The Playboy Club (NBC)
Premiered September 19 at 10pm
This show got a whole lot of press before anyone even saw it, mainly due to its controversial content and the fact that some affiliates weren’t planning to air it. Now that the show is finally here, there’s plenty to criticize about it aside from its general subject. There have doubtless been plenty of unfavorable comparisons of this show to “Mad Men,” and that’s no accident. Eddie Cibrian’s Nick sounds just like Don Draper, as if he’s doing some sort of pale imitation, delivering far less compelling dialogue in a less impressive setting. The fact of the matter is that this isn’t cable, and regardless of how racy everything should be, and the show certainly tries, there are still network standards. Less than ten minutes in, we already have a dead body that’s sure to steer the ship on this show for a long time to come. There isn’t any chance to get acquainted with this world before such an immense and intense event occurs, changing the tone of the show considerably. The melodramatic soundtrack is not helping anything, and the period music selections are only a touch better. The conversation between the Bunnies is rather bland and simplistic, and the brutal, open honesty from the mob henchman trying to intimidate Nick is far too obvious and explicitly stated. Lines like “I can’t marry you and I can’t tell you why” are just dumb, and the big secret of the homosexual club feels forced, as does the front-and-center talk about Hugh Hefner’s progressive thoughts about segregation. Nick needing to kiss Maureen to help sell their cover story is garbage, and his overt ties to the mob are obnoxious. The closing narration actually seals the deal for me, in that it feels much more like the end of a film. That’s enough information for me; the story feels aptly concluded, with no reasons left for me to check back in, other than out of sheer curiosity to see if this show gets any worse.
How will it work as a series? I guess Maureen’s journey through the Playboy experience will be chronicled, and she’ll get closer with Nick as his political career is threatened by his mob connections and this little cover-up. Other than that, it’s not clear just what will be the focus since this show seems intent on making such a big statement with its first installment that there isn’t much else left to cover, other than the changing times which will likely change too fast for this show’s own good.
How long will it last? The controversy doesn’t seem to have translated into viewers, as the ratings were disappointing and well below those of “Chase” in the same position last year. The buzz on this show is almost entirely negative, and this isn’t the kind of fare that’s going to put NBC back on top, so I think it will probably be one of the first to go sometime this fall, unless it manages to limp through to the end of the season.
Pilot grade: D-
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