Critic Reviews

Elegantly told and compellingly watchable Showtime drama.

Whether young, old or in-between, all of these characters resonate in their own distinct ways as The Chi builds both momentum and suspense. This is no small achievement for Waithe, whose first TV series under her direct control is bursting with flavor and humanity in a South Chicago proving ground. The footing is always slippery, but the storytelling remains bracingly sure-footed.

At the center of The Chi's large and immensely talented ensemble class is Jason Mitchell (Mudbound) playing Brandon, a chef who daydreams about opening a restaurant of his own with girlfriend Jerrika (Tiffany Boone, The Following) while trying to slow the steady slide of his mother Laverne (Sonja Sohn, The Wire) in alcoholism.

Once The Chi puts its characters in place and starts moving in its second and third episodes, viewers might forgive the too-coincidental circumstances that brought them together. More important is the emotion and humanity of these characters, and The Chi offers a remarkably raw portrayal of their strengths and flaws, for better or worse.

Absorbing and organic from practically the get-go, The Chi will inevitably draw comparisons to "The Wire," the definitive drama about the perils of inner-city life. Yet this richly detailed look at intersecting paths, cutting across generations, quickly carves its own niche, one where tragedy begets tragedy, and vengeance comes with consequences.

[Lena Waithe] gives us a large ensemble of Chicagoans, each well-drawn, and then slowly links them together--on occasion, a little awkwardly--across the first four episodes made available to critics. What at the start might seem like a somewhat random selection of neighborhood folks becomes increasingly intentional. The focus sharpens with each hour.

There is a police story, which moves slowly at the periphery and is so far not too distinctive. But in its best moments, The Chi offers a glimpse of the sort of stories these characters might live in if circumstance didn’t make them players in a murder case.

Where The Chi really shines though is in the way Waithe and her writers room have a talent for crafting natural dialogue and the cadence of everyday speech. Despite its dark turns, the series also trades in hope, and it’s instantly engaging on an emotional level.

Created and written by Emmy winner Lena Waithe (“Master of None”), The Chi isn’t always an easy show to watch, but it imbues its characters with a humanity and complexity that makes the series commendable.

The meat of the story, a group of black men caught up in senseless, endemic violence, feels familiar, if with some very good acting, particularly from Mitchell. It’s the stories and the characters on the margins that feel fresh.