Turn Up Charlie is a British comedy television series created by Idris Elba and Gary Reich. The series stars Elba as a disc jockey who reluctantly becomes the nanny for his famous friend's daughter; Piper Perabo, JJ Feild and Frankie Hervey also star. The series premiered on 15 March 2019 on Netflix. In April 2020, the series was cancelled after one season.[1]

Turn Up Charlie
GenreComedy
Created by
Directed by
Starring
ComposerJames Lavelle
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes8
Production
Executive producers
  • Idris Elba
  • Gary Reich
  • Tristram Shapeero
ProducerGill Isles
CinematographyRob Kitzmann
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time24–28 minutes
Production companies
  • Brown Eyed Boy Productions
  • Green Door Pictures
Original release
NetworkNetflix
Release15 March 2019 (2019-03-15)

Premise

edit

Turn Up Charlie follows "Charlie, a struggling DJ and eternal bachelor, who's given a final chance at success when he reluctantly becomes a nanny to his famous best friend's problem-child daughter."[2]

Cast and characters

edit

Main

edit

Recurring

edit

Episodes

edit
No.TitleDirected by [3]Written byOriginal release date [4]
1"Episode 1"Tristram ShapeeroGeorgia Lester15 March 2019 (2019-03-15)
After reconnecting with a hugely successful friend at a wedding, struggling DJ Charlie receives an unexpected job offer.
2"Episode 2"Tristram ShapeeroGeorgia Lester15 March 2019 (2019-03-15)
Charlie's new gig gets off to a rocky start when he and Gabrielle tag along with her parents to a party full of music industry bigwigs.
3"Episode 3"Tristram ShapeeroVictoria Asare-Archer & Georgia Lester15 March 2019 (2019-03-15)
While her mom holes up in the studio with Layla Valentine, Gabrielle heads to her first day of school and quickly starts racking up enemies.
4"Episode 4"Tristram ShapeeroLaura Neal15 March 2019 (2019-03-15)
David surprises Sara with a romantic getaway, Charlie takes a shot at remixing his hit song, and Gabs sneaks out to meet Hunter.
5"Episode 5"Matt LipseyFemi Oyeniran15 March 2019 (2019-03-15)
During a day out with Gabs, David juggles mounting career worries and a parenting first. A nervous Charlie heads to the studio to record with Sara.
6"Episode 6"Matt LipseyLaura Neal15 March 2019 (2019-03-15)
At the Latitude Festival, Sara's determined to spend time with her daughter, but Gabs and Hunter have other plans. Charlie takes Astrid on a date.
7"Episode 7"Matt LipseyGeorgia Lester15 March 2019 (2019-03-15)
In sunny Ibiza, Charlie puts his friendships and career on the line when he gets caught up in the party scene and slips back into old habits.
8"Episode 8"Matt LipseyGeorgia Lester15 March 2019 (2019-03-15)
A wild night and a romantic gesture stir up drama as everyone gathers for a life-changing weekend in Ibiza.

Production

edit

Development

edit

On 18 April 2018, it was announced that Netflix had given the production a series order for a first season consisting of eight episodes. The series was created by Idris Elba and Gary Reich who will executive produce alongside Tristram Shapeero. Directors for the series include Shapeero and Matt Lipsey. Laura Neal, Femi Oyeniran, and Victoria Asare-Archer will serve as writers with Georgia Lester also serving as writer as well as supervising producer. Martin Joyce and Ana Garanito are co-executive producers and Gill Isles will serve as producer. Production companies involved with the series include Brown Eyed Boy Productions and Green Door Pictures.[2][5][6][7] On 3 January 2019, it was reported that the series would premiere on 15 March 2019.[8] On 27 April 2020, Netflix cancelled the series after one season.[1]

Casting

edit

Alongside the initial series order announcement, it was confirmed that Idris Elba would star in the series as the titular Charlie.[2] On 27 June 2018, it was announced that Piper Perabo, JJ Feild, and Frankie Hervey had joined the series' main cast.[9] On 3 January 2019, it was reported that Angela Griffin, Guz Khan, Jocelyn Jee Esien, Jade Anouka, Cameron King, and Dustin Demri-Burns would join the cast.[8]

Filming

edit

Principal photography for the series commenced in May 2018 in the United Kingdom.[2]

Filming locations included West London Film Studios.

Release

edit

On 3 January 2019, a series of "first look" still images from the series were released featuring Idris Elba, Piper Perabo, JJ Feild, and Frankie Hervey as Charlie, Sara, David, and Gabrielle, respectively.[8] On 28 February 2019, the official trailer for the series was released.[10]

Reception

edit

On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 52% with an average rating of 5.26/10, based on 37 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Poor writing and predictable plot twists dampen Turn Up Charlie's fun premise — but those looking for a breezy sitcom starring the perennially cool Idris Elba may find themselves tapping along to its good natured beats."[11] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the series a score of 48 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[12]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (27 April 2020). "Idris Elba's 'Turn Up Charlie' Canceled By Netflix After One Season". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 27 April 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d White, Peter (18 April 2018). "'Luther' Star Idris Elba To Star As Struggling DJ In Netflix Comedy 'Turn Up Charlie'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 30 April 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  3. ^ Greene, Steve (9 January 2019). "'Turn Up Charlie': Idris Elba Is a DJ in First Look at Netflix Comedy Series". Indiewire. Archived from the original on 13 January 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  4. ^ "Turn Up Charlie – Listings". The Futon Critic. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  5. ^ Otterson, Joe (18 April 2018). "Idris Elba to Star in Netflix Comedy Series 'Turn Up Charlie'". Variety. Archived from the original on 22 April 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  6. ^ Carr, Mary Kate (18 April 2018). "Idris Elba to star in Netflix comedy series 'Turn Up Charlie'". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 30 April 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  7. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (18 April 2018). "Idris Elba to Create, Star in Netflix Comedy Series 'Turn Up Charlie'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 23 April 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  8. ^ a b c Petski, Denise (3 January 2019). "Idris Elba's 'Turn Up Charlie' Sets Netflix Premiere Date, Unveils First-Look Photos, Rounds Out Recurring Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 4 January 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  9. ^ White, Peter (27 June 2018). "'Covert Affairs' Piper Perabo & 'Turn's JJ Feild Join Idris Elba's Netflix Comedy 'Turn Up Charlie'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  10. ^ Wright, Megh (28 February 2019). "Idris Elba Is Your Hot New Manny in the Turn Up Charlie Trailer". Vulture. Archived from the original on 28 February 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  11. ^ "Turn Up Charlie: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  12. ^ "Turn Up Charlie reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
edit