If you thought everybody hated Chris in the early 2000s, wait until you see how much the disdain has grown in 2024. The comedy series Everybody Hates Chris, inspired by filmmaker Chris Rock’s teenage years, is getting reimagined for a new animated series called Everybody Still Hates Chris. Select actors from the original live-action series reprise their roles while newcomers join the hate parade coming to Comedy Central later this year.
Terry Crews (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Expendables franchise, White Chicks) and Tichina Arnold (Martin, Little Shop of Horrors, The Neighborhood) reprise their roles as Julius and Rochelle, respectively, with newcomers Tim Johnson Jr., Ozioma Akagha, Terrence Little Gardenhigh, and Gunnar Sizemore joining the cast.
Here’s the official synopsis and details for Everybody Hates Chris courtesy of Comedy Central’s press release:
Everybody Still Hates Chris will feature Chris Rock (Rustin, Fargo) as “Adult Chris,” narrating stories inspired by his experience growing up as a skinny nerd in a large working-class family in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, during the late 1980s. Terry Crews (America’s Got Talent) will voice “Julius,” Chris’ father who is a gentle giant with a relentless work ethic, and cheap. He grew up dirt poor, so he knows the cost of everything down to the penny. He works two jobs to support the family, and on his days off, he takes on a third job. Tichina Arnold (The Neighborhood) will voice “Rochelle,” Chris’ mother who is smart, strong-willed, and has a nurturing spirit, but she can also be hot-headed, especially when it comes to her kids. She tolerates zero nonsense, so she quits more jobs in a month than most people do in a lifetime.
In addition to the cast of the original series Everybody Hates Chris, Tim Johnson Jr. (Saturdays) will voice “Young Chris,” a nerd who wants to be cool but he’s outshined by his younger brother, tortured by his little sister, and foiled by his cheapskate dad; Ozioma Akagha (DELILAH) will voice “Tonya,” Chris’ feisty baby sister, with the face of an angel and the heart of a demon, who gets along with her middle brother Drew but leaps at any chance to get Chris in trouble; Terrence Little Gardenhigh (Danger Force) will voice “Drew,” the golden child of the family who is the epitome of Black Excellence: handsome, athletic, a ladies man, taller and cooler than his older brother Chris; and Gunnar Sizemore (Kung Fu Panda) will voice “Greg,” Chris’s only friend at school who is girl-obsessed, status-conscious and raised by a single dad.
Created by Chris Rock and Ali LeRoi, Everybody Hates Chris is based loosely on Rock’s personal experiences as a teenager growing up in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City, from 1982 to 1987. The original live-action series has 88 episodes (4 seasons), starring Terry Crews, Tichina Arnold, Tequan Richmond, Imani Hakim, Vincent Martella, and Tyler James Williams.
“I’m very excited to introduce the world to another funny side of my childhood,” said star and Executive Producer Chris Rock.
“I wanted this job to get free tickets to a Chris Rock stand up show, but we ended up making something we’re proud of that is true to the original series we all loved,” said Sanjay Shah, series Showrunner and Executive Producer.
Are you an Everybody Hates Chris fan? Are you looking forward to the animated follow-up? Does the concept lend well to animation, or would you rather see the series return in live-action? Let us know what you think in the comments section below. Everybody Still Hates Chris premieres on Comedy Central later this year.