‘Magic City: An American Fantasy’ Review: An Informative Docuseries

Atlanta holds a distinct place in the American cultural landscape. Beginning in the 1970s, it became a hub for the Black elite, and has only grown since then. Within Atlanta’s confines, Magic City, one of the most popular strip clubs in the country, has a distinct legacy touching several aspects of Black culture and music. Created by Cole Brown and executive produced by Aubrey “Drake” Graham and Jermaine Dupri, Starz‘s new series, “Magic City: An American Fantasy,” chronicles the origins of the Black Studio 54 and its iconic rise. Fascinating and robust, “Magic City” allows audiences to go behind the veil surrounding the establishment, showcasing its history and lore from all angles. 

The five-part docuseries opens with the man who founded Magic City, Michael “Mr. Magic” Barney, who arrived in Atlanta at the end of the 1970s. Seeing what Atlanta had to offer to dreamers and hustlers, he quickly settled on the idea of opening up his own gentleman’s club. A shrewd businessman with a gift for gab, he launched Magic City in 1985 (without his wife’s knowledge), and the rest is history. Throughout “Magic City,” Brown and director Charles Todd are careful not to fully glamorize nightlife entertainment. Barney’s success was hard-won, and it took several years for the business to take off. Moreover, the show delves into Barney’s hardships, including incarceration, arson and numerous other trials that hindered him over the years. 

Though Barney’s (who still owns the club today) legacy serves as a throughline in “Magic City,” the series explores various eras of the club’s 40-year reign, revealing some of the horrendous violence, lawsuits, glory days and the moments when it was all on the verge of collapse. Despite a few hokey reenactments, the series is compellingly illustrated. It’s bursting at the seams with archival photos, videos, first-hand accounts from Barney, his sons, Michael “Lil Magic” Junior and Julian “Ju Ju” Barney, as well as interviews with 2 Chainz and Nelly, and EPs Drake and Jermaine Dupri, among others. The series is vast and fascinating. However, the most essential and engaging components of the project are the dancers themselves. 

Katori Hall’s critically acclaimed drama “P-Valley” (also on Starz) shook the table by offering a fictionalized portrayal of a Mississippi-based strip club through the eyes of its owner and dancers. In “Magic City,” Brown and Todd turn their lens on the women who garnered the crowds, the money and the notoriety. With countless interviews from women who were onstage during the Freaknik era, like Strawberry and Passion, to legends like White Chocolate, who was at the top of her game when the Black Mafia Family ruled Atlanta, the show unpacks nuanced perspectives from the women whose bodies and allure brought in the business. While many speak about the financial empowerment that dancing provided, they are also candid about safety issues, the predatory details of this particular environment and why it’s often so challenging to exit this specific career. Moreover, by contrasting different eras of dancers, the series offers a unique viewpoint on the evolution of stripping, which began as a fantasy and has evolved, becoming a theatrical and acrobatic practice. 

Brown and Todd expand the gaze of the audience beyond the four walls of the club. The docuseries presents the economic value the club has added to Atlanta over the years. Amid the BMF era, gangster Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory was pushing upward of $1 million into the club weekly. Additionally, the show highlights how monumental Magic City was to the Southern rap scene and trap music in particular. Magic City became a hub for DJs and artists like Outkast, T.I., Jezzy, Future and the Migos to launch their careers. Getting a song played and embraced by the dancers and the audiences was another way for Black artists to break through when traditional avenues and paths weren’t accessible to them. 

Though overly stylized at times, the series is never dull. Boasting a wealth of information and a zippy pace, “Magic City: An American Fantasy” makes for an absorbing watch. Never leaning away from the more shocking intricacies of adult and nightlife entertainment, the series bridges the gap between iconic cultural moments and what was going down at Magic City, which helped transform the club into a historical and cultural phenomenon.

 “Magic City: An American Fantasy” premieres Aug. 15 on Starz with new episodes dropping weekly on Fridays.