Everybody Hates Chris (stylized in all lowercase) is an American semi-autobiographical sitcom created by Chris Rock and Ali LeRoi that originally aired on UPN from 2005 to 2006, and then on The CW until 2009. The series is based loosely on Rock's personal experiences as a teenager living in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City from 1982 to 1987. However, Rock's real-life adolescence took place from 1978 to 1984, as he was born in 1965.
The series' title is a parody of the CBS sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond. It was originally developed to air on Fox before being passed over to UPN. The series was shown on UPN for its first season until it was moved to the CW, where it aired its remaining three seasons. In 2009, Rock announced that the series' ending suited his own past and he felt it was time to end the story. It received acclaim from both critics and audience for its writing, directing, humor, tone, and performances of the cast.
Cast and characters
- Tyler James Williams as Chris Rock, a skinny, nerdy, black teenager – portraying Chris Rock in his younger years.
- Terry Crews as Julius Rock– Chris' caring, hard-working, penny-pinching father.
The real-life Chris Rock provides intermittent narration throughout the show, at times interjecting his young self's thoughts or sometimes simply recounting the situation he is describing.
Chris's family is firmly dominated by strong, loving parents: Julius, a hard-working, frugal laborer who works two jobs while remaining carefully loyal to his wife,
<onlyinclude>
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" |Season
! rowspan="2" |Episodes
! colspan="2" |Originally aired
|-
! First aired
! Last aired
|-
| style="background: #eecd9a;"|
| 1
| 22
| September 22, 2005
| May 11, 2006
|-
| style="background: #00b7eb;"|
| 2
| 22
| October 1, 2006
| May 14, 2007
|-
| style="background: #AC2123;"|
| 3
| 22
| October 1, 2007
| May 18, 2008
|-
| style="background: #87cdb5;"|
| 4
| 22
| October 3, 2008
| May 8, 2009
|}
</onlyinclude>
American broadcast history
UPN
- September 22, 2005 – May 11, 2006: Thursdays 8:00 PM/7:00 PM (new)
The CW
- October 1 – 8, 2006: Sundays 7:00 PM/6:00 PM (new)
- October 16, 2006 – December 10, 2007: Mondays 8:00 PM/7:00 PM (new)
- March 2, 2008 – May 18, 2008: Sundays 8:00 PM/7:00 PM (new)
- October 3, 2008 – May 8, 2009: Fridays 8:00 PM/7:00 PM (new)
- September 2009 – August 2012: syndication
Nielsen stats
{| class="wikitable"
! | Season
! | Time Slot (ET/PT)
! | Season Premiere
! | Season Finale
! | TV Season
! | Rank
! | Viewers<br />(in millions)
|- style="background-color:#F9F9F9"
! style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:center" |1
! style="background:#F9F9F9;font-size:13px;font-weight:normal;text-align:left;line-height:100%" | Thursday 8:00 PM
| September 22, 2005
| May 11, 2006
| style="font-size:13px;text-align:center" |2005–2006
! style="text-align:center" | #120
| style="text-align:center" | 4.3
|- style="background-color:#F9F9F9"
! rowspan="2" style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:center" |2
! style="background:#F9F9F9;font-size:13x;font-weight:normal;text-align:left;line-height:100%" | Sunday 7:00 PM
| October 1, 2006
| October 8, 2006
| rowspan="2" style="font-size:13px;text-align:center" |2006–2007
! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | #137
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 2.7
|-
! style="background:#F9F9F9;font-size:13x;font-weight:normal;text-align:left;line-height:100%" | Monday 8:00 PM
|October 16, 2006
|May 14, 2007
|- style="background-color:#F9F9F9"
! rowspan="2" style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:center" |3
! style="background:#F9F9F9;font-size:13x;font-weight:normal;text-align:left;line-height:100%" | Monday 8:00 PM
| October 1, 2007
| December 10, 2007
| rowspan="2" style="font-size:13px;text-align:center" |2007–2008
! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | #198
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 2.3
|-
! style="background:#F9F9F9;font-size:13x;font-weight:normal;text-align:left;line-height:100%" | Sunday 8:00 PM
|March 2, 2008
|May 18, 2008
|- style="background-color:#F9F9F9"
! style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:center" |4
! style="background:#F9F9F9;font-size:13px;font-weight:normal;text-align:left;line-height:100%" | Friday 8:00 PM
| October 3, 2008
| May 8, 2009
| style="font-size:13px;text-align:center" |2008–2009
! style="text-align:center" | #176
| style="text-align:center" | 1.7
|}
Syndication
The show aired regularly on broadcast TV during the week, and aired on Fox, MyNetworkTV and The CW affiliates. The show started airing on September 7, 2009, on Nick at Nite, becoming the youngest syndicated show on Nickelodeon. The series has since aired on TeenNick, TV One, Up, MTV2, VH1, BET, BET Her, and Fuse, Bounce TV and Laff. The series currently airs on the free-to-air DABL network.
In Canada, the show has aired on the networks YTV and Much. In the UK, the show formerly aired on Channel 5, Paramount Comedy 1 and Sky Comedy. In Brazil, the series premiered on RecordTV in October 2006 and, as of 2026, reruns are still regularly broadcast on Sundays due to its immense popularity in the country.
In Kenya, the show aired on Kenya Television Network between 2006 and 2009. Between 2006 and 2008, the series used to air on Sunday at 7:35 am. In 2009, the show used to air on the same TV channel on Saturday 7:35 am.
Awards
Everybody Hates Chris won NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series (for Ali LeRoi), Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series (for Tichina Arnold), and Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series (for Tyler James Williams). It has also been nominated for a Golden Globe and three Emmy Awards. In December 2008, Entertainment Weekly listed the Kwanzaa episode from this show as seventh on the magazine's "Must List: 10 Holiday Things We Love."
Home media
All four seasons of Everybody Hates Chris were released on DVD by Paramount (under the label CBS DVD) in Region 1 and Region 2. The complete series was released on DVD on August 18, 2009.
Streaming
The series is available to stream on Paramount+, Amazon Prime Video (through Paramount+), Hulu, Disney+ (through Hulu), and Peacock, and can be streamed for free on CW Seed, ITV X, Pluto TV, and Tubi. The series is often streamed with Season 1 incomplete, but Paramount+ and Peacock now have the complete season set. The series is also available to be purchased on the iTunes Store, Google TV, YouTube, and Vudu. In Mexico, the series is available to stream on HBO Max and Amazon Prime Video.
Influence
The Kazakh sitcom Ata-Ana, Bala-Şağa is based on this sitcom, but, instead of moving to Bedford-Stuyvesant, the family moves to the city of Almaty.
See also
- Chris Rock filmography
- Self parody
- Everybody Loves Raymond
- The Wonder Years
- Malcolm in the Middle
- That '70s Show
- The Goldbergs