Welcome to Chippendales
Known for their tear-away costumes and raunchy dance moves, the Chippendales have become an internationally recognisable name. Everyone is familiar with what these dancers are, but the story of their conception is far less known. That story is that of Indian emigrant Somen “Steve” Banerjee (portrayed by Kumail Nanjiani), who has a grand epiphany about how to transform his failed backgammon club into a hit while at a gay nightclub. The idea proves to be a remarkable success, and, with the help of maverick choreographer Nick De Noia (The White Lotus’s Murray Bartlett), wife and accounting whiz Irene (Annaleigh Ashford) and costume designer Denise (Juliette Lewis), Chippendales becomes one of the hottest spots in town until hot-headed temperaments start to get in the way.
There’s plenty of potential for this series to go in interesting directions from the start. In one scene, Playboy star Dorothy Stratten (Nicola Peltz Beckham) excitedly tells Banerjee about the women’s sexual revolution in support of his idea. In another, Denise passionately talks about how the club is a means for women to take back control in a subversion of gender norms. And the club’s most popular dancer voices his displeasure about being groped by the patrons. All these inclusions raise interesting questions that beg for deeper exploration. Unfortunately, the script doesn’t go further with any of these points to justify the show’s existence. The gimmick here is to see the raunchy dancing (which is present in abundance). Those scenes are fun and entertaining, but it’s not enough to base a whole series on.
Outside of the stripping and gyrating, there’s an aimless quality to the overall direction; the characters are simply going through the motions during the first few episodes to provide a context to the conflicts that will inevitably arise. As the uptight businessman who only cares about his bottom line, Nanjiani plays the part well – the issue is that Banerjee isn’t an especially compelling character. Bartlett is the star of the show, shining in every scene with captivating showbiz sleaze.
Unlike the beefy dancers, there’s not much going on under the glitzy presentation of Welcome to Chippendales to recommend it as essential viewing.
Andrew Murray
Welcome to Chippendales is released on Disney+ on 11th January 2023.
Watch the trailer for Welcome to Chippendales here:
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