And when you know The Chi, you know it means so much more than just another TV show. It’s a love letter to the city of Chicago and the black families of that wonderful place and an ode to that incredible thing called community. So, imagine the feeling when Paramount+ announced Season 8 as the final season of The Chi. Fortunately, Where Is The Buzz had an opportunity to speak to Jacob Latimore, Birgundi Baker, and Hannah Hall to get their take on the finale.
Together, these talented actors managed to reflect on eight seasons of ups and downs, growth, laughter, and anything in between. Latimore was happy before the first question; Baker demonstrated quiet confidence, showing how much she had thought about it, while Hall impressed everyone with her sincere words.
The topic of family emerged pretty naturally since family plays such a central role in The Chi. The character of Emmett evolved from stumbling through life and falling in love to becoming a family man over eight seasons.
“This is literally all he has,” Latimore said. “Emmett has his kids, he has Keisha, he has his father. He tries to fix all the broken pieces.”
If you have followed the story of Emmett, you know the weight of these words. He had to learn the hard way what being a family man means, and the final chapter seems to bring all that growth to a head.
Baker, who played Keisha’s character for almost ten years, slightly contradicted the opinion that family is something that this woman should grow into. According to her, Keisha has always been herself.
“Even when she was a teenager, people were telling her Keisha is mean, Keisha is grown-up, but we see that she’s walking the streets cleaning her brother’s shoes,” she said. “Keisha is tough on her mother because she wants her mother to take responsibility for her and run the house.”
That makes a huge difference. Keisha wasn’t always cold on the inside. On the contrary, she had a family she loved, and she knew that love well. Now that Keisha is a family woman herself, Baker promises fans will finally see her maternal side.
While Latimore and Baker focused on their beloved families, Hall provided something different in her answers. For example, Tiffany’s story isn’t built around that kind of family.
“We show here an untraditional family dynamic,” Hall explained, “but we are trying to explain the importance of the chosen family.”
And sometimes, chosen family becomes more important than your blood relations.
The actors also touched on the challenge of authentically representing Black women, and Baker was honest enough to explain why playing Keisha feels so special to her.
“When you can use your passion for something else, it’s great. Part of my purpose in this role is to speak to women, and it was a blessing,” she told us.
In addition, Hall discussed some controversial aspects of Tiffany’s life, including the open-marriage situation and its consequences.
“Many people contacted me to say, ‘I was thinking of this before, but now I don’t anymore thanks to Tiffany’s decision,’ ” Hall said. “That was a moment both for the audience and me.”
It doesn’t sound like an entertaining moment in a series, but something very important.
It’s impossible to stop at The Chi without talking about the work behind the scenes, and this time, Latimore showed genuine enthusiasm in his words. He shared stories of the concerts, Chicago’s sports teams, the Taste of Chicago festival, and other fun activities that he enjoyed in eight years in Chicago.
“Everything feels different now,” Latimore continued, “but we are blessed that we were able to play these roles for eight years and wrap it all up, saying that, look, we made it!”
And yes, they definitely did!
Season 8 of The Chi starts Friday, May 22, on Paramount+ Premium Plan only. The final 10-episode season will be released weekly every Friday. Previously aired seasons of The Chi will also be available on Paramount+.
