Even though the fall TV season is over three months away, KSL in Salt Lake City told NBC that it will not be airing The Playboy Club. KSL President and CEO Mark Willes said, “The Playboy brand is known internationally. Everyone is clear what it stands for. We want to be sure everyone is clear what the KSL brand stands for, which is completely inconsistent with the Playboy brand.” And Programming Director Michelle Torsak added, “Our intent is not to tell people what they can and cannot watch, but rather to share programming with our audience in accordance with our mission.” The article also said that the network and the station will try to find a new place for the show and I hope they succeed.
I really have to wonder if KSL made the decision before or after they saw the pilot because I don’t think that they have seen it. I have seen the pilot, and there was nothing sexual about it. In fact I think it was even more tame than other shows that already air on NBC like Law & Order: SVU which is about investigating sexually violent crimes. Yes, The Playboy Club will deal with premarital sex and homosexuality, but so do other shows. Love Bites is a lot more racier than TPC and yet KSL is airing that? Also I found Whitney more offensive (and that is just not because of the attempted sex scene), and KSL is airing that. They also aired Outsourced which showed a naked jumping from bed to bed with their privates pixelated. Believe me I have no problem with shows airing sexual content, I have a problem with stations or groups banning it. And I have a bigger problem of them doing it without seeing the show first.
I mean KSL is banning it because as they say it is associated with “The Playboy Brand”, yet the show is called The Playboy Club and not Playboy Magazine. The two are two different entities, and you think they would have done their research before they pulled the tail off the Bunny costume.
The Playboy Club is an enjoyable show, that I think has a bright future whether a station opts to air it or not. So to all the people in Salt Lake City, when this show makes it debut on whatever station is smart enough to pick it up, please watch it and show KSL what a huge mistake they made.
UPDATE: Here is NBC’s statement on the matter, “While we are disappointed with KSL’s decision, we are confident that the show will find another home in the Salt Lake City market.†So let’s hope that Salt Lake City also won’t be disappointed by missing out this beautifully shot period show that will have everybody talking about how just how great it is, and that another station in the market will pick it up! Wouldn’t it be perfect if whatever station picks it up does much better in the timeslot than KSL does with whatever show they decide to replace it with?
