Journalist. Mother. Bunny enthusiast. Pop culture junkie.

Journalist. Mother. Bunny enthusiast. Pop culture junkie.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Goodbye, Playboy Club...

Well, it happened.

NBC announced today that it cancelled the new series, The Playboy Club. They claim it was due to poor ratings (only 3.4 million people watched it Monday night) and it may have also been due to pressure from conservative groups, such as the Parents Television Council.



I am so angry about this announcement, I can't even think of words to describe what I want to say. And that's saying a lot.

Only three episodes of the show had aired, so obviously, I'm not a die-hard fan or anything. But after three episodes, I really enjoyed the show. I could already tell it was going to be a show I was going to watch every week.



The acting was decent. The stars were sexy. The costumes were fabulous. The plot was thick with adventure, mystery, suspense, and jaw-dropping twists. It wasn't perfect, but it was a show which clearly had a lot of potential.



As for the ratings, all great television shows need time to develop a faithful audience. You can't just expect 20 million people to watch and fall in love with a show on the first night. It just doesn't work that way.

So, for NBC to cancel the show based on "poor viewership" after only three episodes is ridiculous.



As for the conservative groups which protested the show, I'm even more distressed. They denounced the show for being "pornographic" and for trying to sexualize women.

The Playboy Club was not pornographic by any means. It was based on the Playboy Bunnies (not the playmates) who were the waitresses at the illustrious Playboy Club in Chicago during the 1960s. These women were not strippers. They were not prostitutes. They were young, beautiful, and educated. Many were wives, mothers, and future businesswomen.



And as for the sexploitation of women, give me a break. Perhaps we should get rid of supermodels. Perhaps we should get rid of pop stars. Perhaps we should get rid of reality television show stars (which I wouldn't oppose, haha). There is nothing wrong with women wanting to be sexy and acting sexy. The fact that people call women being sexy sexploitation is what makes it sexist.



The show had an element of class to it, which you don't see very often on television these days. It highlighted the glamour of its era, plus focused on historical elements facing Chicago during this time period. It showcased gay rights, civil rights, and women's rights. Sure, it had romance and sex. But it wasn't graphic. It wasn't sleazy. There have been shows with much worse content.



I'm just really frustrated that a good show, with such great potential, got cancelled before it was even given a chance.

I'm tired of turning on the television and seeing stupid, meaningless shows that were created for the real-life Homer Simpson.

Because those are the shows which last in this country.

Many of the shows I've fallen in love with over the years have failed with the average American.

Freaks & Geeks. Sports Night. Arrested Development.

It makes me really sad.

There is a Facebook page to support the show. Perhaps with our collective fabulousness, we can save it. (Well, perhaps not, but humor me).



So please like the page, if you liked the show! Thank you.

39 comments:

socialitedreams said...

*mouth drops* omg are you serious?????

I completely agree with this whole post....we can have a bajillion stupid "real housewives of timbuktu" but can't keep a good show like this on?

where the heck are the conservatives for 90% of tv that's out there? i wasn't aware that we lived in a totalitarian regime with strict laws on we must all like/watch the same crap and have the same views on things. my bad :-/

rip playboy club, i hardly knew ye

Punctuation Mark said...

i liked the whole look of it but didn't really get into it... the main guy was not 60's enough... haha! no Don Draper I mean!

French Girl in Seattle said...

Darn. I did not even get to watch the show. Now I won't get a chance to. Since I usually agree with your posts, I visited the FB page to support "PlayBoy Club"== I figure it can't be that bad if you bothered writing such an eloquent post about it. On the same note, what did you think about the other new show, "Panam" ? Veronique (French Girl in Seattle)

Mani said...

I agree with you 100%!
I didn't know this!
:(
hugs and kisses by Mani.

Josie said...

I never even got a chance to see it!
xo Josie
www.winksmilestyle.com

Bel said...

I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS *BAWLS* I loved this show so much and was even anticipating it before it aired!!! :( :( :(

Belly B

A BRIT GREEK said...

I'm gonna take your word for it that this is a darn good show...

