Chris Rock narrates this autobiographical television series about a boy named Chris that everyone hates. Now that Rock is in the money, I bet that they love him now. The show is hilarious and features some roles for African American stars of the past.
Chris Rock (Tyler James Williams) lives in Brooklyn in the 80s with his cheapskate dad Julius (Terry Crews), explosive mother Rochelle (Tichina Arnold), brother Drew (Tequan Richmond), and little sister Tonya (Imani Hakim). We cover the years 1984 (discs one and two) and 1985 (discs three and four) in this second season of the funny show.
This season also brings on some great guest stars, including Whoopi Goldberg as Chris’ new neighbor, Jimmy “Dynomite” Walker (from Good Times) in flashback as Chris’ late granddad, upstairs tenant Mr. Omar, a lothario funeral director played by What’s Happening’s Ernest Thomas and Jackee Harry as Rochelle’s hairstylist and best friend.
Chris also has a job working at Doc’s (Antonio Fargas) neighborhood and when Doc goes out of town he leaves his militant nephew Monk (Todd Bridges) in charge. Jason Alexander also pops in as Chris’ new principal at his school, where not only is Chris hated but is the only black kid there.
His best friend is the nerdy Greg (Vincent Martella) and Chris is constantly picked on by the racist bully Joey Caruso (Travis T. Flory). Chris Rock narrates all of these adventures as he looks back on his childhood. This season finds Chris falling for Whoopi’s niece (much to her chagrin), running for class president (and ending up having something in common with Bill Clinton), and Drew’s dad making Thanksgiving dinner to name but a few.
The show is just hilarious with Williams and his nutty family playing excellently. The real Chris Rock also pops in to give narration and crack a joke or two. Part of the fun is seeing all the stars of the African American comedy sitcoms that roll through the series. It was a treat to recognize Ernest Thomas from Good Times, Todd Bridges from Different Strokes, and even the Caucasian contribution from Jason Alexander (channeling a bit of Star Trek as well).
It’s a great show and I thought it was expertly cast in the Rock family and the show is one of the funniest on television. This was my first exposure to it since I don’t get the CW and didn’t get the first season. However, I got into the swing of things rather quickly and came to love it instead of hating it.
Everybody Hates Chris is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.78:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Special features include several commentaries. “Everybody hates the Class President” has commentaries from Tyler James Williams, Vincent Martella, Tequan Richmond, and Inmani Hakim and another from executive producer Ali LeRoi and director Jerry Levine. “Everybody hates Promises” has a commentary by Williams, Martella, Richmond, and Hakim.
“Everybody hates Thanksgiving” has a commentary from Tichina Arnold and Terry Crews. “Everybody hates Chain Snatching” has a commentary from Arnold and Crews. The discs also feature a collections of webisodes directed by some famous faces (including Jason Alexander and Kelsey Grammer) and deleted scenes. The last disc also has a 2-minute gag reel and a collection of featurettes which you can watch separately or hit play all (45 minutes worth).
The second season of Everybody Hates Chris only makes me wish that I’d watched the first season since it’s so damn funny. I guess I’m not a hater after all. As the chorus says “Everybody hates Chris,” but I love him… in a purely platonic way.
Everybody Hates Chris - The Second Season is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
Your Talkback on this Story