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Biopics are really having a moment right now. While the genre itself is nothing new, biopics seem like an easy way not only to make a lot of money at the box office but to bring home a bunch of trophies during awards season. If you're lucky and/or have the right director at the helm, you can achieve both like with 2023's "Oppenheimer," which grossed close to $1 billion worldwide to become the highest-grossing biopic of all time and took home Best Picture at that year's Academy Awards.

It feels like Hollywood isn't going to let go of this trend anytime soon, and for notable figures who become the subjects of these movies, it's often a chance to have their accomplishments shared with a vast audience. But even if a biopic is largely complimentary, some people just don't like seeing their dirty laundry aired for the world to see.

There's...

Released in 2008, Darren Aronofsky'sThe Wrestler garnered heavy acclaim upon release, going on to garner several prestigious award nominations. 17 years later, the film can be revisited at its new streaming home.

As of March 1,The Wrestler is available for streaming on Hulu. Directed by Darren Aronofsky, the film explores the life of a former pro wrestling superstar whose glory days in the spotlight are long behind him. Mickey Rourke starred as Randy "The Ram" Robinson, a washed up wrestler hoping to find love with a stripper (Marisa Tomei) while mending the fractured relationship he has with his daughter (Evan Rachel Wood). The film also featured Mark Margolis, Todd Barry, and Judah Friedlander, with appearances from real-life pro wrestlers like Ernest Miller, Jay Lethal, Austin Aries, Necro Butcher, and The Blue Meanie.

Related'i Would Love to Be Wonder Woman': The Rock's WWE Star Cousin Talks Possible Move to Hollywood

Dwayne Johnson's cousin,...

This article contains discussions of sensitive topics such as suicide.

One of the most crucial elements of a movie is making the audience feel affected by its ending. The best conclusions in cinema are the ones that have a grand sense of ambiguity, or the idea that things are left open to further interpretation. While movies traditionally leave things on closed notes, many have taken risks and given viewers endings that either don't completely answer everything or end things abruptly in a good way.

These movie endings have become legendary because of their shocking cuts to black, haunting final shots, or other factors that cause audiences to become speechless. Even though many questions are raised, viewers get the chance to piece things together and find an understanding of what the ending means. Between Inception,American Psycho, and The Thing, these movies and their final moments are made better by the ambiguity applied to them.

Apple Cider Vinegar is now streaming – Picture: Netflix

Buoyed by a busy start to the month with 38 new movies and series dropping, this week turned out to be very active for new releases. A total of 70 brand-new movies, games, and series debuted over the past week, with even more scheduled to arrive over the weekend. Below, we’ll highlight three titles that should be on your watch list, provide the full list of new additions, and check in on what’s been topping the TV and movie charts over the past week.

At least five new releases are also scheduled to drop over the weekend. The two significant movies on the way are Uncle Drew (2018) and Spencer (2021), the latter of which we just featured on our Best Movies of February 2025 list. You can find the complete list of everything coming up on Netflix throughout the rest of February 2025 here.

What...

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Emily Ratajkowski is one of the most beautiful and sensational actresses in the film industry. The American model and actress made her acting debut in a short film titled Andrew’s Alteration, but it wasn’t until her role as Tasha in iCarly that she became a known figure in Hollywood. After that, she starred in multiple films and TV shows and while most of them are not critical darlings, fans of the actress love her regardless. So, if you love Ratajkowski’s performances and largely erotic thriller films here are the best movies and TV shows starring Emily Ratajkowski you could watch.

10. Welcome Home Credit – Vertical Entertainment

Welcome Home is a thriller drama film directed by George Ratliff from a screenplay by David Levinson. The 2018 film follows a young couple during their stay at a vacation home...

“Welcome to Chippendales” is many things – a true-crime, rags-to-riches cautionary tale set against a tide of American cultural change, for starters – but the eight-part Hulu limited series is above all a love letter to the prop masters, art directors and costume designers who supply our favorite big- and small-screen stories with their immersive power. While the hit ordered on Nick De Noia (Murray Bartlett) by Chippendales founder Steve Banerjee (Kumail Nanjiani) is intriguing enough, the show’s procedural-like approach to the business of stagecraft is what makes it absolutely engrossing.

We meet Indian immigrant Steve Banerjee in 1979 Los Angeles at the gas station where he works, illuminated by an all-too perfectly garish yellow sign. Kelly Allen (House Beautiful) writes that the show’s sets and colors blend “an intensified version of reality with dreamt-up atmospheres.” Steve’s spartan lifestyle belies dreams of smoking jackets and velvet couches. After rejecting a promotion,...

During a recent Gold Derby video interview, senior editor Rob Licuria spoke in-depth with Murray Bartlett (“Welcome to Chippendales”) about his Hulu limited series, which is eligible at the 2023 Emmys. Watch the full video above and read the complete interview transcript below.

In “Welcome to Chippendales,” Bartlett follows up his Emmy-winning “The White Lotus” role with his acclaimed portrayal of the late choreographer/director Nick De Noia. The eight-episode show was created by Robert Siegel (“Pam & Tommy”) and inspired by the book “Deadly Dance: The Chippendales Murders” by K. Scot Macdonald and Patrick MontesDeOca.

