Everybody Hates Chris is making a comeback, as the beloved comedy series is set to receive an animated reboot. Premiering on Comedy Central, Everybody Still Hates Chris will feature more stories from Chris Rock’s fictionalized account of his formative years. Something I’ve been wondering since the new show was announced is whether it’ll have any sort of direct link to its predecessor. Well, it’s been revealed that the cartoon will actually pick up from the OG sitcom’s series finale in a wild way, and I need to see this now!
What Happened In Everybody Hates Chris’ Series Finale?
Back in 2009, the Tyler James Williams-led, coming-of-age show wrapped up its run after four seasons between both UPN and The CW. The final episode, “Everybody Hates the G.E.D.,” centers on Chris, who’s faced with the prospect of repeating the 10th grade. When that becomes a reality, he decides to drop out of high school and obtain his G.E.D. in order to find a job. After he tells his mother and father, Rochelle and Julius, about his plans, they ultimately support him, and Chris takes the test.
A playful take on the closing moments of The Sopranos’ series finale (as acknowledged by Tyler James Williams), EBHC’s final scene takes place at a diner, where Chris and his entire family eventually meet up for dinner. Julius also brings the results to Chris’ G.E.D test with him, and Rochelle proceeds to open the envelope containing them. Chris asks her if he passed and, before she responds, the screen cuts to black.
That was a serious cliffhanger if there ever was one and, at the time, I was certainly left wanting answers. I’m sure others felt the same way, so they’ll be delighted to know that it’ll be resolved at the onset of the new show. However, it may not be tied up in the way fans may have imagined.
How Does Everybody Still Hates Chris Pick Up From Its Predecessor’s Finale?
Sanjay Shah, who serves as the showrunner on the animated Chris reboot, recently chatted with EW about the new series. It was during that interview that he confirmed that the show picks up directly from the events of the original show. As Shah explained, viewers will learn that Chris actually fails his G.E.D., leading Rochelle to smack him. The matriarch actually hits him so hard that he – as well as his entire world – shifts into 2D animation. Said concept was included in Shah’s pitch to Chris Rock:
That was part of my first couple of sentences to Chris when I met him. This is my take: He gets slapped into animation.
I have a number of questions, chief among them being whether fans are actually going to see a recreation of the Everybody Hates Chris series finale in order to play out that slap scene. That aside, I couldn’t be happier to see that the animated series will actually build on that plot thread. Also, I can’t think of a more on-brand way for the franchise to make the jump to animation. Kudos to Sanjay Shah for coming up with such a creative idea.
The creative team seems excited to be jumping back into this hilarious version of 1980s Brooklyn. Back in 2022, Chris Rock shared his enthusiasm on social media, simply saying “can’t wait.” Joining him are franchise OGs Tichina Arnold and Terry Crews, who reprise their roles as Rochelle and Julius, respectively. Crews is ecstatic to be reuniting with his former collaborators, saying the experience “felt like home again.”
I look forward to seeing what the cast and crew manage to deliver, especially when it comes to that “slapped into animation” moment. You can see the transition when Everybody Still Hates Chris premieres on Wednesday, September 25 at 10 p.m. ET amid the 2024 TV schedule. If you have a Paramount+ subscription, you can stream the original show, and it’s available in its entirety for free on Pluto TV and Tubi.