Since the state of Georgia passed the country’s most generous tax incentives for film and television production, Atlanta has become what is often referred to as the “Hollywood of the South.” But for all the filming that uses the city as a backdrop, there are few that actually portray it as a dynamic metropolis worthy of its own mythology. (The list essentially begins and ends with Donald Glover’s FX series of the same name and a handful of reality shows.) The Peacock miniseries “Fight Night,” adapted by creator Shaye Ogbonna (“The Chi”) from the 2020 podcast of the same name, is a welcome break from that status quo. It uses a fateful evening in 1970 to explore Atlanta’s rise to a center of black culture and prosperity — even if some of the architects of that rise were less-than-pleasant characters.
But Fight Night, subtitled Fight Night, doesn’t lure viewers with the promise that it’s, as the title suggests, “some shit that really happened.” The eight-episode limited series has one of the most star-studded casts since Big Little Lies, led by Kevin Hart and Don Cheadle as two men stranded between worlds. Hart plays Gordon “Chicken Man” Williams, a small-time crook who hopes to impress black mob boss Frank Moten (Samuel L. Jackson) by throwing an after-party for Muhammad Ali’s comeback boxing match. Williams leads a double life represented by his two partners: his wife Faye (Artrece Johnson), with whom he goes to church every Sunday, and his mistress Vivian (Taraji P. Henson), with whom he does all sorts of illicit business, most notably illegal gambling. Cheadle plays JD Hudson, a detective who began his career as one of the Atlanta Police Department’s first black recruits after integration. Hudson’s white colleagues are predictably prejudiced, while most black Atlantans view him, to quote the show’s fictionalized version of Ali (Dexter Darden) when Hudson is assigned to his security detail, as a “supervisor.”
When a group of armed robbers raid Chicken Man’s party and rob Frank and his fellow mob bosses, both protagonists are under a lot of pressure: Chicken must clear his name before the victims take the law into their own hands, and Hudson must contain the violence before it gets out of hand. Fighting Ali was supposed to generate positive PR for an up-and-coming town, a development that Chicken hoped to capitalize on by proposing a “Black Vegas” to Frank. Instead, the robbery he was supposed to take the blame for has generated the wrong headlines.
“Fight Night” sits at the intersection of several declining TV trends, from the wild scramble for true crime stories to an escalating arms race for star power. But Ogbonna and co-showrunner Jason Horwitch have delivered a gripping, fast-paced series that takes full advantage of a full roster. “Fight Night” lacks the detail of more haunting Nixon-era period pieces like “The Deuce”; its soundtrack of perfunctory cuts, from the Temptations’ “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” to Darondo’s “Didn’t I,” reflects its broad approach to world-building. But “Fight Night” makes up for its craft (true story + big names = profit) with nuanced ideas and compelling performances.
In his role as Williams, Hart – also an executive producer – walks a fine line. The comedian neither repeats his usual goofy role nor overcompensates with a dramatic turn. The role of Chicken Man is well chosen, as he is an inherently ridiculous figure who fights for Frank’s approval while hatching countless schemes to move up. But with his life and that of his family at stake, Chicken’s desperation takes on a more existential tone. It’s a subtle expansion of Hart’s range, not a forced one.
Virtually all the other actors do just as well. Henson, reteaming with her “Hustle & Flow” and “Empire” costars Craig Brewer (who directs half the season) and Terence Howard (who plays Frank’s ally, Jersey boss Cadillac Richie), gets a whole box of toys to play with, from a riveting dance scene to a midseason makeover to some Cookie Lyon-style animal prints. Jackson’s Frank is calmer and smarter than some of his other roles, though his trademark explosive anger lurks just beneath the surface. Cheadle gradually loosens up Hudson, from learning to respect and cheer for a “loudmouth” Ali to teaming up with Chicken on an unofficial mission to track down the mastermind of the robbery.
Our window into the heists is McKinley “Mac” Rogers (Sinqua Walls), a war-bereaved Vietnam veteran who enlists to afford a better place to live so he can share custody of his nine-year-old daughter. (Walls isn’t as famous as some of his co-stars, but his work gives the series a touch of tragedy.) The third episode of “Fight Night,” directed by Tanya Hamilton, plays out almost in real time as Mac’s crew takes control of an entire house party of high-profile victims and then gradually loses them. Such tense, engrossing work makes up for the over-reliance on obviously vintage techniques like split screen elsewhere.
“Fight Night” focuses on the life-and-death struggles that help the show maintain tension throughout. But all of the characters are united in a higher purpose than mere survival. “I’m trying to become something bigger and better,” exclaims Henson’s Vivian. “Aren’t you?” Frank, like countless mobsters before him, wants to go legal; Hudson wants to make a difference; Chicken wants to make something of himself, whatever that looks like. “Fight Night” makes those desires compelling enough to use them as a proxy for an Atlanta on the brink of national prominence and powered by a black elite. Conveying that connection is an accomplishment in itself.
The first three episodes of Fight Night are available to stream now on Peacock, with the remaining episodes airing weekly on Thursdays.
