‘The Chi’ Boss on How That Major Death Sets Up Season 7

[This story contains major spoilers from the season six finale of The Chi.]

To say that Otis “Douda” Perry, performed by Curtiss Cook dinner, had a goal on his again by quite a few folks on The Chi can be a serious understatement.

For 5 seasons on the Paramount+ with Showtime collection Douda has served as the final word, suave gangster terror. But he additionally had a interval the place he was admired as a prime businessman within the metropolis’s Southside, and even served a brief stint as Chicago’s mayor. Nonetheless, through the years, one thing went improper with Douda, and The Chi viewers watched the charismatic businessman and politician select to settle disagreements with extra of his road facet than together with his newfound diplomacy.

So it got here to little shock that at first of the finale of season six, the opening scene was of police in Douda’s membership surrounding a physique on the ground in a pool of blood. When the digicam revealed the sufferer — it was Douda laying lifeless, with one bullet gap in his head.

However, who would kill Douda? Once more, the lengthy line of doable suspects was huge. First, it might have been his most blatant enemy, Alicia (Lynn Whitfield), somebody who was simply as highly effective locally and who wished Douda useless for killing her brother Q (Steven Williams) in season 5, lately capturing her son Rob (Iman Shumpert) and/or killing her ex-husband Legal professional Alonzo (Leon). 

Or, it might have been younger entrepreneur Emmett (Jacob Latimore), who Douda has had underneath his thumb for years and who needs out. Emmett even tried to kill Douda as soon as in a drive-by try, however missed. As retribution for the failed try on his life, Douda ordered Emmett to kill Alicia, which the younger man refused to do. To show him a lesson, within the penultimate episode, Douda positioned a automotive bomb in Emmett’s household automotive that his associate and child son would have been in, in the event that they hadn’t stopped to go to the toilet first.

Then there may be additionally Nuck (Cortez Smith), Douda’s second in command, who determined he wished to discover a facet hustle with out letting his boss know. What that bought Nuck, additionally within the penultimate episode, was an invite from his boss to “sq. up” for an old school road brawl, culminating in being pistol-whipped right into a bloody mess and stripped of his rank.

So sure, Douda’s invoice turned overdue within the streets, and he paid for it in full in the long run of season 16.

About this destiny for one of the crucial vicious, feared and, some may argue, revered villains on tv, The Chi’s government producer and co-showrunner Justin Hillian (who runs the collection together with co-showrunner Jewel Coronel) explains under to The Hollywood Reporter why the time got here to finish Douda’s reign of terror within the streets, how they happened selecting Douda’s assassin and why in addition they selected to kill off one other beloved character within the season’s finale heading into the already renewed season seven.

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Everyone knows that Douda had like 9 lives, so why was now the time to ship this destiny? After all, he had sufficient enemies at this level of people that wished him useless.

Properly, you have been born and raised in Chicago, and you already know that regardless of how highly effective anyone is, in case you make too many enemies, one in every of them goes to be the improper enemy. And we simply wished to maintain it as genuine and true to town and story we’re telling as doable. At a sure level, right here is the place we bought to cease, brother. It was the tip of his street.

What have been the conversations with Curtiss (who performs Douda) prematurely, and was he shocked?

We undoubtedly informed him prematurely. Earlier than I used to be a showrunner, I’ve seen folks not inform folks prematurely. I’ve seen folks discover out at desk reads. And I might simply by no means do it that means. Lena [Waithe, The Chi creator] would by no means do it that means. As a result of folks should price range, plan, fund their subsequent transfer — and simply as a respect for the whole lot that Curtiss has delivered to the present. His professionalism. He’s elevated this present a lot, he has meant a lot to it. The humorous factor is that he was speculated to have died in season two, however he was simply so good that we have been like, “We gotta preserve this going! Let’s see the place this goes!” He turned mayor and he had fairly a run. He ran amuck!

Wherein season did you truly inform Curtiss the tip was nigh?

He knew earlier than we began the again half of season six. The humorous factor is that he knew as quickly as we knew, as a result of we had been toying with it and it simply by no means felt like the precise time. There was nonetheless loads of meat on the bone, story-wise. After which, we’re at all times simply in search of what feels true, what feels actual, what’s thrilling to us. Lena at all times calls herself the primary viewers. And if we will fulfill her and fulfill the writers room, we really feel like we bought one thing.

In the midst of the finale, there was a scene with Douda on their lonesome on Thanksgiving, and he appeared to be in a darkish place. Really, he appeared to be considering suicide. Did I misread that scene? I observed an underlying theme all through this season concerned Black males and their psychological well being challenges.

