The Chi Renewed for Season 2 at Showtime, Sets New Showrunner

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Jul 26, 2014
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“The Chi” has been renewed for a second season at Showtime, the premium cabler announced Tuesday.
The renewal comes after the series has aired just four episodes of its 10 episode first season. In addition, Ayanna Floyd Davis has signed on for Season 2 as executive producer and showrunner. Davis, who wrote the third episode of the series, has written for and produced shows such as “Empire,” “Hannibal,” and “Private Practice.”


Produced entirely in Chicago, “The Chi” is a coming-of-age story centering on a group of residents who become linked by coincidence but bonded by the need for connection and redemption on the city’s South Side. The series was created and executive produced by Lena Waithe.


The ensemble cast for Season 1 includes Jason Mitchel, Jacob Latimore, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, Alex Hibbert, Yolonda Ross, Armando Riesco, and Tiffany Boone.


The series has grown in the ratings each episode since its premiere. It ranks as the best Showtime series premiere since “Billions” in 2016, and averages four million weekly viewers in multi-platform viewing.


“From viewers and critics alike, the response to ‘The Chi’ has been so enthusiastic from the very start that our decision to renew the series was an easy one,” said Gary Levine, Showtime’s president of programming. “We love the vibrant characters and the nuanced world that Lena has created. Her vision for ‘The Chi’ has clearly struck a chord, and we know she has many more moving, personal and resonant stories to tell about her beloved hometown.”


In addition to Waithe, the series is also executive produced by Common, Elwood Reid, Aaron Kaplan, and Rick Famuyiwa, who also directed the pilot episode. Derek Dudley and Shelby Stone of Freedom Road Productions also executive produce. The series is produced by Fox 21 Television Studios.


“The Chi” airs Sunday nights at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Showtime.

‘The Chi’ Renewed for Season 2 at Showtime, Sets New Showrunner – Variety