“It’s very seductive to play a character like Nick De Noia,” the actor explained in our webchat. “He’s a choreographer and he was very larger than life.” Bartlett revealed that “the joy of it” was “being able to take a character that might seem larger than life and make them relatable … that’s what...

“I am in somebody’s face, quite literally, for anywhere from 15 minutes to 4 hours depending on what the makeup is,” explains makeup department head David Williams about the bond between makeup artist and actor, particularly on a show like “Welcome to Chippendales.” For our recent webchat he adds, “You do develop a rapport with that person and an understanding. You get to know their likes and dislikes on a personal level and on a professional level,” he says. “We spend so much time together, they do become an extension of our families.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.

See Exclusive Video Interview: Quentin Plair (‘Welcome to Chippendales’)

“Welcome to Chippendales” was created by Robert Siegel (“Pam & Tommy”), inspired by the book “Deadly Dance: The Chippendales Murders” by K. Scot Macdonald and Patrick MontesDeOca. It stars Oscar and Emmy nominee Kumail Nanjiani as Steve Banerjee, who founded the famed Chippendales stripper troupe.

“To have two shows that I’m actually a part of,” sighs Quentin Plair in our recent webchat, adding that “it’s really been kind of this really eye-opening and a beautiful and validating process that is still going on right now.” Plair is having a real moment this season, co-starring in not one, but two acclaimed roles in two very different but equally high-profile series — playing an exotic dancer in the glitzy and tawdry semi-autobiographical “Welcome to Chippendales” and an emotionally numb father and husband in the intimate comedy/drama “Tiny Beautiful Things,” both streaming on Hulu. Watch our exclusive video interview above.

SEERichard Bloom interview: ‘Welcome to Chippendales’ production designer

In “Tiny Beautiful Things,” Emmy nominee Kathryn Hahn stars as Clare, a writer who reluctantly becomes a popular advice columnist during a period of turmoil in her life. The limited series was adapted by Liz Tigelaar, based on...

“Maybe people see me as a guy heading for an untimely ending,” jokes Emmy winner Murray Bartlett about three of his most recent roles in which his characters have either been accidentally stabbed to death (Armond in Season 1 of “The White Louts”), murdered in cold blood (Nick in “Welcome to Chippendales”) or tragically died in the arms of his life partner (Frank in “The Last of Us”). For our recent webchat he adds, “There is a silver lining, I guess, for me,” he smiles. “I don’t know what it is, but I’m not complaining, because it’s allowed me to do some really great stuff, and not have to stay alive as one character to stop me from playing the next!” Watch our exclusive video interview above.

See How Murray Bartlett can make Emmy history with ‘Welcome to Chippendales’

In “Welcome to Chippendales,” Bartlett follows up his Emmy-winning...

Welcome to your academic plagiarism nightmare. Dr. Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, an associate professor of history at the New School in New York, alleges that her Spotify podcast “Welcome to Your Fantasy” was used for Hulu’s “Welcome to Chippendales” limited series without acknowledgment — or payment.

Petrzela revealed that a year before “Welcome to Your Fantasy” was released, a producer shared early episodes with various Hollywood writers and producers to pitch a screen adaptation. Kumail Nanjiani and his wife and writing partner Emily V. Gordon were among those pitched and turned down working with the podcast.

“Kumail and I listened to the podcast and it’s such a fun story, but unfortunately I don’t think it’s the right project for us to write,” Gordon wrote in an email to a producer as shared by Dr. Petrzela, as reported by The New York Times. “As much as we love watching crime stories,...

Pamela Anderson refuses to watch the Hulu miniseries Pam & Tommy based on a period of her marriage with Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee during which their eight-minute-long sex tape was stolen from their home and distributed across the internet.

It has become the most famous sex tape of all time – grossing over 77 million and becoming the first ever viral video of the newly born internet era.

“I refuse to watch it,” Anderson said firmly in an interview with Variety.

The miniseries has received widespread critical acclaim and ten Emmy Award nominations.

Lily James and Sebastian Stan, who star as Pam and Tommy in the series, have earned praise for their performances.

The accuracy of the series is questionable because it was produced and filmed without Anderson’s and Lee’s consent or input.

The show’s creator, Robert Siegel, reportedly reached out to Anderson about the show’s production...

Why wasn’t Pamela Anderson involved in the making of the Hulu series “Pam & Tommy,” about the sex tape scandal with her and ex-husband Tommy Lee? The “Baywatch” star expressed her disappointment to the Wall Street Journal about not being contacted as a consultant, but a rep for the star told WSJ her own staff kept the “hurtful project” from her.

“It’s like, I’m right here. Hello? I’m alive. Maybe you want to sit down and talk to me and find out more? But they didn’t,” Anderson told the WSJ Magazine.

But according to the Journal, a representative for Anderson said the Disney-owned streamer did indeed reach out to her staff, but that it did not approach her with the inquiries “because they perceived it to be a hurtful project.”

Also Read:

Pamela Anderson and Director Ryan White Wanted to Make an ‘Anti-Celeb’ Documentary With ‘Pamela,...

