The Chi
American drama television series (2018-present)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Chi (/ˈʃaɪ/ SHY) is an American drama television series created by Lena Waithe about life in a neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago.[4] In May 2024, the series was renewed for a seventh season; which premiered on May 18, 2025.[5][6] In May 2025, the series was renewed for an eighth season.[7] Five months later, it was announced that the eighth season would be the final season.[8]
GenreDrama
Created byLena Waithe
Starring
- Jason Mitchell
- Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine
- Jacob Latimore
- Alex R. Hibbert
- Tiffany Boone
- Yolonda Ross
- Armando Riesco
- Barton Fitzpatrick
- Shamon Brown Jr.
- Michael V. Epps
- Birgundi Baker
- Luke James
- Curtiss Cook
- Lynn Whitfield
- Hannaha Hall
- Jason Weaver
- Ahmad Nicholas Ferguson
- Cortez Smith
- Rolando Bryce
- Daniel J. Watts
- Rotimi
ComposerPatrick Warren
| The Chi | |
|---|---|
| |
| Genre | Drama |
| Created by | Lena Waithe |
| Starring |
|
| Composer | Patrick Warren |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 7 |
| No. of episodes | 78 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 46–58 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | Showtime |
| Release | January 7, 2018 – September 24, 2023 |
| Network | Paramount+ with Showtime |
| Release | May 12, 2024 – present |
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."[9]
Cast
| Name | Portrayed by | Seasons | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | ||
| Brandon Johnson | Jason Mitchell | Main | ||||||
| Ronnie Davis | Ntare Mwine | Main | ||||||
| Emmett Washington | Jacob Latimore | Main | ||||||
| Kevin Williams | Alex R. Hibbert | Main | ||||||
| Jerrika Little | Tiffany Boone | Main | ||||||
| Jada Washington | Yolonda Ross | Main | ||||||
| Detective Armando Cruz | Armando Riesco | Main | ||||||
| Reg Taylor | Barton Fitzpatrick | Recurring | Main | Main | ||||
| Jake Taylor | Michael V. Epps | Recurring | Main | |||||
| Stanley "Papa" Jackson | Shamon Brown Jr. | Recurring | Main | |||||
| Kiesha Williams | Birgundi Baker | Recurring | Main | |||||
| Victor "Trig" Taylor | Luke James | Recurring | Main | |||||
| Otis "Douda" Perry | Curtiss Cook | Recurring | Main | |||||
| Alicia | Lynn Whitfield | Recurring | Main | |||||
| Riley Dalton | Wendy Raquel Robinson | Recurring | ||||||
Main
- Jason Mitchell as Brandon Johnson[4] (seasons 1–2)
- Ntare Mwine as Ronnie Davis (seasons 1–3)
- Jacob Latimore as Emmett Washington[10]
- Alex R. Hibbert as Kevin Williams (seasons 1–6)
- Tiffany Boone as Jerrika Little (seasons 1–2), Brandon's girlfriend
- Yolonda Ross as Jada Washington (seasons 1–7),[10] Emmett's mother
- Armando Riesco as Detective Cruz (seasons 1–2)
- Rolando Boyce as Darnell Carway (season 2–present), Emmett's father
- Barton Fitzpatrick as Reg Taylor (season 2; recurring; season 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[11]
- Luke James as Victor "Trig" Taylor (season 4–present; recurring; season 3), Reg and Jake's estranged older brother[12]
- Curtiss Cook as Otis "Douda" Perry (seasons 4–6; recurring; seasons 2–3)[13]
- Lynn Whitfield as Alicia (season 7; recurring season 6), Shaad's lover
- Hannaha Hall as Tiffany (season 8;[14] recurring seasons 1–7, the mother of Emmett's child[15]
- Jason Weaver as Rashaad "Shaad" Marshall (season 8;[14] seasons 4–7)[13]
Recurring
- Lucien Cambric as Jason Roxboro (season 1)
- Jahking Guillory as Charles Frederick "Coogie" Johnson (seasons 1, 5, and 6)[16]
- Brian King as Detective Wallace (season 1)
- Steven Williams as Quentin "Q" Dickinson (seasons 1 and 5), a kingpin elder
- Tosin Morohunfola as Trice (season 1)
- Byron Bowers as Meldrick[17] (season 1)
- Sonja Sohn as Laverne Johnson (seasons 1, 3 and 4),[16] 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 (seasons 1–6), Kevin and Keisha's mother
- Sherrice Eaglin as Vanessa "Peaches" Taylor (seasons 5-6) Jake Trig and Reg mother a recovering a heroin addict
- 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 as Rafiq (seasons 1–2)
- Crystal Dickinson as Detective Alice Toussaint (season 2)
- Miriam A. Hyman as Dre (season 3–present), Nina's partner who is a high school counselor[18]
- Jasmine Davis as Imani (seasons 3 and 4), Trig's girlfriend
- La La Anthony as Dominque "Dom" Morris (seasons 3–present)[11]
- Cortez Smith as Isiah "Nuck" Rogers (season 3–present), Douda's former right-hand man, In season 6 finale, he kills Douda and take over, as new leader of the 63rd street mob.
