The eighth and final season of The Chi premieres Friday, May 22, 2026, on Paramount+ with a subscription to the Paramount+ Premium Plan. Created by Emmy® winner Lena Waithe (Master of None), the hit SHOWTIME® drama series follows the interconnected lives of a group of young people and their parents in Chicago.
To get you ready for what’s to come as we head back to the Southside, we’ve got a breakdown of what you need to know about The Chi Season 8, including how to stream episodes and cast info, plus see the official trailer.
SPOILER ALERT: Plot points from The Chi Season 7 finale, “Rebirth,” will be discussed. If you haven’t seen the episode, read on at your peril – or, watch the episode now on Paramount+ with the Paramount+ Premium plan.
When does Season 8 premiere?
The Chi Season 8 premieres Friday, May 22, 2026, exclusively on Paramount+ (Paramount+ Premium plan).
Watch the official trailer
The Chi Season 8 official trailer premiered today, May 7. “Everything has to come to an end … Nothing is forever,” the clip reminds. And while we know that’s true, this farewell is gonna hurt. So, if you watch the trailer (and you should!), you better get ready to feel all the feels. Even the official key art poster (seen below) has us reaching for the Kleenex …
Where to watch
You can watch The Chi Season 8 on Paramount+ with a subscription to the Paramount+ Premium plan (monthly or annual). New episodes will roll out weekly on Fridays, starting with the season premiere on May 22, 2026. In all, there will be 10 final-season episodes.
If you want to catch up on the show before Season 8 starts, the same subscription to the Paramount+ Premium plan gets you on-demand access to all episodes of The Chi‘s first seven seasons.
Is Season 8 the final season?
Yes, The Chi Season 8 is the final season of the series. The show began its run on Jan. 7, 2018, when its first episode (“Pilot“) aired on SHOWTIME®. All episodes from The Chi‘s first seven seasons are streaming now on Paramount+ (Paramount+ Premium plan).
What is Season 8 about?
The Chi Season 8 follows the shocking Season 7 finale in which a stunned Rashaad (Jason Weaver) and Victor (Luke James) discover the bullet-riddled body of Alicia (Lynn Whitfield). When police arrive, Rashaad and Victor exit the scene of the crime … with their blood-stained hands in the air.
In the wake of those events and more, The Chi‘s eighth and final season finds the residents of the South Side facing their coldest winter ever, with life or death choices that must be made.
Who’s is in the cast?
Below is the announced list of series regulars for The Chi Season 8 cast. As you’ll see, Hannaha Hall and Jason Weaver, previously recurring stars, are now series regulars.
- Jacob Latimore as Emmett Washington
- Birgundi Baker as Kiesha Williams
- Luke James as Victor Taylor
- Shamon Brown Jr. as Stanley “Papa” Jackson
- Michael V. Epps as Jake Taylor
- Hannaha Hall as Tiffany
- Jason Weaver as Rashaad Marshall
Who created and produces The Chi?
The Chi is created and executive produced by Lena Waithe under her Hillman Grad banner, and also executive produced by co-showrunners Justin Hillian for Hillianaire Productions and Jewel Coronel for Uncut Gems.
Additional executive producers include Oscar and Emmy® winner Common, Aaron Kaplan, Rick Famuyiwa, Resheida Brady-Anderson, Derek Dudley and Shelby Stone of ID8 Multimedia, Naomi Funabashi and Rishi Rajani. For The Chi Season 8, James Rogers III joins as executive producer, alongside new co-executive producers Deondray Gossfield and Quincy LeNear Gossfield. The Chi is produced by 20th Television.
Are there first-look photos for Season 8?
Yes. There are first-look photos for The Chi Season 8. You can see some right here:
What to expect from the final season
With this being the final season of The Chi, there are a lot of questions to answer. How will the family rebuild after the death of a matriarch? Will Bakari (Ahmad Nicholas Ferguson) and Nuck (Cortez Smith) find a way to keep the peace with Reg (Barton Fitzpatrick) back in the picture? And when it comes to dangerous showdowns in the criminal realm, who will reign? Fans can expect all of these storylines and more as Season 8 wraps up The Chi.
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