Nearly a year after Pam & Tommy debuted on Hulu, Pamela Anderson is still angry with the creative team responsible for the limited series. In a new interview with Variety, Anderson called the people behind the series “a—holes.” “Salt on the wound,” she added. “You still owe me a public apology.” Pam & Tommy, based on a 2014 Rolling Stone article by Amanda Chicago Lewis, starred Lily James as Anderson and Sebastian Stan as her ex-husband Tommy Lee and followed the duo as they dealt with the theft and sale of a sex tape. Robert Siegel created the series, and Seth Rogen served as an executive producer and also played Rand Gauthier, the contractor who said he was the one who stole the former couple’s sex tape. Anderson told Variety she hasn’t watched a single minute of Pam & Tommy but couldn’t help seeing the billboards with...

Pamela Anderson swears she hasn't watched a minute of Hulu's twisted comedy "Pam & Tommy," which centers on her leaked sex tape with ex-husband Tommy Lee. But she still has some strong opinions about the Emmy-nominated miniseries and the "assh*les" who created it. In a Jan. 26 interview with Variety, Anderson shared her honest thoughts about the show, including Lily James's portrayal of her, her relationship with James, and what's still on the horizon.

"I remember Tommy writing me a note saying, 'Don't let this hurt you like it did the first time,' because he had heard through the kids that I was kind of struggling with the idea of bringing this all up again," Anderson said. "It was just shocking," she continued. The miniseries ended up in development thanks to Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, with Craig Gillespie as the director and Robert D. Siegel writing the script.

Pamela Anderson will never watch Hulu series “Pam & Tommy,” but she has a few choice words for the filmmakers behind it.

Based on the events surrounding Anderson and then-husband Tommy Lee’s infamous leaked sex tape, “Pam & Tommy” landed 10 Emmy nominations and marked a critically acclaimed turn for Lily James as Anderson. Sebastian Stan starred as Tommy Lee, with executive producer Seth Rogen appearing as the disgruntled construction worker who unknowingly stole the illicit VHS tape.

“Assholes,” Anderson said, without naming them directly, during a Variety cover story. “Salt on the wound.”

She added, “You still owe me a public apology.”

The series was created by Robert Siegel and D.V. DeVincentis, with Craig Gillespie directing; it was co-creator Siegel’s first foray into television. While the first images of “Pam & Tommy” immediately went viral for James’ eerie transformation into Anderson, the real-life “Baywatch” icon was unimpressed.

“It...

Pamela Anderson really wants nothing to do with the fictionalized TV series about her.

In a new interview with The New York Times, the former “Baywatch” star shared that “Pam & Tommy” star Lily James actually sent her a handwritten note about her role in the series.

Read More: Pamela Anderson Talks Stolen Sex Tape, Insists She’s Ready To ‘Take Control Of The Narrative For The First Time’ In ‘Pamela: A Love Story’ Trailer

But according to Anderson, she has refused to read it, saying she has “a scanned copy of that letter still sits in Ms. Anderson’s inbox somewhere, unread.”

The series, co-starring Sebastian Stan as Tommy Lee, along with Seth Rogen, Nick Offerman and more, told true-life story of the infamous, unauthorized release of Anderson and Lee’s sex tape.

“It was already hurtful enough the first time,” the actress said. “It’s like one of...

Pamela Anderson has been pretty candid that she’s been displeased with Hulu’s Pam & Tommy series depicting her 1990s relationship with Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee.

Now in a New York Times interview, Anderson says Pam & Tommy star Lily James wrote her a handwritten letter where the Downton Abbey actress apparently expressed that she wanted nothing more than to honor the Baywatch star. Yet “a scanned copy of that letter still sits in Ms. Anderson’s inbox somewhere, unread” as the project felt to Anderson like a exploitation of her travails — including the theft and sale of her infamous home movie.

“It was already hurtful enough the first time,” Anderson said. “It’s like one of those things where you’re going, ‘Really?’ People are still capitalizing off that thing?”

She added that for years she resisted offers to do projects about her life.

James and the...

The freshman series “Abbott Elementary,” “Andor,” “The Bear” and “Severance” and returnees “Better Call Saul,” “Hacks” and “Barry” are among the nominees for the 2023 Writers Guild Awards for television, new media, news, radio/audio, and promotional writing announced today by WGA West and WGA East. “The Bear,” “Severance” and “Saul” all landed three nominations apiece, as did “The Simpsons” in animation. “Yellowjackets” and “The Crown” will join “Saul,” “Andor” and “Severance” in the drama series lineup, while comedy series features “Only Murders in the Building” taking on “The Bear,” “Hacks,” “Barry” and “Abbott.” In the new series category, “Bad Sisters” fills out the list alongside “Andor,” “Abbott,” “The Bear” and “Severance.” Vying in the limited series lineup are “The Dropout,” “Fleishman Is In Trouble,” “Pam & Tommy,” “The Staircase” and Emmy/Golden Globes champ “The White Lotus.” See‘Abbott Elementary,’ ‘The White Lotus,’ ‘House of the Dragon’ among big TV...

