Welcome to Chippendales

***Welcome to Chippendales*** (formerly known as ***Immigrant***) is an American drama television miniseries created by Robert Siegel for Hulu, inspired by the book *Deadly Dance: The Chippendales Murders* by K. Scot Macdonald and Patrick MontesDeOca. It stars Kumail Nanjiani as Somen “Steve” Banerjee, the Indian-American entrepreneur who started Chippendales. Additional cast members are Murray Bartlett, Annaleigh Ashford and Juliette Lewis. It premiered on November 22, 2022 on Hulu.

On September 20, 2022, along with the premiere date announcement, the name of the show changed from "**Immigrants**" to "**Welcome to Chippendales**."

## Premise

*Welcome to Chippendales tells the 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. And that includes anyone who threatens the success of his sexy biz.*

## Cast

### Main Cast

* Kumail Nanjiani as Somen “Steve” Banerjee, an Indian American entrepreneur who started the Chippendales.
* Murray Bartlett as Nick De Noia, the producer-choreographer who is a charming, fast-talking New Yorker who’s certain he’s God’s gift to entertainment.
* Annaleigh Ashford as Irene, an accountant by trade, the wife of Chippendales founder Steve Banerjee, falling in love over a shared passion for tax loopholes and revenue expansion.
* Juliette Lewis as Denise, the straight-talking, no-nonsense Denise goes from Chippendales groupie to loyal right-hand consigliere to its choreographer, Nick De Noia.
* Dan Stevens as Paul Snider, a hustler and serial schmoozer, who stumbles upon the opportunity of a lifetime in the form of Steve Banerjee and his struggling LA backgammon club. Through their unlikely partnership, the iconic male stripping institution Chippendales is born.

## Production notes

### Development

On May 18, 2021, it was announced that Kumail Nanjiani was to star in and executive produce the drama limited series about the origin story of stripper troupe Chippendales. Nanjiani had teamed up with *Pam & Tommy* creator Robert Siegel on *Immigrant* for Hulu, which had given the eight-episode project a straight-to-series order. It is the true story of Somen “Steve” Banerjee, an Indian American entrepreneur who started the Chippendales. Nanjiani will play Banerjee. The series is written by Robert Siegel and executive produced by Siegel, Nanjiani, Limelight’s Dylan Sellers, Chris Parker and Emily V. Gordon as well as Rajiv Joseph and Mehar Sethi who will also write on the series. 20th Television serves as the studio on the series. Endeavor Content is handling international sales.

On October 26, 2021, Jenni Konner boarded *Immigrant* as executive producer and co-showrunner. Additionally, *The White Tiger* filmmaker Ramin Bahrani had been tapped to direct and executive produce the series. Jacqui Rivera is also a co-executive producer and Annie Wyman is a co-producer.

On September 20, 2022, the show was renamed **Welcome to Chippendales**.

### Filming

Filming began by March 2022, with production briefly halting due to a positive COVID-19 test, but continuing by March 30, 2022. After the delay because of COVID-19, the shooting again started and got wrapped up in July of the same year. The series was filmed in California and Nevada, particularly in Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

### Casting

On May 18, 2021, alongside the announcement of the series order, it was announced that Kumail Nanjiani was to star in *Immigrant* for Hulu. On January 13, 2022, Murray Bartlett joined the cast as a series regular. On January 25, 2022, Annaleigh Ashford joined the cast opposite Nanjiani. On February 3, 2022, Quentin Plair joined the cast in a recurring role opposite Nanjiani, and Nicola Peltz joined the cast in a guest star role. On February 10, 2022, Andrew Rannells joined the cast in a recurring role. On February 23, 2022, Dan Stevens joined that cast in a key role. On March 2, 2022, Robin De Jesús joined the cast in a recurring role. On March 15, 2022, Juliette Lewis joined the cast in a key role opposite Nanjiani and Bartlett. On April 7, 2022, Spencer Boldman joined the cast in a recurring role opposite Nanjiani and Bartlett. On August 1, 2022, Adam Ray joined the cast.

## Broadcast

*Welcome to Chippendales* premiered on Tuesday, November 22, 2022 on Hulu. It is also set to premiere on Disney+ Internationally and on Star+ in Latin America.

## Trivia

* The series was announced on May 18, 2021.
* The series has had one name change since announcement: the original name of the show was "**Immigrant**", and it currently its at "**Welcome to Chippendales**".

## Gallery

### Images

* Posters
* Promotional

### Videos

Welcome To Chippendales - Official Teaser - HuluWelcome to Chippendales - Official Trailer - Hulu
## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 ‘Welcome To Chippendales’ Teaser: Kumail Nanjiani Runs Male-Stripper Empire In Hulu Limited Series
2. ↑ Welcome to Chippendales
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Chippendales Drama ‘Immigrant’ Starring Kumail Nanjiani Takes Off At Hulu
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 ‘The White Lotus’ Murray Bartlett Joins Hulu Limited Series ‘Immigrant’
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Annaleigh Ashford Joins Kumail Nanjiani In Hulu Limited Series ‘Immigrant’
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 ‘Immigrant’: Juliette Lewis Joins Hulu Limited Series
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 ‘Immigrant’: Dan Stevens Joins Hulu Limited Series
8. ↑ Jenni Konner Joins ‘Immigrant’ Starring Kumail Nanjiani As Co-Showrunner; Ramin Bahrani To Direct Hulu Series
9. ↑ Hulu’s Chippendales Limited Series Pauses Production After Positive Covid Test
10. ↑ Welcome to Chippendales Filming Locations
11. ↑ ‘Immigrant’: Quentin Plair & Nicola Peltz Join Kumail Nanjiani In Hulu Limited Series, Matt Shakman To Direct
12. ↑ ‘Immigrant’: Andrew Rannells Joins Kumail Nanjiani In Hulu Limited Series
13. ↑ ‘Immigrant’: ‘Tick, Tick, BOOM!’ Star Robin De Jesús Boards Hulu Series
14. ↑ ‘Immigrant’: Spencer Boldman Joins Hulu Limited Series
15. ↑ ‘Pam & Tommy’ Star Adam Ray Boards Kumail Nanjiani’s Hulu Drama ‘Welcome To Chippendales’

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