Paramount Plus’ “The Game” revival has added Tim Daly and Toby Sandeman to the cast and will also see a special appearance from original series star Coby Bell when it premieres Nov. 11
Daly will play self-made billionaire and team owner Col. Ulysses S. Thatcher, while Sandeman will play the top football player in the league, named Garret Evans. Bell will reprise his role of former football star Jason Pitts.
Over the course of a 10-episode first season, “The Game” will offer a modern-day examination of Black culture through the prism of pro football, tackling stories about racism, sexism, classism and more as the players fight for fame and fortune, as well as respect and love.
Showrunner Devon Greggory noted that this time around, in what he is considering the 10th season of the series overall, rather than the start of something new, they will be able to speak about things they couldn’t during the first run.
“We won’t go too far, but we will go deep,” he said at the show’s Television Critics Assn. press tour panel for the show on Aug. 31. “2021 is different from 2008, and that’s going to be incorporated into what we’re doing.”
The new season of this comedy star Wendy Raquel Robinson as sports agent Tasha Mack; Hosea Chanchez as footballer Malik Wright; Adriyan Rae as Brittany Pitts, the daughter of Jason and Kelly Pitts; Vaughn Hebron as Jamison Fields, an undrafted free agent; and Analisa Velez as Raquel Navarro, Brittany’s best friend. Original series stars Brittany Daniel and Pooch Hall will also make special appearances, reprising their roles of Kelly Pitts and Derwin Davis, respectively.
Greggory shared that he took a page from “E.R.’s” book for how to integrate returning characters who were only popping back into the new season. “How they did that last season where they had several characters coming back — Dr. Benton came back, and they had the crew in Seattle and went there, we looked at that,” he explains. Therefore, “when they show up, they’re not showing up just to be flavor; they’re showing up as characters in the world that have lived their lives so we could bring them back at any time. … So we have very special pieces for Pooch and Brittany and Coby to come and join the world in special ways.”
Tim Daly most recently starred in CBS’ “Madam Secretary,” but is also well known for television series including the CBS remake of “The Fugitive,” ABC’s “Private Practice,” NBC’s “Wings” and HBO’s “The Sopranos.” He also served as executive producer on the Showtime feature “Executive of Justice” and produced the film “Edge of America.” He is also an acclaimed theater actor, having appeared on Broadway in “Coastal Disturbances,” on the Los Angeles Coast Playhouse stage in “Colorado Catechism,” and in productions of “Downstairs,” “The Cain Mutiny Court Martial,” “The Exonerated” and “Oliver, Oliver.” He has served as president of the Creative Coalition for the last nine years and serves on the board of InsideOUT Writers.
Sandeman currently stars in “Power Book III: Raising Kanan” on Starz, but his other recent television credits include E!’s “The Royals,” Netflix’s “She’s Gotta Have It,” and OWN’s “Love Is….” He has also produced, wrote, directed and starred in his own short film, “Conversations of Ed-Dick-Shawn.”
Bell is a series regular on The CW’s reimagining of “Walker,” but previously, he was also a series regular on Fox’s “The Gifted” and USA’s “Burn Notice,” and he recurred on CBS’ “SEAL Team,” as well as Amazon Prime Video’s “Hand of God” and “Mad Dogs.”
Paramount Plus’ “The Game” is executive produced by original show creator Mara Brock Akil, Greggory, Salim Akil and Kelsey Grammer and Tom Russo of Grammnet NH Productions. Kevin Bray will direct the first two episodes of the first season. The series is produced by CBS Studios, Akil Productions and Grammnet NH Productions.