‘The Chi’ Returns to Showtime In June — Here’s What We Know About Season 3
Viewers are beyond ready for more episodes of The Chi — the Showtime drama following a group of black youth as they navigate life on the southside of Chicago.
The show wasn’t supposed to release its third season until July — more than a year after the end of season 2. But show creator Lena Waithe heard all of our complaints and recently announced that the premiere had been bumped up a month earlier. As we prepare for its June 21 premiere, let’s recap what happened in season 2 and what we know about season 3.
How did ‘The Chi’ Season 2 end?
After spending his entire life trying to evade the street life, Brandon winds up going into business with mobster Otis Perry. His food truck eventually catches attention from the police who later arrest Brandon after finding a gun on his truck. He is freed when the mobster arrives at the station and posts bail.
After, Brandon gets into an argument with his girlfriend Jerrika about his involvement with Otis that ends with her dumping him. Brandon tries to set his life back on track by forgiving Ronnie for killing his brother and cooperating with the feds to take down Otis. He is seen with officers as they conduct surveillance on Perry in one of the closing scenes.
Meanwhile, Emmett learns that he is about to be a father again — just as he’s becoming more financially stable. He has a good-paying job at Sonny’s restaurant, which just so happens to be where Reg is shot (and seemingly killed) at the end of the season.
Then there’s Ronnie, who tries to resolve traumas in his life, which we learn stem from having an absent father. In the end, he meets with his dad and goes on an impassioned rant about the effects of his father’s absence.
What we know about ‘The Chi’ Season 3
A trailer released in May suggests the third season will focus more on the younger kids: Kevin, Jake, and Papa. Kevin is now enrolled in private school but based on the trailer, he still falls into the trappings of his community. At one point, he and his friends are even confronted and held at gunpoint by an unknown person.
Amid the chaos, multiple black girls have been going missing in the city. Ronnie says in the trailer that he has a destiny to find someone, but it’s unclear if he is referring to a missing girl or someone else from his past. Several other characters appear in the trailer, but no indication is given in regards to what’ll happen with them in season 3.
Brandon and Jerrika are not featured, as the actors who portrayed them — Jason Mitchell and Tiffany Boone respectively — are no longer on the show. Mitchell was fired after Boone accused him of sexual misconduct in 2019 (which he denied), and she left after.
It is not known how the show decided to handle their exits, but it’s been reported that Brandon may be killed off. Find out their true fates when the show returns on June 21.
Read more: ‘The Chi’: What Will Happen to Brandon Now That Jason Mitchell Has Been Fired?
