The Chi to End with Season 8 on Paramount+ with SHOWTIME

The Chi will conclude with its eighth season on Paramount+ with SHOWTIME.

Deadline exclusively reported the news that “the decision comes ahead of the start of production on Season 8, slated for early next year, allowing the creative team to craft a proper ending.” 

The series was renewed for Season 8 after only two episodes of its seventh season, which concluded its 12-episode run in August.

With its final season, The Chi becomes tied with Dexter, Homeland, and Weeds as the second-longest-running SHOWTIME series. Shameless, with its 11-season run, is the first. 

Created by executive producer Lena Waithe under her Hillman Grad banner, the Chicago-set series stars Lynn Whitfield, Jacob Latimore, Yolonda Ross, Michael V. Epps, Shamon Brown Jr., Birgundi Baker, Luke James, and Wendy Raquel Robinson.

Co-showrunners Justin Hillian (Hillianaire Productions) and Jewel Coronel, executive produce The Chi alongside Common.

The executive producers also include Aaron Kaplan, Rick Famuyiwa, Resheida Brady-Anderson, Derek Dudley and Shelby Stone of ID8 Multimedia, as well as Naomi Funabashi, who oversees for Hillman Grad, and Rishi Rajani, CEO of Hillman Grad. Supervising producers Deondray Gossfield and Quincy LeNear Gossfield directed episodes in Season 7. 

Per Variety, Waithe released a statement about The Chi ending, which reads as follows: 

“When I created The Chi, it wasn’t just about making a TV show—it was about owning our narratives and telling our stories with truth, care, nuance and complexity. It was about showing the soul of the South Side—the beauty, the pain, the grit, and the magic that lives in every block, and in every family.

After much reflection, we have made the decision to end The Chi with season 8. I know, for the sake of our story and our characters, it’s the right thing. I am committed to delivering a final season that our Chi Family deserves.

It’s been the honor of my life to build a platform for artists to shine—not just in front of the camera, but behind the scenes as well. To helm the longest-running Black drama on television is a huge honor and it’s something I don’t take lightly.

I’m deeply grateful to every single person who helped build this world—our writers, actors and crew who give so much of themselves to make this show what it is. As for what the future holds, I still plan on telling stories, continuing to build community, and making space for us all to be seen.”

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The Chi is streaming on Paramount+ with SHOWTIME.

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