Friday, July 30, 2021

PARAMOUNT+ ANNOUNCES A STACKED TEAM OF NEW AND LEGACY PLAYERS JOINING “THE GAME”

 

[L-R: Adriyan Rae (credit: Brandy Allen), Vaughn Hebron (credit: Rowan Daly), Analisa Velez (credit: Carlos R. Rivera Rodriguez)]

[Brittany Daniel (credit: Five Arrows Photography) and Pooch Hall (credit: Benny Haddad Photography)]

Paramount+, the streaming service from ViacomCBS, today announced several new cast members joining the service’s revival of the groundbreaking series THE GAME, including Adriyan Rae (“Chicago Fire”) as Brittany Pitts, the daughter of Jason and Kelly Pitts; Vaughn Hebron (“Tyler Perry’s The Oval”) as Jamison Fields, an undrafted free agent; and Analisa Velez (“Sneaky Pete”) as Raquel Navarro, Brittany’s best friend. Legacy players Brittany Daniel (“Cheaper by the Dozen”) and Pooch Hall (“Ray Donovan”) will make special appearances, reprising their roles as Kelly Pitts and Derwin Davis, respectively. The 10-episode first season of the new series will stream exclusively on Paramount+. 

Relocating from San Diego to Sin City, THE GAME returns with a mix of new players and original cast, including previously announced series regulars Wendy Raquel Robinson and Hosea Chanchez, to offer a modern-day examination of Black culture through the prism of pro football. The team will tackle racism, sexism, classism and more as they fight for fame, fortune, respect and love – all while trying to maintain their souls as they each play THE GAME.

Adriyan Rae can be seen starring in NBC's "Chicago Fire" and she recently starred as the lead of SYFY's “Vagrant Queen.” Additional television credits include the upcoming season of “Atlanta,” “American Soul,” and “Star.” Rae’s film credits include “Superfly” and “Burning Sands.”  

Vaughn Hebron can be seen on BET in “Tyler Perry’s The Oval.” Next, Hebron will appear in the upcoming Venus and Serena Williams feature, “King Richard,” starring Will Smith, and the recently wrapped “The Devil You Know” for Lionsgate. 

Analisa Velez recently starred in the Billy Porter-directed play, “The Purists,” winning The Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Actress, Large Theatre, for her performance. Additional theatre credits include “Tell Hector I Miss Him” (Atlantic Theater Company), “Queen Latina and her Power Posse” (Cherry Lane Theatre), “Entremeses” (INTAR), “The Inheritance” (The Amoralists), “Dolphins & Sharks” (The Fire This Time Festival), “Tenant Occupied” (24 Hour Plays: Nationals), and “Broken Motherhood Museum” (NuAFrikan Theatre). Velez’s television and film credits include "Sneaky Pete," "Monsterland," “Ballad of A Hustler,” “Almost Love” and “Inez & Doug & Kira.”  

Brittany Daniel’s television credits include a starring role in the new Disney+ series “Cheaper by the Dozen,” “Black-ish,” “Dawson’s Creek,” “That ‘70s Show,” “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” “That ‘80s Show” and “Sweet Valley High.” Daniel’s notable film credits include “The Basketball Diaries,” “Joe Dirt,” “Joe Dirt 2,” “Skyline,” “White Chicks,” “Club Dread” and “Little Man.” In 2010, Daniel was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for producing the Style Network series “Ruby.” 

Pooch Hall is best known for his portrayal of Daryll Donovan in Showtime’s critically acclaimed series “Ray Donovan.” In addition to starring in THE GAME as Derwin Davis for nine seasons, Hall’s television credits also include CBS’s “Accidentally on Purpose” and “Criminal Minds,” SYFY’s “Warehouse 13,” and USA’s “Suits,” “Necessary Roughness” and “Royal Pains.” His film credits include the upcoming feature version of “Ray Donovan,” “Cherry,” “A Dog’s Purpose,” the biopic “Chuck,” and “Jumping the Broom,” as well as a slew of independent features, including “Lift” opposite Kerry Washington, “Black Cloud” and “Blind Dating.” 

THE GAME is executive produced by original show creator Mara Brock Akil, showrunner and writer Devon Greggory (“American Soul”), Salim Akil (“Black Lightning”), and original executive producer Kelsey Grammer (“Girlfriends”) and Tom Russo (“Black-ish”) of Grammnet NH Productions. Kevin Bray (“Insecure”) will direct the first two episodes of the inaugural season. The series is produced by CBS Studios, Akil Productions and Grammnet NH Productions. 

All nine seasons of THE GAME, which originally aired on The CW and then BET, are currently available to binge on Paramount+. The series will be distributed internationally by ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group.

 
About Paramount+:

Paramount+, a direct-to-consumer digital subscription video on-demand and live streaming service from ViacomCBS, combines live sports, breaking news, and a mountain of entertainment. The premium streaming service features an expansive library of original series, hit shows and popular movies across every genre from world-renowned brands and production studios, including BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures and the Smithsonian Channel. The service is also the streaming home to unmatched sports programming, including every CBS Sports event, from golf to football to basketball and more, plus exclusive streaming rights for major sports properties, including some of the world’s biggest and most popular soccer leagues. Paramount+ also enables subscribers to stream local CBS stations live across the U.S. in addition to the ability to stream ViacomCBS Streaming’s other live channels: CBSN for 24/7 news, CBS Sports HQ for sports news and analysis, and ET Live for entertainment coverage.

For more information about Paramount+, please visit www.paramountplus.com and follow @ParamountPlus on social platforms.

 

About CBS Studios

CBS Studios is one of the industry’s leading suppliers of programming with more than 70 series currently in production across broadcast and cable networks, streaming services and other emerging platforms. The Studio’s expansive portfolio spans a diverse slate of commercially successful and critically acclaimed scripted programming, genre-defining franchises including the ever-growing “Star Trek” universe, award-winning late night and daytime talk shows, and an extensive library of iconic intellectual property.