2 series, but no Vegas show for Chippendales

The “Chippendales” stage show has been dark in Vegas for more than a year.

But the Chipps’ back story has been dark from the very start.

That’s what a couple of announced and in-development projects are relating. “Immigrant,” starring Kumail Nanjiani, is an eight-part series coming to Hulu at a date to be announced.

And the Oscar-winning production company Lightbox is developing “Curse of the Chippendales,” a four-part docuseries that has been green-lit by Discovery+ streaming service. A timeline for distribution is also to be announced.

Of course, this activity is made public less than a week after Chippendales Theater at the Rio was closed permanently by Caesars Entertainment. The show has made no formal statement, aside from a post from its official account promising it would return to a venue in Las Vegas.

Nanjiani, star of the HBO comedy series “Silicon Valley” and the romantic-comedy film “The Big Sick,” plays Somen “Steve” Banerjee, the Indian-American founder of the Chippendales troupe. As the project’s release explains, “The series will detail the insane, darkly comedic, crime-ridden story behind the unique male revue that became a cultural phenomenon.”

Banerjee was entangled in a melodramatic plot to kill several Chipps dancers, choreographers and producers. He pleaded guilty to arson racketeering and murder for hire. On Oct. 23, 1994, the day he was to be sentenced, Banerjee was found dead in his cell, having hanged himself.

”Curse of the Chippendales,” is a new four-part series from Oscar and Emmy Award-winning team at Lightbox. It, too, promises and “incredible true crime story, rooted in a decade with its own quintessential style and all fueled by one thing: greed.”

“The Chippendales are cultural icons, but there are many scandalous stories hidden beneath the surface that will leave even the most seasoned true crime viewer shocked,” Discovery+ spokeswoman Lisa Holme said in a release.“Through their impeccable storytelling, Lightbox transports viewers back to the 1980s to tell a story that perfectly captures the zeitgeist of the era, and reveals the dark side of a risqué world.”

Clearly, if you enjoy 1980s-era intrigue, timeless grooving and iconic, bow-tied costumes, this series if for you.

What both projects seem to evade is any direct reference to the Vegas production, which has run at the Rio since 2002. At least, there is no mention of the show in the description of the respective series.

As for the “Chippendales” show in Vegas, we’ll read the tea leaves (if not the fig leaves) for Chipps’ possible options: Virgin Hotels is not interested. Resorts World Las Vegas has no space for the production. Veteran Vegas producer David Saxe says he has not had any talks with the show, but would be interested in the title. Tropicana has Tropicana Theater and, we recall, the Havana Room that could be converted into a hybrid nightclub/ticketed space.

Regardless of where the show lands, male revues remain a hot ticket in Las Vegas. The genre’s popularity has not abated in COVID, and the Chipps’ competition is moving and grooving across the scene.

“Thunder From Down Under” was an early show to return in COVID, performing to packed houses at its Thunderland Showroom at Excalibur. “MML” is set to reopen at its chic theater at Sahara, as it is the center of the HBO series “The Real Magic Mike.” Even the plucky “Aussie Heat” production has been onstage since October at Mosaic On The Strip.

But “Chippendales” seems to have caught a break. Two of them, actually, with these high-profile projects. Sit back, cue the music and see what shakes out.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.