Everybody Hates Chris is an American television semi-autobiographical sitcom that is inspired by the memories of the teenage years of comedian Chris Rock. The show is set from 1982 to 1987, although Rock himself was actually a teenager from 1978 to 1984, having been born in 1965.[1][2][3][4][5]
The show was created by Rock and Ali LeRoi,[6] and was originally developed for Fox, before being passed over.[7] It was then picked-up by UPN where it aired for its first season in 2005. UPN merged with The WB to become The CW a year later, where it aired its remaining three seasons. In 2009, Rock announced that the series' end had matched up with his own past and he felt it was time to end the show.[8][9][10]
Everybody Hates Chris received critical acclaim. The American Film Institute selected Everybody Hates Chris as one of the best 10 television series of 2007, stating that the show "provides a very real look at growing up in America – a challenge that demands a discussion of race and class often absent from television today."[13]
Before it even aired, previewers were rating it highly, with The Futon Critic calling it "UPN's best comedy to date... light years ahead of anything [UPN] has tried before... one of the genre's best [examples] in recent memory," adding that it was "Authentic for its timeframe, [while not] trying too hard"—telling audiences they had "to check this one out."[12]
While comparing it to The Cosby Show, the New York Times cited its more down-to-earth scenario, and summed it up as the first teenager-centered show in years where the protagonist's "main problem is not [mere] adolescent angst, but real life", adding that Rock made the show "funny, not maudlin or mean."[5]
During the 2006 William S. Paley Television Festival (which "celebrates the excellence and diversity of American television," sponsored by the Museum of Television and Radio), the show was honored with a screening of the pilot episode and a subsequent episode ("Everybody Hates a Part-Time Job") at the Directors Guild of America Theatre Complex in Los Angeles, followed by a panel discussion with cast and crew, led by museum and media leaders.[6]
Everybody Hates Chris was named one of the Best School Shows of All Time by AOL TV.[14] Common Sense Media's Marjorie Kase and Shanel Walker & Emily Kofoed gave the show 4 stars, and said it was "a prime example of how to take serious issues and approach them in a humorous yet thought-provoking way. The series is innovative, funny, and stereotype-defying – enjoyable for teens and their parents."[15]
On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes the series has an approval rating of 95%.[2] The site's critics consensus for the first season states, "Aided by Chris Rock's humorous narration, Everybody Hates Chris' first season offers refreshingly honest insights into real life by addressing race, class, and adolescence."[16]
