trailer park

WATCH: The true crime story behind Chippendales will leave you shocked—and thirsty

Screenshot: ‘Welcome To Chippendales,’ Hulu

The latest in a wave of true-crime miniseries, Welcome To Chippendales reminds us that no empire is built without a little bloodshed—not even an empire of chiseled dancing men!

When you hear “Chippendales” you probably picture it right away: The man, the bowtie, the six-pack, the cufflinks. Founded in 1979, this all-male revue was created with female audiences in mind (but we know the gays turned up, too), titillating the looky-loos with erotic, crotch-forward dance routines.

Soon enough, the burlesque show was a smash hit, eventually expanding with performances across the globe, and was credited with helping legitimize stripping as a form of entertainment in the public eye. But, as always, the path to success is one that was paved with greed and splattered with blood.

From Pam & Tommy creator Robert Siegel, Hulu’s Welcome To Chippendales tells the shocking true story behind the revue’s rise and fall, with Indian immigrant and entrepreneur Somen “Steve” Banerjee as its doomed protagonist. The Big Sick‘s Kumail Nanjiani stars as Banerjee, depicting how this enterprising dreamer changed the burlesque world forever—all before it came crashing down.

Related: Here’s all of the queer, must-see movies and TV shows headed your way this fall

As with a real-life Chippendales show, the series promises plenty of eye candy, recreating the iconic routines of the dapper dancers. But, even if they keep their shirts on, the rest of the cast has us excited, too: Fresh off his White Lotus Emmy win, Murray Bartlett will play choreographer Nick de Noia, whose playboy attitude finds him butting heads with Banerjee.

Elsewhere in the cast is dashing Downton Abbey star Dan Stevens, theater legend Annaleigh Ashford, and icon Juliette Lewis, plus Queerty favorites Andrew Rannells and Robin de Jesús are set to appear in notable supporting roles.

Really, it’s an embarrassment of riches—and all the oiled up muscle men don’t hurt either. Welcome To Chippendales just shot to the top of our “must watch” list!

The series will premiere exclusively on Hulu on November 22. You can watch the first teaser trailer below:

Don't forget to share:

Help make sure LGBTQ+ stories are being told...

We can't rely on mainstream media to tell our stories. That's why we don't lock Queerty articles behind a paywall. Will you support our mission with a contribution today?

Cancel anytime · Proudly LGBTQ+ owned and operated