I gave this drama the benefit of the doubt based on a not-terrible pilot, but the episodes that followed were awfully boring. NBC pulled the plug on the low-rated and controversial show today, putting the poor little bunnies -- and a sad Eddie Cibrian -- out of their misery.

NBC will fill the Monday 10 p.m. slot with repeats of the crime drama "Prime Suspect" (which you should watch) until the new Brian Williams show "Rock Center" debuts at the end of this month.

NBC also announced today full season pickups for "Up All Night" (not surprising) and "Whitney" (a little surprising).

"The Playboy Club"
Monday, 10 p.m. on NBC

Hardcore fans of "Mad Men" will resent Eddie Cibrian for his Don Draper impression in NBC's new 1960s drama. But I don't mind it. "Playboy Club" isn't in the same zip code as "Mad Men" as far as quality, but I do like it more than the other show it's constantly compared to: ABC's own retro offering, "Pan Am" (more on that show later this week).

Cibrian is Nick Dalton, a bigshot attorney in Chicago who spends his free time carousing with bunnies at the legendary Playboy Club. It's 1960s Chicago, so not only are there lots of frolicking Bunnies (and even glimpses of Hef at the Playboy Mansion), but dangerous gangsters also figure prominently in storylines. There's also a little social and political unrest thrown in for good measure. And for  what it's worth, despite the provocative title and subject manner, the vibe in the pilot is pretty innocent, especially by today's standards. There's lots of innuendo, but it's far tamer than many other 10 p.m. dramas. Amber Heard is the other star of the show, playing a new Bunny in town who gets into serious trouble her first night on the job. Dalton comes to her rescue and the two are then bound together by a dangerous secret.

"CSI:NY" star Melina Kanakaredes will not return to the show next season.

It sounds like it was her decision -- her contract was up and she wanted to move on. LiveFeed.com reports that actress Sela Ward ("Once & Again," "Sisters") is being considered as her replacement.

Entertainment Weekly notes that Kanakaredes was asked to take a pay cut if she stayed with the show.

In other CSI franchise news this summer, Raleigh actress Liz Vassey was cut from the original "CSI"  and Eddie Cibrian was let go from "CSI: Miami."

Tonight "CSI" Miami" begins its eighth season on CBS (10 p.m.) and even star Emily Procter, who plays Calleigh Duquesne, will tell you it's a year of change.

"That is an understatement," she says on the phone from Los Angeles. "They say everything changes every 7 years and that certainly applies to us."

If you haven't heard, Eric Delko (Adam Rodriguez) is leaving the show; he's scheduled to appear in about 10 episodes. (He's starring in the new Tyler Perry film "I Can Do Bad All By Myself" and has a role on "Ugly Betty.")