The Chi

The Chi (pronounced THE-SHY) is an American drama series created by Lena Waithe about life in a neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago.[4] The pilot was directed by Rick Famuyiwa.[4] It premiered on Showtime on January 7, 2018. On January 30, 2018, Showtime renewed the series for a second season which premiered on April 7, 2019.[5][6] On April 30, 2019, Showtime renewed the series for a third season which premiered on June 21, 2020.[7][8] On May 20, 2019, it was announced that Jason Mitchell would not be returning to the show for season 3 because of "sexual misconduct allegations".[9]

The Chi
Genre	Drama
Created by	Lena Waithe
Starring	Jason Mitchell Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine Jacob Latimore Alex Hibbert Yolonda Ross Tiffany Boone Armando Riesco Barton Fitzpatrick Birgundi Baker
Composer(s)	Patrick Warren
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	28 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Lena Waithe Common Elwood Reid Aaron Kaplan Rick Famuyiwa Ayanna Floyd Davis[1] Justin Hillian[2] Jet Wilkinson[3] Shelby Stone[3] Derek Dudley[3]
Production location(s)	Chicago
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	60 minutes
Production company(s)	Elwood Reid Inc. Hillman Grad Productions Freedom Road Productions Verse Productions Kapital Entertainment Fox 21 Television Studios Showtime Networks
Distributor	20th Television CBS Television Distribution Disney-ABC Domestic Television
Release
Original network	Showtime
Picture format	1080i (HDTV)
Original release	January 7, 2018 (2018-01-07) – present (present)
External links
Website

Premise

The Chi is described as following "a fateful turn of events that sends shockwaves through a community on the Southside of Chicago and connects the lives of Emmett, Brandon, Ronnie and Kevin in unexpected ways."[10]

Cast

Main

• Jason Mitchell as Brandon Johnson[4] (seasons 1–2)
• Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine as Ronnie Davis (seasons 1-3)
• Jacob Latimore as Emmett Washington[11]
• Alex Hibbert as Kevin Williams
• Michael Epps as Jake Taylor
• Shamon Brown as Stanley "Papa" Jackson
• Yolonda Ross as Jada Washington,[11] Emmett's mother.
• Tiffany Boone as Jerrika Little (seasons 1–2), Brandon's girlfriend.
• Armando Riesco as Detective Cruz (seasons 1–2)
• Barton Fitzpatrick as Reg Taylor (seasons 1–2), Jake's older brother and gang leader.
• Birgundi Baker as Kiesha Williams (season 3; recurring seasons 1–2), Kevin's sister.[12]

Recurring

• Lucien Cambric as Jason Roxboro (season 1)
• Jahking Guillory as Charles Frederick “Coogie” Johnson (season 1)[13]
• Brian King as Detective Wallace (season 1)
• Steven Williams as Quentin "Q" Dickinson (season 1), a kingpin elder.
• Tosin Morohunfola as Trice (season 1)
• Byron Bowers as Meldrick[14] (season 1)
• Sonja Sohn as Laverne Johnson (seasons 1 and 3),[13] Brandon's mother.
• Cedric Young as Sonny, Q's brother and Emmett's boss.
• LaDonna Tittle as Ethel Davis, Ronnie's grandmother.
• Tyla Abercrumbie as Nina Williams, Kevin and Keisha's mother.
• Hannaha Hall as Tiffany, the mother of Emmett's child.[15]
• José Antonio García as Mr. Gasca (seasons 1–2), Kevin's teacher.
• Genesis Denise Hale as Maisha
• Chris Lee as Hannibal, Brandon's cousin.
• Tai Davis as Tracy Roxboro, Jason's mother.
• Common as Rafiq
• Curtiss Cook as Otis "Douda" Perry
• Crystal Dickinson as Detective Alice Toussaint (season 2)
• Miriam A. Hyman as Dre, Nina's partner who is a high school counselor.[16]
• Luke James as Victor "Trig" Taylor, Jake's estranged older brother.[12]
• Jasmine Davis as Imani, Trig's girlfriend.
• La La Anthony as Dominque "Dom" Morris[12]
• Judae'a Brown as Jemma
• Kandi Burruss as Roselyn Perry, Douda's estranged wife.[17]
• Lena Waithe as Camille Hallaway, a mayoral candidate.
• Lil Rel Howery as Zeke Remnick,[12] Sonny's landlord.

