The five-part docuseries Magic City: An American Fantasy, created by Cole Brown and directed by Charles Todd, takes a look at the history of Magic City, Atlanta’s most famous gentlemen’s club, which attracted sports and hip hop royalty in the 1990s and 2000s before it became the center of criminal activity later in its history. But the club survives under its founder, Michael “Mr. Magic” Barney, and continues to be a place that attracts the best dancers as well as high-rolling clientele.

Opening Shot: A drone’s-eye view of the Magic City gentlemen’s club in Atlanta, then we flash to a woman in thigh-high white boots getting out of a sports car.

The Gist: Among the A-listers that are interviewed for the series are Drake and Jermaine Dupri, who are both executive producers (along with Jami Gertz — haven’t seen her name in awhile, have we?). 2 Chainz, Nelly, Shaquille O’Neal, Quavo, Killer Mike, Big Boi, T.I. and Dominique Wilkins are among those interviewed, as well as Barney, his ex-wife Gail and a number of the club’s most popular dancers.

The first episode examines the club’s — and the Barneys — humble beginnings, as Michael and Gail move from New Jersey to Atlanta in 1979, and Michael opens Magic City in 1985. Wilkins, the Atlanta Hawks superstar, was one of the club’s first famous customers, leading the way to the club being the premier place for NBA and other athletes to gather when they came to play the Hawks. Mr. Magic’s insistence on everything in the club being the best, including how the dancers were treated, is one of the things that distinguished Magic City from other clubs. That is, until Barney went to prison for seven years on a cocaine charge in 1994.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Magic City: An American Fantasy has very little to do with the 2012 scripted drama Magic City, but definitely feels a lot like another Starz docuseries, Down In The Valley.

Our Take: Cole Brown and Charles Todd knew the assignment when they took on the story of Magic City. Magic City: An American Fantasy moves along at a nice clip, with episodes being in the 30-35-minute range, and it doesn’t try to take itself or the subject matter completely seriously. Yes, the club is part of what put Atlanta on the map as a center of Black excellence in the U.S., and during the time Barney was in prison it became a headquarters of sorts for the B.M.F. drug gang. But it was and is a strip club, after all, and the docuseries treats Magic City with a good mix of reverence and irreverence.

Todd breaks up segments in an “as told to” fashion, like a segment where Shaq talks about being in the club when he got the call about his $121 million Lakers contract in 1996. He has the dancers present themselves as both smart businesswomen and sexy objects of fantasy. Everyone has a sense of just how special the club was, but no one ever gets too serious to forget that Magic City had naked women spinning on poles.

The most fascinating segment was an examination of why strip clubs in Atlanta can go full nude; it has to do with a court ruling when people tried to stop performances of the musical Hair, which had nude scenes. But just as fascinating is how the club fit into Atlanta’s rising prominence as a city where Black people can work and thrive, thanks to people like its legendary two-time mayor, Maynard Ferguson.

Sex and Skin: It’s a docuseries about a strip club. So there’s lots of skin.

Parting Shot: As the credits roll, we see Mercedes, aka “Great Show Champ,” show her skills on the pole she has installed in her home. She mentions that she is a ballet dancer and incorporates those moves when she’s up on the pole.

Sleeper Star: Strawberry and Platinum, two dancers from the late ’80s and early ’90s, are not only funny and smart but they give a great perspective on the early history of the club from the view of the women who were up on stage.

Most Pilot-y Line: None we could find.

Our Call: STREAM IT. Magic City: An American Fantasy is a fun look at a club that was integral to making Atlanta one of the country’s most desirable and diverse cities.

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.