You can lay off the Viagra jokes now, TV watchers.
NBC’s flaccid freshman series “The Playboy Club” (OK, we’re done) succumbed to underwhelming reviews and ratings to become the first fall casualty after airing just three episodes, the network confirmed on Tuesday. Repeats of the Maria Bello crime drama “Prime Suspect” will air in the 10 p.m. spot on Mondays until Oct. 31, when the Brian Williams newsmagazine show “Rock Center” will take its place.
Before “The Playboy Club” even premiered it was a magnet for controversy. Both the Parents Television Council and Gloria Steinem called for a boycott of the series, set at one of Hugh Hefner’s infamous clubs in the 1960s; NBC’s Salt Lake City affiliate refused to air it.
There are two new series the network is standing behind, however: “Up All Night,” starring Christina Applegate and Will Arnett as new parents, and “Whitney,” about a happily unmarried couple, both got picked up for full seasons on Tuesday.
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