L ena Waithe is having a great 2017. She emerged as the breakout star and writer in the second season of the hit Netflix series Master Of None and stole the show at the Emmys this year with her acceptance speech when she became the first Black woman to win the award for Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series. Now, it looks like she’s keeping things going into the new year.
Waithe’s next project will be her very own television show, set to air on Showtime at the top of 2018. The Chi is a coming-of-age drama focusing on Waithe’s hometown of Chicago and the working class residents who live on the city’s famous South Side. Waithe writes and produces, and she’s joined by fellow Chicago native Common (who seemingly appears in the show) as an executive producer. The show will feature Straight Outta Compton and Mudbound’s Jason Mitchell, Moonlight’s Alex Hibbert, and The Get Down’s Yolanda Ross.
The first trailer for The Chi is available above. It introduces viewers to several of characters, with “Devil’s Whisper” by Raury providing the soundtrack. It looks like this is going to be a show to keep an eye out for when it airs on January 7, 2018.
