LOS ANGELES — Playboy’s new fall TV drama, “The Playboy Club,” yanked earlier this month by the local Salt Lake City NBC affiliate, has found a new home in the capital. But the show is again under fire by anti-porn groups that want it off the air completely.
The show was dumped by KSL-TV because of “objectionable content.” The station reportedly has strong ties to the Mormon Church and said the drama didn’t fit with its mission.
"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," said KSL president and CEO Mark Willes in a statement.
But the show got its second wind when KMYU-TV picked it up for its My Network channel.
Although NBC Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt described the show as “tame” compared to shows like MTV’s “Jersey Shore,” KSL refused to air the series that’s set in the ‘60’s Chicago club.
Despite the show’s new life in Utah, anti-porn groups Pink Cross and Morailty in Media want it off the air completely.
Pink Cross founder and ex-porn star Shelly Lubben told FOX News, “What’s shown in 'The Playboy Club' is not real — Playboy definitely damages people. It’s pornography, it’s sex trafficking and it exploits women. The series looks like it’s all cute, taking place back in the old days — it seems harmless, but then they show a quick clip of three people going at it in the bathroom. NBC is breaking the law with this show – they’re not meeting FCC standards.”
And Morality in Media has recently launched an Internet campaign urging people to sign a pledge and contact their local NBC affiliates to have the show stopped, claiming it “glamorizes” porn.
What’s more, the groups contend that Playboy may be breaking federal law.
“We don't know the specific content of ‘The Playboy Club’ yet, but reports are that it will include simulated sex and nudity,” said attorney and president and CEO of Morality in Media Patrick A. Trueman.
"Simulated sex can be prosecuted by Department of Justice as obscene and nudity, so long as it is not obscene, can be prosecuted by the FCC. The U. S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit struck down FCC's indecency regulations, but that ruling has application only in that circuit. The U.S. Supreme Court today agreed to hear an appeal of that ruling. We will file an amicus brief.”
Morality in Media is also threatening to boycott every advertiser on the show and bombard local affiliates with irate viewers.
"The NBC brand, as well as Playboy will suffer great cost,” Trueman said.
XBIZ contacted Playboy but received no response by post time.
