(Image Source: NBC)

BY MIHIR BAGAT

ANCHOR ERICA COGHILL

After controversy over its sexy premise -- apparently NBC’s The Playboy Club didn’t have enough sex appeal to win over viewers.  Inside Edition has the scoop.

“It’s the first network show of the new season to be axed. Intended to cash in on the success of AMC's '60s themed mad men, the show never lived up to expectations.”

NBC pulled the show after just three episodes. It’s most recent Monday night episode had just 3.4 million viewers and a 1.2 rating.

So what happened? The Chicago Sun-Times quotes an NBC source saying:

“So the guys who initially tuned in — thinking about Hef and hoping for some fun, sexy story lines — discovered a show that frankly appeals more to their wives, sisters or girlfriends.”

Entertainment Weekly believes the show would’ve been better off on a different network - or at least one where the producers could have more freedom.

“The move is no surprise and, indeed, was expected months before the show premiered. The industry had low expectations for the 1960s set drama, which attempted to replicate a retro Mad Men vibe but for a wide audience and on a network with plenty of content restrictions.”

Reports say NBC advertisers left after heavy protests against the show -- and it wasn’t popular enough to overcome that.
The executive director of Morality in Media sums up outrage over the show. Marketwatch has that press release.

"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.”

And a writer for The New York Times says, the show had potential -- but in the end, wasted it.

“An interesting drama could be made about Mr. Hefner’s success in fusing sex, privilege and pseudo-cool into a wildly successful commercial empire during a conservative time, but ‘The Playboy Club’ sets out to do much less, and succeeds.”

Brian Williams’ news magazine show Rock Center will replace The Playboy Club starting October 31.