- Judae'a Brown as Jemma (season 3–present)
- Kandi Burruss as Roselyn Perry (season 3–present), Douda's estranged wife[19]
- Lena Waithe as Camille Hallaway (season 3), a mayoral candidate
- Lil Rel Howery as Zeke Remnick (season 3),[11] Sonny's landlord.
- L'lerrét Jazelle as Fatima (season 5–present), Victor's love interest
- Ahmad Ferguson as Bakari (season 3–present)
- Tabitha Brown as Octavia (season 4)[13]
- Vic Mensa as Jamal (seasons 4 and 6)[20]
- Da Brat as LaPorsha (seasons 4 and 6)[20]
- Cory Hardrict as Dante (season 4–present)
- Zaria Imani Primer as Lynae (season 4–present)
- Iman Shumpert as Rob (seasons 4–6), Tiffany's love interest
- Amari Ferguson as Britney (season 6)
- Kadeem Hardison as Professor Gardner (season 6)
- Jill Marie Jones as Bianca (season 6)
- Leon Robinson as Alonzo (season 6), Alicia's ex-husband, Rob's father
- Kennedy Amaya as Kenya (season 6–present), Papa's love interest & Zay's lover
- Aaron Guy as Zay (season 6–present), Kenya's lover
- Daniel J. Watts as Pastor Zeke, (seasons 6–present)
- Brett Gray as Damien (season 6–present), Darnell's son, Emmett's half-brother
- Rotimi as Charles (season 7–present; guest season 6), a former assistant of Pastor Zeke, who returns to church for a second chance[21]
- Wendy Raquel Robinson as Riley Dalton (season 7)
Episodes
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||
| 1 | 10 | December 15, 2017 (online) January 7, 2018 (Showtime) | March 18, 2018 | |
| 2 | 10 | April 4, 2019 (online) April 7, 2019 (Showtime) | June 16, 2019 | |
| 3 | 10 | June 21, 2020 | August 23, 2020 | |
| 4 | 10 | May 23, 2021 | August 1, 2021 | |
| 5 | 10 | June 24, 2022
(online) June 26, 2022 | September 4, 2022 | |
| 6 | 16 | 8 | August 6, 2023 | September 24, 2023 |
| 8 | May 12, 2024 | June 30, 2024 | ||
| 7 | 12 | May 18, 2025 | August 3, 2025 | |
Season 1 (2018)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Pilot" | Rick Famuyiwa | Lena Waithe | December 15, 2017 (online) January 7, 2018 (Showtime) | 1BEO78 | 0.533[22] |
| 2 | 2 | "Alee" | David Rodriguez | Elwood Reid & Lena Waithe | January 7, 2018 (online) January 14, 2018 (Showtime) | 1BEO02 | 0.570[23] |
| 3 | 3 | "Ghosts" | David Rodriguez | Adam Glass & Ayanna Floyd Davis | January 21, 2018 | 1BEO03 | 0.707[24] |
| 4 | 4 | "Quaking Grass" | Tanya Hamilton | Story by : Elwood Reid & Mike Flynn Teleplay by : Elwood Reid & Justin Hillian | January 28, 2018 | 1BEO04 | 0.751[25] |
| 5 | 5 | "Today Was a Good Day" | Darren Grant | Marcus Gardley | February 11, 2018 | 1BEO05 | 0.679[26] |
| 6 | 6 | "Penetrate a Fraud" | Roxann Dawson | Casallina Kisakye | February 18, 2018 | 1BEO06 | 0.673[27] |
| 7 | 7 | "The Whistle" | David Rodriguez | Lena Waithe & Dime Davis | February 25, 2018 | 1BEO07 | 0.791[28] |
| 8 | 8 | "Wallets" | Tanya Hamilton | Adam Glass & Marcus Gardley | March 4, 2018 | 1BEO08 | 0.675[29] |
