CHICAGO BLUES
Drama centers on men, fails to develop female roles
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.
The one-hour drama from Emmy winner Lena Waithe (“Master of None”), Elwood Reid (“The Bridge”) and musician Common (who also has a recurring role) is set primarily in a crumbling, crime-ridden Chicago neighborhood and follows several men and the chain reaction of violence sparked from an accidental discovery.
High school basketball star and aspiring artist Coogie (Jahking Guillory) has a habit of feeding a neighborhood dog on his way home.
On this night, he hears a noise and comes across a dead body, another youth, shot dead for reasons uncertain but probably having to do with the robust drug business in the area.
In investigating the murder, detective Rick Cruz (Armando Riesco) comes to realize he made a crucial mistake.
The boy's stepfather, a criminal informant named Ronnie (Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine), thirsts for street justice.
Also drawn into this web of vengeance: Coogie's brother Brandon (Jason Mitchell, “Straight Outta Compton”), a chef who dreams of opening his own restaurant; teenager Emmett (Jacob Latimore, “Detroit”), who is obsessed with hooking up, high-tops and weed; and 12-yearold Kevin (Alex Hibbert, “Moonlight”), who is trying to survive his first crush in junior high and the killer who stalks him.
Before the hour is up, another teenager will be dead, and yet another family will want blood for blood.
“The Chi” spins a maelstrom of violence that seems to have no end in sight, no hope for those ensnared. A favor often carries a lifetime of interest due. This is a story about fathers and sons and brothers, biological and those who bond on the streets.
The drama's most realistic moments capture the beats of friendship between Kevin and his pals, the assured Jake (Michael Epps) and the nerdy Papa (Shamon Brown). The boys tease and support Kevin, as tweens do, as Kevin's path to his crush leads him to a school production of “The Wiz.”
Later in the season, the boys attend a dull co-ed party — until Papa reveals a hidden talent. Then there's the urgent matter of the neighborhood killer who is determined to find Kevin.
That's a compelling story. But “The Chi's” pace is so sluggish, and its twists increasingly labored.
The third episode drops a helluva cliffhanger. The resolution feels expected and far-fetched at the same time.
The series also raises the question: Can a TV series tell a story about men without denigrating women? The women are barely sketched and range from shrewish to monstrous.
Jada (a charismatic Yolonda Ross, “How to Get Away with Murder”), Emmett's no-nonsense, not-having-any-more-grief-anymore mom, is a compelling figure who gets short shrift here. Brandon's mother Laverne (Sonja Sohn) is an abusive alcoholic. Brandon's girlfriend Jerrika (Tiffany Boone, “The Following”), a realtor, begins as a supportive presence, but you can practically count the moments to her meltdown (not that Brandon doesn't give her reason).
Creator, executive producer and writer Waithe receives second billing in Showtime's press materials to executive producer and “showrunner” Reid. That right there might tell you all about “The Chi's” foundation.