Will Welcome To Chippendales Return For Season 2?

Hulu’s teaser for the eighth episode of Welcome to Chippendales bills the “final act” as a series finale, and if you know founder Somen “Steve” Banerjee’s real-life story, you’ll understand why that’s the case. After pleading guilty to charges related to his role in the 1987 murder-for-hire plot against Chippendales choreographer Nick De Noia, Banerjee died by suicide in his prison cell in October 1994. Though there are instances of limited series returning, that certainly makes it seem unlikely that there will be a Welcome to Chippendales Season 2.

Either way, this won’t be the last time you see Kumail Nanjiani, who played Banerjee, take on a dramatic role. “After this experience on Chippendales, I definitely want to do more of it,” he told The A.V. Club, admitting that he’s “never cried on camera” before playing the male strip club magnate. “I have my next couple of things lined up, and the next project is a bit lighter. I can’t mention what it is yet, but I’m excited. It’s closer to the realm of the Star Wars and MCU genre. And the thing after that is closer to Chippendales and looks like I might have to cry on camera again for it. But I’m ready now.”

The unbelievable true story behind the rise and fall of Banerjee’s Chippendales empire is ultimately what drew him to the part. “One of the first conversations I had with Robert Siegel, our creator, he told me he had the eight episode breakdown,” Nanjiani explained to E! News in November. "He was like, ‘And in episode four, this happens. In episode five, this happens.' I kept stopping him to be like, ‘Did that really happen?' He was like, ‘Yeah, this is all real.’ . . . My reaction was, ‘I have to do this.’”

He’s not the only cast member with plenty of other projects in the pipeline. The White Lotus Season 1 star Murray Bartlett, who portrayed De Noia, can be seen next in HBO’s post-apocalyptic drama The Last of Us, while Juliette Lewis (Denise) will be back for Yellowjackets Season 2 in March. Beginning in Spring 2023, Annaleigh Ashford (Irene) will headline the Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street alongside Grammy winner Josh Groban.

Another silver lining? There might be more true-crime dramas like Welcome to Chippendales on the way. Siegel, the show’s writer, executive producer, and co-showrunner who also created Hulu’s Pam & Tommy miniseries, signed a multi-year overall deal with 20th Television, the studio behind Welcome to Chippendales. “I’ve had the best experience working with [20th Television president Karey Burke] and the rest of the gang over there on Welcome to Chippendales and can’t wait to do it again and again,” Siegel said in a statement, via Deadline.

For her part, Burke added, “From Pam & Tommy to our limited series Welcome to Chippendales for Hulu, we are so excited to have Rob join our studio family, and are looking forward to developing projects with him in the years to come.”