‘The Chi’ Ups Shamon Brown Jr., Barton Fitzpatrick & Michael Epps To Series Regulars For Season 2
We’ll be seeing more of Papa, Reg and Jake in the upcoming season of Showtime’s The Chi.
Shamon Brown Jr. Barton Fitzpatrick and Michael Epps, who recurred as Papa, Reg and Jake, respectively, in Season 1, have been promoted to series regulars for the second season of the drama series, created and executive produced by Lena Waithe (Master of None), and executive produced by Common (Selma). The Chi is currently in production in Chicago and will return for Season 2 in 2019.
In season one, best friends Kevin, played by series regular Alex Hibbert, Papa (Brown Jr.) and Jake (Epps) navigated the rocky terrain of teen life on the South Side in their journey to become young men. In addition to normal adolescent pitfalls (girls, school hierarchies, bullies), they were also exposed to some of the darker elements of inner-city life, at times by Jake’s older brother and guardian, Reg (Fitzpatrick). Kevin and Papa battled Reg’s influence over Jake, praying that their friend would maintain his innocence and avoid temptations. But whether the boys are able to shield Jake from Reg’s twisted lessons in street survival remains to be seen.
From Fox 21 Television Studios, The Chi explores the humanity behind the headlines sensationalizing the South Side of Chicago. Produced entirely in its namesake city, The Chi is a timely coming-of-age story centering on a group of residents who become linked by coincidence but bonded by the need for connection and redemption. The ensemble cast also includes Jason Mitchell, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, Jacob Latimore, Alex Hibbert, Tiffany Boone, Yolonda Ross and Armando Riesco.
Ayanna Floyd Davis (Empire, Hannibal) serves as executive producer and showrunner for season two. In addition to Waithe, Common and Floyd Davis, Aaron Kaplan (Santa Clarita Diet, Divorce) also serves as an executive producer, along with Rick Famuyiwa (Dope), who also directed the pilot episode, and Derek Dudley and Shelby Stone of Freedom Road Productions.
The Chi averaged 4.5 million weekly viewers across platforms and ranks as the highest-rated Showtime freshman season since Billions in 2016.
Epps is repped by Management by Morgan, Big Mouth Talent and Coast to Coast in Los Angeles. Fitzpatrick is repped by Stewart Talent. Brown Jr. is repped by UTA and Stewart Talent.
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