Turn Up Charlie: Piper Perabo Joins Idris Elba in Netflix Comedy Series

June 27, 2018 steezy

Idris Elba is a DJ (he is what he plays), both in real-life and coming soon on Netflix for an upcoming comedy series called Turn Up Charlie.

The man wears multiple occupational hats, both as an extremely-busy actor of film, stage and television, but also as a dabbler in soul/hip-hop music and as a DJ, for which he operates under the name “DJ Big Driis” (yes, with two i’s). Now, it appears that a synthesis of those two occupations is on the horizon with this Netflix TV project. In fact, Elba recently posted some footage of himself DJing, possibly serving as a demonstrable preview.

Turn Up Charlie will manifest on Netflix with an inaugural season consisting of eight half-hour episodes. Elba will star as Charlie, a struggling DJ who is apparently close to procuring the gig that will finally yield him success. However, that prospect could become derailed, since he reluctantly becomes the “manny” (male nanny) to the 11-year-old problem child daughter of his famous best friend. Thus, the bachelor DJ will find himself spun by the impromptu gig of parenthood.

According to THR, Piper Perabo (Covert Affairs, always Coyote Ugly) will star as Sara, “a superstar DJ, feminist icon and vivacious trendsetter who has chosen to abandon the chaotic and exciting life she lived in America, to put roots down in London in an attempt to give her badly behaved daughter more stability and normality.” Newcomer Frankie Hervey will star as said daughter, Gabrielle, who is “wise beyond her years,”and neglected by her workaholic parents. “Her spiky retorts, mischievous adventures and epic tantrums hide a lonely young girl with a distorted view of reality,” describes THR.

JJ Field (Turn) has been cast as Hollywood actor David, “a North London boy done good, David is ambitious and hardworking, but his return to his hometown brings new opportunities and uncertainties in equal measure.” This series’ announcements are painting quite a picture, and I am all in.

The series, which will be based in the U.K., is the brainchild of an executive producer triumvirate that includes star Idris Elba, along with Gary Reich known from U.K. shows such as Vicious and How Not to Live Your Life, rounded out by Tristram Shapeero, a director of the Netflix hit series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, who’s also directed episodes of comedies Brooklyn Nine-Nine, GLOW, Blunt Talk, Community, Parks and Recreation, New Girl and Workaholics.

Shapeero will also serve as a director here alongside Matt Lipsey. They will work off scripts by Laura Neal, Femi Oyeniran, Victoria Asare-Archer.

Martin Joyce and Ana Garanito will serve as co-executive producers, joined by Hill Isles as producer and Georgia Lester as supervising producer/writer.