| 9 | 9 | "Namaste Muthafucka" | Zetna Fuentes | Adam Glass & Sylvia L. Jones | March 11, 2018 | 1BEO09 | 0.797[30] |
| 10 | 10 | "Ease on Down the Road" | Justin Tipping | Elwood Reid | March 18, 2018 | 1BEO10 | 0.872[31] |
Season 2 (2019)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 1 | "Eruptions" | Jet Wilkinson | Ayanna Floyd Davis & Lena Waithe | April 4, 2019 (online) April 7, 2019 (Showtime) | 2BEO01 | 0.454[32] |
| 12 | 2 | "Every Day I'm Hustlin'" | Darren Grant | Joe Wilson | April 14, 2019 | 2BEO02 | 0.375[33] |
| 13 | 3 | "Past Due" | Justin Tipping | J. David Shanks | April 21, 2019 | 2BEO03 | 0.339[34] |
| 14 | 4 | "Showdown" | Carl Seaton | Casallina Kisakye | April 28, 2019 | 2BEO04 | 0.392[35] |
| 15 | 5 | "Feeling the Heat" | Jet Wilkinson | Ayanna Floyd Davis & Joe Wilson | May 5, 2019 | 2BEO05 | 0.439[36] |
| 16 | 6 | "A Leg Up" | Cheryl Dunye | Justin Hillian & Dime Davis | May 12, 2019 | 2BEO06 | 0.397[37] |
| 17 | 7 | "A Blind Eye" | Rebecca Rodriguez | Cinque Henderson & J. David Shanks | May 26, 2019 | 2BEO07 | 0.350[38] |
| 18 | 8 | "Lean Into It" | Salli Richardson-Whitfield | Terri Kopp | June 2, 2019 | 2BEO08 | 0.328[39] |
| 19 | 9 | "Guilt, Viral Videos, and Ass Whuppings" | Tanya Hamilton | Joe Wilson | June 9, 2019 | 2BEO09 | 0.427[40] |
| 20 | 10 | "The Scorpion and the Frog" | Jet Wilkinson | Ayanna Floyd Davis | June 16, 2019 | 2BEO10 | 0.474[41] |
Season 3 (2020)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | 1 | "Foe 'Nem" | Jet Wilkinson | Lena Waithe & Justin Hillian | June 21, 2020 | 3BEO01 | 0.348[42] |
| 22 | 2 | "Brewfurd" | Rashaad Ernesto Green | Marcus Gardley | June 28, 2020 | 3BEO02 | 0.347[43] |
| 23 | 3 | "Buss Down" | Gandja Monteiro | Lolis Eric Elie | July 5, 2020 | 3BEO03 | 0.351[44] |
| 24 | 4 | "Gangway" | Jet Wilkinson | T.J. Brady & Rasheed Newson | July 12, 2020 | 3BEO04 | 0.367[45] |
| 25 | 5 | "Terror Town" | Jet Wilkinson | Ricardo Gamboa & Nambi E. Kelley | July 19, 2020 | 3BEO05 | 0.438[46] |
| 26 | 6 | "Woo Woo Woo" | Darren Grant | Jewel McPherson | July 26, 2020 | 3BEO06 | 0.525[47] |
| 27 | 7 | "A Stain" | Sam Bailey | Marcus Gardley & Jade Branion | August 2, 2020 | 3BEO07 | 0.415[48] |
| 28 | 8 | "Frunchroom" | Jet Wilkinson | Justin Hillian | August 9, 2020 | 3BEO08 | 0.430[49] |
| 29 | 9 | "Lackin'" | Alonso Alvarez Barreda | T.J. Brady & Rasheed Newson | August 16, 2020 | 3BEO09 | 0.384[50] |
| 30 | 10 | "A Couple, Two, Three" | Rebecca Rodriguez | Justin Hillian & Jewel McPherson | August 23, 2020 | 3BEO10 | 0.382[51] |
Season 4 (2021)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | 1 | "Soul Food" | Gandja Monteiro | Lena Waithe & Justin Hillian | May 21, 2021 (online) May 23, 2021 (Showtime) | 4BEO01 | 0.335[52] |
| 32 | 2 | "Cooley High" | Gandja Monteiro | Jewel Coronel | May 30, 2021 | 4BEO02 | 0.404[53] |
