Producers behind Eddie Cibrian's new U.S. drama The Playboy Club have fired back at criticism the series is too racy, insisting it is "mild" compared to many other popular shows.
LeAnn Rimes' new husband plays lawyer Nick Dalton in the upcoming NBC series, which is based on Hugh Hefner's famous Chicago, Illinois hotspot in the 1960s.
The programme is not due to air until September (11), but members of the Parents Television Council are campaigning to have the show axed altogether, insisting it "glamorises" the pornography industry.
But Chad Hodge, executive producer of The Playboy Club, is adamant there is nothing too explicit on the show - because it's focused on the workers at the members-only club and not Hefner's Playboy publication.
He says, "It's mild compared to anything else on television. It really has nothing to do… with anything racy or trying to be exploitative, that's not the purpose of the show or the spirit of the show."
And The Playboy Club star Naturi Naughton has also defended the new series, adding, "It’s empowering because these girls are smart, they’re going to school, they’re buying property."