Should you turn on or turn off 'Turn Up Charlie'?

What to expect from Netflix's Idris Elba comedy - by Gavin Scott

What do you get when you cross a washed-up former music star who now DJs to disinterested crowds with the precocious daughter of a high-flying A-list couple?

Cutesy sitcom Turn Up Charlie (watch the trailer above) starring Idris Elba as the titular Charlie, whose actor best friend asks him to play manny to smart-mouthed Gabrielle (Frankie Hervey), a kid that goes through nannies faster than the Von Trapp children.

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Feeling like a product of another time, and, except for its saucier elements, something more at home on kids’ TV than Netflix, Turn Up Charlie revolves around the predictable push-and-pull between frustrated-in-life Charlie and Gabrielle, who acts out as a way to get her preoccupied parents’ attention.

More interesting is Charlie’s home life, with a disapproving aunt and freeloading friend bringing what laughs there are. (On Netflix from Fri., Mar. 15) 3 stars

Gavin Scott

A pop culture enthusiast from a young age, Gavin is equally passionate about great pop music (’80s synthpop, ’10s dream pop), gripping TV series (Friday Night Lights, The Handmaid’s Tale) and trips to the cinema (I love a blockbuster as much as anyone, but I’m done with the superhero thing).

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