AMC’s veteran drama series “Better Call Saul” is sharing the spotlight with newcomers FX’s “The Bear” and Apple TV+’s “Severance,” as all three shows scored three nominations for this year’s WGA Awards. Other new series nabbing multiple nominations include Apple TV+’s “Bad Sisters,” ABC’s “Abbott Elementary,” and Disney+’s “Andor,” with HBO Max’s “Hacks” also garnering two mentions.

The Writers Guild of America West (Wgaw) and Writers Guild of America, East (Wgae) announced nominees for TV and news categories on Wednesday morning. Winners will be awarded at the guilds’ annual ceremony on March 5.

In animation, Fox’s “The Simpsons” was thrice nominated, with network stablemate “Bob’s Burgers,” Prime Video’s “Undone,” and Adult Swim’s “Tuca and Bertie” rounding out the category.

For limited series, Hulu and HBO/HBO Max split the category, with Hulu’s “The Dropout,” “Fleishman Is In Trouble,” and...

Newcomers “The Bear” and “Severance” and departing drama “Better Call Saul” were among the frontrunners, with three nominations each, as Writers Guild of America West and Writers Guild of America, East announced nominations for outstanding achievement in television, new media, news, radio/audio, and promotional writing during 2022. Winners will be honored at the Writers Guild Awards ceremony taking place Sunday, March 5, 2023. Here are this year’s noms:

Drama Series

“Andor” — Written by Dan Gilroy, Tony Gilroy, Stephen Schiff, Beau Willimon; Disney+

“Better Call Saul” — Written by Ann Cherkis, Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Ariel Levine, Thomas Schnauz, Gordon Smith, Alison Tatlock; AMC

“The Crown” — Written by Peter Morgan; Netflix

Severance, Written by Chris Black, Andrew Colville, Kari Drake, Dan Erickson, Mark Friedman, Helen Leigh, Anna Moench, Amanda Overton; Apple TV+

“Yellowjackets” — Written by Cameron Brent Johnson, Katherine Kearns, Jonathan Lisco, Ashley Lyle, Bart Nickerson, Liz Phang, Ameni Rozsa, Sarah L. Thompson,...

The Writers Guild of America has revealed the nominations for its 75th anniversary WGA Awards in the television, new media, news, radio/audio and promotional categories. The full list is below.

Nominees in the marquee TV categories include reigning Comedy Series champ Hacks, but 2022’s Drama Series winner Succession isn’t in play this year. In fact, only Yellowjackets makes a return trip to the nominees circle in that category. It will go up against the category’s newcomers: Andor, Better Call Saul, The Crown and Severance.

Related: 2022-23 Awards Season Calendar – Dates For The Oscars, Grammys, Guilds & More

Meanwhile, Hacks will vie for the Comedy Series prize against triple Golden Globe winner Abbott Elementary, The Bear and Only Murders in the Building — all of which also are up for New Series trophy — and Barry. Andor and The Bear round out the New Series combatants.

The Limited Series race will be among The Dropout,...

The Writers Guild has revealed its nominees in the categories of TV, new media, news, radio/audio and promotional writing.

Abbott Elementary, Andor, Bad Sisters, The Bear and Severance were all nominated in the new series category; Abbott and The Bear also earned nominations for comedy series, while Andor and Severance earned nods for drama.

Better Call Saul, The Crown and Yellowjackets also earned drama nods, while Barry, Hacks and Only Murders in the Building picked up comedy nominations.

The limited series nominees include The Dropout, Fleishman Is in Trouble, Pam & Tommy, The Staircase and The White Lotus.

Better Call Saul earned two additional nominations in the episodic drama category, which also includes nods for Bad Sisters, The Good Fight, Ozark and Severance. In the episodic comedy category, The Bear faces off against Grace and Frankie, Hacks, Julia, Reservation Dogs and What We Do in the Shadows. A notable...

There’s substance underneath all the cocaine and thongs,” says Welcome to Chippendales creator Robert Siegel. The writer/producer behind Pam & Tommy, Hulu’s 2021 dramatisation of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee’s sex tape scandal, has turned his attention to the wild story behind the establishment of America’s first male strip club. The eight-episode drama – out now on Hulu in the US and Disney+ in the UK – follows Kumail Nanjiani as Somen “Steve” Banerjee, the Indian entrepreneur who founded Chippendales, as he grasps for the American dream. Banerjee’s hubris, however, ultimately led to destruction, murder, and suicide.

The story began in 1975 with Bombay-born Banerjee purchasing a failing discotheque in West Hollywood, which he intended to turn into the city’s first backgammon club. He named the venue “Destiny II” – there was no Destiny I but, as Nanjiani’s Banerjee explains in the series, “The II implies it’s a sequel,...

When Somen “Steve” Banerjee started the male strip club Chippendales in 1979, he wanted subversion. The first few episodes of Hulu’s “Welcome to Chippendales” track this journey, with Banerjee (Kumail Nanjiani) turning heads, getting press, and fielding outright backlash for displaying male bodies and catering to the female gaze.

But the Chippendales story is rife with conflict. Episode 4 puts the spotlight on Otis (Quentin Plair), a fictional character pulled from the real-life experiences of Black Chippendales dancers. Plair didn’t know much about the club or its history (outside of some ubiquitous “Saturday Night Live” sketches), but when he got cast as Otis, he knew this would be a different kind of challenge.

