Showtime’s “The Chi” has two strong South Side voices behind it. Lena Waithe, the writer and actress behind the Emmy-award-winning “Thanksgiving” episode of Netflix’s “Master of None,” came home to create a show that accurately depicts the South Side of Chicago. Waithe was raised by her mother on the South Side before moving to Evanston at age 12. Actor and rapper Common, who also grew on the South Side, is involved in the show as an executive producer.   

Lena Waithe photo by Shutterstock

“The Chi” was completely filmed in Chicago, according to IMDB. The show tracks the converging stories of several young men and boys living on the South Side of Chicago. When Waithe set out to make the show, she was determined to get the details right. Yes, the South Side suffers from a less-than-ideal reputation, but many TV shows and movies that depict the city paint in broad strokes and tend to emphasize the city’s struggles but little else. Waithe told the New York Times: 

“My mission is to show these young black men are not born with a gun in their hand. These are kids who come out with all the promise and hope that any other kid does. I wanted to humanize them and show that their lives are valid. But I don’t paint us in a perfect light at all. My hope is that I can show us in an honest way. That’s it. Not bad. Not perfect. Just accurate.” 

Chicago Magazine points out that the show, which hasn’t even wrapped up its first season yet, touches on Chicago’s music scene and hints at food deserts in the South Side of Chicago. The characters navigate a South Side that has the ring of authenticity. Violence is a central theme in the show, but “The Chi” does not shy away from examining its random nature and its after effects, according to Chicago Magazine. 

Photo courtesy of Paul Sableman

The show started filming in April 2017. Actress Sonja Sohn, who plays Laverne on the show, and Jahking Guillory, the teen who portrays Coogie, both posted on their Instagrams as shooting for the show started. 

In September 2017, DNAinfo reported that a few streets in the West Loop would be shut down for filming. “The Chi” filmed on Clinton Street and Milwaukee Avenue from Lake Street to Fulton Street, according to the report. The character Brandon works as a cook in an upscale West Loop restaurant, but he hopes to open his own restaurant with his girlfriend Jerrika. 

The show does get some shots of iconic landmarks outside of the South Side. In the first episode, viewers see Willis Tower. In the third episode, two characters stop and talk on the Dearborn Street Bridge in the Loop, according to the Chicago Tribune. But, the show is largely set in the neighborhoods that make up the South Side. 

“The Chi” does take some liberties with location, which South Side residents will be quick to notice. For example, Willis Tower appears unrealistically close to 79th Street, Chicago Magazine pointed out. Vulture also notes that the regular presence of the Pink Line reveals that a large amount of the show was shot on the West Side rather than the South Side. A vacant corner store in the West Side neighborhood of North Lawndale was even painted to look like a grocery store for filming, according to DNAinfo. The decision drew sharp criticism from some West Side residents. They argued that the West Side, not just the South Side, has food deserts, but the West Side’s problems are often ignored in favor of the South Side, according to the report.

While the West Side does often stand in for the South Side on screen, “The Chi” does capture parts of the actual South Side as well. The Green Line, specifically the Garfield stop of Washington Park, does make an appearance in the show, according to the Chicago Magazine article.

Photo courtesy of Zol87

While the filming may hop to different parts of the city, the intent remains clear: Waithe wants to show something real, something that the people who live in the neighborhoods “The Chi” is trying to depict will recognize.

“I talk about the diversity of the South Side — that is the drumbeat that I have held since the day I walked in the writers room, because I’ve been trying to make sure it’s clear that the South Side is not just one big neighborhood. It is a tapestry of many neighborhoods,” she told the Chicago Tribune.

“The Chi” has already been renewed for a second season, and production is expected to take place in Chicago this year, according to Entertainment Weekly.