Welcome to Chippendales dances across Hulu this holiday season

Welcome to Chippendales is the latest original miniseries from hulu.com. It's the true story of someone with big dreams learning to navigate fame and fortune over the course of several years in Los Angeles.

The show is focused on Indian immigrant Some “Steve” Banerjee played by actor Kumail Nanjiani, who many may recognize from The Big Sick. Banerjee refuses to settle for a stereotypical life of owning a convenience store and instead pursues owning a nightclub.

Learning from the gay community, he capitalizes on the female market by hosting stripper performances and names the group Chippendales after the English brand of Chippendale furniture.

Nanjuani and Robert Siegel serve as executive producers for this compelling tale about the rise and fall of the Chippendales empire.

Australian actor Murray Bartlett portrays gay dance captain Nick De Noir and does a lot of the heavy lifting throughout the storyline. He brings a solid resume to the project having previously been in HBO's Looking, Netflix's revival of Tales of the City and most recently The White Lotus.

Annaleigh Ashford and Juliette Lewis stand out in smaller roles that they make bigger by the sheer strength of their performances. Both are likable and push the plot along in different ways.

The male dancers are shown mainly for background and nostalgia, but one named Otis, played by Quentin Plair, becomes very important. Through his individual story, the audience can see how he is appropriated by the company's management and mistreated. Banerjee's personal issues come out and many sad moments follow.

The Chippendales franchise was problematic and important both at the same time. This series shines a spotlight on women's sexuality, gay issues and discrimination occurring during that particular time period while resonating with current topics as well.

This series falls into the mini category of not warranting another season, but really makes a good follow-up to the recent Secrets of Playboy from A&E. Minorities, women and gays are still sometimes treated like furniture in 2023 and Welcome to Chippendales will have viewers reflecting on how some things have not changed. The crime story could have been the major focus but the social takeaway is more intriguing.

Welcome to Chippendales strips down to a mystery wrapped in greed, racism and power over the course of eight episodes. Visit hulu.com and start streaming weekly with a finale scheduled on January 3, 2023.