“I’ve played a lot of roles in my past that dealt with segregation or discrimination,” Plair told IndieWire in a phone interview. “This was a really unique look at it where the focus could, on the outside,...

In today’s episode of Bingeworthy, our TV and streaming podcast, host Mike DeAngelo steps inside “Welcome to Chippendales,” Hulu’s new eight-part drama miniseries from producer Robert Siegel (“Pam and Tommy”), which follows Somen “Steve” Banerjee, a fledgling Indian-American entrepreneur who decides to open an all-male strip club in the 1980s. The show also stars Murray Bartlett, Annaleigh Ashford, Juliette Lewis, Andrew Rannells, Dan Stevens, and more.

Continue reading ‘Welcome To Chippendales’: Kumail Nanjiani Talks About His New Hulu Series, ‘Eternals 2’ & More [Bingeworthy Podcast] at The Playlist.

Welcome to Chippendales dives deep into a story many may not know - while the eponymous stripper collective is world famous, the violent story behind it is not, but Kumail Nanjiani and Annaleigh Ashford are about to change that. Nanjiani stars as Steve Banerjee, an Indian immigrant who founds Chippendales in the 1980s. What begins as a promising business venture, though, soon becomes a pit of betrayal, jealousy, and murder. Ashford stars as Steve's future wife, Irene, an accountant who helps manage the books.

Welcome to Chippendales also stars Murray Bartlett, who recently nabbed an Emmy for White Lotus season 1, Nicola Peltz, Dan Stevens, and Andrew Rannells. The show is created by Robert Siegel and based on the book Deadly Dance: The Chippendales Murders by K. Scot Macdonald and Patrick MontesDeOca.

Related: Best True Crime Shows On Netflix Right Now

Screen Rant caught up with Nanjiani and Ashford ahead of...

On the wildly fascinating limited true-crime series, “Welcome to Chippendales”, Nicola Peltz portrays the ill-fated Playboy model and actress Dorothy Stratten. She, along with her husband at the time, promoter Paul Snider (Dan Stevens), were two of several unexpected real-life figures who were key in making Somen “Steve” Banerjee’s (Kumail Nanjiani) dreams of running a successful nightclub a reality as he transformed his Los Angeles property from a backgammon club into a male strip revue.

While Peltz’s portrayal is brief, with her only appearing in the premiere before her untimely death is revealed at the end of the episode, Stratten has a lasting legacy of her own. “I’ve never actually played a real person and so being able to do that was amazing and scary,” Peltz tells Et about taking on the role.

Originally from Canada, Stratten moved to Los Angeles in 1978, just one year before the Chippendales were founded,...

Hulu's "Welcome to Chippendales" crime drama depicts the true life story of Somen "Steve" Banerjee (portrayed by Kumail Nanjiani), the Indian immigrant who founded the multimillion dollar global male stripping empire that swept the nation in the '80s and '90s.

The eight-part limited series from "Pam & Tommy" creator Robert Siegel centers on Banerjee's rise and fall in an outrageous plot filled with greed, scandal, and murder. In addition to Nanjiani, the show also stars Nicola Peltz Beckham as Dorothy Stratten, Dan Stevens as Paul Snider, and Murray Bartlett as Nick De Noia - the Chippendales choreographer/Banerjee's business partner who (spoiler alert) was murdered in 1987.

"Welcome to Chippendales" isn't the first retelling of this tragic crime saga. Discovery+ released a four-part docuseries in September 2021 titled "Curse of the Chippendales," which chronicles the same harrowing tale through interviews with former Chippendales dancers and original business leads.

Now considered one of the biggest male revues in the world, Chippendales has a surprisingly dark past, including arson and murder, that is revisited in “Welcome to Chippendales“. The true-crime saga stars Kumail Nanjiani as Somen “Steve” Banerjee, the unlikely man behind the male-stripping empire whose ambitions eventually led him down a deadly path, as well as Murray Bartlett, Juliette Lewis and Annaleigh Ashford.

“All of the stuff that happens in it is so unbelievable,” Nanjiani tells Et about the eight-part series, which is adapted by co-showrunners Robert Siegel and Jenni Konner and director Matt Shakman from the 2014 book Deadly Dance: The Chippendales Murders. “There are, like, 20 unbelievably bonkers things that happen in this thing.”

With the limited series premiering Nov. 22 on Hulu, here’s what to know about Banerjee, his many crimes and other figures key to the Chippendales’ legacy.

Steve Banerjee and Other Key Figures

Born in Bombay,...

“Welcome to Chippendales” had its Hulu premiere on November 22, earning rave reviews for Robert Siegel‘s limited series starring Kumail Nanjiani, Annaleigh Ashford, Murray Bartlett, and Juliette Lewis. The dramatic true story currently holds an impressive 93 freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes, signaling overwhelming approval from critics.

The series is inspired by the book Deadly Dance: The Chippendales Murders by K. Scot Macdonald and Patrick MontesDeOca. It tells the origin story of Somen “Steve” Banerjee (played by Nanjiani), an Indian American entrepreneur who started the stripper troupe, Chippendales.

