The true story of the Chippendales dance troupe is much darker than you think – and now it’s the subject of a true crime mini-series starring The Big Sick’s Kumail Nanjiani as the group’s founder, Somen ‘Steve’ Banerjee.

In the first trailer for Welcome To Chippendales, we’re introduced to Banerjee, an Indian man who moves to the US and decides to embark on a controversial new business venture: opening a strip club for women in 80s Los Angeles.

At first, Banerjee’s venture is treated with derision (“Is this some kind of joke?” we hear one disgruntled man ask) but soon he is living the lavish lifestyle he’s been hankering after.

The teaser clip chronicles Banerjee’s swift rise to success, teaming up first with business partner Paul Snider (played by Downton Abbey’s Dan Stevens), whose wife Dorothy Stratten (Nicola Peltz Beckham) is thought to have come up with the idea for the dancers’ cuffs and collars costumes, and then with choreographer Nick De Noia (played by The White Lotus’ Murray Bartlett).

De Noia’s expertise helps take the business up a level but, as we see in the trailer, Banerjee becomes jealous when his colleague starts to become the public face of the operation (“Chippendales is my creation!” we hear him fume after De Noia is introduced on TV as “Mr Chippendale himself”).

The story quickly takes a dark turn, encompassing murder plots, arson and an FBI sting operation, as Banerjee’s American dream turns sour.

Directed by Pam & Tommy’s Robert Siegel and with Girls’ Jenni Konner on board as co-showrunner, the eight-part series also stars Impeachment: American Crime Story’s Annaleigh Ashford as Banerjee’s wife Irene, Yellowjackets’ Juliette Lewis as Denise, a dedicated fan of the group who eventually becomes De Noia’s right-hand woman, and Girls star Andrew Rannells as a wealthy investor.

Discussing the series in an interview with Vanity Fair, Nanjiani described Welcome To Chippendales as “by far the most challenging job I’ve ever done, in terms of the length of the shoot, the content of the scenes, and emotional difficulty of the scenes”. 

“[Banerjee] had so many moments where he could have taken the right toad and he didn’t,” the actor added. “There are five different forks and each time, each crossroad, he took the exact wrong path.”

Welcome To Chippendales is not the first time that Hollywood bosses have attempted to bring this shocking story to the screen. Last year, it was reported that I, Tonya director Craig Gillespie was set to lead a film based on the Chippendales saga, with Dev Patel lined up to play Banerjee, and Seth Rogen and Elle Fanning in talks to join the cast. There haven’t been any further updates since, so it’s not clear whether the project is still going ahead.

The series is set to air on Hulu in the US from 22 November, then will be available to watch on Disney+ in the UK from 11 January 2023. If you fancy learning more about the true story in the meantime, the podcast Welcome To Your Fantasy provides a fascinating insight into Banerjee’s rise and fall.

Presented by the cultural historian Natalia Petrzela, it features testimonies from key figures, ranging from Banerjee’s co-founder to female fans and former strippers, weaving a story that takes you all the way from high-camp cheese to the criminal underworld. 

Images: Disney+