''The Chi'' ( ) is an American drama television series created by

Lena Waithe Lena Waithe (born May 17, 1984) is an American actress, producer, and screenwriter. She is the creator of the Showtime drama series ''The Chi'' (2018–present) and the BET comedy series ''Boomerang'' (2019–20) and '' Twenties'' (2020–pres ...

about life in a neighborhood on the South Side of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

. The pilot was directed by

Rick Famuyiwa Rick Famuyiwa (born June 18, 1973) is an American director, producer and screenwriter of productions including '' The Wood'' (1999), ''Brown Sugar'' (2002), '' Talk to Me'' (2007), '' Dope'' (2015), and ''Confirmation'' (2016). His films have be ...

. It premiered on Showtime on January 7, 2018. In August 2021, after the conclusion of the fourth season, it was announced that the series was renewed for a fifth season which premiered on June 24, 2022. In August 2022, the series was renewed for a sixth season.

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."

Cast

Main

Jason Mitchell Jason Mitchell (born January 5, 1987) is an American actor. Mitchell started his career acting in minor roles in films such as the action-thriller '' Contraband'' (2012), and the neo-noir ''Broken City'' (2013). He is best known for portraying ...

as Brandon Johnson (seasons 1–2) * Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine as Ronnie Davis (seasons 1–3) *

Jacob Latimore Jacob O'Neal Latimore (born August 10, 1996) is an American actor, singer and dancer from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 2016, Latimore released his debut album ''Connection''. As an actor, he is best known for his roles in ''Black Nativity'', ''Th ...

as Emmett Washington *Alex Hibbert as Kevin Williams *

Tiffany Boone Tiffany Boone (born August 27, 1987) is an American actress, best known for her roles as Roxy Jones in '' Hunters'', Mandy Lang in the second season of the FOX TV series '' The Following'' and for her supporting roles as Savannah Snow and Mimi ...

as Jerrika Little (seasons 1–2), Brandon's girlfriend. *

Yolonda Ross Yolonda Ross is an American actress, writer and director. Life and career Ross was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska. She began her acting career in New York, appearing in the episodes of television series ''New York Undercover'' and ''Third Wa ...

as Jada Washington, Emmett's mother. *

Armando Riesco Armando Riesco (born December 5, 1977) is a Puerto Rican actor. Early life Riesco was born in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, to Cuban immigrants who resettled there. He was raised in San Juan where he attended Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola. He the ...

as Detective Cruz (seasons 1–2) *Rolando Boyce as Darnell (seasons 2–present), Emmett's father. *Barton Fitzpatrick as Reg Taylor (season 2; recurring seasons 1), Jake's older brother and gang leader. *Shamon Brown Jr. as Stanley "Papa" Jackson (season 2—present; recurring season 1), Kevin and Jake's best friend. *Michael V. Epps as Jake Taylor (season 2–present; recurring season 1), Kevin and Papa's best friend and Reg and Trig's younger brother. *Birgundi Baker as Kiesha Williams (season 3–present; recurring seasons 1–2), Kevin's older sister. * Luke James as Victor "Trig" Taylor (season 4–present; recurring season 3), Reg and Jake's estranged older brother. *

Curtiss Cook Curtiss Cook is an American character actor from Dayton, Ohio. He studied at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London.Sandoval, Lapacazo"Curtiss Cook – Reprising His Role in Season Three of Showtime’s ''The Chi''" '' Los Angeles Sentine ...

as Otis "Douda" Perry (season 4–present; recurring 2–3)

Recurring

* Lucien Cambric as Jason Roxboro (season 1) *

Jahking Guillory Jahking Guillory (born May 14, 2001), is an American rapper and actor, best known for his starring role in the 2016 film, ''Kicks''. Guillory appears in ''The Chi'' on Showtime, and the Netflix series '' On My Block'' as Latrelle. He was born an ...

as Charles Frederick “Coogie” Johnson (season 1,5) *Brian King as Detective Wallace (season 1) *

Steven Williams Steven Williams (born January 7, 1949) is an American actor in films and television. He is known for his roles as Captain Adam Fuller on ''21 Jump Street'', Lt. Jefferson Burnett on '' The Equalizer'', Det. August Brooks on '' L.A. Heat'', X on ...

as Quentin "Q" Dickinson (season 1,5), a kingpin elder. * Tosin Morohunfola as Trice (season 1) *

Byron Bowers Byron Bowers is an American comedian,Rao, Mallik''Huffington Post''. June 18, 2015 writer and actor. Byron has appeared on ''The Eric Andre Show'' on Adult Swim, Comedy Central's '' Adam DeVine's House Party'', and on the reboot of BET's ''Comi ...

as Meldrick (season 1) *

Sonja Sohn Sonja Denise Plack (' Williams; born May 9, 1964), known professionally as Sonja Sohn, is an American actress, activist and filmmaker, best known for portraying Baltimore detective Kima Greggs in the HBO drama ''The Wire'' (2002–2008). She i ...

