An Introduction To Everybody Hates Chris

Everybody Hates Chris is a sitcom based on the childhood experiences of actor/comedian Chris Rock. As a school age boy living in the late 80's, Chris (played by Tyler James Williams) provides a hilarious insight of his childhood which includes many witty characters who all seem to hate him. Chris is the main character who is portrayed as a responsible, unlucky and unpopular adolescent. He is also the narrator in his adult form who says what young Chris is thinking. In each episode he finds himself in a different form of trouble. He is constantly bullied at school, the victim of racism by the teaching staff and is robbed of his lunch money everyday.

He gives examples of his working class family who he has a love-hate relationship. His father, Julius (played by Terry Crews), is a hard working yet frugal individual who constantly keeps two jobs as a security guard and newspaper delivery man. Often he will come up with amusing ways to save money which constantly humiliate the family. Chris's mom Rochelle (played by Tichina Arnold) on the other hand, is a sassy go getter who will spend her life savings to keep up with the Jones. Throughout the series Rochelle feels that Julius acts suspiciously and accuses him of cheating with a white woman. She is known to administer colorful threats such as "beating the black off you" or "slapping you into next week."

Chris is the oldest of three children. He has a brother named Drew and a sister named Tonya. Drew (played by Tequan Richmond) is cool, popular and talented which is quite the opposite of Chris. Drew has a natural luck with the ladies but is oblivious to his abilities. He is also mischievous and always tries to get his younger sister Tonya in trouble. Tonya (played by Imani Hakim) is the baby of the family and uses that to her advantage to weasel her way out of trouble. She is constantly trying to get the boys in trouble but seems to have it out more for Chris. Chris describes Tonya as being difficult and in episode titled, Everybody Hates the Laundromat, he speaks of Tonya being difficult by saying "The only reason she's a girl is because my dad wanted a boy."

Since Chris is the oldest he is regularly put in charge over his siblings. His siblings never obey his instructions which continuously get him in trouble. In one episode Chris was put in charge of doing the laundry along with Drew and Tonya. The episode entails Tonya getting lost and the clothes being stolen because Drew did not watch them. After finding the clothes and being in a panic to clean them, Chris combines white and red colors which turn the entire load pink. Chris freaks out because he knows his mom will "kill" him. The episode ends with Drew using his charm and asks a woman for help (who gives Drew her number and tells him to call her when her turns 18).

Although Chris lives in a working class community he attends an all white school in Brooklyn Beach. He has one friend who is just as unlucky as him, Greg. Greg is a nerdy yet optimistic character who is as unpopular as Chris. The third season ends with Greg attending a different high school and coming back to Chris's high school after being discharged for bad behavior. The series is a close parallel to Chris Rock's life as it ends with Chris dropping out of high school to start a career as a comedian.