The Tribune’s William Lee and Nina Metz previously reviewed Season 1 and Season 2 of “South Side,” an absurdist comedy about working stiffs on Chicago’s South Side. We’re back for its third season, premiering Thursday on HBO Max.
William Lee: During my visit to the set of “South Side” over the summer, showrunners Bashir Salahuddin and Diallo Riddle said they were working on the most Chicago-focused ideas ever for the new season. And in the first four episodes provided to critics, we see glimpses of Central City Auto Pound and Joey’s Red Hots, as well as plenty of cameos, including Chance the Rapper, comedian and actor Adele Givens and Chicago Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu.
Co-creator and South Side native Salahuddin told me the writers were also aiming to include real-life characters and you see that in the first episode with an appearance from John Stringfellow, an actual South Side snow cone vendor, who was brought on the show because of his big character. “He had so much personality,” Salahuddin said. “I just wanted to buy snow cones and he made me laugh.” Days later, a scout from the show went to Stringfellow and hired him.
Nina, what did you think of the new episodes you saw? Any instant classics? Did any Chicago locales jump out at you?
Nina Metz: Oh, I love that detail about Stringfellow! He’s really funny! And that scene results in two characters debating whether “blue” and “red” are legitimate snow cone flavors (they are, I’m handing down the verdict here and now).
But let me back up and say that I’m so glad this show got a third season. I haven’t seen any streaming numbers released from HBO Max, which tends to suggest they weren’t brag-worthy. But small shows like this deserve a following. A heads up to anyone who liked “The Bear” — here’s an entirely different portrayal of Chicago that’s very funny, very Black and very much worth your time. HBO parent Warner Bros. Discovery has been slashing budgets and canceling shows, so I’m hoping that even in this landscape, “South Side” gets picked up for another season.
So what are my thoughts this time out? Pretty much the same as they were for the first two seasons. At the furniture and appliance rental store Rent T’Own, we’re primarily following knucklehead best buds Simon (played by Sultan Salahuddin, Bashir’s older brother and a co-creator of the show) and Kareme (Kareme Young). There are also the bumbling oil-and-vinegar cops: Officers Goodnight and Turner (played by real-life husband and wife Bashir Salahuddin and Chandra Russell).
The more I think about it, the more I think this structure holds the show back. Episodes are written with parallel A and B storylines — a setup that’s standard for most sitcoms, where various combinations of the ensemble split off each time for whatever misadventures are in store. The distinction here is that Simon & Co. mostly exist in a separate world from Goodnight & Turner — their lives rarely intersect and, unlike most comedies, they’re not bound together by family or work or really any other proximity other than the South Side itself. So when an episode toggles back and forth between its A and B storylines, it can feel disjointed and the narratives rarely sync up in a way that feels amusingly clever — like a ridiculous foregone conclusion.
I always find myself thinking: I’d rather just stay with one story and see it play out. Usually, it’s whichever one Turner is in. She’s such a funny, nuanced, perfectly human jumble of contradictions — hard but soft, smart but apathetic, vulnerable but not — and Russell’s performance deserves all kinds of attention. Her look changes each episode and it’s consistently glorious, and specific, every time. Russell is brilliant and I’d stack her work here against any recent Emmy nominees.
Aside from that, I’m sort of in love with the show’s baseline silliness and its willingness to find humor in unlikely places, including the elder civil rights activist in Season 1 who gives Turner the business while a bucket of Garrett’s Popcorn lies knocked over on its side on the pavement. That scene is burned into my memory.
But it takes real finesse to mine absurdist comedy from something as miserable and destabilizing as having your stuff repo’d, and yet the opening scene in the first episode is just a cascade of jokes. A family sits around their dining room table, a mixture of pissed and bereft as Simon and Kareme cart their belongings away. “I’m surprised you’re not taking the kitchen sink too,” the mother says sarcastically. Uh, not the kitchen sink, Kareme replies — which prompts the father to tell his little boy to hurry up and go brush his teeth: “Quick! Just do the front, don’t worry about the back!” Just the front — I choked!
Will, what about the show’s humor stands out to you?
WL: While I think the season starts off slowly and left me wanting more, the show still excels at executing understated comedy bits. One standout performer is Rashawn Nadine Scott as Officer Goodnight’s wife, Kitty.
NM: She’s terrific — and I love that Goodnight’s wife is just as corny as he is! There’s a very surreal episode where she gets roped into a multilevel marketing scam selling frosting for a company called It’s Not Just For Cakes that is truly weird in all the right ways. A receptionist at the headquarters is named Judrith and this is where the show always slays me; it’s just a gratuitously unusual name, there for no other reason than to generate a laugh.
By the way, Kitty also comes up with a limerick about Alderman Gayle (played by show co-creator Diallo Riddle) and it includes the stanza “And I bet he ends up in jail,” which … I mean, looking at our city council, past and present? Not a long shot!
WL: This season did make the auto pound feel heartless; as I write this, scores of Chicago residents awoke to find their vehicles towed thanks to the winter ban on overnight parking that goes into effect every year. It also offers glimpses into Chicago phenomena like the southern suburbs, where many South Side residents relocate.
The third episode, “The Laughter,” where a mysterious villain steals appliances from rental stores, was an interesting homage to “The Dark Knight,” with a surprise cameo at the end. It was also good to see “The Chi” alum Tyla Abercrumbie in an early episode.
But the first four episodes left me wanting to see bigger set pieces, perhaps because I know later episodes will include an appearance at Lollapalooza, as well as its Kwanzaa special, which Bashir Salahuddin told me he considered a labor of love.
NM: I mostly agree. I love that there are jokes all over this show (including the hilarious names of Rent T’Own’s competitors: R Stuff Your Place, Rent Til You’re Spent, IKEEPA) but the episodes themselves don’t always build toward a satisfying outrageous comedic climax.
You mentioned the strong cast. Another Salahuddin sibling, Zuri Salahuddin, is consistently hilarious: “Do you know how hard it is to be a kitchen beautician without a stove? I had to air fry my client’s edges!” And there’s a wonderful mix of guest stars here; in addition to Abercrumbie, fans of “The Chi” will also recognize Cedric Young, who played the old dude who used to run Sonny’s chicken joint on the Showtime drama.
I do wonder about audience expectations. On Twitter, I saw someone ask: “Who do we think the celeb cameos will be this season?” You mentioned a few, but that’s not really what the show is about. Even so, it’s entirely possible some bigger household names make an appearance later in the season.
Will, favorite line or moment of the episodes we’ve seen so far?
WL: I do get a kick out of the show’s well of eccentric characters: The creepy head of the frosting scam; Turner’s father, played by Gary Anthony Williams (Uncle Ruckus on “The Boondocks”); and the crazy, rich suburban family that K and Simon visit.
I also loved the quick cuts of South Side locations, like the famed postwar modernist Pride Cleaners building on 79th Street and St. Lawrence Avenue. Those little touches make the city feel real.
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'SOUTH SIDE'
3 stars (out of 4)
Rating: TV-MA
How to watch: HBO Max
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