History Series / ThePlayboyClub

* TheBeard:
** Alice and Sean, for each other.
** Nick ends up acting as one for Frances Dunhill, a Chicago socialite who stands in as Nick's date as he makes a run for public office, and carries the relationship only for show, to please her father while concealing her lesbianism.

The series is most notable for ''how'' short-lived it was (given its promotion and production expenses) and its controversial portrayal of the eponymous nightclub as a backdrop for [[CompletelyMissingThePoint women's rights movements and changing gender attitudes during the 1960s]]. The show started making headlines during pre-production when it was revealed a then-unnamed actress had to sign a waiver in order to allow her being filmed topless, something unheard of in primetime television in the U.S. (the actress turned out to be an extra and the waiver was never exercised). It was also notable for being a {{Dueling Show|s}} with Creator/{{ABC}}'s ''Series/PanAm'', also a 1960s period drama obstensibly dealing with similar issues, and it was clear both networks were trying to cash in on the success of ''Series/MadMen''.

Set in 1961, the series centers on the employees (known as Bunnies) of the original Playboy Club operating in Chicago. While an ensemble piece, the series focuses mainly on Nick Dalton (Creator/EddieCibrian), a smooth high-powered attorney and Playboy Club key-holder who plans to run for state's attorney, but also harbors secret connections to organized crime, and Maureen (Creator/AmberHeard), a recently hired Playboy Bunny who was described as "innocent and naive to the ways of the city, yet is running from mysterious and unexplained things in her dark past." The cast is rounded up by Carol-Lynne (Creator/LauraBenanti), the original Playboy Bunny (and thus called the "Bunny Mother"), who is romantically involved with Nick; Janie (Creator/JennaDewan), a very provocative Bunny who is dating Max (Creator/WesRamsey), the club's bartender; Brenda (Creator/NaturiNaughton), an African-American Bunny who is seeking to be the first African-American Playboy Playmate; Alice (Leah Renee), a Bunny who is secretly lesbian and in a marriage of convenience with a gay man, Sean Beasley (Creator/SeanMaher); Billy Rosen (Creator/DavidKrumholtz), the manager of the Playboy Club; and Pearl (Creator/JeniferLewis), the warm and well-loved Playboy Club seamstress who sews the outfits for the Playboy Bunnies, many of whom confide their secrets to her.

** Nick's date Frances is one too. Also conventionally femenine, also lesbian, also heavily closeted.

Set in 1961, the series centers on the employees (known as Bunnies) of the original Playboy Club operating in Chicago. While an ensemble piece, the series focuses mainly on Nick Dalton (Creator/EddieCibrian), a smooth high-powered attorney and Playboy Club key-holder who plans to run for state's attorney, but also harbors secret connections to organized crime, and Maureen (Creator/AmberHeard), a recently hired Playboy Bunny who was described as "innocent and naive to the ways of the city, yet is running from mysterious and unexplained things in her dark past." The cast is rounded up by Carol-Lynne (Creator/LauraBenanti), the original Playboy Bunny (and thus called the "Bunny Mother"), who is romantically involved with Nick; Janie (Creator/JennaDewan), a very provocative Bunny who is dating Max (Wes Ramsey), the club's bartender; Brenda (Creator/NaturiNaughton), an African-American Bunny who is seeking to be the first African-American Playboy Playmate; Alice (Leah Renee), a Bunny who is secretly lesbian and in a marriage of convenience with a gay man, Sean Beasley (Creator/SeanMaher); Billy Rosen (Creator/DavidKrumholtz), the manager of the Playboy Club; and Pearl (Creator/JeniferLewis), the warm and well-loved Playboy Club seamstress who sews the outfits for the Playboy Bunnies, many of whom confide their secrets to her.

The controversies detailed above drew the ire of MoralGuardians, and many viewers didn't buy into the show's style of drama, and it was quietly canceled after only airing ''three episodes'' (in fact, it had the misfortune of being the first new show of the season to be axed). Some viewers deemed it to be a rare SoOkayItsAverage example of TooGoodToLast.

