Showtime Picks Up New TV Series Set on South Side

CHICAGO, IL — Television continues its current love affair with Chicago as Showtime has given a series order for "The Chi," an hourlong drama set on the South Side, according to entertainment news website Deadline.

"The Chi" is a series developed by Chicago natives Lena Waithe and Common, as well as novelist Elwood Reid, the report stated. A pilot was shot last year, but Showtime had the producers redevelop the series, and Rick Famuyiwa, the writer and director of "Dope," was brought in to direct a new premiere episode and be an executive producer, the report added.

The series follows a six interrelated characters living and coming of age on Chicago's South Side, the report stated. It stars Jason Mitchell, who played N.W.A rapper Eazy-E in 2015's "Straight Outta Compton," as someone who eventually wants to open his own restaurant but struggles with his responsibilities to his mom and younger brother, the report added.

"The Chi" will be the second Showtime series set on the South Side. "Shameless," which recently was renewed by the pay-cable channel for an eighth season, follows the Gallagher family living in the Back of the Yards neighborhood.

Chicago also is the backdrop for the latest TV franchise by "Law & Order" impresario Dick Wolf. "Chicago Fire," "Chicago PD," "Chicago Med" and the upcoming "Chicago Justice" are a quartet of loosely connected series on NBC that follow characters in Chicago's fire and police departments, as well as a city hospital and the state's attorney's office.

More via Deadline

Lena Waithe (left) and Common (Waithe photo via Netflix; Common photo by Luigi Novi | Wikimedia Commons)

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