Featured Trailer of the Week: Showtime’s The Chi Presents a View of Chicago That’s Often Overlooked

The city of Chicago has been the hometown to an insane amount of amazing people: Walt Disney, Chance the Rapper, Bernie Mac, Mr. T, Michelle Obama, Barack Obama (alright, technically he was born in Hawaii, but still considers Chicago his home). The point is, the list of Chi Town natives is as long as it is prestigious.

But despite all of the famous names who have hailed from the city, there has rarely been an accurate portrayal of what life is like in Chicago for its everyday citizens— particularly those who live in the city’s South Side.

The new Showtime series The Chi is about to change that. The show is a coming-of- age drama centered on a group of people in the South Side who hail from several different generations. As they share their everyday lives, it quickly becomes clear that they are bonded by much more than geography, and ultimately must rely on each other if they have any hope for survival and redemption.

Created by Emmy Award-winning writer Lena Waithe and Executive Produced by Academy Award winner Common, The Chi features an all-star cast that includes Jason Mitchell (Straight Outta Compton), Jacob Latimore (Sleight), Yolanda Ross (The Get Down) Sonya Sohn (The Wire), and Alex R. Hibbert (Moonlight). The show premieres January 7th at 10 PM, only on Showtime, but you can get a look at the trailer now in the video above. You can also learn more about the show and follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.