It certainly is no Mad Men, but it sure as hell was entertaining and fun.
The Playboy Club premiered on NBC last night, and being one of the most talked about shows of the new season, it certainly delivered in the soapy drama department. Amber Heard stars as Maureen, a new bunny at the Chicago Playboy Club, and almost immediately does she get herself into all sorts of trouble. First, she leaves her cigarette-selling duties to go dance with customers, and then she finds herself killing a big crime boss back in the storage closet. Luckily for Maureen however, the dapper and handsome Nick Dalton(portrayed by Eddie Cibrian) comes to her rescue, and the two immediately agree on an alibi that they spent the night together to quickly cover up the murder.
There is plenty of drama and intrigue in the pilot episode, with a supporting cast that boasts interesting plots as well. From Janie and over-protective bartender boyfriend Max, to the secret agenda of Alice and her later revealed homosexual husband, the show has a lot of promising potential. And while Amber Heard and Eddie Cibrian were both good in their respective roles, the true shining star is Laura Benanti, whose portrayal as the dominant Carol-Lynne was so good, it made me wish that the show was solely focused on her.
While the pilot episode was stylistically beautiful and full of interesting storylines, it is not to say that it did not have any weak points to it. The dialogue could most certainly have been better, and when compared (once again) to Mad Men, is clearly lacking in any quality. Further, the narration by Hugh Hefner was distracting and felt out of place with the episode, though thankfully the narration will not be happening in the following episodes.
For all the haters and doubters out there, The Playboy Club is not the least bit bad. And for those who can't get enough of nighttime soaps and 1960's period dramas, this is definitely a show worth checking out.
The Playboy Club airs Mondays at 10/9c on NBC.
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