Episodes

Season		Episodes		Originally aired
				First aired	Last aired
	1	10		December 15, 2017 (2017-12-15) (online) January 7, 2018 (2018-01-07) (Showtime)	March 18, 2018 (2018-03-18)
	2	10		April 4, 2019 (2019-04-04) (online) April 7, 2019 (2019-04-07) (Showtime)	June 16, 2019 (2019-06-16)
	3	10[18]		June 21, 2020 (2020-06-21)	August 23, 2020 (2020-08-23)[18]

Season 1 (2018)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	U.S. viewers (millions)
1	1	"Pilot"	Rick Famuyiwa	Lena Waithe	December 15, 2017 (2017-12-15) (online) January 7, 2018 (2018-01-07) (Showtime)	0.533[19]
2	2	"Alee"	David Rodriguez	Elwood Reid & Lena Waithe	January 7, 2018 (2018-01-07) (online) January 14, 2018 (2018-01-14) (Showtime)	0.570[20]
3	3	"Ghosts"	David Rodriguez	Adam Glass & Ayanna Floyd Davis	January 21, 2018 (2018-01-21)	0.707[21]
4	4	"Quaking Grass"	Tanya Hamilton	Story by : Elwood Reid & Mike Flynn Teleplay by : Elwood Reid & Justin Hillian	January 28, 2018 (2018-01-28)	0.751[22]
5	5	"Today Was a Good Day"	Darren Grant	Marcus Gardley	February 11, 2018 (2018-02-11)	0.679[23]
6	6	"Penetrate a Fraud"	Roxann Dawson	Casallina Kisakye	February 18, 2018 (2018-02-18)	0.673[24]
7	7	"The Whistle"	David Rodriguez	Lena Waithe & Dime Davis	February 25, 2018 (2018-02-25)	0.791[25]
8	8	"Wallets"	Tanya Hamilton	Adam Glass & Marcus Gardley	March 4, 2018 (2018-03-04)	0.675[26]
9	9	"Namaste Muthafucka"	Zetna Fuentes	Adam Glass & Sylvia L. Jones	March 11, 2018 (2018-03-11)	0.797[27]
10	10	"Ease on Down the Road"	Justin Tipping	Elwood Reid	March 18, 2018 (2018-03-18)	0.872[28]

Season 2 (2019)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	U.S. viewers (millions)
11	1	"Eruptions"	Jet Wilkinson	Ayanna Floyd Davis & Lena Waithe	April 4, 2019 (2019-04-04) (online) April 7, 2019 (2019-04-07) (Showtime)	0.454[29]
12	2	"Every Day I'm Hustlin'"	Darren Grant	Joe Wilson	April 14, 2019 (2019-04-14)	0.375[30]
13	3	"Past Due"	Justin Tipping	J. David Shanks	April 21, 2019 (2019-04-21)	0.339[31]
14	4	"Showdown"	Carl Seaton	Casallina Kisakye	April 28, 2019 (2019-04-28)	0.392[32]
15	5	"Feeling the Heat"	Jet Wilkinson	Ayanna Floyd Davis & Joe Wilson	May 5, 2019 (2019-05-05)	0.439[33]
16	6	"A Leg Up"	Cheryl Dunye	Justin Hillian & Dime Davis	May 12, 2019 (2019-05-12)	0.397[34]
17	7	"A Blind Eye"	Rebecca Rodriguez	Cinque Henderson & J. David Shanks	May 26, 2019 (2019-05-26)	0.350[35]
18	8	"Lean Into It"	Salli Richardson-Whitfield	Terri Kopp	June 2, 2019 (2019-06-02)	0.328[36]
19	9	"Guilt, Viral Videos, and Ass Whuppings"	Tanya Hamilton	Joe Wilson	June 9, 2019 (2019-06-09)	0.427[37]
20	10	"The Scorpion and the Frog"	Jet Wilkinson	Ayanna Floyd Davis	June 16, 2019 (2019-06-16)	0.474[38]

