NBC has decided to pull the plug on this summers biggest flop The Playboy Club after the Chicago-based series managed to pull in just 3.4 million views on average.
The show, based in the early part of the 1960s starred Amber Heard, Naturi Naughton, Jenifer Lewis, Eddie Cibrian, and Leah Renee.
After debuting feminist groups staged protests against the show for being sexist, while real life Bunny Clubbers also spoke out calling the show degrading and unrealistic.
An NBC insider told The Chicago Sun-Times that the show failed because guys didn’t want to watch:
“So the guys who initially tuned in — thinking about Hef and hoping for some fun, sexy story lines — discovered a show that frankly appeals more to their wives, sisters or girlfriends…”
Other critics felt that the show, which had been compared to AMC’s MadMen would have done better had it been allowed to exist on a pay network such as HBO or Showtime. According to one TV insider:
“With a title like ‘The Playboy Club,’ they would have been better off airing it someplace where they could be more overtly sexual and give the audiences something they can’t get on broadcast networks in prime time.”
In it’s place a new news magazine called Rock Center with Brian Williams will take it’s place starting on Oct. 31.
Honestly I would much rather tune in to watch Brian Williams on a news show that sit through another second of The Playboy Club.
If you happened to catch the few episodes that aired let us know why you thought the show failed.
