NBC has announced the cancellation of “The Playboy Club,” as a result of dismal ratings and public outrage. The prime time gamble was the first show to be canceled this season by NBC.
NBC’s thin attempt to recreate a period drama of the same ilk as the wildly successful AMC series “Mad Men” seemed doomed from the word go. The series attempted to draw in a general audience by leveraging a sexual icon but had the opposite effect drawing harsh criticism from various religious groups. One such organization, Morality in Media went so far as to sponsor a website campaign to have the series cancelled at www.CloseTheClubOnNBC.com.
The organization is declaring victory at the series cancelation. Dawn Hawkins, executive director of Morality in Media, and organizer of the protest site said, “It is great news that the ‘Playboy Club’ is cancelled after just three episodes. Clearly viewers are not interested in supporting the brand that normalized pornography and caused immeasurable harm to women, children and to the men who became addicted to porn.”
According to Hawkins, key NBC advertisers left the show after receiving more than 20,000 emails through Morality in Media’s site.
“The efforts of Morality in Media, Parent’s Television Council, Gloria Steinem and many others lead to the public outrage and ultimate cancellation of the show,” said Hawkins.
