Chicago Tunes In To ‘The Chi’

By Meha Ahmad
Lena Waithe, second from left, creator/executive producer of the Showtime series “The Chi,” answers a reporter’s question as cast members Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, top left, and Yolonda Ross, top right, and executive producer Common look on during a panel discussion on the show at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018, in Pasadena, Calif.
Lena Waithe, second from left, creator/executive producer of the Showtime series "The Chi," answers a reporter's question as cast members Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, top left, and Yolonda Ross, top right, and executive producer Common look on during a panel discussion on the show at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018, in Pasadena, Calif. Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
Lena Waithe, second from left, creator/executive producer of the Showtime series “The Chi,” answers a reporter’s question as cast members Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, top left, and Yolonda Ross, top right, and executive producer Common look on during a panel discussion on the show at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018, in Pasadena, Calif.
Lena Waithe, second from left, creator/executive producer of the Showtime series "The Chi," answers a reporter's question as cast members Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, top left, and Yolonda Ross, top right, and executive producer Common look on during a panel discussion on the show at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018, in Pasadena, Calif. Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

Chicago Tunes In To ‘The Chi’

By Meha Ahmad
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On Sunday, Emmy Award-winning writer and Chicago native Lena Waithe debuted her new show The Chi, a drama on showtime depicting life on Chicago’s South Side. 

Although Chicago is experiencing a sort of television boom with several shows set and filmed around town — including Empire, Power, and Dick Wolf shows Chicago PD and Chicago Fire, to name a few — not many, unlike The Chi, are created by actual Chicagoans.

And Waithe isn’t the only native on board of the Showtime series. Oscar winner, actor, and rapper Common is executive producer and will make an appearance on the show. 

When Morning Shift’s Jenn White spoke to Waithe last week, Waithe talked about the importance of telling an authentic South Side story through both humor and drama. Did the show succeed in Waithe’s vision or miss the mark? Morning Shift put together a very Chicago-y team of folks to give their reviews of the show’s debut.