FX's 'The Full Monty' revisits original characters 25 years later in Hulu series

NEW YORK -- A new FX series now on Hulu seeks to recapture the magic of one of the most successful independent movies of all time.

"The Full Monty" was made for just a few million dollars back in 1997, but it grossed a quarter of a billion dollars around the world.

It told the story of a group of unemployed workers in England who turned to stripping to make ends meet, and the new limited series revisits them all these years later with much of the original cast back for the sequel.

One night of stripping turned into a date with destiny as "The Full Monty" became a worldwide hit, changing the fate and fortunes of those involved.

"A lot of women my age, I guess, they hark back to those days, that moment, that strip," said Robert Carlyle.

At first, Carlyle was doubtful that the original magic could be re-created 25 years later.

"The end of the first film is so triumphant, that ending. That, where do you go from there?" Carlyle said.

The original writer had a plan and Carlyle read his new script with relief.

"Definitely. Relief because there wasn't any stripping. I was certainly relieved about that," he said.

Multiple episodes mean a chance to delve more deeply into the characters and those who love them.

"Women play a much larger part than they did in the first film," he said.

"Gaz" has a daughter named "Destiny."

"I think a lot of the story this time is told through female eyes," Carlyle said.

The females fare better than the guys.

"They don't have anything to be that proud about. They're dependent on others," he said.

But they are still determined to laugh about their lot in life.

"It's called gallows humor, you know, so if you don't laugh, you're going to cry, so there's plenty of laughs in this," he said.

All eight episodes of "The Full Monty" are now on Hulu, owned by the same parent company as this station.