Everybody Hates Chris is an African American television period

Period piece

-Setting:In the performing arts, a period piece is a work set in a particular era. This informal term covers all countries, all periods and all genres...

 sitcom inspired by the teenage experiences of comedian

Comedian

A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...

 Chris Rock

Chris Rock

Christopher Julius "Chris" Rock III is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer and director. He was voted in the US as the 5th greatest stand-up comedian of all time by Comedy Central...

 (who is also the narrator), while growing up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York (often referred to in the show as Bed-Stuy). The show is set from 1982 to 1987; however, Rock himself was a teenager during years 1978-1983. Chris Rock grew up with a boy named Kenny Montero who he has often referred to as the inspiration for a lot of the episodes.