Set in 1961, the series centers on the employees (known as Bunnies) of the original Playboy Club operating in Chicago. While an ensemble piece, the series focuses mainly on Nick Dalton (Creator/EddieCibrian), a smooth high-powered attorney and Playboy Club key-holder who plans to run for state's attorney, but also harbors secret connections to organized crime, and Maureen (Creator/AmberHeard), a recently hired Playboy Bunny who was described as "innocent and naive to the ways of the city, yet is running from mysterious and unexplained things in her dark past." The cast is rounded up by Carol-Lynne (Laura Benanti), the original Playboy Bunny (and thus called the "Bunny Mother"), who is romantically involved with Nick; Janie (Creator/JennaDewan), a very provocative Bunny who is dating Max (Wes Ramsey), the club's bartender; Brenda (Creator/NaturiNaughton), an African-American Bunny who is seeking to be the first African-American Playboy Playmate; Alice (Leah Renee), a Bunny who is secretly lesbian and in a marriage of convenience with a gay man, Sean Beasley (Creator/SeanMaher); Billy Rosen (Creator/DavidKrumholtz), the manager of the Playboy Club; and Pearl (Creator/JeniferLewis), the warm and well-loved Playboy Club seamstress who sews the outfits for the Playboy Bunnies, many of whom confide their secrets to her.

Set in 1961, the series centers on the employees (known as Bunnies) of the original Playboy Club operating in Chicago. While an ensemble piece, the series focuses mainly on Nick Dalton (Creator/EddieCibrian), a smooth high-powered attorney and Playboy Club key-holder who plans to run for state's attorney, but also harbors secret connections to organized crime, and Maureen (Creator/AmberHeard), a recently hired Playboy Bunny who was described as "innocent and naive to the ways of the city, yet is running from mysterious and unexplained things in her dark past." The cast is rounded up by Carol-Lynne (Laura Benanti), the original Playboy Bunny (and thus called the "Bunny Mother"), who is romantically involved with Nick; Janie (Creator/JennaDewan), a very provocative Bunny who is dating Max (Wes Ramsey), the club's bartender; Brenda (Creator/NaturiNaughton), an African-American Bunny who is seeking to be the first African-American Playboy Playmate; Alice (Leah Renee), a Bunny who is secretly lesbian and in a marriage of convenience with a gay man, Sean Beasley (Creator/SeanMaher); Billy Rosen (Creator/DavidKrumholtz), the manager of the Playboy Club; and Pearl (Jenifer Lewis), the warm and well-loved Playboy Club seamstress who sews the outfits for the Playboy Bunnies, many of whom confide their secrets to her.

Set in 1961, the series centers on the employees (known as Bunnies) of the original Playboy Club operating in Chicago. While an ensemble piece, the series focuses mainly on Nick Dalton (Creator/EddieCibrian), a smooth high-powered attorney and Playboy Club key-holder who plans to run for state's attorney, but also harbors secret connections to organized crime, and Maureen (Creator/AmberHeard), a recently hired Playboy Bunny who was described as "innocent and naive to the ways of the city, yet is running from mysterious and unexplained things in her dark past." The cast is rounded up by Carol-Lynne (Laura Benanti), the original Playboy Bunny (and thus called the "Bunny Mother"), who is romantically involved with Nick; Janie (Creator/JennaDewan), a very provocative Bunny who is dating Max the bartender (Wes Ramsey); Brenda (Creator/NaturiNaughton), an African-American Bunny who is seeking to be the first African American Playboy Playmate; Alice (Leah Renee), a Bunny who is secretly lesbian and in a marriage of convenience with a gay man, Sean Beasley (Creator/SeanMaher); Billy Rosen (Creator/DavidKrumholtz), the manager of the Playboy Club; and Pearl (Jenifer Lewis), the warm and well-loved Playboy Club seamstress who sews the outfits for the Playboy Bunnies, many of whom confide their secrets to her.

''The Playboy Club'' was a very short-lived drama series on Creator/{{NBC}} most notable for ''how'' short-lived it was (given its promotion and production expenses) and its controversial portrayal of the eponymous nightclub as a backdrop for [[CompletelyMissingThePoint women's rights movements and changing gender attitudes during the 1960s]]. The show started making headlines during pre-production when it was revealed a then-unnamed actress had to sign a waiver in order to allow her being filmed topless, something unheard of in primetime television in the U.S. (the actress turned out to be an extra and the waiver was never exercised). It was also notable for being a {{Dueling Show|s}} with Creator/{{ABC}}'s ''Series/PanAm'', also a 1960s period drama obstensibly dealing with similar issues, and it was clear both networks were trying to cash in on the success of ''Series/MadMen''.