Season 3 (2020)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	U.S. viewers (millions)
21	1	"Foe 'Nem"	Jet Wilkinson	Lena Waithe & Justin Hillian	June 21, 2020 (2020-06-21)	0.348[39]
22	2	"Brewfurd"	Rashaad Ernesto Green	Marcus Gardley	June 28, 2020 (2020-06-28)	0.347[40]
23	3	"Buss Down"	Gandja Monteiro	Lolis Eric Elie	July 5, 2020 (2020-07-05)	0.351[41]
24	4	"Gangway"	Jet Wilkinson	T.J. Brady & Rasheed Newson	July 12, 2020 (2020-07-12)	0.367[42]
25	5	"Terror Town"	Jet Wilkinson	Ricardo Gamboa & Nambi E. Kelley	July 19, 2020 (2020-07-19)	0.438[43]
26	6	"Woo Woo Woo"	Darren Grant	Jewel McPherson	July 26, 2020 (2020-07-26)	0.525[44]
27	7	"A Stain"	Sam Bailey	Marcus Gardley & Jade Branion	August 2, 2020 (2020-08-02)	0.415[45]
28	8	"Frunchroom"	Jet Wilkinson	Justin Hillian	August 9, 2020 (2020-08-09)	0.430[46]
29	9	"Lackin'"[47]	TBA	TBA	August 16, 2020 (2020-08-16)	TBD
30	10	"A Couple, Two, Three"[48]	TBA	TBA	August 23, 2020 (2020-08-23)	TBD

Production

Official poster

Filming started in Chicago in April 2017.[13]

Reception

Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds a "certified fresh" approval rating of 87% based on 46 reviews, and an average rating of 7.47/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Like an optimistic companion to The Wire, The Chi explores the complexities of life in the South Side of Chicago, with a tender touch and a clear affection for its captivating characters."[49] On Metacritic, the season has a weighted average score of 73 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[50]

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Result	Ref.
2018	Black Reel Awards	Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series	Rick Famuyiwa	Won	[51]
		Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series	Lena Waithe	Nominated
		Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series	Jacob Latimore	Nominated
		Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series	Common	Nominated
		Outstanding Drama Series	Barry M. Berg, Common, Derek Dudley, Rick Famuyiwa, Aaron Kaplan, Erin Mitchell, Elwood Reid, Shelby Stone and Lena Waithe	Nominated

