Turn Up Charlie Season 1 Review

March 5, 2019 at 2:02am
By Jason Stettner

This is a Netflix Original Series that follows a washed up DJ that is attempting to reclaim his former glory. He attempts to do this by becoming a "manny" to his now rich best friend's daughter. Charlie (Idris Elba) had it all and went too wild in the party scene, he's now lonely and taking low level gigs. Things take a drastic shift as he becomes involved with the life of his close, and now successful friend. That friend has just arrived back in town with his family.

It's an interesting development as we see this somewhat wild individual have tamer elements as he bonds with Gabby (Frankie Hervey), a snappy little girl. She has issues, well they both do and this season explores the betterment of one's self. It also has some excellent beats behind it with many musical scenes. It's about a DJ, and there are others in the field that you see come into the picture. This produces some solid tracks to listen to, and it helps set the stage for some exciting moments throughout.

There are definitely some comedic elements to this season, but the main focus is how a lost man gets his life back together. There's excellent pacing as the episodes blow by and it's a rather concise setup. It did seem to take a dramatic shift at one point, but this worked well in tying up the initial story.

I actually wish they would have stretched out the content further as I did quite enjoy this. The characters were well developed, and you could see fractures as they deal with various problems. It's a show about music, working on that and basically redemption as Charlie tries to move forward from past mistakes. There are some large scale scenes, wild parties and just some good laughs throughout. The real strength is in the moments where the various family members try to connect with the young girl.

She's got problems, and it's interesting to see growth from all sides of the equation. I thought the acting was excellent and the development in those characters was great. It's an engaging show that has relaxing moments, with some action packed times that come into it. There are many dynamics at play and it's interesting to see where it ends up. The conclusion generally made sense albeit a bit rushed as those problems could have been expanded upon. I'd really like to see more from this in the future as it grabbed my attention the whole way through.

The Conclusion

Turn Up Charlie Season 1 delivers a show that brings humor, a bit of drama and a whole lot of music. There are some excellent beats backing this season up, with a full look at the washed up lifestyle. There are some strange, yet grounded characters and it makes for an interesting series of events. It's quite something to see Elba end up as essentially a nanny to a little girl that isn't afraid to tell him what's up. I just find it rather funny that he's usually so tough, it's a very different type of role for him.

It largely works and he's a strong lead throughout the season. The surrounding characters are entertaining and it feels as though the drama is just starting to swell as the series develops. It's got fast pacing, it never wastes a moment and yet still gets the necessary narrative elements across. I found it quite enjoyable and really do look forward to hopefully seeing more of it in the future. Also, be sure to check out the intense track L.U.V (feat. Shaznay Lewis) by Charlie Ayo!

Turn Up Charlie Season 1 Review at Home with Streamed Viewing
Screening was Provided by Netflix

Rating Overall: 8.0