The Big Picture

• The Chi received a seventh season renewal on Showtime after a two-year hiatus.
• The series is the longest-running scripted show by Paramount+ with Showtime, surpassing Billions.
• The Chi continues to offer raw, emotional stories with unforgettable characters, led by Lena Waithe's authentic storytelling.

The Chi is getting a seventh season almost two years after its sixth season was renewed. The Hollywood Reporter reveals that Paramount+ With Showtime ordered its renewal two days before the show's return for the second half of season 6, which will debut on May 10 before its linear debut on Showtime on May 12 at 9 p.m.ET/PT. Meanwhile, production for the seventh season is scheduled to begin later this month in Chicago.

The American drama series created by Lena Waithe focuses on life in a neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago. The first season premiered on Showtime in January 2018, while its latest season, season 6, was renewed in August 2022. The first half of the sixth season premiered a year later, consisting of eight episodes, while its second half will premiere on May 12, 2024, also with eight episodes.

The Chi is Paramount+ With Showtime’s longest-running current scripted show, which it earned after Brian Koppelman, David Levien, and Andrew Ross Sorkin's Billions came to an end with its seventh season last year. Jacob Latimore, Alex Hibbert, Yolonda Ross, Shamon Brown Jr., Michael V. Epps, Birgundi Baker, Luke James and Curtiss Cook star in The Chi, while Waithe executive produces with Common.

'The Chi' Will Continue With Its Raw, Emotional Stories & Unforgettable Characters

Waithe's work on The Chi is beyond phenomenal and many believe her storytelling is original. The president of content and chief creative officer for Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and Paramount Media Networks, Nina L. Diaz, shares this opinion as she says, "Lena Waithe is a generational storyteller, whose authentic and unflinching narratives in The Chi resonate deeply, offering a powerful lens into both the complexities of life in Chicago as well as the Black experience in America."

Diaz adds, "On the heels of a record-breaking season and ahead of this week’s return, we’re excited to provide fans with the promise of more; ensuring that they can continue to enjoy the raw, emotional stories and unforgettable characters that have made this seminal series a resounding success for Showtime."

Besides Waithe and Common, other executive producers of The Chi include co-showrunners Justin Hillian and Jewel Coronel, Aaron Kaplan, Rick Famuyiwa, ID8 Media’s Derek Dudley and Shelby Stone, and the CEO of Hillman Grad, Rishi Rajani. Naomi Funabashi of Hillman Grad and Resheida Brady are co-executive producers, while producers Deondray Gossfield and Quincy LeNear Gossfield directed several episodes in season 6.

The Chi is available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.