Overview
When Disney isn't keeping huge pop-culture franchises on our screens or ensuring that everyone's childhood favourites never fade into memory — and sometimes doing both at the same time — it happens to be mighty fond of scandals and true crime. Well, to be precise, the Mouse House-owned US streaming platform Hulu is, and its shows keep making their way Down Under via Disney+. The latest even promises a massive stripping-empire saga, sordid deeds driven by money and murder because of the dance floor.
After exploring the story behind Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee's sex tape in the 90s-set Pam & Tommy to start 2022, Disney+ plans to end it with a jump into back to the 70s and 80s — aided by a whole heap of disrobing male dancers — courtesy of Welcome to Chippendales. And if watching the just-dropped first teaser trailer for the latter gets you thinking about the former, there's another reason for that: writer/executive producer/creator Robert Siegel is behind both.
The focus here: Somen 'Steve' Banerjee, who was born in India, moved to the US, bought a Los Angeles nightclub and founded the striptease troupe turned worldwide hit that shares Welcome to Chippendales' name. Banerjee's tale involves outrageous success, but also turns into sinister territory. That's put it mildly; however, if you don't already know the details, you'll want to discover the rest while watching.
Fresh from a superhero stint in Eternals, Kumail Nanjiani plays Banerjee — and the rest of the star-studded cast includes newly minted The White Lotus Emmy-winner Murray Bartlett, Yellowjackets' Juliette Lewis and American Crime Story's Annaleigh Ashford, as well as Dan Stevens (I'm Your Man), Andrew Rannells (Girls5eva), Nicola Peltz Beckham (Holidate), Quentin Plair (The Good Lord Bird) and Robin de Jesús (Tick, Tick... Boom!).
WandaVision's Matt Shakman is in the director's chair and, if you're fond of the era, expect the appropriate soundtrack (and vibe) when the show starts streaming from Tuesday, November 22. It'll drop two episodes first up, then new instalments weekly afterwards across the eight-episode limited series' run.
Move over Magic Mike: Welcome to Chippendales looks set to be everyone's next stripper-fuelled obsession, and new true-crime addiction as well.
Check out the trailer below:
Welcome to Chippendales will be available to stream via Disney+ from November 22.