Welcome to Chippendales

biography

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I enjoyed this show. People are saying it's very different to the true story, and there are some parts that definitely are different. But it's not meant to be an exact match. It annoyed me a little with a few parts, especially the end, but otherwise didn't bother me too much. The acting was great, especially by the Nick actor and Kumail. Kumail did an excellent job at making me feel sorry for him and hate him and root for him all at once. I really found the Chippendales dance scenes super fun, and the slight comedic approach to the show was good. I feel like they brushed over the bigger things, and towards the end it was rushed.

Trying to make Banerjee the tragic hero fails. Nanjianis portrayal of Banerjee as buttoned up, serious, semi-autistic straight man doesn't fit with the characters actions and decisions. The character doesn't feel human, interesting or alive. Making him more of a buffoon would have made him more relatable and sympathetic and real. It felt like the series was trying to hide the real Banerjee, like it was trying to hide Nanjiani's superhero physique. Generally this suffered from not embracing the comedic, eccentric and ridiculous aspects of the story and characters. Trying to make them normal, serious and relatable made them less relatable.

The show is fun to watch, except for the fact that this Steve Banerjee guy is a major turnoff. An uptight MF with a massive chip on his shoulder, no talent, no skill, a charmless ugly moron. Every single thing he's supposedly built has been by others around him. He's ungrateful, annoying, temperamental, fickle. And his glasses, his hairdo, the broomstick up his a... Please someone slap him in the face! Murray Bartlett, on the other hand, has become a household name these last few years, the man has such a wide range in terms of acting, he's the reason I watched the show. He's building an incredible career, totally deserved.

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.

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."

I was hooked on this from the first minute. I'd watched the documentary a few years previous and could remember it being a fascinating story of betrayal, jealousy and murder, so I was intrigued to see how it played out. It grabs your attention straight away and shows the rise of the famous chippendales, from sleazy club show, to worldwide domination. Great performances from everyone involved, especially the lead playing Steve Banerjee. It's sad to see what could have been everyone's dream come true end in such a dramatic way, but makes for great tv drama. The "feel" of the show was very similar to Pam & Tommy, but with a much bigger, more serious storyline. Id say if you liked Pam & Tommy, you'll love this.

I guess one must be a fan of the Chippendale dancers. The rags to riches story seems curious as they deal with fame, fortune and racism. The actors are good but the characters seem qurkier than real life people. I wonder how much of this is fact or fiction. Everyone wants a piece of the pie some of the more ambitious types try to usurp Steve's power others praise him and are fiduciary he laps the adukation goes to his swelling head. I wondervwhen the fedsxwill bust up his entrrprise or his wife hursts his bubble a decent man turns corrupted by power, this may be a disappointing story, but as the adage says absolute power corrupts absolutely.

This series was pretty decent up until episode 7 / 8. I liked the origin story and the early years of it, and the story itself was fairly accurate for a while. Unfortunately for "dramatic purposes", around episode 7 the series takes a big left turn into fantasy, because in the entertainment industry it's demanded that "bad guys" get a "bad guy" ending. In reality, although true that the founder of Chippendales committed suicide, his wife never left him. Never. Not during the accusations, the trial, etc. She was always loyal to him until his death. I think the entertainment industry wants bad guys to just be "black and white" cookie cutter "bad", but this missed a huge opportunity to showcase someone who was more complicated than that. A murderer? Yes. But also loved by his family, who still speak positively of him today. As a side note, I think the crucial role of the henchmen who sold out the founder was an actor who was the weakest link in a otherwise very strong cast. Major miss there, the scene with him in the hotel room in episode 8 was very anticlimactic because of this. Watch the documentary on Hulu about Chippendales if you want a more accurate story.