Early buzz for the show has already launched it into the awards conversation. In our Golden Globes predictions, “Welcome to Chippendales” ranks sixth for Best TV Movie/Limited Series, Nanjiani is in seventh for Best TV Movie/Limited Series Actor and Bartlett and Lewis both sit in 10th position for Best TV Movie/Limited Series Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress, respectively.

See Why...

Exclusive: Welcome to Chippendales writer, executive producer and co-showrunner Robert Siegel has signed a multi-year overall with 20th Television, the studio behind the Hulu limited series starring Kumail Nanjiani, which premieres today on Hulu.

This marks Siegel’s second consecutive true-crime limited series for Hulu, following Pam & Tommy, which he created and executive produced.

Under the 20th TV pact, which was made a little while ago, Siegel will develop, write and executive produce series for all platforms.

Siegel is executive producing Welcome to Chippendales, about the creation and downfall of Chippendales, with Dylan Sellers, Jenni Konner, Kumail Nanjiani, Emily Gordon, Rajiv Joseph, Mehar Sethi, Matt Shakman and Nora Silver. In addition to Nanjiani, the series stars Dan Stevens, Murray Bartlett, Juliette Lewis and Annaleigh Ashford.

“Rob is a brilliant storyteller and a vivid world builder, with a preternatural ability to tap deeply into the zeitgeist to tell nuanced, provocative and wildly entertaining stories,...

Technically, Kumail Nanjiani turned down the leading role in “Welcome to Chippendales.”

Known for his standup and comedic roles like 2017’s “The Big Sick,” Nanjiani wasn’t ready to take on the dramatic leading role of Chippendales founder Somen “Steve” Banerjee when creator Rob Siegel first approached him. But Nanjiani’s comedy career prepared him perfectly for the savvy megalomaniac behind this storied club.

“I used to do a lot of sketches on a show called ‘Portlandia,’ and I always played a guy who was like king of a very small kingdom — he really loved power over it,” Nanjiani told IndieWire via Zoom. “That’s a big aspect of Steve; he’s the king of a very small kingdom, Chippendales, and it’s very important to him that everybody know he is the king, he’s the boss.”

Then there was the “Twilight Zone” episode for Jordan Peele’s 2019 reboot,...

Broadway fans, B Positive stans, those who miss Masters of Sex and those who just love angelic voices: Be aware that Annaleigh Ashford serenades Kumail Nanjiani with the disco classic “No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)” in the opening moments of the video above.

His amused response: “Is that a real song?”

More from TVLineWelcome to Chippendales: Grade the Premiere of Hulu's Strip-tastic DramaTVLine Items: Patrick Duffy's B&b Return, Letterkenny Premiere and MoreFleishman Is in Trouble: Grade the Premiere of Hulu's Divorce Dramedy

We’ll put aside our umbrage on Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand’s behalves...

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There is perhaps no universe in which a true story that combines murder, money and scantily clad men is not going to be at least a little bit interesting, so Hulu’s Welcome to Chippendales has that going for it.

Also in its favor is an apparently generous budget to recreate the tale’s cocaine-fueled 1980s setting, through lavish sets, carefully curated costumes and an all-bangers soundtrack (Abba, Queen, Kiss). Then there’s the undeniably talented cast — led by Kumail Nanjiani — each of whom get the opportunity to show off what they can do with a meaningful gaze, a twitch of the cheek, a trace of hysteria in an otherwise measured voice.

What Welcome to Chippendales lacks, however, is a grander vision to hang all these blessings on. Over eight 45ish minute installments, the miniseries never quite works its way to a distinctive tone or style or perspective,...

“You can’t make an American dream omelette without breaking a few eggs,” a character muses at one point in Hulu’s new true crime saga, Welcome to Chippendales. The man who hears those words, Somen ‘Steve’ Banerjee (Kumail Nanjiani), indeed managed to live his American dream for a while, but unfortunately when he broke all his eggs, he was left eating a really shitty omelette.

Luckily, Welcome to Chippendales is a more satisfying meal for the most part. Following up his success with Pam & Tommy on Hulu, creator Robert Siegel is back at it on the streamer with a new tale of greed and strife based on the book Deadly Dance: The Chippendales Murders by K. Scot Macdonald and Patrick MontesDeOca, and he brings together yet another stellar cast for this fresh-but-murky American crime story following the rise and fall of Chippendales creator Banerjee, who struck gold with the...

It’s not every day you see a TV series that features male strippers, true crime and Kumail Nanjiani, but “Welcome to Chippendales” is just that. Based on the lurid saga of Somen “Steve” Banerjee’s L.A. bar-turned-empire, the Hulu show has a shiny exterior, with much more going on below the surface.

Speaking to Variety at the show’s premiere, held at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood Tuesday evening, star and executive producer Nanjiani explained what drew him to the project and the role of Banerjee.

“It’s a really fun show and everything, but it really gets at a lot of stuff that I think about, which is, what is success in America, when is it enough in America, greed, an immigrant coming here trying to fit into a place that’s made for success for a certain kind of person and not other kinds of people,...

Plot: A sprawling true-crime saga that tells the outrageous story of Somen “Steve” Banerjee, an Indian immigrant who became the unlikely founder of the world’s greatest male-stripping empire—and let nothing stand in his way in the process.

