Tia Mowry-Hardrict Explains Why She Won't Appear in The Game Revival

Tia Mowry-Hardrict, who is set to star in the Lifetime movie Miracle in Motor City (airing this Saturday at 8/7c), is opening up about why she won’t be appearing in the Paramount+ revival of The Game.

The actress starred in the original series as Melanie Barnett-Davis, an aspiring doctor who struggled with her role as the girlfriend of NFL player Derwin Davis. First appearing as a fish out of water, Melanie eventually formed a close bond with Kelly Pitts (who also won’t be returning for the revival this season) and Tasha Mack.

More from TVLine

• The Game's Brittany Daniel Will Not Return for Paramount+ Revival

• The Game's Hosea Chanchez and Wendy Raquel Robinson Break Down That Malik Reveal in Season Premiere

• South Park Jumps to the Future, Kills Off [Spoiler] in Post COVID Special

Mowry-Hardrict departed the show in Season 5 and returned for the series finale, which saw Melanie and her husband Derwin welcome twins.

“I loved Melanie. I loved playing every bit of her,” Mowry-Hardrict tells TVLine. “I don’t think I’m going back at this point. For right now, there have been no conversations about me coming back, and I’m good with that. I’m doing so many things. As I’ve gotten older, I try to do things that have impact and that are purposeful and inspirational in some kind of way in my life. There are things I like to focus on, and those are the things I put time and energy into.”

That’s not to say Melanie was none of those things, but “I’ve done that already. I want to create and leave space for other inspiration. There is so much more,” she adds. “I don’t feel like there is much else for Melanie to do and say. She’s had such an incredible story… Everything I do has a beginning and an end, and once that chapter is over with, it’s time to start a new one.”

Although Melanie won’t be appearing in the revival, her husband Derwin is slated to return and “really turn things up,” per Wendy Raquel Robinson, who stars alongside Hosea Chanchez as series OGs Tasha Mack and Malik Wright. Walker’s Coby Bell, who played the comically frugal Jason Pitts in the original series, is also expected to drop by this season. (Additional reporting by Mekeisha Madden Toby)

Best of TVLine

• Watch Impeachment Trial Live Stream

• Vampire Diaries Turns 10: How Real-Life Plot Twists Shaped Everything From the Love Triangle to the Final Death

• Vampire Diaries' Biggest Twists Revisited (and Explained)

Get more from TVLine.com: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter