Showtime Announces a Release Date for ‘The Chi’ Season 2

Showtime has announced the season 2 release date for The Chi and gifted viewers with a trailer illustrating the upcoming storyline. Created and executive produced by Lena Waithe, alongside fellow executive producer Common, the coming-of-age series will return on April 7, at 10pm EST.

The Chi follows a group characters as they combat particular challenges while living on the Southside of Chicago. Upon watching the trailer, it’s clear the upcoming season will feature Alex Hibbert’s character Kevin grappling with the trauma he’s experienced and attempting to understand how to confront his emotions. In addition to Hibbert, the ensemble of the show’s cast include Jason Mitchell, Jacob Latimore, Yolonda Ross, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, and Tiffany Boone. The drama series illustrates the characters’ successes and challenges, evoking both anguish and joy.

According to Deadline, the first season of The Chi recorded 4.5 million weekly viewers, which makes the show the highest-rated freshman series on the network since Billions in 2016. Ayanna Floyd will be this season’s showrunner in addition to joining Waithe and Common as an executive producer. 

Prior to the airing of the first season, Waithe told Complex that she developed The Chi to tell the stories of the individuals who weren’t being covered in the nightly news. She explained her aim was to “create these characters that are human and interesting and living in a city that was riddled with turmoil and gun violence and yet, they still have to live their day-to-day lives. They have families and they have brothers and they have kids and they go to school and they have dreams.”