Written by Erin Doyle
Turn Up Charlie is a British comedy that combines Idris Elba’s two passions: music and acting. Before Elba became a huge star, one of his side-jobs included being a disc jockey. What started out originally as a hobby has landed him on the lineup for Coachella this upcoming April. Turn Up Charlie is Elba’s way to mix both of his professions into his own original project as he created, produced, and built all the music for the series.
Elba’s character, Charlie Ayo, is a struggling DJ that lives in an apartment with his family and is feeling nostalgic over his one-hit-wonder days. After reconnecting with his life-long— and very successful— friend, David, at a mutual friend’s wedding, Ayo goes on to meet David’s daughter, Gabrielle. She is an obnoxious trouble-maker who has gone through multiple nannies and is suffering from extreme parental neglect. Her father leaves abruptly, as he needs to go to an unexpected meeting, and Gabrielle spends the rest of the day with Ayo. After Charlie Ayo’s success of doing what multiple nannies could not, David and his wife beg for Ayo to be her “Manny.” As he is tight with money, Charlie accepts, and the pilot ends with Gabrielle holding a torch lighter ready for battle.
“Turn Up Charlie” isn’t the worst idea for a Netflix series; we’ve seen them do far worse with their original projects like Sierra Burgess is a Loser and Amy Schumer: The Leather Special. There’s something about this series that holds innocent humor and fun dialogue. It’s incredibly lighthearted, exposing a different side of Elba that we normally don’t get to see when it comes to his very dramatic and serious roles. There’s no debate up to what Elba could do, however, this series cannot be compared to an amazing Netflix original like Stranger Things.
Although very cute, the show lacks significance. The parenting struggles, love for music, coming-of-age stories, and jokes make the series relatable to everyone. This is the true flaw for Elba’s work. In the end, the whole show left me wondering how I liked all the actors, but something was missing. I felt as though I’ve watched something like this before multiple times, but I know I haven’t. Turn Up Charlie is mediocre, but this side of Elba we’re not used to seeing is a breath of fresh air that should get applauded.
Since Elba was so close to this project, maybe another set of eyes should’ve been on the set to explain the problems and really help bring Elba’s idea come to fruition. For an actor with so many projects like Luther, Hobbs & Shaw, and preparing for his upcoming role as Deadshot in The Suicide Squad, maybe there is just a lot on his plate, and he couldn’t devote all of his attention. If there is a second season, let’s hope there is a better way he can transform his project to life.
