Anthony B. Jenkins and Laila Odom – Slingshots ATL/Dujonna
“The Chi” just added a bunch of new faces to its upcoming final season, and the additions include actors you’ll recognize from “Stranger Things” and “Zatima,” TVLine has learned exclusively.
Anthony B. Jenkins, who played Vecna victim Josh in “Stranger Things” Season 5, will play Emmett and Shay’s son, Devante. Devante will move in with his dad and Kiesha after he runs into some trouble at school.
Laila Odom, who plays Connie on BET+’s “Zatima,” will portray Jordan, Keith’s girlfriend. Jordan is a nurse “but still has ties to the streets,” per the official character description.
In addition to Jenkins and Odom, the final season also will welcome:
* Darryl Dunning II (“BMF”) as Rafi, one of Nuck’s “quick-tempered enforcers”
* Biko Eisen-Martin (“Power Book II: Ghost”) as Smitty, “a reformed gangster, hardened by the streets and humbled by life”
* Akilah A. Walker (“Bel-Air”) as Amaya, Smitty’s “fiery girlfriend who wants more out of life”
* Newcomer Liza Jessie Peterson as Patience, Rashaad’s activist-minded, “no-nonsense attorney”
All of the new cast additions will be recurring guest stars.
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Why ending The Chi with Season 8 is ‘the right thing’
Kiesha and Emmett in The Chi – Courtesy of Paramount+ With Showtime
Production on the Paramount+ With Showtime series’ final run began in January. Season 8 will feature the Chicago-set show’s “coldest winter ever,” the synopsis previews, in which “life-or-death choices must be made. The question becomes, who is willing to make them? Legacy, conflict, joy, and pain. It all collides in the biggest, most emotionally riveting way ever.”
The show’s returning series regulars include: Birgundi Baker, Jacob Latimore, Shamon Brown Jr., Luke James, Michael V. Epps, Jason Weaver, and Hannaha Hall. Returning guest stars include: Rolando Boyce, Ahmad Ferguson, Zaria Primer, Cortez Smith, Rotimi, Barton Fitzpatrick, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Kyla Pratt, Reagan Gomez, Amari Noelle Ferguson, Tammy Townsend, Punkie Johnson, Karrueche Tran, L’lerret Jazelle, Jackie Long, Monroe Alise, Kennedy Amaya, and Aina Brei’Yon.
News that “The Chi” would end with Season 8 broke in October.
“When I created ‘The Chi,’ it wasn’t just about making a TV show — it was about owning our narratives and telling our stories with truth, care, nuance, and complexity,” series creator Lena Waithe said in a statement at the time. “It was about showing the soul of the South Side — the beauty, the pain, the grit, and the magic that lives in every block, and in every family. After much reflection, we have made the decision to end ‘The Chi’ with Season 8. I know, for the sake of our story and our characters, it’s the right thing. I am committed to delivering a final season that our ‘Chi’ family deserves.”
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