Welcome to Chippendales

If you remember the grifter in "Nightmare Alley," a movie from 2021 starring Bradley Cooper, you will notice that grifter's life trajectory is pretty similar to Steve Banerjee's. From rags to riches, they both get too greedy for their own good, only causing their demise. It is very sad that some people don't know when to stop and just be grateful. When I start the first episode of "Welcome to Chippendales," I have no idea what it's about and who the actors are. But it is an extremely pleasant surprise that it is starred by four major powerhouses in their own right: my favorite Murray Bartlett who is outstanding in "The White Lotus," Juliette Lewis who is an Oscar nominee at 18 years old, comedian Kumail Nanjiani who apparently has very good dramatic acting chops, and the underrated Annaleigh Ashford. This series hits all of the right notes. It has very good production values, good eye candy, some humor, suspense, and the important moral lesson to be learned from the downward spiral of Steve Banjeree's greedy life, similar to the sad geeker/grifter in "Nightmare Alley."

Update: I didn't realize this was a mini series - my bad. That explains the fast pace development. Overall it was enjoyable, but it would have been so much better as a continuing series.

I watched the most recent documentary about Chippendales, which made me interested in checking this show out to see how much it aligned.

There's a bunch of creative liberties, I'm sure, but the writing and acting seem to be on point. The show is pretty fast-paced in terms of how the club progressed compared to how the documentary laid it out, but I think it's because they want more time to develop the characters (so you are be able to see their good sides before you see their bad sides).

I'm super impressed by the accuracy of the costumes, hair/makeup and even the cinematography. They actually try to make it look like a show that was filmed back then with the filters and shooting styles (e.g. Slow pan ins from far away). If you're a film buff, you'll appreciate the subtleties.

I'm excited to see where this goes and hope it stays on track. I'm also hoping they give some time to develop storylines for some of the dancers, since in the documentary they had a lot of stories to tell - plus, it's always interesting to see from a different side of the business.

The sets, costumes , and feel are 100% authentic. Amazing job Hulu. The casting is dead on perfect as well Murray Bartlett again, as he did in White Lotus, shines the brightest. Glad to see he has been noticed in Hollywood. But the story is one I had no idea of and didn't know how dark it was. Or the twists and turns it took. And I know this isn't 100% accurate. But that's not the point of the show. It's immensely engaging and entertaining. And the direction and pacing also are perfect. This is one of those seires that will end and leave one longing for more. But in this case there won't be. But enjoyable while it lasts.

If I hadn't watched the documentary I'd probably have enjoyed it more. I don't get why so many characters had to be fictionalised. It's a fascinating story without adding fake people into the mix... and then making them so crucial to the plot. It's just stupid and lazy. And they left interesting characters out!

The last couple of episodes were short and feel tacked on. Again they're 75% fantasy.

Such a waste of genuine talent and good performances. Nanjani really gets to show off his dramatic chops here. Ashford plays his wife very well. Murray Bartlett makes a great Nick. It's just a pity they were t given a better script.

I've only seen two episodes, but I really like this show!

I've always been a Kamal Nanjiani fan. I've seen all of his comedy specials and IMO, he's a riot. - and apparently a very good dramatic actor. The other actors are great as well - including the always reliable Juliette Lewis.

But the kicker is, it's not just about male dancers. It's a really interesting movie about business, creativity and applying yourself until you are successful. I think it's along the lines of Vinyl and Duce (also set in late 70's and early 80's) - but this is more upbeat. I hate that Hulu and Apple TV only give you one show a week - I'm a binge-type girl - but I am really looking forward to the next episode.