The Chi

The Chi is an American drama television series created by Lena Waithe about life in a neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago. In May 2024, the series was renewed for a seventh season; which premiered on May 18, 2025. In May 2025, the series was renewed for an eighth season. Five months later, it was announced that the eighth season would be the final 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 as Brandon Johnson
Ntare Mwine as Ronnie Davis
Jacob Latimore as Emmett Washington
Alex R. Hibbert as Kevin Williams
Tiffany Boone as Jerrika Little, Brandon's girlfriend
Yolonda Ross as Jada Washington, Emmett's mother
Armando Riesco as Detective Cruz
Rolando Boyce as Darnell Carway, Emmett's father
Barton Fitzpatrick as Reg Taylor, Jake's older brother and gang leader
Shamon Brown Jr. as Stanley "Papa" Jackson, Kevin and Jake's best friend
Michael V. Epps as Jake Taylor, Kevin and Papa's best friend and Reg and Trig's younger brother
Birgundi Baker as Kiesha Williams, Kevin's older sister
Luke James as Victor "Trig" Taylor, Reg and Jake's estranged older brother
Curtiss Cook as Otis "Douda" Perry
Lynn Whitfield as Alicia, Shaad's lover
Hannaha Hall as Tiffany
Recurring
Lucien Cambric as Jason Roxboro
Jahking Guillory as Charles Frederick "Coogie" Johnson
Brian King as Detective Wallace
Steven Williams as Quentin "Q" Dickinson, a kingpin elder
Tosin Morohunfola as Trice
Byron Bowers as Meldrick
Sonja Sohn as Laverne Johnson, 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
Sherrice Eaglin as Vanessa "Peaches" Taylor Jake Trig and Reg mother a recovering a heroin addict
José Antonio García as Mr. Gasca, Kevin's teacher
Genesis Denise Hale as Maisha
Mariah Gordon as Andrea
Chris Lee as Hannibal, Brandon's cousin
Tai Davis as Tracy Roxboro, Jason's mother
Common as Rafiq
Crystal Dickinson as Detective Alice Toussaint
Miriam A. Hyman as Dre, Nina's partner who is a high school counselor
Jasmine Davis as Imani, Trig's girlfriend
La La Anthony as Dominque "Dom" Morris
Cortez Smith as Isiah "Nuck" Rogers, 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
Kandi Burruss as Roselyn Perry, Douda's estranged wife
Lena Waithe as Camille Hallaway, a mayoral candidate
Lil Rel Howery as Zeke Remnick, Sonny's landlord.
L'lerrét Jazelle as Fatima, Victor's love interest
Ahmad Ferguson as Bakari
Tabitha Brown as Octavia
Vic Mensa as Jamal
Da Brat as LaPorsha
Cory Hardrict as Dante
Zaria Imani Primer as Lynae
Iman Shumpert as Rob, Tiffany's love interest
Amari Ferguson as Britney
Kadeem Hardison as Professor Gardner
Jill Marie Jones as Bianca
Leon Robinson as Alonzo, Alicia's ex-husband, Rob's father
Kennedy Amaya as Kenya, Papa's love interest & Zay's lover
Aaron Guy as Zay, Kenya's lover
Daniel J. Watts as Pastor Zeke,
Brett Gray as Damien, Darnell's son, Emmett's half-brother
Rotimi as Charles, a former assistant of Pastor Zeke, who returns to church for a second chance
Wendy Raquel Robinson as Riley Dalton
Episodes

Season 1 (2018)

Season 2 (2019)

Season 3 (2020)

Season 4 (2021)

Season 5 (2022)

Season 6 (2023–24)

Season 7 (2025)

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 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. 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 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. On May 8, 2024, Paramount+ With Showtime renewed the series for a seventh season that wrapped production on early October 2024. The seventh season premiered on Paramount+ With Showtime on May 16, 2025, before making its air debut two days later on Showtime. On May 29, 2025, the series was renewed for an eighth season. On October 1, 2025, it was reported that the eight season is going to be the final season.. Production on season 8 started on January 2026.

Release

The Chi premiered on January 7, 2018, on Showtime.

Home media

released Seasons 1 and 2 of The Chi on DVD in Region 1.

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