Nicco Annan Describes ‘P-Valley’ as ‘Cheers’ in a Strip Club

This story is a part of I am So Obsessed (subscribe right here), our podcast that includes interviews with actors, artists, celebrities and inventive varieties about their work, profession and present obsessions.

We dwell in a time when there’s an abundance of excellent exhibits. One which made many critic’s greatest lists in 2020 was the collection P-Valley. The present is written and produced by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Katori Corridor and takes place at a strip membership known as The Pynk within the fictional Mississippi city Chucalissa. P-Valley is again for a second season, which is airing now on Starz.

However The Pynk is not just like the Bada Bing on The Sopranos or Lickety Splitz on Ozark. The truth is, in response to the actor, dancer and choreographer Nicco Annan, who performs Uncle Clifford on P-Valley, The Pynk is extra akin to the present Cheers.

“I usually describe P-Valley as a Southern fried drama. And I put it within the context of Cheers with Ted Danson. My character, Uncle Clifford, runs the strip membership known as The Pynk. I at all times spell it out for folks as a result of it is p, y, n, okay,” Annan stated on CNET’s I am So Obsessed podcast. “It is a spot the place all of those marginalized communities, these folks that come out and in of those tales, and also you get to essentially know who they’re.”

Season 2 of the present delves deeper into the lives of the characters as they, like the remainder of us, cope with the pandemic. P-Valley makes use of the worry many individuals had and nonetheless have about COVID-19 as an analogy to what the dancers and patrons at The Pynk and the residents of Chucalissa have handled due to who they’re. Annan described that worry as the identical feeling {that a} marginalized group might really feel or have felt residing in America as a black particular person.

You may take heed to my total dialog with Annan within the podcast participant above. One among my favourite elements was how Annan described assembly Janet Jackson, who’s an enormous P-Valley fan. You may watch new episodes of P-Valley Sunday nights on Starz or stream the present by way of the Starz channel on Prime Video.

Subscribe to I am So Obsessed in your favourite podcast app. In every episode, Connie Guglielmo and I meet up with an artist, actor or creator to study their work, profession and present obsessions.