"Turn Up Charlie" is a lukewarm comedy that aims to tell a story of has been DJ who becomes his famous best friend’s manny (male nanny) in hopes that his friend’s DJ wife, Sara (Piper Perabo), will help him restart his career.
The Netflix comedy is new territory for Idris Elba as the hunky star is more known for his dramatic and action roles.
Elba, who also doubles as an executive producer for the show, should have probably given this role a skip. The script sets Charlie (Idris Elba) up as this one-hit wonder in his late thirties and Elba is totally miscast as Charlie. This is strange as an executive producer he should’ve seen the type of character Charlie is and that he isn't suited for it.
It’s just hard to believe looking at him, being an attractive muscular man, that he wouldn’t able to make something happen. Being that we live in a society where attractive people fail upwards.
The only dynamic that works is the one between Charlie and Gabby (Frankie Hervey). They do play well off one another and Charlie is able to break through Gabby’s cynicism which she uses as a way to deflect from her lack of attention from her parents.
However, the use of a down and out has been who finds his way through his interaction with a neglected child feels like an overused trope.
The series as a whole also isn't funny and lacks real focus. I found myself finding none of the characters engaging and very reliant on stereotypes for comedic effect. And while this might have worked in the early 2000s, it feels very dated and out of place.
The screenwriting as a whole throughout the series also has very little ha-ha moments. You would think that a comedy series would be at the bare minimum be funny. "Turn Up Charlie" didn’t even get a chuckle out of me.
Overall, "Turn Up Charlie," which premiered on 15 Marched, is one of the Netflix shows you can give a skip.