appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Paul Rudd (The Shrink Next Door/Living with Yourself/Wild Oats) - Paul stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Ike Barinholtz (The Studio/The Afterparty/Bless the Harts/The Mindy Project/Eastbound & Down) - Ike appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. He will also be on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 9:30pm on Bravo.
Vinny Thomas (Platonic), Paul F. Tompkins (The Great North/BoJack Horseman/DAG) and Aparna Nancherla (The Great North/Lopez vs Lopez/Corporate) - Vinny, Paul and Aparna are guests on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
Chase Sui Wonders (The Studio/Bupkis) and Kathryn Hahn (The Studio/Tiny Beautiful Things/Central Park/Happyish/Transparent/Free Agents) - Chase and Kathryn are guests on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 9:30pm on Bravo.
Will Ferrell (The Office) and Jennifer Coolidge (2 Broke Girls/Joey) - E! News has interviews with Will and Jennifer at 11pm on E!.
Román Zaragoza (Ghosts) - Román talks about Ghosts on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
Jenny Slate (The Great North/Big Mouth/Married/Bob's Burgers) - Jenny talks about Dying for Sex on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
Michael Angarano (Laid/I'm Dying Up Here/Will & Grace) and Michael Cera (Life & Beth/Arrested Development/I Was a Sixth Grade Alien) - Michael and Michael talk about Sacramento with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Olivia Munn (Perfect Couples) - Olivia guest co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Hannah Einbinder (Hacks) - Hannah talks about Hacks on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Tasha Smith (Survival of the Thickest/Tyler Perry's For Better or Worse/The Tom Show/Boston Common) and Tone Bell (Survival of the Thickest/Fam/Disjointed/Truth Be Told/Bad Judge/Whitney) - Tasha and Tone talk about the new season of Netflix’s Survival of the Thickest on Sherri, so check your local listings.
Kathryn Hahn (The Studio/Tiny Beautiful Things/Central Park/Happyish/Transparent/Free Agents) - Kathryn is dishing on her new comedy series The Studio on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Wilmer Valderrama (That '70s Show) - Wilmer and Freddy Rodriguez chat about their podcast Dos Amigos on a repeat of Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Brenda Song (Running Point/Dollface/Dads/The Suite Life on Deck/The Suite Life of Zack & Cody) - Brenda talks about Netflix's Running Point on a repeat of Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Paul Walter Hauser (The Afterparty) - Paul is a guest on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 9:40am.