The Chi

Elegantly told and compellingly watchable Showtime drama.

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.

[The Chi] is well-made and involving and enlivened at every turn by a multigenerational cast whose youngest members are as impressive as the veterans.

Everything is a little too this or too that, and by the time we get to the end of the first season, I wouldn’t be surprised if the series still feels like a work-in-progress. But none of that ultimately matters much, because the characters, the atmosphere, and the feeling of the show are so assured, and the sense of life is so exuberant and personal. This is a TV series that loves its characters and appreciates the environment they move through.

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.

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.

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.

[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.

The Chi works because of authenticity in many areas, including performance, direction and sense of place, but just misses reaching its potential because the script doesn’t always make the daisy chain of violence credible.

The execution, so to speak, is not always subtle--Mr. Famuyiwa creates moments of gritty poetry, while other episodes are more bluntly propulsive; some of the dialogue is beyond pedestrian. But there’s a wealth of acting talent being showcased on Showtime, and a number of performances that, as has been said about Chicago itself, won’t let you down.

If its ambitions sometimes outstrip its execution, the drama’s generosity and seriousness of purpose give heft to its most successful storylines.

Progressing with a crime-focused story arc that struggles to cohere, The Chi is much better when it transpires in livings rooms and kitchens instead of alleys and poorly lit sidewalks.

Even when the plots goes down familiar dark roads, these characters are determined not to end up as cliches--or statistics. [25 Dec 2017 - 7 Jan 2018, p.15]

Waithe proves that Emmy for writing was no fluke--script and cast are outstanding--but The Chi takes on too much, too soon, and the story loses focus and latent power as a consequence.

It is a sometimes frustrating experience in that there’s a lot to like regarding ambition and ensemble, but the writing often strains to connect its multiple threads in a way that feels organic. The show’s examination of the cycle of violence in particular feels forced and doesn’t really get to the truth about the way crime intrinsically feeds on itself.

Showtime’s The Chi floats like a worthy successor to “The Wire” and then descends into the sort of bathos of a Tyler Perry production.

It's the writing that gets in the way of some of the believability issues in The Chi. Some of this might work out with more episodes as Waithe and her writing staff breathe more life into the characters. Several additional storylines aren't fleshed out enough yet to know if they'll become interesting. With barely half the stories and characters piquing interest early on, The Chi doesn't come out of the gate strong and will have to overcome structural weaknesses and acting issues to have any chance to succeed, so patience will be needed.