Just wish I could watch it now after seeing these screen shots!

I hope you're good gorgeous gal!
x.o.x.o

Sherin said...

Oh no! I can't believe they cancelled it. It sounded like such a good show: I was so excited for it to air in the UK.
It's sad that it's always the good shows that get dropped really quickly (Firefly!!)

Alexa said...

wait... WHAT?! They CANCELLED IT?!?! Noooo!

Like you, I really liked it too and don't understand all the hate.

As for those conservatives, have they SEEN Gossip Girl? I guess we'll need to keep watching Pan Am for that 60s fix....

www.cashmereandcandy.com

Jenn @ Peas and Crayons said...

I never got a chance to watch it! boo! I think there are other shows they need to focus on cancelling... Whitney is getting on my nerves and I cant seem to get into PanAM though i'm going to give it a second chance before i give up on it! lol

MISS YOU!!!! I moved and went forever without internet but i'm back (sorta) and had to say hello! mwaaaah!

Gayatri said...

It's a sad sad day Jennifer. The blatant hypocrisy of these TV execs and conservative councils never ceases to amaze me.

By that logic, they need to get rid of Bravo TV altogether!

Gayatri

Shannon said...

Bah. It's one thing if a show gets canceled because it's not popular. I get it; it's a business. But if it's due to religious people causing a stink over BS, then I get a little rage-y.

I'm sorry to hear it was canceled. The show sounded fabulous, even if I hadn't checked it out yet.

Cafe Fashionista said...

I was really upset to hear about this yesterday, as I didn't even have a chance to catch a single episode before it was done away with. :(

Sandy at Ooh La Frou Frou said...

I agree! I was enjoying it too and am so surprised it was announced so quickly. When this happens I always think of the producers/actors/actresses and how disappointed they must be after all of the work that goes into putting a show together, with costuming and all of the details. (just became your latest follower, btw)

Thanks so much for stopping by Ooh La Frou Frou, darling! I always leave a little luv note in response to comments and here's a quick link to take you to the comment section where yours awaits! http://tinyurl.com/5tedb4r

Have a lovely week ~
Sandy at Ooh La Frou Frou
http://oohlafroufrou.blogspot.com

Couture Carrie said...

What a bummer!
I was so psyched about this show!

xoxox,
CC

The life after said...

I'm also quite sorry! At least was something different and less bigoted

http://missbobino.blogspot.com

Oh to Be a Muse said...

now, i didn't get into this show, but i read last night about the cancellation. if it was canceled because of viewership that's one thing, but getting the boot because of some conservative group is totally silly. maybe the fb fanpage can bring it back--didn't something similar to that work for Fringe?

Movies on my Mind said...

You lost me at 'not pornographic by any means'.

I kinda expected something with Playboy in the title to be a little bit risky.

Talking about the average American, is TERA NOVA being lapped up veraciously on that side of the world because it's become a big deal here.

noone said...

it might have been a good show, but I think the name turned off a lot of people esp like you said parenting groups etc, I tihnk if they called it the cabaret or something like that it wouldn't be canceled so quick... haha it reminds me of that mischa barton's comback show that only got aired like 2 episodes before too and ashton kutcher produced it, it was called like the beautiful life or something...

skippysays said...

I never watched it but looks like it was a fun show- major bummer!
www.saysskippy.blogspot.com

bridechic said...

You are right on! They should have given it more chance to delvelop an audience. Did you know the groundbreaking series All in the Family back in the early 1970s didn't show ratings till it played to Summer audiences? After that ratings soared. If they'd just give this series a chance. My fave program a couple years back, Kings, never made it after one season because of the hokey time slot.

Anonymous said...

I still can't believe it! :(

karin said...

Thanks for following my blog,I´m following you now.This show looks super interesting,I ´ll look for it.Kisses from www.stylepicture.blogspot.com

Selma @ Crazy Little World Of Mine said...

Honestly, I never watched this show...then again we recorded it so someone in the house could watch it. Not sure if it happened though but he's going to be super sad about this announcement, that's for sure. :(

BonBon Rose Girls Kristin said...