Review: An overwhelming majority of limited series these days are based on true crime stories. I feel deja vu just writing the words “true crime” as I start any review over the last year as it starts to all run together. Most of the big-name stories have been covered with niche tales adapted from podcasts and network exposes taking the next round. With fewer marquee stories to choose from, now is the time for lesser-known but no less sensational crimes to get the spotlight. One such story is Welcome to Chippendales, a story that meets all of the requirements for being too crazy to not be true. With development going back...

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Couples who work together navigate the dance between personal and professional in a variety of ways. For Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani — the married duo who earned an Oscar nomination for their original screenplay for The Big Sick in 2018 — the lines are clearly drawn. “There are office hours, Monday through Friday,” says Gordon. “At the end of the week, I clean my computer and turn it off.”

Adds Nanjiani, “If we’re hanging out, and one of us gets an idea about work, we have to ask permission to bring it up. Sometimes the other person says, ‘No!’ “

There are some weeks when that can prove challenging. Gordon, a former therapist, and Nanjiani, the actor best known for HBO’s Silicon Valley and for starring in The Big Sick, have been especially stretched of late. When they hopped on camera from their...

The scene in “Welcome to Chippendales” in which we get the clearest sense of the male striptease troupe’s appeal comes around the midway point of the series. Kumail Nanjiani, playing the group’s founder Somen “Steve” Banerjee, is sitting and watching the action unfold around him. Self-satisfaction plays out over Steve’s face as he declares “I’m sitting in a Chippendale chair”; the dancers take their act’s name from the Rococo furniture designer. He’s wearing a very nice suit, and a server drops a bottle of Champagne into his ice bucket; for Steve, having created Chippendales is all about access to an exclusive, finely polished lifestyle.

Except… that’s not all Chippendales was, or all that it stands for in the public imagination. And this eight-episode series tends to leave something on the table by treating the most titillating aspects of the exotic-dance phenomenon as background...

Say “Chippendales” today and most people will probably picture ab-tastic men in leather pants and tiny bowties, but the origin story and early years of the dance troupe were much darker and tragic — one with which “Welcome to Chippendales” production designer Richard Bloom was quite familiar. “My mother’s a big fan of true crime and murder shows, so I think I’d seen a podcast or a ‘Dateline’ about it,” he tells Gold Derby at Meet the Experts: TV Production Designers panel (watch the exclusive video interview above).

Premiering Tuesday, Nov. 22, the Hulu limited series tracks how Steve Banerjee (Kumail Nanjiani) turned his failed backgammon club into Chippendales in 1979. The male striptease revue was an immediate success and the entrepreneur partnered with two-time Emmy-winning choreographer Nick De Noia (Murray Bartlett) to further develop the show. But their divergent principles and egos clashed, culminating with Banerjee ordering a fatal hit...

CNN Audio announced today that Matt Martinez has joined the network as showrunner for The Assignment with Audie Cornish – CNN’s newest weekly podcast premiering this Thursday, November 17. In this role, Martinez is responsible for all aspects of The Assignment’s show development, editorial and production for the podcast.

Previously, Martinez was a senior producer at On Being Studios, producing radio shows and podcasts for On Being with Krista Tippett. He was also the Director of Content at Knkx Public Radio in Tacoma, Wa, and held a variety of positions at NPR in Washington, D.C., including Senior Producer for NPR Programming and Senior Supervising Producer for All Things Considered. Additionally, he is known for creating The Bryant Park Project, a multi-platform morning show on Sirius Satellite Radio produced at NPR New York, hosted by Alison Stewart, and served as the show’s Supervising Senior Producer until it ended production...

Exclusive: Kathrine Narducci will be working again, not just with Robert De Niro, but also filmmaker Barry Levinson, in the latter’s mob pic Wise Guys at Warner Bros.

Wise Guys is a period piece that follows the story of Vito Genovese and Frank Costello, a pair of Italian Americans running two separate crime families during the mid-20th century. Genovese tried and failed to assassinate Costello in 1957, though the latter wound up taking his leave from the mob after being injured during the attempt on his life. De Niro is reportedly playing both roles. Narducci will play Anna Genovese who is the wife of De Niro’s Vito character. Deadline first told you that Debra Messing is in talks to play Bobbie, the wife of De Niro’s Costello character.

Wise Guys reps the second time that Narducci has worked with Levinson as she played a prominent role in...

In February of this year Hulu unleashed the true crime limited series “Pam & Tommy.” The Emmy-nominated series prompted audiences to look at the nature of celebrity culture, misogyny, and complicity in the wake of the infamous 1990s sex tape that shaped the internet. This month Robert Siegel, one-half of the creative team that brought “Pam & Tommy” to screens, returns with a similar true-life story: “Welcome to Chippendales.”

“Welcome to Chippendales” follows Somen “Steve” Banerjee’s (Kumail Nanjiani) rise and fall in the adult entertainment industry. Matt Shakman directs the series, with Nanjiani, his wife Emily V. Gordon, co-showrunner and writer Siegel, co-showrunner Jenni Konner, and writer Rajiv Joseph among the executive producers.

