The Parents Television Council has conspicuously attacked NBC's new show, The Playboy Club, which premieres Monday night, for being too scandalous for prime-time TV. Critics who've seen the first episode don't seem to agree, however: For them, the biggest shock is that the show's intriguing premise — the beginnings and sexual politics of Chicago's first Playboy club in the 1960s — has yielded such dull television. Do the bunnies really fail that badly at tantalizing viewers?
No one will be "watching The Playboy Club for the dialogue": That's because the script is "not only obvious but rather shallow," says Dave Wiegand at The San Francisco Chronicle. Result: An "appealing enough" cast comes off as "mostly wooden." The problem begins with the show's plucky lead bunny Maureen (Amber Heard), who — portrayed as both "ambitious" and "acquiescent" — lacks the character cohesion to engage the audience in her half-baked murder subplot. "Even as no-brainer entertainment," The Playboy Club "should be a lot better than it is."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.