If it was cancelled because of right wing zealots...well...that's just ridiculous!

Bonnie said...

I actually really wanted to see this show. I was planning to start watching it when they announced it was being cancelled. And I'm sad. Life is unfair. Bunnies always get the shaft.
...
:)

http://www.glamkittenslitterbox.com/
Twitter: @GlamKitten88

Andrés Corella said...

Oh too bad about this..the series hasn´t started here yet..I actually was intrigued to see what it was all about...those damn conservatives! Btw I need your email urgently please!

xx
Andy
The Black Label

little luxury list said...

Thanks for the review. It sounded like a good show and it's a shame it is leaving the air so soon. Tv execs can be so fickle. What if "friends" was cancelled the first season? Alas.

xoxo,
Chic 'n Cheap Living

Adam said...

Seemed like a good idea for a show. I don't think conservative groups had any effect on the cancellation. I'm sure the concept of the show turned off most women (thus half of your market) and Playboy as a brand has gone hill for men since the invention of the internet. Oh well

Meri said...

I liked this show too, and was disappointed when I heard it was cancelled! Although my one question was what on earth they were going to do to keep the suspense going past the main murder plot. That part seemed a little short sighted. But I liked the show overall, and thought the characters were pretty interesting.

Nava Krishnan said...

Nice bunny costumes, sad but true that the show has been discontinued. No way it will even get to where I am from, speak about being conservative, our people here can be equally bad.

Natassja said...

I can't believe they canceled this show! I hadn't seen it yet, since it's not aired in Norway and I need to download it. But I've been reading ALL about the hype, and I am just dumbfounded. Sexualizing women?! Maybe if all the women did was have sex, but that doesn't seem to be the case here. Here in Norway, it's totally normal to see NAKED people on TV, sometimes even in a sexual context. I don't even want to think about what would happen at home if they did that, even though it might be good for these PTC folks!

As an American, I'll never understand the fact that something like this can be canceled because it's "Pornography" but a show depicting gang violence/dead bodies/murders can run for years (Sopranos? 24? Law and Order?).

Maybe Playboy Club should move to HBO? It worked for Sex and the City (also labeled as "pornography" by a few family organizations)! Great post once again, I agree 110% :)

amy b.s. said...

i didn't watch the show, but totally agree that networks are far too quick to pull shows these days. there have been a log of shows i've liked over the pat few years that have aired only 3 or 4 episodes and then been yanked. it drives me crazy. how can you build a fan base if you don't give anything a chance?

Olga said...

It is really frustrating. There are lots of hypocrites around here.

Julia said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Julia said...

I never watch TV. I don't think I even have a working TV... but somehow I managed to catch an episode. I thought the costumes were brilliant, but I thought the script was poor and that the actors didn't believe in their world...It's too bad they cancelled it tough! I'm sure it would have been a billion times better then anything reality tv (yuck!).
-Julia


www.lesaltlake.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

I hate when networks take good shows off the air (or at least shows with good potential). I feel like this has happened alot lately too. Ugh!!

StarletStarlet said...

I have never seen this, but I can definitely relate to you. There are plenty other shows that just got cancelled still, because they don't have "enough" audience.

I am most upset with Veronica Mars. It was a great show with awesome chemistry between the actor and actresses, great plot and suspense, interesting moral issues, family ties, friends and relationships, the things that we can easily relate to.

(May not be as deep as Playboy Club) but still seriously good.

The housewives, the whateverwives and so many other non-educating series are still there. It is SO SAD!

azu said...

That is so stupid that they cancelled the show. What about those subliminal messages in Disney movies? Yes, they exist! Writing "sex" in cute little Disney cartoons is NOT COOL. Making a show about a freaking club that happens to be slightly associated with sex IS cool. What the hell is wrong with people?

These idiots that cancelled the show who are pretending to care about children are the same ones who work for the corporate media. And we all know the corporate media doesn't give a fuck about kids...

www.ravenhaireddoll.blogspot.com