One of Showtime’s longest-running shows and its longest-running Black drama is still on the rise.
The Chi is delivering one of its strongest seasons yet. The midseason episode of Season 7 drew 1.78 million cross-platform viewers within just three days, Showtime confirmed — a 23% jump from the season-to-date average of 1.45M viewers over the same period. The episode also marked the most-streamed in series history, according to the network.
Showtime did not provide exact streaming numbers, but the performance marks another major milestone for the Lena Waithe-created series. It’s worth noting that the Season 7 premiere drew 2 million viewers in its first seven days. The fact that the midseason episode nearly matched that number in less than half the time is a testament to the show’s growing momentum.
Season 7 has seen consistent growth, and The Chi shows no signs of slowing down. The series was renewed for Season 8 in May 2025, cementing its place in Showtime history. With that renewal, The Chi ties Dexter, Homeland, and Weeds as the second-longest-running scripted series on the network — trailing only Shameless with 11 seasons.
Even more impressively, The Chi recently surpassed Soul Food as the longest-running Black drama on premium cable, airing its 75th episode on July 13. Soul Food ran for 74 episodes from 2000 to 2004 and helped pave the way for Black storytelling on cable.
Set on the South Side of Chicago, The Chi follows a group of residents whose lives intertwine through chance but connect through community and purpose. The series stars Jacob Latimore, Lynn Whitfield, Yolonda Ross, Shamon Brown Jr., Michael V. Epps, Birgundi Baker, and Luke James.
Created and executive produced by Lena Waithe under her Hillman Grad banner, The Chi also counts Common, Justin Hillian, Jewel Coronel, Aaron Kaplan, Rick Famuyiwa, Resheida Brady-Anderson, Derek Dudley, Shelby Stone, Naomi Funabashi, and Rishi Rajani among its executive producers. Deondray Gossfield and Quincy LeNear Gossfield served as supervising producers and directed several episodes in Season 7.
With streaming competition fiercer than ever and renewals growing harder to come by, The Chi’s upward trajectory signals not just success — but staying power.