It’s around the time when we’ll begin finding out which new series to say goodbye to, and which shows deserve our investment.
One of NBC’s most volatile shows this season is The Playboy Club, which earned criticism from women’s liberation groups and former Playboy Bunnies themselves. It seems that the old adage of even bad press being good press did not apply this time around. In light of its poor ratings, NBC decided to cancel The Playboy Club. The series has occupied the 10 p.m. ET /PT slot, which will go to Rock Center with Brian Williams come Oct. 31.
On the positive side, NBC introduced two notable new sitcoms this Fall. The first is Lorne Michaels’ Up All Night, the hardships-of-new-parenthood comedy starring Will Arnett, Christina Applegate and Maya Rudolph, which airs Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. ET. The second is Whitney, standup comedian Whitney Cummings’ foray into television wherein she and costar Chris D’Elia attempt to remove all the ‘niceties’ from television relationships; it airs Thursday nights at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT. Each of these new comedies received full season orders from the network.
NBC is a consistent home to some of the best comedies on television. While Whitney needs some work to find its footing, it does have the promise of its star/creator working in its favor. Up All Night is already opening up with some strength. Arnett is a comic goldmine, Applegate works wonders in her straight-woman role, and Rudolph is delightfully out of her mind.
Source: NBC Press Release, TVLine
