Hulu: “Welcome to Chippendales”

In “Welcome to Chippendales” (Hulu), Somen Banerjee, an Indian immigrant, manages a gas station in LA during the mid-1970s. Feeling disrespected by his customers and unfulfilled in his job, he scrimps and saves, and invests in, of all things, a backgammon club. When that idea doesn’t work out, he comes up with another one: a nightclub that would objectify men the same way most strip clubs objectify women.

Somer, now known as “Steve,” calls the club Chippendales, hoping to bestow upon it all the elegance of the fine English furniture maker. He hires tacky bodybuilders he finds on Muscle Beach to dance and cavort in briefs and thongs on stage. The idea turns out to be a raging success: women from all over the San Fernando Valley revel in the opportunity to ogle men openly.

Nick DeNoia (Murray Bartlett from Season 1 of “White Lotus”), a sometime filmmaker and experienced choreographer, arrives at the club one day and receiving a green light from Steve, jazzes things up, as the act is getting stale. Steve is duly impressed and hires Nick full-time. Nick then begins to create a series of snappy dance numbers and hires better-looking male dancers, outfitting them in sexy costumes with the help of Denise (Juliette Lewis), a looney local.

Getting wealthy beyond his wildest dreams, Steve is wowed by Nick’s ideas and smooth style until Nick starts appearing on TV , where he is credited as the creator of Chippendales. Steve’s initial approbation gradually turns to envy, then jealousy—murderous jealousy.

The acting in WTC transforms what could’ve been a superficial look at a male dance revue born in the 1970s into something more—ahem—meaty. Kumail Nanjani, who was so good in “The Big Sick,” is astonishing as Banerjee, an insecure businessman who seeks revenge on a world he believes has done him wrong, mainly because of the color of his skin. Bartlett shines as DeNoia, Steve’s charismatic bisexual rival who develops a relationship with Bradford (Andrew Rannells from “The Book of Mormon”), a wealthy gay man who bankrolls Chippendales’ expansion into New York. Annaleigh Ashford adds dimension and believability to the role of Irene, Steve’s American-born wife who brings business savvy to the operation. Perhaps most impressive of all is Robin de Jesus (“Boys in the Band”) as Ray, the sycophantic, scruffy-looking fixer for Banerjee.

Admittedly, a series about a male strip club and the sleaziness it conveys may not be everyone’s cup of tea. And some may feel Chippendales was a concept whose 15 minutes of fame are  somewhat over. The facts, however, speak for themselves: Today, the men of Chippendales are seen by almost two million people every year on stages worldwide. So feel free to enjoy “Welcome to Chippendales” in the privacy of your home. No stuffing of dollar bills required.