America’s hardest working comedy, South Side, is back with Season 3. The first two 30 minute episodes were released on HBO Max on December 8 and didn’t miss a beat since last season.
We have come to rely on the series to give us a refreshing, authentic look at life on the South Side of Chicago, in the same way we rely on The Bear to give us an authentic breakneck look at restaurant life.
Starring Bashir Salahuddin, Sultan Salahuddin, Kareme Young, Quincy Young, Chandra Russell, Zuri Salahuddin, Nefetari Spencer, and Diallo Riddle, South Side follows two friends who just graduated from community college and are ready to take over the world. Until they do, they’re stuck working at Rent-T-Own.
Known for incorporating amateur actors and cameos from famous non-actor Chicago natives, the first episode of this season featured John Stringfellow, an actual South Side snow cone vendor selling Turner (Chandra Russell) snow cones while her partner Officer Goodnight, who is played by her real life husband, Bashir Salahuddin is publicly humiliated by a teen girl who has stolen his patrol SUV which eventually gets impounded.
Meanwhile the employees of Rent-T-Own concoct an idea to fake a bedbug infestation in order to avoid having Greg the Marine, who is not actually a Marine, nor is his name actually Greg, get taken in by military police for going AWOL from the Army. In order to really convince the MP that there are bedbugs in the store, so they can buy a little time for Greg the Marine, they actually go to a bed bug infested home and collect bedbugs.
One thing is clear, throughout the episode, very little work gets accomplished while the parallel storylines engage in their separate shenanigans.
The second episode remains consistent when pandemonium ensues inside Joey’s Red Hots when teenagers get a little physical and Simon (Bashir Salahuddin) hits K (Kareme Young) across the face with an egg, which belonged to one of the teens and was his “baby” for a school project.
Back at Rent-T-Own, Goodnight’s wife gives a multi level marketing presentation for frosting that comes out of a pump bottle that “splurts”. Turner makes it her mission to prove to Goodnight that his wife is in a cult. The episode is over the top and side-splitting hilarious.
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South Side is filmed on location in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood and showcases the vibrant city life and dynamic cast of characters of the titular neighborhood.
South Side is created by Bashir Salahuddin, Diallo Riddle and Sultan Salahuddin and produced by MTV Entertainment Studios. Bashir Salahuddin, Diallo Riddle and Michael Blieden serve as executive producers. Tony Hernandez executive produces for JAX Media. Ari Pearce, Kristyn Deignan and Tara Power are producers for MTV Entertainment Studios.
Produced By MTV Entertainment Studios, First two seasons are currently available to stream on HBO Max with new episodes of season 3 streaming weekly.