as Laverne Johnson (seasons 1 and 3,4), Brandon's mother. * Cedric Young as Sonny (seasons 1–3), Q's brother and Emmett's boss. * LaDonna Tittle as Ethel Davis (seasons 1–3), Ronnie's grandmother. * Tyla Abercrumbie as Nina Williams, Kevin and Keisha's mother. * Hannaha Hall as Tiffany, the mother of Emmett's child. * José Antonio García as Mr. Gasca (seasons 1–2), Kevin's teacher. * Genesis Denise Hale as Maisha * Mariah Gordon as Andrea (season 1) * Chris Lee as Hannibal (seasons 1–3), Brandon's cousin. * Tai Davis as Tracy Roxboro, Jason's mother. *

Common Common may refer to: Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Common, common land area in Cambridge, Massachusetts * Clapham Common, originally ...

as Rafiq (seasons 1–2) *

Crystal Dickinson Crystal Anne Dickinson is an American actress. She made her Broadway debut in the play ''Clybourne Park'' written by Bruce Norris and directed by Pam MacKinnon. Early life and education Crystal Dickinson was born in New Jersey. She graduated ...

as Detective Alice Toussaint (season 2) * Miriam A. Hyman as Dre (since season 3), Nina's partner who is a high school counselor. * Jasmine Davis as Imani (season 3-4), Trig's girlfriend. She leaves Trig in the season 5 premiere after she sees a video of Trig beating up a teen *

La La Anthony Alani Nicole "La La" Anthony (née Vázquez; born June 25, 1979 ) is an American television personality and actress. In the early 2000s, she worked as an MTV VJ on ''Total Request Live''. She was the host of the VH1 reality television reunion ...

as Dominque "Dom" Morris (since season 3) * Judae'a Brown as Jemma (since season 3) *

Kandi Burruss Kandi Lenice Burruss Tucker (born May 17, 1976), known professionally by her mononym Kandi, is an American producer, television personality, singer, songwriter and actress. She first gained notice in 1992 as a member of the female vocal group Xs ...

as Roselyn Perry (since season 3), Douda's estranged wife. *

as Camille Hallaway (season 3), a mayoral candidate. *

Lil Rel Howery Milton "Lil Rel" Howery Jr. (born December 17, 1979) is an American actor and comedian. Howery is known for playing Robert Carmichael in NBC's television comedy series ''The Carmichael Show'' (2015–2017) and Transportation Security Administratio ...

as Zeke Remnick (season 3), Sonny's landlord. * Tabitha Brown as Octavia (season 4) * Jason Weaver as Rashaad "Shaad" Marshall (since season 4) *

Vic Mensa Vic (; es, Vic or Pancracio Celdrán (2004). Diccionario de topónimos españoles y sus gentilicios (5ª edición). Madrid: Espasa Calpe. p. 843. ISBN 978-84-670-3054-9. «Vic o Vich (viquense, vigitano, vigatán, ausense, ausetano, ausonense): ...

as Jamal (season 4) *

Da Brat Shawntae Harris-Dupart (born April 14, 1974), better known by her stage name Da Brat, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, she began her career in 1992, the year she signed with So So Def Records. Her debut album '' Fun ...

as LaPortia (season 4) *

Cory Hardrict Cory Hardrict (born November 9, 1979) is an American actor. He has appeared in film and television since the late 1990s. Personal life Hardrict was born in Chicago, Illinois. After dating for six years, Hardrict and actress Tia Mowry were engage ...

as Dante (season 4—5)

Episodes

Season 1 (2018)

Season 2 (2019)

Season 3 (2020)

Season 4 (2021)

Season 5 (2022)

Production

On January 30, 2018, Showtime renewed the series for a second season which premiered on April 7, 2019. On April 30, 2019, Showtime renewed the series for a third season which premiered on June 21, 2020. On May 20, 2019, it was announced that

would not be returning to the show for season 3 because of "misconduct allegations". His character was killed off in the season 3 premiere On September 8, 2020, Showtime renewed the series for a fourth season which premiered on May 23, 2021. In March 2021, production on the series was paused due to a positive

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quick ...

test. On August 2, 2021, after the conclusion of the fourth season, it was announced that the series was renewed for a fifth season. The fifth season premiered on June 24, 2022. On August 18, 2022, the series was renewed for season six before the conclusion of season five.

Reception

Critical response

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

, the first season holds a "certified fresh" approval rating of 87% based on 47 reviews, and an average rating of 7.47/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Like an optimistic companion to ''

The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American crime drama television series created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon. The series was broadcast by the cable network HBO in the United States. ''The Wire'' premiered on June 2 ...

'', ''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." On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, the season has a weighted average score of 73 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Accolades

References

Notes

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chi, The 2010s American black television series 2020s American black television series 2010s American crime drama television series 2020s American crime drama television series 2018 American television series debuts Coming-of-age television shows Showtime (TV network) original programming English-language television shows Television series about organized crime Television series by 20th Century Fox Television Television shows directed by Justin Tipping Television shows set in Chicago Television shows filmed in Illinois Gangs in fiction Works about African-American organized crime Television series by Kapital Entertainment