Spoilers to follow!
When it comes to shaping the emotional core of The Chi, Deondray Gossfield and Quincy LeNear Gossfield play a major role.
As supervising producers and directors of the hit Showtime series, the duo has quietly become the visual architects behind some of the show’s most unforgettable moments, including the Season 6 finale that left us all reeling after the dramatic end of Douda (Curtiss Cook), one of TV’s most layered villains.
For Deondray and Quincy, directing isn’t just about blocking scenes or calling action. It’s about crafting intention, humanity, and tone from the ground up. Their approach to the now Emmy-contending finale was all about meaning, especially when it came to how that pivotal death scene was revealed.
“We didn’t shoot anything that wasn’t on the page,” Deondray explains in our interview. “It’s just that the way we cut it together in the end, we felt was a more dramatic juxtaposition.” That decision—to weave together moments of loss and new beginnings—wasn’t just artistic. It was deeply intentional.
“One person is a complete loss. Life devastated. And then this other person has gained a child. And the person that gained a child is the one who killed the other person’s son. That was so much more meaningful,” Deondray added.
It’s that kind of emotional layering that defines their work. Directing a show like The Chi isn’t just about storytelling; it’s about honoring community.
From the very beginning, the Gossfields understood that they were stepping into something sacred. Their journey to The Chi began with a short film called Flames, which they directed as part of Lena Waithe’s Rising Voices initiative.
The film premiered at Tribeca and caught the attention of Lena and Hillman Grad, then CEO Rishi Rajani, who were so impressed that they invited the duo to direct an episode in Season 5. That one episode turned into much more.
“They asked us to come and do an episode of the show, Season Five, which led to us becoming producing directors for the whole season the following season,” Deondray explained.
Their seamless integration into the team, combined with their clear vision and collaborative spirit, quickly earned the trust of the cast and crew and solidified their place as key creative forces behind the show’s evolution.
“We came in humbly. We came in to play ball. We came in to be team players,” Quincy says. “We didn’t come in like, ‘Hey, it’s about to be our way.’ It was more like, let’s understand how they work and contribute to something that was already rolling and beautiful.”
Their directorial process is as collaborative as it is meticulous. After receiving a script, the two work separately to break down each scene, identifying character arcs, themes, and emotional shifts.
“Usually about 98% of what we come up with is the same,” Deondray says. But in those rare moments where they don’t agree, it becomes a friendly showdown, complete with iPhone-shot test sequences and side-by-side edits.
“We’re trying to serve the story. Ego aside. If his idea better serves the story, that’s the one we go with,” Quincy explains. “And if we still don’t agree? Sometimes we scrap both and come up with a third idea that’s even better.”
What sets them apart is how fully they immerse themselves in the world of the show, season after season. Before filming even begins, they create a comprehensive lookbook that outlines everything from lighting style to emotional tone. It becomes a visual bible, not just for themselves, but for every director working on the season.
“We pitch it to Lena first, and if she approves, it goes to Showtime,” Quincy says. That attention to detail ensures every frame of The Chi reflects not just a cohesive story, but a lived experience.
It helps that the duo is also deeply in tune with their cast. With many of the actors having grown into their roles over multiple seasons, Quincy and Deondray know when to push and when to listen.
“We’ve been having a lot of one-on-one conversations with some of our actors about how to get beneath the surface of the performance,” says Deondray. “They’re really receptive, and I think they like that we’re also interested in their process. That we care how they’re coming across on screen.”
Their collaboration with Lena Waithe is a relationship built on trust and mutual purpose. While they don’t write the storylines themselves, they fully understand the responsibility they hold in bringing them to life.
As Quincy puts it, “We’re artivists. Lena’s an artivist too. She’s an artist, but she’s an activist.” For them, the work isn’t just about television. It’s about storytelling that moves the culture forward.
And yes, that includes expanding representation. When the show introduced a new, more masculine gay couple in Season 6, their names—Deondray and Quincy—weren’t a coincidence.
“That was Lena’s idea,” Deondray says. “She told us, ‘I want to do gay characters, but I want to go down a road less traveled. I want to do characters like y’all… I don’t want them to be caricatures of the lifestyle.’” It’s a move that reflects the heart of The Chi: telling all Black stories, not just the ones people expect.
Now, as Season 7 breaks streaming records and Season 8 gears up, the duo remains as committed as ever to honoring the soul of Chicago and the people who live there. “The only pressure we feel,” Quincy, a Chicago native, says, “is to make sure the audience continues to see themselves. That Chicago continues to see itself and love itself.”
In a world where TV often flattens the fullness of Black life, Quincy and Deondray are doing the exact opposite, crafting layered, human, and deeply intentional stories that reflect our real lives back to us. And as long as they’re behind the camera, The Chi will remain one of the most honest shows on television.
Check out the full interview. The Chi airs on Paramount+ with Showtime
Photo Credit: Headshot: Nina Lavoy / Courtesy of Paramount+