| 33 | 3 | "Native Son" | Samir Rehem | Patrik-Ian Polk | June 6, 2021 | 4BEO03 | 0.310[54] |
| 34 | 4 | "The Girl from Chicago" | Samir Rehem | Resheida Brady | June 13, 2021 | 4BEO04 | 0.284[55] |
| 35 | 5 | "The Spook Who Sat by the Door" | Gandja Monteiro | Ricardo Gamboa | June 20, 2021 | 4BEO05 | 0.235[56] |
| 36 | 6 | "Candyman" | Nancy C. Mejía | James Rogers III | June 27, 2021 | 4BEO06 | 0.284[57] |
| 37 | 7 | "...Black Messiah" | Kimi Howl Lee | Jewel Coronel & Kristiana Rae Colón | July 11, 2021 | 4BEO07 | 0.253[58] |
| 38 | 8 | "Love Jones" | Katrelle N. Kindred | Justin Hillian & Resheida Brady | July 18, 2021 | 4BEO08 | 0.324[59] |
| 39 | 9 | "Southside with You" | Nancy C. Mejía | Jewel Coronel & Deonte' Staats | July 25, 2021 | 4BEO09 | 0.258[60] |
| 40 | 10 | "A Raisin in the Sun" | Gandja Monteiro | Justin Hillian | August 1, 2021 | 4BEO10 | 0.289[61] |
Season 5 (2022)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | 1 | "Overnight Celebrity" | Nancy C. Mejía | Lena Waithe & Justin Hillian | June 24, 2022 (online) June 26, 2022 (Showtime) | 5BEO01 | 0.152[62] |
| 42 | 2 | "Oh Girl" | Katrelle N. Kindred | Jewel Coronel | July 3, 2022 | 5BEO02 | 0.187[63] |
| 43 | 3 | "This Christmas" | Katrelle N. Kindred | Resheida Brady | July 10, 2022 | 5BEO03 | 0.209[64] |
| 44 | 4 | "On Me" | Deondray Gossfield & Quincy LeNear Gossfield | Kristiana Rae Colón | July 17, 2022 | 5BEO04 | 0.235[65] |
| 45 | 5 | "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off" | Boma Iluma | Ricardo Gamboa | July 24, 2022 | 5BEO05 | 0.249[66] |
| 46 | 6 | "Bring It on Home to Me" | Cierra 'Shooter' Glaudé | Shaye Ogbonna | July 31, 2022 | 5BEO06 | 0.203[67] |
| 47 | 7 | "Angels" | Cierra 'Shooter' Glaudé | Mia Brumfield & Jewel Coronel | August 7, 2022 | 5BEO07 | 0.196[68] |
| 48 | 8 | "Sweet Thing" | Nancy C. Mejía | Resheida Brady | August 14, 2022 | 5BEO08 | 0.207[69] |
| 49 | 9 | "I'm Looking for a New Thing" | Marvin Lemus | Ricardo Gamboa | August 28, 2022 | 5BEO09 | 0.218[70] |
| 50 | 10 | "I Am the Blues" | Nancy C. Mejía | Jewel Coronel | September 4, 2022 | 5BEO10 | 0.148[71] |
Season 6 (2023–24)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date [b] | Prod. code | U.S. viewers (millions) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part 1 | ||||||||||||
| 51 | 1 | "New Chi City" | Nancy C. Mejía | Lena Waithe & Justin Hillian | August 6, 2023 | 6BEO01 | 0.192[72] | |||||
| 52 | 2 | "Mo' Douda, Mo' Problems" | Johnson Cheng | Jewel Coronel | August 13, 2023 | 6BEO02 | 0.196[72] | |||||
| 53 | 3 | "House Party" | Rashaad Ernesto Green | Resheida Brady & Mia A. Brumfield | August 20, 2023 | 6BEO03 | 0.151[72] | |||||
| 54 | 4 | "ReUp" | Anthony Shim | Kristiana Rae Colón | August 27, 2023 | 6BEO04 | 0.169[72] | |||||
| 55 | 5 | "One of Them Nights" | Johnson Cheng | Racquel Baker | September 3, 2023 | 6BEO05 | 0.170[72] | |||||