References

1. DeNeal, Lisa (April 4, 2019). "Writer, Executive Producer Ayanna Floyd Davis is the New Showrunner for Showtime's 'The Chi'". Black Girl Nerds. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
2. Thorne, Will (September 16, 2019). "'The Chi' Ups Justin Hillian to Showrunner, Ayanna Floyd Davis Exits". Variety. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
3. Petski, Denise (June 16, 2020). "'The Chi's Lena Waithe & Common To Headline Virtual Concert Fundraiser For Equal Justice Initiative". Deadline. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
4. Andreeva, Nellie (January 9, 2017). "Showtime Picks Up Drama 'The Chi' To Series; Jason Mitchell Joins Cast – TCA". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
5. Swift, Andy (January 30, 2018). "Showtime Renews The Chi, Names New Showrunner for Season 2". TVLine. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
6. Green, Steve (January 31, 2019). "'The Chi' Season 2 Trailer: Showtime Drama Continues Look at All Sides of Chicago". IndieWire. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
7. Nemetz, Dave (April 30, 2019). "TVLine Items: The Chi Renewed, Westworld Casts Villain and More". TVLine. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
8. Andreeva, Nellie (April 1, 2020). "Showtime: 'Black Monday' & 'Billions' Seasons Split Into 2 By COVID-19 Shutdown, 'The Chi' Premiere Moved Up". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
9. Andreeva, Nellie (May 20, 2019). "Jason Mitchell Fired By UTA & Authentic, Dropped By 'The Chi' & 'Desperados' Over Misconduct Allegations". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
10. Evans, Greg (October 18, 2017). "'The Chi' Teaser Trailer: Showtime's Hour Drama Sets Premiere Date". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
11. Andreeva, Nellie (January 24, 2017). "'The Chi': Jacob Latimore & Yolonda Ross Join Showtime Drama In Recasting". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
12. Petski, Denise (September 16, 2019). "'The Chi': Justin Hillian Named New Showrunner As Ayanna Floyd Davis Exits; Birgundi Baker Upped To Series Regular; Luke James, La La Anthony & Lil Rel Howery To Recur". Deadline. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
13. Swartz, Tracy (April 10, 2017). "Stars of Showtime drama 'The Chi' arrive in Chicago for filming". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
14. "The Chi, The Chi Showtime, The Chi Lena Waithe, The Chi Chicago: Meldrick: the psychic gangster". Retrieved July 10, 2018.
15. Hale, Mike (April 5, 2019). "Review: 'The Chi' Returns to the South Side of Chicago". The New York Times. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
16. Petski, Denise (September 27, 2019). "'Filthy Rich' Casts Rachel York; Miriam A. Hyman Joins 'The Chi'". Deadline. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
17. Petski, Denise (September 26, 2019). "'The Chi': Kandi Burruss To Recur In Season 3 Of Showtime Series". Deadline. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
18. "Shows A-Z - the chi on showtime". The Futon Critic. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
19. Metcalf, Mitch (January 9, 2018). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.7.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
20. Metcalf, Mitch (January 17, 2018). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.14.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
21. Metcalf, Mitch (January 23, 2018). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.21.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
22. Metcalf, Mitch (January 30, 2018). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.28.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
23. Metcalf, Mitch (February 13, 2018). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.11.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
24. Metcalf, Mitch (February 21, 2018). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.18.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
25. Metcalf, Mitch (February 27, 2018). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.25.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
26. Metcalf, Mitch (March 6, 2018). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.4.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
27. Metcalf, Mitch (March 13, 2018). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.11.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
28. Metcalf, Mitch (March 20, 2018). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.18.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
29. Metcalf, Mitch (April 9, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.7.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
30. Metcalf, Mitch (April 16, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.14.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
31. Metcalf, Mitch (April 23, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.21.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
32. Metcalf, Mitch (April 30, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.28.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
33. Metcalf, Mitch (May 7, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.5.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
34. Metcalf, Mitch (May 14, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.12.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
35. Metcalf, Mitch (May 29, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.26.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
36. Metcalf, Mitch (June 4, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 6.2.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
37. Metcalf, Mitch (June 11, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 6.9.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
38. Metcalf, Mitch (June 18, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 6.16.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
39. Metcalf, Mitch (June 23, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 6.21.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
40. Metcalf, Mitch (June 30, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 6.28.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
41. Metcalf, Mitch (July 7, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 7.5.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
42. Metcalf, Mitch (July 14, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 7.12.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
43. Metcalf, Mitch (July 21, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 7.19.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
44. Metcalf, Mitch (July 28, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 7.26.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
45. Metcalf, Mitch (August 4, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 8.2.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
46. Metcalf, Mitch (August 11, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 8.9.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
47. "S3, E9 Lackin'". Showtime. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
48. "S3, E10 A Couple, Two, Three". Showtime. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
49. "The Chi: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
50. "The Chi Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
51. "Black Reel Awards for Television (2018)". IMDb. Retrieved June 28, 2020.

External links

• Official website
• The Chi on IMDb