It's interesting to watch the delayed reaction to Mad Men and its continuing cascade of Emmys at the networks. While everyone's tried their hand (and failed) at some sort of Lost-alike over the past few years, at least a couple of network shows are not-so-subtly taking their cues from the grand patriarch of classy basic cable shows, with both Pan Am and The Playboy Club setting themselves in a stylized vision of 1963. It remains to be seen whether either show can escape from the shadow of their inspiration; while Mad Men has certainly indulged in a bit of "hey, it's pretty wacky that pregnant women used to smoke, right?" kind of moments, it's a show that seems like it would be compelling in an entirely different setting so long as it contained the same cast and writing staff. I'm not so sure that The Playboy Club can say the same, at least after catching one episode; I can't even say that it succeeds at all.
That's not to say that it's entirely bad, however; it's a bit stiff at times, but it comes across as both uninspired (which might be a bit ironic) and relatively easy to watch in that kind of "I don't mind if this is on in the background while I play video games" kind of way. Set in, guess what, a Playboy Club in 60's Chicago, the show follows hotshot lawyer Nick Dalton (Eddie Cibrian, apparently imitating a plastic block that's been locked into smirk mode), who seems to visit the club every night. Soon enough, he's enmeshed with Maureen (Amber Heard), who accidentally kills a mob boss while attempting to fend off a rape attempt. Knowing that they're both dead if they call the police, they dump the body, and seemingly get away with their little deception, although it doesn't take long for the mob underlings to come sniffing around.
It seems pretty clear that, in true Fargo or Before The Devil Knows You're Dead fashion, the house of cards will crumble eventually, but as with all network shows, I'm sure we'll get a good 22 hours of fiddling before Rome finally burns. Rotating around the couple are ex-girlfriends, secretly-gay Bunnies, Bunnies in difficult relationships, and the curiously ambivalent presence of Hugh Hefner, seen only from behind here, a la Dr. Claw from Inspector Gadget or, perhaps more obviously, in a parroting shot of the iconic Don-Draper-from-behind logo of Mad Men. (Although, considering they went to the lengths of casting a Tina Turner lookalike for some tepid dance numbers, it's a shame they didn't just find someone to play him outright and involve him in the plot a bit more.)
I'm not convinced that anyone behind The Playboy Club had much of an idea of how to make their show compelling beyond simply the trappings of their setting. The license they're drawing from isn't a weakness, but neither is it necessarily all that fascinating to modern eyes: the Playboy brand was once seen as an odd mixture of refinement and prurience, but in a world of strip clubs and easily-accessed pornography, can it sustain an entire show on its own? After four seasons of Mad Men, is anyone really going to be shocked by the sight of people chain-smoking indoors on television? The setting feels like a bit of a crutch, a way to prop up interpersonal struggles that are efficiently established, but hardly original. The acting is likewise competent, although no one in particular stands out, except for their physical attributes.
The Playboy Club feels...inessential. After posting one of the lowest-rated drama premieres in NBC's history, it seems unlikely that we're going to be seeing a full season of it, and I can't say the thought of that makes me all that sad. There are flashes of inspiration hidden away inside the pilot (the Bunny that surreptitiously visits a homosexual-rights organization seems like a plotline that might bear some fruit), but little about it strikes me as warranting a revisit.
How about you? Did you bother catching The Playboy Club? Going to check it out on a stream or DVR? Or are you happy enough forgetting it ever existed (which I suspect will be a lot easier in a few weeks)?
I enjoyed it in a lazy kind of a way, though I ought to come right out and admit I'm fairly obessed with Amber Heard. Plus, I'm exactly the kind of sucker for that era of design and fashion the show is angling for. I'll continue to watch, though nothing particularly thrilled or surprised me.
I ended up catching the first episode because it was after The Sing-Off, which I actually wanted to watch (I think a capella music is cool, and I have an old friend who is in one of the groups competing this season). Amber Heard definitely makes the show at least slightly easier to watch, and it also stars Serenity alumni Sean Maher and David Krumholtz in bit and supporting roles, so I figured I'd give the rest of the episode a shot, but I ended up finding it rather boring. I liked the slickness of the Mad Men-esque 1960s style and appreciated their featuring of the struggles of homosexuals during that era, but for a show called The Playboy Club, it didn't seem all that exciting or original or lively enough to be worthwhile (not to mention "naked" enough, if you're truly going to build your show around the Playboy name. I know it's NBC, and I don't mean to sound pervy, but still).
Sorry, Ms. Heard. If it's any consolation, you look positively stunning on that show.
I did not watch it. That sort of show seems out of place on NBC - due to both subject material and category. When I think of NBC I think of neither provocative images nor dramas. It just seems odd that this show even aired.
The barrage of commercials for the show didn't sell me on it. This About Last Night definitely didn't sell me on it. I'm quite thankful that I was among the millions who didn't watch The Playboy Club.
I actually didn't watch it, but I have a borderline-unhealthy obsession with Amber Heard. I will probably catch it on Hulu or something.
Even if I wanted to watch it, it is not being aired in Utah
I was honestly bored after the first 5 minutes. The two leads are woefully boring and miscast, and frankly unnecessary. I like some of the supporting characters more, including the efficiency of David Krumholtz. But it'll probably be cancelled anyways, so it doesn't really matter.
@KerenskyFurey: @KerenskyFurey said:
That's probably for the best.
I think it was IGN's review that compared Hefner's appearance here to how Larry David used to play George Steinbrenner:) Doctor Claw is another amazing analogy though.
Bleh :P
I DVRed it, and I didn't really enjoy it. Was stale and boring...lacked any kind of interesting draws, but it tried...I'll probably continue to watch it until it gets cancelled...cause someone has to, right? :P
If they'd turn Hefner into a live action Dr. Claw, I'd watch the shit out of this show.
So there was some chatter before this show started that the actors had to sign nudity clauses. Did any of that ever come to fruition?
This show may have had more appeal if it had not come out after other period piece programs like Mad Men.
Watched it and definitely didn't enjoy it all that much. There's nothing original about it and the only thing entertaining me was Amber Heard because she's ri-goddamn-diculously good looking in my book. Smirky McSmirkerson looks and sounds wayyy too much like Don Draper. I couldn't get past it and it bothered me the whole show. I also definitely forecast this show getting the axe after 2-3 more episodes.
I suspect I will quickly forget about this show.