Stream It Or Skip It?

In 1970, Muhammad Ali fought Jerry Quarry in his first fight since his refusal to enter the draft cost him his heavyweight title in 1967, and earned him an effective ban from the sport. The fight was in Atlanta, a city hoping to upgrade its image. But what happened during the fight, at a party held during and after the bout, is the subject of a new series on Peacock.

Opening Shot: “BASED ON SOME SHIT THAT REALLY HAPPENED” says some text on the screen. Then we see Frank Moten (Samuel L. Jackson) holding Gordon “Chicken Man” Williams (Kevin Hart) at gunpoint. “You fucking with me, Chicken! And I don’t let nobody fuck with me,” says Moten.

The Gist: Flash back two weeks, we see Chicken Man doing his usual hustle around Atlanta in 1970, which is running a numbers game. After he gets his weekly players’ money, he goes back to his girlfriend Vivian Thomas (Taraji P. Henson) to count it and put it away, with the help from topless dancers from his club. Citing the fact that the state of Georgia is about to approve a state lottery, she thinks its time for them to diversify their business. But Chicken won’t deal drugs, and he even cringes when he sees that Vivian has put a gun in their safe.

But he’s got a good idea. Muhammad Ali (Dexter Darden) is fighting Jerry Quarry in his comeback fight; his heavyweight championship was stripped from three years earlier after he refused enter the draft, and Georgia was the only state that would sanction one of his fights. Chicken’s plan is to stage a “classy” casino night and to invite all the heads of Black organized crime around the country, including New York’s Frank Moten.

Chicken is juggling a lot, including a church-going family; his wife Faye (Artrece Johnson) knows that whatever Chicken is doing is keeping the family afloat, and seems to accept it. Chicken tells her that this party will be the key to putting him on the map with the right people.

In the meantime, Atlanta police detective J.D. Hudson (Don Cheadle) is invited to a lunch with his boss, where Senator Leroy Johnson (RonReaco Lee), who was instrumental in bringing the fight to town, wants Hudson to lead a security detail for Ali. Johnson feels that Atlanta will become a majority-Black city in the coming years, and the fight will be a way to bring business to the city. Hudson’s not happy with the detail, given the fact that he and his colleagues feel Ali is a draft dodger.

When Ali arrives, Hudson calls him “Mr. Clay” by semi-accident, which only solidifies Ali’s mistrust. It doesn’t get any better when Hudson stashes Ali and his crew at a cabin in the woods, only to be found by a group of kids toting a Confederate flag.

All of the organized crime bosses Chicken invites come to the party, including Moten and his right-hand man Cadillac Richie Wheeler (Terrence Howard). Chicken gets a shakedown by a Miami crime boss who smarted over not being invited, but a fortuitous encounter with actress Lola Falana (Lori Harvey) helps him out. At his and Vivian’s house, the party rages as the fight starts, but trouble lurks on the other side of the front door.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist has a similar feel to The Big Cigar, though this show is a lot better than that one.

Our Take: Created by Shaye Ogbonna based on the podcast Fight Night by Jeff Keating and Jim Roberts, Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist does a good job of setting up just what’s at stake for everyone involved. It helps that the series has a stellar cast, with Hart and Cheadle doing a great job with their respective lead roles. But it’s certainly a feat to tell the two sides of this story in a way that is cohesive and makes sense.

At the beginning of this story, Ogbonna and his writers (Will Packer and Hart are among the executive producers) have to balance two very different stories. First, we have Chicken’s personal quest to better his life — as well as juggle his family and his relationship with Vivian. Then we have Hudson guarding Ali, trying to reconcile Ali’s stance on Vietnam with the idea that his own “standing” in the Black community in an evolving Atlanta is at stake.

Both are intriguing stories, enhanced by Hart’s and Cheadle’s performances. Of course, there are fine performances from the supporting cast, which is to be expected when you have Howard, Henson and Jackson among them.

And, yes, there is always going to be an aspect of a “based on true events” story that will be fictionalized, but the story sets up how the heist paved the way for Atlanta to become the “chocolate city” it is today. Giving that historical perspective, especially with a dense, action-filled narrative, will hopefully prompt people to look into the actual events.

Sex and Skin: Lots of topless women helping Chicken and Vivian with the numbers money, as well as topless women at the club where Chicken holds court.

Parting Shot: Two men (Terrence Terrell, Sinqua Walls) wearing masks and holding shotguns enter the house where the party is going on, and we start to hear screaming.

Sleeper Star: We’ll give this to Marsha Stephanie Blake as Delores, J.D.’s social-worker wife. As we always say, the spouse of a main character is always a thankless role, but Blake gives quiet power to the part.

Most Pilot-y Line: It’s not as much a line, but an overall assessment of Dexter Darden as Ali. First of all, he seems too small to play the Champ. Second, his performance seems like more of an impression than an actual performance. But perhaps that will ease off as the series goes along.

Our Call: STREAM IT. A well-organized script and some fantastic performances makes the expansive story of Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist an engaging, fun show to watch.

Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere.