Showtime has stepped into the ring with the great Primetime Drama scheduling thanks to shows like Billions and most recently, storylines take place in the gritty streets of Chicago, it's more a coming-of-age story than one of drugs and violence.
What makes the storylines so strong has been the writers' ability to bring such great characters to the small screen. From the youthful Kevin to his confused sister Kiesha all the way down to the down-on-his-luck neighborhood drunk Ronnie. Each character has their dark spots but they're also constructed to pull viewers in.
Douda
The new bad guy on The Chi has his hands in almost everything. Douda controls the streets and now controls the rules as the new Mayor. His interest in Jake was never really clear. Douda is no way the good guy that his image has portrayed him to be.
He's ambitious and as much of a gangster as Stringer Bell and Marlo Stansfield rolled into one character. Viewers understood that each show needs a villain and Douda fits that role to a tee. Douda will take center stage in Season 4 as a character to look out for.
Kiesha
Starting from Season 1, Kiesha was a character that fans had a hard time relating to. She's young in age but was acting as if she had no parents or proper upbringing. Kiesha was the character that viewers were waiting for to slip but they did not see that twist coming. Armed with a scholarship, she was risking it all by believing she was older than what she really was.
Sassy, brash, and defiant, Kiesha went through a rough experience in Season 3 with her kidnapping. Despite her escape and killing her abductor, fans are still torn on her character much like those of Tariq St. Patrick in Power.
Jake
Jake was raised by his brother Reg. While Reg worked for Douda, he tried his best to keep Jake away from that life. After he was murdered, that's when Douda stepped in and took Jake under his wing.
Jake just wants to be loved but has had a hard time finding the right person willing to do put in that type of work. the one drawback that keeps Jake from placing higher on this list is his attitude. He's grumpy and often pushes that on his friends and their new ventures in life.
Jada
Jada has a good heart. Whether it comes shows in dealing with Mrs. Ethel or her son Emmett, Jada always finds herself on the frontlines of other people's problems. As a single mom, Jada remains strong despite the trials she faced having Emmett at an early age.
She's in search of love and so far, has found issues navigating that lane. She seems happy now with her coworker but still has not officially laid down the law concerning Emmett. She can be seen as a pushover regarding her son. But through it all, Jada has emerged as a top actress on The Chi.
Ronnie
There needs to be a Ronnie character in every urban show. A good-hearted guy but life just had other plans for him. In The Wire, that character was Bubbles. The demons of the streets caught hold of both and just wouldn't let go until it was too late. Bubbles got out, but Ronnie, he wasn't so lucky.
Labeled a murderer by the neighborhood, Ronnie worked his way out that hole. He lost his grandmom and everyone else around him. Viewers rooted for Ronnie as the did Bubbles because they were relatable and so were their demons.
Trig
In just one season, Trig has risen in of popular characters on The Chi. Following the death of Reg, Jake was left in the care of criminal mastermind turned Mayoral Candidate, Douda. At first, his presence offered a few red flags as viewers weren't sure if he was playing a game or not.
But it's clear now that he does have Jake's best interest at heart. He wants his brother and was willing to die in the process to get him. Tricked by Douda at the end of Season 3, Trig has now put his and Jakes's life in the hands of the new Mayor. Trig's story could have spinoff material.
Emmett
Emmett, now that Brandon is off the show, should have top billing after Kevin. His character in the begging came across wrong. Labeled lazy but Emmett always held a job and a side hustle. That's not lazy. His biggest issue was staying away from women and making babies.
He has shown growth in his three seasons. Now married, viewers are waiting to see what type of sticky situation he gets himself in next. Emmett is another character with a good heart but makes some of the wildest decisions with no thought process behind it.
Brandon
Despite what happened to him offscreen, Brandon was a solid character on The Chi. Brandon wanted something more out of life than what the streets of Chicago had to offer. He's sort of like Kevin Atwater in Chicago PD. Born and raised there but his vision is just different.
Brandon struggled as a chef then on his own with his food truck. But he was determined. He confronted the man who killed his brother and made amends with him. Brandon then took little Kevin under his wing and became a big brother to him before his death.
Kevin
Kevin is easily regarded as the central character of The Chi. In the beginning, he was the shy boy always following behind his big sister. But he began to come onto his own. The issue that he had early on was trying to fit in with a crowd that he's outgrown. Kevin wants to be cool but had no idea that he already was.
By Season 3, Kevin had dealt with more heartache than any kid his age should have endured. By the end of the season, Kevin had paved his own path with a new direction, mentor, and girlfriend.
Papa
Papa has always been the sensible one out of the three friends. Papa's belief is based strongly on God which he never lets his friends forget. In Season 1, Papa was the kid who loved the background. Season 2, he was coming out of his shell and keeping pace with his friends. By Season 3, Papa took on his own identity.
Papa offers great comic relief as Jake deals with his family situation and Kevin had his eyes on becoming his own man. Now armed with a girlfriend, Papa has tried taking more control of his life.