Chris Rock is back to tell the story of his teenage years again. The comedian’s autobiographical sitcom Everbody Hates Chris is officially being rebooted in animated form for MTV Entertainment, according to Deadline. Following a straight-to-series order, the show, titled Everybody Still Hates Chris, is set to appear on both Comedy Central and Paramount+ with Rock returning to his role as the series narrator while also serving as executive producer. It also marks a reteaming of CBS Studios and 3 Arts Entertainment, who previously collaborated on Rock’s original series.
Everybody Hates Chris aired back in 2005 between UPN and later The CW and followed Rock’s teenage years in 1980s Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn based on his own recollection. Starring Tyler James Williams as a young Rock, it saw him deal with his dysfunctional family and life attending an all-white school. Critics and audiences alike had high praise for the series for how it confronted serious issues with comedy in an easy-to-swallow format. Across its run, it earned three Emmy nods along with multiple NAACP Image Awards.
News that a reboot was in the works dropped just over a year ago with Rock set to bring his charming narration back to the series. It looks to capture that same magic in a new format, something that CBS CEO George Cheeks noted in an official statement:
A reimagining of this groundbreaking, critically acclaimed series has been a source of creative discussions at our Studio for a long time. It’s exciting to join forces with 3 Arts and the comedic genius of Chris Rock as he expands on his vision of the original show in this innovative new format. This also marks another significant in-house collaboration for CBS with Chris McCarthy and our valued partners at MTV Entertainment Studios as we jointly support this marquee series for Paramount+ and Comedy Central.
Rock will be joined on the series by Sanjay Shah (South Park, Central Park), who wrote the pilot and serves as showrunner and executive producer, and his old Everybody Hates Chris creative partner Ali LeRoi who also executive produces. Rounding out the slate of executive producers are Michael Rotenberg and Dave Becky of 3 Arts alongside Grant Gish, MTV Entertainment Studios’ Head of Adult Animation.
“Chris Rock is one of the most gifted comedians of all time, and we’re excited to partner with him, 3 Arts, and CBS Studios to bring this to life and welcome it as the next big hit in our expanding arsenal of iconic adult animation that includes smash series such as South Park and the new Beavis and Butt-Head,” added Chris McCarthy, President/CEO, Paramount Media Networks & MTV Entertainment Studios.
With Everbody Still Hates Chris, Paramount+ continues to expand its animation slate. Thanks to a megadeal with Trey Parker and Matt Stone, they’ve ensured South Park will be their crown jewel for the foreseeable future, but they’ve also increasingly hit on nostalgia with their properties. Aside from South Park and the aforementioned Beavis and Butt-Head reboot, there are also plans for a Daria spinoff film titled Jodie.
Stay tuned here at Collider for more as work on Everybody Still Hates Chris gets underway.