As the 2011-12 TV season begins its third week, it has claimed its first victim: NBC’s The Playboy Club, whose ratings plunged as low as its necklines, has been cancelled.
Playboy was one of the most hyped new fall shows this year, though the attention was hardly all positive; Gloria Steinem, some local affiliates and groups like the Parents Television Council protested its turning Bunnies into heroines, all while claiming that Playboy “empowered” its female employees in the early ’60s. In the end, though, the cancellation was a tribute to the power of voting with one’s remote and not watching poorly-written scripts and Eddie Cibrian’s impression of Jon Hamm as rendered by a wax museum.
Playboy’s loss is Brian Williams’ gain; as of Oct. 31, his newsmagazine, Rock Center, takes over the Monday 10 p.m. spot. And there was some good news for two new NBC comedies: Up All Night and Whitney (with solid if not fantastic ratings) join Fox’s New Girl in getting full-season orders.
Have you gotten on board either new sitcom? Or are you counting the days until 30 Rock returns? It has Brian Williams too!