Yeah, it’s an important statement and an important query. We actually wished to color folks as totally realized as doable. He’s not a monster. He has emotions. He has insecurities. He has issues that he’s coping with. And to point out an extremely highly effective particular person that folks worry, however not very many individuals cherished anymore. I feel Douda as a personality was Otis Perry, anyone who had the pizza spots — and was the mayor! He at all times had one foot within the streets, one foot out. And he sort of discovered himself with each toes within the streets. And that was by no means who he actually wished to be, regardless of how a lot of a villain he was. He wished an actual legacy, and I feel at that time, he realized that that was by no means going to occur. In that scene, it’s Thanksgiving and no one requested you to drag up and get a plate? It’s him alone on Thanksgiving, and he has a spouse and a mistress, with nowhere to go. I feel that hit him fairly onerous.

So, Nuck (Cortez Smith) was dealing on the facet and Douda finds out. He’s Douda’s quantity two, and Nuck get overwhelmed inside an inch of life by his boss. However why enable Nuck to be the one to kill Douda on the finish, when Alicia had him inside her crosshairs?

We didn’t wish to outsmart ourselves. We didn’t wish to attempt to get cute for the sake of tricking folks. We wished lots of people to be motivated to do it, and we wished Alicia to get to that time. However finally, it felt like, after the struggle with Nuke, the one that was truly going to drag that set off goes to be Nuke.

Then you definately pull a double-whammy on the viewers and have Nuck kill Alicia’s son Rob, too! This household is having dangerous luck.

Iman is only a nice particular person. He did such an exceptional job evolving into that character, displaying us who that character was. And it was form of a give and take, as we had our concepts after which he took it to the subsequent degree. After which, when Lynn Whitfield got here in, and he had his chemistry and rapport rapport with Hannaha [Hall, who plays Rob’s girlfriend, Tiff]. It was not a simple name to make, as a result of we felt like that trio was actually hitting their stride. However finally, we at all times defer to the story. And we don’t wish to get forward of ourselves. However we wished to have the ability to depart season six with this. Whenever you lose an power like Douda, we wished to go away off with Nuck, who’s taking the reins, after which Alicia, who has had this loss. We wished to have these two issues taking place as we transfer into season seven.

Does Nuck have the cojones to face as much as Alicia and her syndicate?

(Laughs) It’s an important query. We’re going to see!

There’s a lot dying on this season finale of The Chi. However it appears that evidently, at any time when we get hit with such harshness or darkness, the subsequent season comes again with a little bit of a reprieve. Will that occur in season seven?

We attempt to inform a well-balanced story. , it’s identical to town, the enjoyment, the ache, the ups, the downs. All of it. And it’ll all proceed.

You got here from Snowfall earlier than becoming a member of The Chi. The John Singleton-created collection appeared a lot darker than this one. However in your opinion, what are the similarities and variations as a author and producer?

I feel that’s an important query. It’s humorous, I feel the similarities are going to be the identical because the variations. As a result of the similarities are that they’re each visions from actually sturdy, actually proficient people who find themselves captivated with their cities. You could have John Singleton, who got here up within the period of Snowfall, and he was in that writers room yearly — relaxation in peace — on daily basis, he was in that writers room pounding on the desk like, “We bought to get this shit proper! It gotta be proper! It gotta be actual!” And so, Snowfall spoke to his expertise and the story that he wished to inform about his metropolis, and the way somebody like Franklin [Saint played by Damson Idris] would make the alternatives that they made. And the way it was this a lot bigger plan at stake, and he was only a pawn in that, and the devastation that it created in South Central. And in that respect, John was actually wanting to present context to this epidemic.

For Lena, she created this present as a result of she felt like there have been so many statistics in Chicago, and she or he was like “These are all folks. All of them matter.” That’s why the entire level of the pilot was that she fell in love with Coogie [Jahking Guillory], and he died. As a result of he isn’t a statistic. He’s anyone’s son, he’s anyone’s brother. That’s what this present was about for Lena. So, I feel the similarities are simply the viewpoint, and the rationale the exhibits exist. After which the variations come from the truth that there’s simply two folks telling totally different tales via their very own lens.

Wouldn’t it be truthful to say that you just tried to point out extra of the enjoyment locally in The Chi?

There was loads of pleasure in Snowfall, too. I imply, it bought darkish. However the pleasure is essential to us in The Chi. And I feel a part of it’s as a result of we began The Chi with three 12 yr olds and seeing them go from 12 to 18, and now working into 19.  You wish to present that innocence developing within the metropolis, and that lack of innocence, and there may be plenty of pleasure and ache in that. After which as a result of there’s a lot much less crime in The Chi, it permits for a personality like Emmett to search out his means and be foolish. And his dad is a former Black Panther, he’s a man additionally making an attempt to determine it out and easy methods to be there for his sons.

Justin, you already know I’m going to ask, what are you able to inform me about season seven?

I can inform you, [he smiles] it’s going to be explosive!

All episodes of season six of The Chi are actually streaming on the Paramount+ With Showtime plan.