{blackbabes} 'The Playboy Club' bounced; NBC's period drama is first cancellation of Fall season

We have our first victim of the Fall TV season.

NBC's controversial program "The Playboy Club" is out after a scant three episodes. The network ordered a total of 13 episodes.

The period drama, which takes place at Chicago's original Playboy Club, followed the lives of the original Bunnies and starred Amber Heard and Eddie Cibrian.

The program seemed to be DOA, plagued by low ratings that just got worse. In its opening week, the show drew only 5 million viewers and a 1.6 rating in 18-49. Since then, viewership has dipped, with Monday's (Oct. 3) episode drawing only 3.2 million viewers and a 1.2 in the 18-49 demo.

The show faced trouble even before the first episode aired. There were calls from both left-wing and right-wing political interests to boycott the program. Even Women's Rights activist Gloria Steinem, who herself once worked as a Bunny while writing an investigative journalism piece, called for a viewer boycott. The Salt Lake City NBC affiliate also refused to broadcast the show.

NBC will air reruns of "Prime Suspect" beginning next Monday (Oct. 10) and each week until Oct. 31 when they will debut their new news magazine "Rock Center with Brian Williams."