Administrivia/NeedsABetterDescription

* TheBeard: Alice and Sean, for each other.

* LipstickLesbian: Alice (because she's heavily closeted).

* StraightGay: Sean (also closeted), Alice's husband.
* StrawFeminist: A pretty blatant {{Expy}} of Gloria Steinem shows up in one episode as an undercover reporter who basically wants to ruin the Playboy club out of spite.

-->--'''Hugh Hefner''', opening narration in the pilot

The controversies above drew the ire of MoralGuardians, and many viewers didn't buy into the show's style of drama, and it was quietly canceled after only airing ''three episodes'' (in fact, it had the misfortune of being the first new show of the season to be axed). Some viewers deemed it to be a rare SoOkayItsAverage example of TooGoodToLast.

''The Playboy Club'' was a very short-lived drama series on Creator/{{NBC}} most notable for ''how'' short-lived it was (given its promotion and production expenses) and its controversial portrayal of the eponymous nightclub as a backdrop for [[CompletelyMissingThePoint women's rights movements and changing gender attitudes during the 1960s]]. The show started making headlines during pre-production when it was revealed a then-unnamed actress had to sign a waiver in order to allow her being filmed topless, something unheard of in primetime television in the U.S. (the actress turned out to be an extra and the waiver was never exercised). It was also notable for being a {{Dueling Show|s}} with Creator/{{ABC}}'s ''Series/PanAm'', also a 1960s period drama obstensibly dealing with the same issues (also addressed in the quote above), and it was clear both networks were trying to cash in on the success of ''Series/MadMen''.

MoralGuardians found the show to be unacceptable, and many viewers didn't buy into the show's style of drama, and it was quietly canceled after only airing ''three episodes'' (in fact, it had the misfortune of being the first new show of the season to be axed). Some viewers deemed it to be a rare SoOkayItsAverage example of TooGoodToLast.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_playboy_club2.jpg]]

''The Playboy Club'' was a very short-lived drama series on Creator/{{NBC}} most notable for ''how'' short-lived it was (given its promotion and production expenses) and its controversial portrayal of the eponymous nightclub as a backdrop for [[CompletelyMissingThePoint women's rights movements and changing gender attitudes during the 1960s]] (as shown in the quote above). The show started making headlines during pre-production when it was revealed a then-unnamed actress had to sign a waiver in order to allow her being filmed topless, something unheard of in primetime television in the U.S. (the actress turned out to be an extra and the waiver was never exercised). It was also notable for being a {{Dueling Show|s}} with Creator/{{ABC}}'s ''Series/PanAm'', also a 1960s period drama obstensibly dealing with the same issues (also addressed in the quote above), and it was clear both networks were trying to cash in on the success of ''Series/MadMen''.

MoralGuardians found the show to be unacceptable, and many viewers didn't buy into the show's style of drama, and it was quietly canceled after only airing ''three episodes'' (in fact, it had the misfortune of being the first new show of the season to be axed). Some viewers deemed it to be a rare SoBadItsGood example of TooGoodToLast.

Audiences never bought into the over-hyped and [[PanderingToTheBase pseudo-sexy]] melodrama, and it was quietly canceled after only airing ''three episodes'' (in fact, it had the misfortune of being the first new show of the season to be axed).

->''"You ask, 'That's another show that's pushing feminist characters who have a job serving drinks to rich white men. Is that less sexist because they're not dressed in bunny costumes?' The answer to this question is 'yes.' Sure, there was a whole lot of sexism involved in being a 'stewardess,' but do I have to point out how dressing up in a skimpy rabbit costume is slightly more degrading than wearing a powder blue suit? Whether or not the bunnies were doing it voluntarily doesn't really matter. Women constantly consent to their own objectification; that doesn't make it not sexist. The point is that they're wearing almost no clothing and (worse, in my opinion) that they're dressed as baby animals. They're cute, cuddly and compliant 'playthings.' And yes, ''The Playboy Club'' is about 10 times worse because it's actually pretending that being a bunny was somehow a liberating experience."''
-->--[[http://www.avclub.com/articles/a-matter-of-simple-duplicity,62657/ Meredith Blake]], ''[[Website/AVClub The AV Club]]'' reviewer for ''The Playboy Club''[[note]]The quote is in the comments section in the linked article[[/note]]

Audiences never bought into the [[HypeBacklash over-hyped]] and [[PanderingToTheBase pseudo-sexy]] melodrama, and it was quietly canceled after only airing ''three episodes'' (in fact, it had the misfortune of being the first new show of the season to be axed).

