By Okla Jones ·Updated May 22, 2026 < /> Getting your Trinity Audio player ready… After eight seasons, The Chi is preparing to say goodbye. Since premiering in 2018, Lena Waithe’s Chicago-based drama has become one of the defining Black television series of its era.
Now, as the final chapter begins streaming on Paramount+, cast members Shamon Brown Jr. and Mike V. Epps are reflecting on what the series has meant to them both professionally and personally. Brown, who has portrayed Stanley “Papa” Jackson since the beginning, believes that his season carries mixed emotions. Over nearly a decade, the actor matured alongside the character while developing close relationships with the cast and crew behind the scenes.
“A balance of great and bittersweet,” Brown tells ESSENCE when describing how he feels entering the final season. “It’s bittersweet that the show is ending. I’ll miss the connection and being on set every day and coming back to the same group of people every year.” Still, the young actor says the experience never feels fully over because of the relationships forged during production. “The connection and the family we’ve built over the years is so strong,” he explains. “I got everybody’s number. I know where everybody is. Even to the fans watching, I don’t want them to feel like they lost us.”
Epps shares a similar perspective. Since joining the series, the actor has become part of a cast that consistently portrayed Chicago beyond headlines and stereotypes, focusing instead on the emotional complexity inside the community. “We’ve built a strong foundation over the course of the show,” he says. “I know I’m going to see these people again. We are going to work with each other again. Overall, it’s just an amazing feeling. We’ve made history.”
Across its run, The Chi frequently balanced joy and hardship while showing daily life on Chicago’s South Side in a way rarely seen on television. Epps believes the series challenged many viewers’ assumptions about the city and its residents. “I really want them to understand that people in Chicago deal with a lot of struggles,” he says. “It’s a reason our people have that tough exterior layer to them, but if you get to know us, I promise you we are the best, most funniest, kindest people in the world.”
Brown also credits the series with helping him grow beyond acting technique. During his years on the show, he says one of the biggest lessons involved protecting his mental health while working inside emotionally demanding material. “This industry could take you for a rollercoaster of emotions,” he explains. “One minute you could do a scene where you are happy and laughing, and the next thing you know, you have to put your all into something raw and emotional.” Learning how to separate work from real life became essential over time for most of the show’s cast, in fact.
When asked what he will miss most, Brown immediately returns to the people involved with the production. Writers, producers, actors, and crew members all became part of a routine that lasted through nearly the entirety of his young adulthood. “The people made this show,” he says. “Everything happens for a reason and we were brought together for a reason.”
Of course, none of it happens without Waithe, whose original vision for The Chi helped create space for nuanced Black storytelling on premium television. “She’s a person who’s going to challenge you to be your best,” Epps says. “She sees a potential in you that you may not see in yourself.”
As the series heads into its final stretch, both actors seem fully aware of the cultural mark the show leaves behind. For audiences who spent years growing alongside these characters, the ending may feel difficult. Brown, however, hopes viewers continue following the cast beyond Chicago’s city limits. “It’s only up from here,” he says with a smile.
The eighth and final season of The Chi premieres May 22 on Paramount+ Premium, with new episodes arriving weekly.
TOPICS: Lena Waithe The ChiThe post Shamon Brown Jr. And Mike V. Epps Reflect On The Final Season Of ‘The Chi’ appeared first on Essence.