| 56 | 6 | "Boyz II Men" | Shanrica Evans | Whitney Beckwith & Jewel Coronel | September 10, 2023 | 6BEO06 | 0.117[72] | |||||
| 57 | 7 | "Long Live" | Boma Iluma | Mia A. Brumfield & Kristiana Rae Colón | September 17, 2023 | 6BEO07 | 0.163[72] | |||||
| 58 | 8 | "Who Shot Ya?" | Rashaad Ernesto Green | Resheida Brady | September 24, 2023 | 6BEO08 | 0.165[72] | |||||
| Part 2 | ||||||||||||
| 59 | 9 | "The Aftermath" | Boma Iluma | Lena Waithe & Justin Hillian | May 12, 2024 | 6BEO09 | 0.096[72] | |||||
| 60 | 10 | "Want This Smoke" | Stacy Pascal Gaspard | Jewel Coronel | May 19, 2024 | 6BEO10 | 0.096[72] | |||||
| 61 | 11 | "Saints & Sinners" | Malakai | Racquel Baker & Mia A. Brumfield | May 26, 2024 | 6BEO11 | 0.118[72] | |||||
| 62 | 12 | "City of Gold" | Deondray Gossfield & Quincy LeNear Gossfield | Kristiana Rae Colón | June 2, 2024 | 6BEO12 | 0.132[72] | |||||
| 63 | 13 | "Legacy" | Malakai | Whitney Beckwith & Jewel Coronel | June 9, 2024 | 6BEO13 | 0.092[72] | |||||
| 64 | 14 | "Smoke & Mirrors" | Deondray Gossfield & Quincy LeNear Gossfield | Racquel Callahan | June 16, 2024 | 6BEO14 | N/A | |||||
| 65 | 15 | "Tower of Terror" | Justin Hillian | Mia A. Brumfield & Jewel Coronel | June 23, 2024 | 6BEO15 | N/A | |||||
| 66 | 16 | "Thanksgiving" | Deondray Gossfield & Quincy LeNear Gossfield | Resheida Brady | June 30, 2024 | 6BEO16 | N/A | |||||
Season 7 (2025)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title [73] | Directed by | Written by [74] | Original release date [75][b] | Prod. code | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 67 | 1 | "Black Friday" | Nancy C. Mejia | Lena Waithe & Justin Hillian | May 18, 2025 | 7BEO01 | 0.118[76] |
| 68 | 2 | "The Fall Out" | Johnson Cheng | Jewel Coronel | May 25, 2025 | 7BEO02 | 0.084[77] |
| 69 | 3 | "More Life" | Stacy Pascal Gaspard | Racquel Callahan | June 1, 2025 | 7BEO03 | 0.105[78] |
| 70 | 4 | "Mother's Day" | Hannah Bang | Resheida Brady | June 8, 2025 | 7BEO04 | N/A |
| 71 | 5 | "Safe Harbor" | Deondray Gossfield & Quincy LeNear Gossfield | Kristiana Rae Colón | June 15, 2025 | 7BEO05 | 0.121[79] |
| 72 | 6 | "Do the Chi Thing" | Stacy Pascal Gaspard | James Rogers III | June 22, 2025 | 7BEO06 | N/A |
| 73 | 7 | "Unfinished Business" | Boma Iluma | Mia A. Brumfield | June 29, 2025 | 7BEO07 | N/A |
| 74 | 8 | "A Bet Is a Bet" | Deondray Gossfield & Quincy LeNear Gossfield | Whitney Beckwith | July 6, 2025 | 7BEO08 | N/A |
| 75 | 9 | "Last Respects" | Shanrica Evans | Resheida Brady | July 13, 2025 | 7BEO09 | 0.146[80] |
| 76 | 10 | "Tha Block Is Hot" | Haley Elizabeth Anderson | James Rogers III | July 20, 2025 | 7BEO10 | 0.145[81] |
| 77 | 11 | "Ready or Not" | Justin Hillian | Kristiana Rae Colón & Michael Blevins | July 27, 2025 | 7BEO11 | 0.113[82] |
| 78 | 12 | "Rebirth" | Deondray Gossfield & Quincy LeNear Gossfield | Jewel Coronel | August 3, 2025 | 7BEO12 | 0.150[83] |
Production
