Stay Tuned

The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, July 30, 2021 4 By Kyla Brewer TV Media T elevision can be a great medium for storytelling, and the industry is finally embracing a more diverse range of subject matter. Some programs have even tran- scended entertainment to ed- ucate viewers on life realities for various underrepresented communities. One such series, chronicling the lives of sever- al people living in Chicago's South Side, is about to wrap up for the season. Neighbors in the primarily African American community have struggled to cope in the aftermath of an act of police brutality in the fourth season of "The Chi," which takes its final bow on Sunday, Aug. 1, on Showtime. The one-hour drama was created by Lena Waithe, an Emmy-winning performer, writer and produc- er who grew up on the South Side of Chicago. Waithe was the first Black woman to win a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Writ- ing for a Comedy Series for her work on Netflix's "Master of None" in 2017, but "The Chi" marks a departure from comedy. The first three seasons of the drama have attracted a loyal following and per- formed decently in the rat- ings. In fact, Season 3 dou- bled its audience on stream- ing platforms, so it came as no surprise when Showtime announced the Season 4 pick- up in September 2020. Showtime executive Gary Levine praised Waithe and fellow writer/executive pro- ducer Justin Hillian ("Snow- fall"), who also serves as showrunner for the series, saying, "Each season, 'The Chi's' authentic storytelling resonates more deeply with its devoted and growing au- diences. Lena Waithe, togeth- er with Justin Hillian, explore[s] the joys and the heartbreak of life on the South Side in a way that is unique on television." Those stories of joy and heartbreak range from ro- mantic entanglements and family ties to violence and a series of difficult choices. It's a formula that has worked well for "The Chi" so far. "For us, we're never chas- ing a story, we're always just making sure to tell one," Waithe explained in a May in- terview with Deadline.com. Of course, a part of what makes those stories so com- pelling is the characters and the actors who play in them. Season 4 has featured a tal- ented core cast who bring the tales to life. Jacob Latimore portrays Emmett Washington, a young father who tries to provide for his son. Latimore started out in the music industry before jumping into acting. Hailed as one of the Sundance Film Fes- tival's most talented emerg- ing artists after his appear- ance in the movie "Sleight" (2016), his other credits in- clude "Black Nativity" (2014) and "The Maze Runner" (2014). Hannaha Hall plays Tiff, the mother of Emmett's baby. The actress has appeared in "Chi- cago Med" and previously worked with Waithe on an untitled TV movie project. Yolonda Ross stars as Em- mett's mother, Jada, who en- courages her son to do the right thing for himself and his child. Ross started her career in television in shows such as "New York Undercover" and "Third Watch" before landing the lead in the indie film "Stranger Inside" (2001). She went on to appear in "Law & Order," "Law & Order: Crimi- nal Intent" and "Treme." Young actor Alex Hibbert plays Kevin, a character who witnesses an act of police brutality involving one of his friends in Season 4. The per- former made his film debut in the Oscar-winning film "Moonlight" (2016) and also had a role in the 2018 block- buster Marvel hit "Black Pan- ther." Michael Epps portrays Kev- in's friend Jake, who is in- volved in an altercation with police this season. A relative newcomer to the industry, he's appeared in "Chicago Fire" and "Empire." Epps also released his debut album, "Drip," in 2019. Shamon Brown Jr. is known as Papa in "The Chi," a confi- dent young man who loves food and hanging out with his best friends, Kevin and Jake. A Chicago native, Brown began his career as a child actor and has appeared in "Chicago Fire" as well as the Plain White T's music video for "American Nights." Birgundi Baker stars as Kiesha, Kevin's sister, who has been struggling with the decision to keep the baby that resulted from her kid- napping and rape last sea- son. Baker is known for her work in TV series such as "Black Lightning," "Empire," "Station 19" and "Chicago P.D." Luke James and Curtiss Cook were both promoted to series regulars for Season 4. James, who portrays Jake's older brother and local gang leader, Trig, can be seen in "Star," "Insecure" and "Un- solved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G.," while Cook, who plays Otis "Douda" Perry, the crooked mayor in "The Chi," has ap- peared on Broadway in "The Lion King" and "Miss Sai- gon." His television credits in- clude "Narcos," "Mayans, M.C." and "House of Cards." To add to the authentic feel of the show, the actors get to tell their stories in the Windy City as, true to the show's ti- tle, the series is shot entirely in Chicago — all 40 episodes. Aside from a slight delay in March 2021 when production was paused due to a positive COVID-19 test, the cast and crew forged ahead with Sea- son 4. This season, many of the South Side residents have been inspired to rise up and take action in the wake of po- lice brutality. The Season 4 fi- nale is titled "A Raisin in the Sun," presumably a tribute to the iconic Lorraine Hansberry play and subsequent 1961 film about a Black family in South Chicago. coverstory Genesis Denise Hale and Alex Hibbert as seen in "The Chi" Life on the South Side: 'The Chi' wraps up Season 4 By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: Am I crazy or was there originally a different host of "The Biggest Loser," other than the woman from "Days of Our Lives"? A: Former soap star Alison Sweeney is still the face of "The Biggest Loser" for many people, even though she's not the current host — she was succeeded by trainer Bob Harper — and despite the fact that she wasn't the first host, either. She was preceded by comedian Caroline Rhea ("Sabrina the Teenage Witch"). Rhea actually hosted the first three seasons of the show, from 2004 to 2006. It's a testament to its longevity (its 18th season wrapped in 2020, though there's no word yet on a 19th) that three seasons can seem like a blip. There was a small amount of controversy when Sweeney replaced Rhea. NBC's various spokespeople both said Rhea left "to pursue other interests" and that Sweeney would "bring not only a great, fresh face to the show but a huge, loyal fan base." Those statements, of course, don't contradict each other, but gossip sites nonetheless used them to sug- gest that essentially Rhea was pushed out for someone younger. For whatever reason, NBC showed much more faith in Sweeney, keeping her in the host's seat (maybe "job" is a better word — sitting down is off message for the weight- loss show) for 13 seasons. As for the reason behind Sweeney's own eventual exit, that, too, is a bit shadowy. The best answer available is a slightly enigmatic state- ment she gave to People magazine a few weeks later: "It's a tough time in TV and producers have a lot of tough choices to make in the landscape. We talked and it wasn't an easy decision. It was just the right time for me to do something different." Q: Did any of the winners of "The Contender" go on to actually win any boxing belts? A: "The Contender," the once-hyped reality show that was basically "Big Brother" for boxers, was always itself some- thing of a contender — it had the goods to be a champ (such as the involvement of Sylvester Stallone and reality-TV guru Mark Burnett) but never quite made it. As such, though it's been around since 2005, it's only yielded five seasons, and therefore five winners. As for whether those winners went on to earn pro belts, the short answer is yes, but any boxing fan will tell you that it gets re- ally complicated from there. There are four major boxing organizations that grant belts (and, in doing so, name champions), in a broad range of weight divisions. Two "Contender" winners have earned these top-level belts — Season 1 winner Sergio Mora (light middleweight) and Season 3 winner Sakio Bika (super mid- dleweight). But there's more to it than that; Season 2 winner Grady Brewster won belts from a couple of the smaller, less-recog- nized organizations, and there's still hope for Brandon Ad- ams, who won the fifth, rebooted season that aired in 2018. Adams is still fighting, and he lost a fight for a middleweight title in 2019. Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. hollywoodQ&A

• Cover