WELCOME TO CHIPPENDALES
Starring: Kumail Nanjiani, Murray Bartlett, Annaleigh Ashford, and Juliette Lewis
Creator: Robert Siegel
ADRIANO
There is something of a missed opportunity in Welcome To Chippendales. The story itself is engaging, compelling me to return every week, not to mention Kumail Nanjiani’s engrossing performance and Murray Bartlett stealing every scene he’s in. However, I wish the show wasn’t so lacking in style, which is especially noticeable for a tale of glamour and intrigue. Unfortunately, any grit present is only there because of the nature of the true crime story, not because of any conscious decision in the direction. It has enough entertainment value that I would recommend it, but it left a lot to be desired.
QUENTIN
Welcome to Chippendales, Hulu’s latest true corporate crime story, boasts enough sleaze and neon to make the darkly sordid tale quite a bit of fun (think of it as The Dropout through the lens of Netflix’s GLOW). Admittedly, I’m not a huge Kumail Nanjiani fan, but he does good dramatic work here; however, he is greatly overshadowed by Murray Bartlett. The series’ only real flaw is that it covers 20+ years in eight episodes, so seemingly important plot points and characters are glossed over or forgotten quickly. And while there is clear character development, it comes at whiplash-inducing speeds. Still, I never lost interest.
