The Playboy Club

'The Playboy Club'Filmed in Chicago by Imagine Television and Alta Loma Entertainment in colaboration with twentieth century Fox Television. Executive producers, John Grazer, Chad Hodge, Francie Calfo, Jason Burns, Dick Rosenzweig, Ian Biederman co-executive producers, Leslie Linka Glatter, Karyn Usher supervisory producer, Mark Seafood producer, Hannah Shakespeare director, Alan Taylor, author.Nick Dalton - Eddie Cibrian Carol-Lynne - Laura Benanti Maureen - Amber Heard Janie - Jenna Dewan Tatum Brenda - Naturi Naughton Alice - Leah Renee Max - Wes Ramsey Billy Morton - David KrumholtzCritics will in the end perform some evaluating-and-contrasting in appraising the fall's two early-sixties dramas, "Playboy Club" and ABC's "Pan Am," a juxtaposition that favors NBC's glossy otherwise wholly satisfying period cleaning soap. Advance hands-wringing about racy content seems wholly overblown, if possibly useful from the marketing perspective. The setting only fitfully works like a prism by which to contemplate the current -- among the natural talents of "Mad Males," that evaluations will also be inevitable -- and therefore the serialized elements and figures must prove more alluring than what's initially revealed to help keep this bunny going, on and on. Not too series designers do not attempt, kick-beginning the premiere using the accidental dying of the thuggish club patron after he will get not only fresh having a wide-eyed new Bunny, Maureen (Amber Heard). Visiting her aid is Nick Dalton (Eddie Cibrian), a clever ladies guy and lawyer who, we are told, every guy really wants to be, and each girl really wants to marry. "Women'll function as the dying individuals,Inch he's told at some point, and because of the mixture of money and mobsters all around the Chicago locale, that threat is supposed to linger. Indeed, individuals elements lead to some swinging atmosphere the show pushes tough to sell. Exceedingly handsome as aircraft pilots go, the first flourishes are the music (stand-inches for Ove & Tina Turner perform within the pilot) towards the period soundtrack towards the unfulfilled commitment of seeing more skin than systems normally unveil. Past that, the series' prospects remain as shrouded in mystery being an unopened centerfold. The end result is "Mad Males" hasn't been a well known smash, inviting skepticism whether this type of series can deliver on the broadly commercial level. You will find a few nice twists including secondary gamers, and because of the challenge filling individuals Bunny clothes, this program is well cast, with David Krumholtz because the club's restless manager and Laura Benanti because the full bee, who's dating Nick and jealous of Maureen. Still, because of the focus on soapy doings and shiny outside, the serial intends to short-change its most fascinating characteristics, glancingly leaving comments on issues relating to sociology and also the sexual revolution (like a Bunny marveling, "I earn more money than my dadInch) while missing the latitude to genuinely probe them. Ultimately, "Playboy Club" seems to represent a conceptual seduction -- a set designed to appear more provocative, dangerous and cable-like than. (Voice-over narration from Hugh Hefner -- portrayed to ensure that his face stays hidden, like Blofeld at the begining of Bond movies -- feels oddly cheesy, and sensibly will not be repeated past the introduction.) Credit the pilot with achieving one objective, teasingly dangling a carrot made to lure individuals audiences that do arrive into sampling another hour. Nevertheless, as the magazine's read mostly by males, the series will depend on the female audience -- and therefore if NBC's "Playboy Club" wager proves scantily outfitted track of room to visit, women will indeed happen to be the dying from it.Digital camera, Kramer Morgenthau production designer, Scott Murphy editor, Conrad Wise music, Wendy Levy casting, Jason La Padura, Natalie Hart, Jennifer Rudnicke, Mickie Paskal, Scott Genkinger (series). 60 MIN.With: Jenifer Lewis. Contact John Lowry at john.lowry@variety.com