On January 30, 2018, Showtime renewed the series for a second season which premiered on April 7, 2019.[84][85] On April 30, 2019, Showtime renewed the series for a third season which premiered on June 21, 2020.[86][87] On May 20, 2019, it was announced that Jason Mitchell would not be returning to the show for season 3 because of "misconduct allegations". His character was killed off in the season 3 premiere.[88] On September 8, 2020, Showtime renewed the series for a fourth season which premiered on May 23, 2021.[89][90] In March 2021, production on the series was paused due to a positive COVID-19 test.[91] On August 2, 2021, after the conclusion of the fourth season, it was announced that the series was renewed for a fifth season.[92] The fifth season premiered on June 24, 2022.[93] On August 18, 2022, the series was renewed for season six before the conclusion of season five.[94] On May 8, 2024, Paramount+ With Showtime renewed the series for a seventh season[5] that wrapped production on early October 2024.[95] The seventh season premiered on Paramount+ With Showtime on May 16, 2025, before making its air debut two days later on Showtime.[6] On May 29, 2025, the series was renewed for an eighth season.[7] On October 1, 2025, it was reported that the eight season is going to be the final season.[8]. Production on season 8 started on January 2026.[96]
Release
The Chi premiered on January 7, 2018, on Showtime.
Home media
20th Century Fox Television released Seasons 1 and 2 of The Chi on DVD in Region 1.[97][98]
| DVD name | Ep # | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| The Complete First Season | 10 | November 10, 2018 |
| The Complete Second Season | 10 | December 17, 2019 |
Reception
Critical response
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds an approval rating of 87% based on 47 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10. 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."[99] On Metacritic, the season has a weighted average score of 73 out of 100 based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[100]
Accolades
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Black Reel Awards | Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series | Rick Famuyiwa | Won | [101] |
| 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 | |||
| ReFrame Stamp | IMDbPro Top 200 Scripted TV Recipients | The Chi | Won | [102] | |
| 2021 | Gracie Allen Awards | Writer Scripted - Drama | Lena Waithe | Won | [103] |
| NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited Series) | Alex R. Hibbert | Nominated | [104] | |
| ReFrame Stamp | IMDbPro Top 200 Scripted TV Recipients | The Chi | Won | [105] | |
| Young Artist Awards | Best Performance in a TV Series - Leading Young Artist | Alex R. Hibbert | Nominated | [106] | |
| 2022 | GLAAD Media Awards | Outstanding Drama Series | The Chi | Nominated | [107] |
