Actress Analisa Velez is joining the cast of The Game, a Paramount+ revival of the award-winning comedy/sports/drama series that for many seasons ran first on The CW and more recently on BET.
Velez is part of a few new faces added to original series regulars Brittany Daniel, Hosea Chanchez, Pooch Hall and Wendy Raquel Robinson. The other newcomers are Adriyan Rae (Chicago Fire) and Vaughn Hebron (Tyler Perry’s The Oval). Velez plays Raquel Navarro, a supporting recurring role.
The reboot series is relocating from San Diego to Las Vegas and will continue a modern-day examination of Black culture through the prism of a professional football team. The show will tackle racism, sexism, classism and more as they fight for fame, fortune, respect and love at the same time they try to keep their souls. The first season will consist of 10 episodes and stream exclusively on Paramount+.
“This one is for the village that got me here!,” posted Velez on her Instagram account, sharing media reports about the new show. “Couldn’t have got this opportunity without the help of a lot of amazing people. Friends and family, welcome: ‘The Game’ into your homes and Raquel into your (I know it’s cheesy, but boy am I proud).”
Velez is a stage actor and producer who is now making the transition from stage to TV. Last year she starred in the play The Purists directed by Billy Porter, which earned her the Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Actress. Her other stage credits include Tell Hector I Miss Him at Atlantic Theater Company and Queen Latina and her Power Posse at Cherry Lane Theatre, both off-Broadway venues in New York. She also produced with Raw Heater
Velez’s television and film credits include the series Amazon Instant Video Sneaky Pete and the indie rom-com Almost Love streaming now on Netflix. She is also a singer and you can get to know her music by first following her on Instagram @analisavelez.
The Game is executive produced by original show creator Mara Brock Akil (Being Mary Jane), 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.
It is worthwhile to mention that The Game is a spinoff of Girlfriends, the successful comedy about a group of Black modern women facing life’s tests and triumphs together. That series starred Tracee Ellis Ross (Black-ish), Golden Brooks, Persia White and Jill Marie Jones. The show won two NAACP Image Awards.
All nine seasons of The Game are currently available on Paramount+. The series will be distributed internationally by ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group.
Featured Photo: Analisa Velez (Credit: Carlos R. Rivera Rodriguez/Courtesy of Paramount+)