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_playboy_club.jpg]]

-->--[[http://www.avclub.com/articles/a-matter-of-simple-duplicity,62657/ Meredith Blake]], ''[[Website/TheOnion AV Club]]'' reviewer for ''The Playboy Club''[[note]]The quote is in the comments section in the linked article[[/note]]

->''The steaming, corrupt, crime-filled [[UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}} Windy City]] may have been all those things, but I built a place in [[Music/FrankSinatra the toddlin' town]] where everything was perfect.''

->''You ask, "That's another show that's pushing feminist characters who have a job serving drinks to rich white men. Is that less sexist because they're not dressed in bunny costumes?" The answer to this question is "yes." Sure, there was a whole lot of sexism involved in being a "stewardess," but do I have to point out how dressing up in a skimpy rabbit costume is slightly more degrading than wearing a powder blue suit? Whether or not the bunnies were doing it voluntarily doesn't really matter. Women constantly consent to their own objectification; that doesn't make it not sexist. The point is that they're wearing almost no clothing and (worse, in my opinion) that they're dressed as baby animals. They're cute, cuddly and compliant "playthings."And yes, The Playboy Club is about 10 times worse because it's actually pretending that being a bunny was somehow a liberating experience.''
-->--[[http://www.avclub.com/articles/a-matter-of-simple-duplicity,62657/ Meredith Blake]], [[TheOnion AV Club]] reviewer for ''The Playboy Club''[[note]]The quote is in the comments section in the linked article[[/note]]

'''''The Playboy Club''''' was a very short-lived drama series on Creator/{{NBC}} most notable for ''how'' short-lived it was (given its promotion and production expenses) and its controversial portrayal of the eponymous nightclub as a backdrop for [[CompletelyMissingThePoint women's rights movements and changing gender attitudes during the 1960s]] (as shown in the quote above). The show started making headlines during pre-production when it was revealed a then-unnamed actress had to sign a waiver in order to allow her being filmed topless, something unheard of in primetime television in the U.S. (the actress turned out to be an extra and the waiver was never exercised). It was also notable for being a {{Dueling Show|s}} with Creator/{{ABC}}'s ''Series/PanAm'', also a 1960s period drama obstensibly dealing with the same issues (also addressed in the quote above), and it was clear both networks were trying to cash in on the success of ''Series/MadMen''.

* FollowTheLeader: This was NBC's attempt to create their own version of ''Series/MadMen'' and even ABC's ''Series/PanAm''

* TheSixties: specifically 1961.
* XMeetsY: Can be described as ''Series/MadMen'' meets ''Magazine/{{Playboy}}''.

* BasedOnATrueStory: fictionalized take on working at the flagship branch of the Playboy Club in UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}}.

'''The Playboy Club''' was a very short-lived drama series on Creator/{{NBC}} most notable for ''how'' short-lived it was (given its promotion and production expenses) and its controversial portrayal of the eponymous nightclub as a backdrop for [[CompletelyMissingThePoint women's rights movements and changing gender attitudes during the 1960s]] (as shown in the quote above). The show started making headlines during pre-production when it was revealed a then-unnamed actress had to sign a waiver in order to allow her being filmed topless, something unheard of in primetime television in the U.S. (the actress turned out to be an extra and the wavier was never exercised). It was also notable for being a {{Dueling Show|s}} with Creator/{{ABC}}'s ''Series/PanAm'', also a 1960s period drama obstensibly dealing with the same issues (also addressed in the quote above), and it was clear both networks were trying to cash in on the success of ''Series/MadMen''.

* StrawFeminist: A pretty blatant {{Expy}} of Gloria Steinem shows up in one episode as an undercover reporter who basically wants to ruin the Playboy club out of spite
* XMeetsY: Can be described as ''Series/MadMen'' meets ''Playboy''.

* [[BannedInChina Banned in Utah]]: KSL-TV, the LDS Church-owned NBC station in Salt Lake City, shunned the show to a CW station. It (along with other commercial media outlets owned by the Church) promotes a education campaign against porn addiction, so obviously it didn't want to associate itself with ''anything'' Playboy-related.