# NBC cancels Playboy Club after three episodes. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 4, 2011, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-cancels-playboy-club-after-three-episodes/598626 "2011-10-04T22:38:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-cancels-playboy-club-after-three-episodes/598626/41 "2011-10-05T13:07:02Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > If I wanted to watch real life I would stay awake at work. Do you mind if I use this as an embroidered sampler? (By the way, there \*was \*a 1970s-era show a couple of years ago, _Swingtown_. It was excellent, and got axed after one season) ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-cancels-playboy-club-after-three-episodes/598626/42 "2011-10-05T13:33:43Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > It was a show about nudity with no nudity. > > I did watch all three episodes, and it wasn’t good but it also wasn’t awful. It was soap opera, and soap operas are pretty much the same no matter what the setting. Every week is yet another melodrama, with sex and lies and betrayals and love and hate and murders and wackiness and realism be damned. Sure, it was totally unrealistic. But that wasn’t the problem. > > Bunny clubs and their imitators started dying when topless clubs pushed them out. Every horny teenager in the country can go to Hooters and its imitators. There’s nothing special about waitresses spilling out of their costumes. Nudity, though, that’s still special tv, despite the internet. > > A show about bunnies couldn’t deliver this. I’d bet a show about Playmates could. Put it on one of the pay cable channels and set it a decade later not at the Club but at the Mansion. Everybody came there for sex. Nakedness was everywhere. Celebrities were everywhere. Drugs were everywhere. It was true decadence and decadence always sells. > > Obviously, Hef would never allow this to see the light of day as long as he’s alive. So we schedule it for next year. (Joke) > > Playboy always sold decadence first and foremost. Sex was only part of the package, which is why Playboy was always top dog. Hefner understood that and none of his rivals did. (Well, Guccione might have but never had - or never wanted to spend - the money to do it right.) You could sell Bunnies as long as they represented decadence. They don’t now and haven’t for a long time. > > Next to go: Charlie’s Angels. I can’t get to twitter from work, but appearently Hef tweeted that _The Playboy Club_ should have been on HBO or Showtime for pretty much this reason. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-cancels-playboy-club-after-three-episodes/598626/43 "2011-10-05T13:35:26Z")
It was terrible. _Pan Am_ is slightly better, but I thought the pilot (hah!) beat out the 2nd show by a long shot. I don’t see a bright future for that one. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-cancels-playboy-club-after-three-episodes/598626/44 "2011-10-05T13:57:49Z")
Aw, I didn’t think it was that bad. It definitely had a cheesy, soapy vibe but that can be fun sometimes. I was more impressed with Amber Heard than I expected; beautiful _and_ she can act! The second episode was better than the first. I haven’t watched the third yet (not sure if I will now, but probably). I was getting the feeling that it was eventually going to find its tone and settle into a lightweight nighttime soaper, and there’s nothing wrong with that. I guess if nobody was watching, NBC did what they had to do, but I like to see shows at least get a chance to catch on with audiences before the axe falls. It’s not like there are dozens of brilliant, groundbreaking shows just waiting in the wings. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-cancels-playboy-club-after-three-episodes/598626/45 "2011-10-05T13:59:10Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > …the last years of what uberboomer Stephen King called “Atlantis” in _Hearts in Atlantis._ I wonder when these dramas will start focusing on the later '60s? Speaking of Stephen King and the early Sixties: [11/22/63 - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/11/22/63) ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-cancels-playboy-club-after-three-episodes/598626/46 "2011-10-05T14:59:24Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > (By the way, there \*was \*a 1970s-era show a couple of years ago, _Swingtown_. It was excellent, and got axed after one season) Oops. I was going to use this as my number one example of how such shows can’t work. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-cancels-playboy-club-after-three-episodes/598626/47 "2011-10-05T15:50:40Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Sean Maher, who played a closeted gay man on the show, gave an interview in which he came out while discussing his character; wonder if he’s regretting that now. Amber Heard avoided this issue by coming out a year ago. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-cancels-playboy-club-after-three-episodes/598626/48 "2011-10-05T16:02:09Z")
I finally got around to watching the 2nd episode of _The Playboy Club_ the other night, and I found myself thinking “ugh, why do I make myself watch new shows? When will this be over?” The next morning I woke up and read about its cancellation on the AV Club site. Yay! I find _Pan Am_ to be better too, but I’ve only seen one episode so far. I also just downloaded _The Hour_ which I have to start watching as soon as I’m done with _Dr Who_. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-cancels-playboy-club-after-three-episodes/598626/49 "2011-10-05T16:59:08Z")
