The Chi: The Loss Of Brandon Has A Deep Connection To The Remaining Cast

Season 3 of The Chi premiered last week and fans’ first thoughts were “what will they do with Brandon Johnson”? As you may recall, the actor (Jason Mitchell) who played Brandon was let go after allegations of misconduct while on the set. This made Showtime take action and fire Mitchell. By doing so, this left a huge void in the storyline.

While his character was a fan favorite, his absence may be hard to overcome.

This is not like The Wire where losing Stringer Bell will draw “oh no’s”, where all HBO had to do was give his screentime to someone else like Bodie or make a bigger presence for Marlo. This is a game-changer here.

The first episode of Season 3 made that very clear. While his mother vanished in season 2, there was still a connection there with his stepfather. When Brandon sought guidance, it was his stepfather who was there with a cold beer and some hard facts to give him. Then there was his girlfriend Jerrika played by Tiffany Boone.

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Her presence on The Chi was basically built around the presence of Brandon. They were constantly at odds, then back together but she was there to support her boyfriend in whatever business endeavor he tried. Their relationship was not the best but it was one that the audience could understand. But with Brandon off the show, what did the writers do with her character now that’s she no longer on The Chi and Brandon dead?

The same goes for his cousin Hannibal. Not a major player on the series but what will happen to him now that he doesn’t have his cousin around?

The other two storylines where Brandon played a huge part were in the lives of Kevin and Emmett. Brandon and Emmett struck up a great friendship in Season 2 that saw them go into business together. In the first episode of Season 3, Emmett is trying to keep the catering business afloat but he can’t cook. Where does he go from there?

But the main gap in the storyline will fall on the shoulders of young Kevin. With Brandon’s little brother Coogie murdered, it was Kevin who filled that void for Brandon. And while Kevin was in a house full of women, he was in need of a male figure to attach to and it was Brandon who filled that void for him.

While Emmett and Kevin will have major storylines moving forward, other characters will not be so fortunate. Losing Mitchell was a huge blow to the show.

Mark Wilson

Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.