Per the official synopsis, the sprawling true crime saga “Welcome to Chippendales” tells the outrageous true story of Banerjee, an Indian immigrant who became the unlikely founder of the world’s greatest male-stripping empire. The series...

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In the first trailer for Welcome to Chippendales, star Kumail Nanjiani portrays the exotic dance group’s founder Somen “Steve” Banerjee, whose American dream spirals into a deadly American nightmare.

“A world of luxury, right at your fingertips,” the two-minute look at the upcoming series begins, as Nanjiani’s Banerjee gets offered a general manager position at the local store where he works.

“I’m afraid I cannot accept,” he says. “That was my dream when I got here, but my goals have changed. I have changed. I’m going to start my own business: a strip club for women.”

The trailer details the rise of Chippendales, based on true events. The series sees Nanjiani play a man whose story goes from ambitious immigrant to seedy businessman, with a side of sex, drugs and murder.

The Eternals actor described the role as “by...

Hulu has released the official trailer for “Welcome to Chippendales,” starring Kumail Nanjiani as Somen “Steve” Banjeree, an Indian immigrant who became the unlikely founder of the famous male-stripping empire, and quickly learns how unglamorous the live entertainment world can be.

Also starring in the series alongside Nanjiani are Murray Bartlett, Annaleigh Ashford, Dan Stevens, Juliette Lewis with Nicola Peltz appearing in a guest starring role.

The show comes from creator Robert Siegel, whose previous credits include “The Founder” and “The Wrestler.” Marvel Studios’ “Fantastic Four” director Matt Shakman directs the series. It is inspired by the events portrayed in the book “Deadly Dance: The Chippendales Murders,” by authors K. Scot Macdonald and Patrick MontesDeOca.

The series is set to premiere on the streamer on November 22. Check out the trailer below.

Also in today’s television news:

Series

HBO Max has announced the new Original documentary series “Low Country: The Murdaugh Dynasty.

Here is a wrap-up of all the news you need to know from Tuesday, October 18, 2022.

And Just Like That... is following through on one of its season finale's most pivotal lines.

Deadline reported Tuesday that Tony Danza had joined the cast of the Sex and the City revival's second season.

The outlet states that Danza will play Diaz’s (Sara Ramirez) father in the sitcom they wrote about their family.

Che hinted at Danza's arrival in the season finale when they said that the actor had agreed to "read for my father" in a pilot that was picked up.

Danza is also set to star alongside Alyssa Milano on the forthcoming Who's The Boss sequel.

And Just Like That Season 2 is in production for an early 2023 launch on HBO Max.

Meanwhile, Hulu has shared a trailer for its sprawling true-crime saga, Welcome to Chippendales, which tells the outrageous story of Somen "Steve" Banerjee,...

The two-minute trailer for Hulu’s Welcome to Chippendales teases the limited series’ deep dive into the drama behind the stripping empire. Kumail Nanjiani leads the cast as the man responsible for understanding women enjoy watching good-looking men showing off their well-toned bodies on stage.

The cast also includes Murray Bartlett, Juliette Lewis, and Annaleigh Ashford. Quentin Plair, Robin de Jesús, Andrew Rannells, and Spencer Boldman are recurring guest stars. Nicola Peltz Beckham and Dan Stevens also guest star.

Robert Siegel and Jenni Konner serve as co-showrunners and executive producers. Kumail Nanjiani, Dylan Sellers, Matt Shakman, Emily V. Gordon, Nora Silver, and Rajiv Joseph also executive produce, with Joseph and Mehar Sethi writing.

The limited series debuts on Hulu on November 22, 2022 with the release of the first two episodes.

Poster for the limited series ‘Welcome to Chippendales’ (Courtesy of Hulu)

The Plot:

Welcome to Chippendales is a true-crime series that...

Kumail Nanjiani dreams big and crashes hard in the new trailer for the Hulu series “Welcome to Chippendales,” in which he stars as the founder of the iconic all-male strip club empire.

“Chippendales” chronicles the ascension of Indian immigrant Somen “Steve” Banerjee’s (Nanjiani) from shop employee to business mogul, and his single-minded drive to keep ahead of the competition.

Set in late-1970s Los Angeles, the trailer opens with Banerjee turning down a promotion to chase after the success and lifestyle for which he yearns. “I’m going to start my own business: a strip club for women,” he tells his boss.

Also Read:

‘Welcome to Chippendales’ Teaser Trailer Hints at Dark History of Famed Nightclub (Video)

Banerjee silences his skeptics when Chippendales becomes a smash hit, attracting the talents and services of characters played by Juliette Lewis, Murray Bartlett and Annaleigh Ashford.

“This could be huge. This could be global,...

Get those dollar bills ready, because Welcome to Chippendales‘ full trailer is here.

The upcoming Hulu series’ latest promo gives viewers a tantalizing peek at the true-crime drama behind the ubiquitous 1980s all-male revue. Kumail Nanjiani (Silicon Valley) stars as Somen “Steve” Banerjee, the entrepreneur who started Chippendales. At the start of the trailer, Banerjee is a gas-station attendant who dreams of “sheer opulence” and eventually turns down a promotion because, “That was my dream when I got here, but my goals have changed. I have changed.”

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