Concerning “Swingtown:” > [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Oops. I was going to use this as my number one example of how such shows can’t work. I actually liked it, too, but I also thought that the concept wasn’t sustainable, and that it would be best suited to a limited run. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-cancels-playboy-club-after-three-episodes/598626/50 "2011-10-05T17:25:26Z")
Watched the first episode, scanned thru the 3rd. Pretty bad. Eddie Cibrian hurt his foot on the set late Tuesday. They were still filming after the cancellation! That has to be a weird world to be in. But the producers have been paid to deliver a show, so they’re going to film it cancellation or not. Sometimes unaired episodes of a canceled show get burned off somewhere else. They might even get aired in a foreign market. (This happened to the US version of _Coupling_.) And they even put out DVDs for just a handful of shows. The show must go on. Until it doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![AnalogSignal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/analogsignal/32/1085_2.png) [@AnalogSignal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnalogSignal)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-cancels-playboy-club-after-three-episodes/598626/51 "2011-10-05T18:05:30Z")
It sounds like there isn’t enough drama to sustain either the Playboy Club or Pan Am. The solution is to make the bunnies flight attendents on Pan Am. Then to cover all the entertainment bases, the passengers would compete in an in-flight talent contest. Viewers would vote on the winning passengers each week. The losing passengers would be thrown off the plane without parachutes unless a bunny uses a lifeline to save them. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-cancels-playboy-club-after-three-episodes/598626/52 "2011-10-05T18:53:27Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Amber Heard avoided this issue by coming out a year ago. From what I understand, she kept a foot in the closet and came out as a bisexual. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-cancels-playboy-club-after-three-episodes/598626/53 "2011-10-05T18:58:20Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > From what I understand, she kept a foot in the closet and came out as a bisexual. Ah, bisexuals are closeted gays. They will be interested to learn that! ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-cancels-playboy-club-after-three-episodes/598626/54 "2011-10-05T19:07:35Z")
I was making a joke, pardner. In fact, I’m more likely to suspect here of being a “Hollywood bisexual” who dates women solely to be “edgy” and titillate men. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-cancels-playboy-club-after-three-episodes/598626/55 "2011-10-05T20:02:23Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > …The show must go on. Until it doesn’t. Hard to argue with that. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-cancels-playboy-club-after-three-episodes/598626/56 "2011-10-05T21:17:23Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Hard to argue with that. Except when it is. -Joe ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-cancels-playboy-club-after-three-episodes/598626/57 "2011-10-05T22:34:45Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > I was making a joke, pardner. In fact, I’m more likely to suspect here of being a “Hollywood bisexual” who dates women solely to be “edgy” and titillate men. Fair enough. Women have been known to do that sort of thing. (Spoilered because the image contained, while not involving nudity, is totally NSFW): [For example, at cons.](http://www.bondagerotica.com/0politically_sexy/kissing_slave_leias.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-cancels-playboy-club-after-three-episodes/598626/58 "2011-10-05T22:52:09Z")
The “Life” section on of my local paper here in San Antonio did a feature story on “Pan Am Style”, last week, I think (“Everyone’s dressing like a early 60’s stewardesses!”). Made me think that the show must be doing okay. Looks like it had a good first showing and the 2nd episode lost 19%. Guess it isn’t in immediate danger. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-cancels-playboy-club-after-three-episodes/598626/59 "2011-10-06T08:49:04Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > Was that really a big surprise? As a _Firefly_ fan, one problem I had with that show was that I could never understand why Kaylee was fawning over such an obviously gay man. He doesn’t play “straight” very well. It’s really not surprising. I’m not going to say I knew (because I didn’t), but Simon had more sexual chemistry with Mal, Jayne and River (his own sister) than he ever did with Kaylee. At the time I thought it was supposed to show he was more or less asexual (and they did try to explain it in show with his “I’m in the wilds, so I have to be EVEN MORE of a gentleman” speech). ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-cancels-playboy-club-after-three-episodes/598626/60 "2011-10-06T19:08:42Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > What amazes me is the apparent belief that what is compelling and brilliant about Mad Men is the era. Certainly that adds a lot to the overall deliciousness of it, but it’s hardly the reason it’s so wonderful. How ridiculously simple-minded of the nets. Is Mad Men that good? I’ve never seen it, but I hear a lot of people seem to like it. It’s just so hard to fit new TV shows into my schedule nowadays – I have so little free time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-cancels-playboy-club-after-three-episodes/598626.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-cancels-playboy-club-after-three-episodes/598626.md?page=4)