Hugh Hefner and a Playboy bunny in the 1960s. (AP)
Star of the upcoming “Playboy” TV series sent the blogosphere into a buzz this week when she posted a candid photo of herself in the men’s magazine’s signature green bunny suit on her Facebook page.
It prompted many to question how audiences will receive the upcoming NBC television series, and how similar it will be to AMC’s critically-acclaimed period drama “Mad Men.”
Also set in 1960s, the aptly-named “Playboy” series is based around a group of women working as bunnies at Hugh Hefner’s famed Playboy club, amid a changing political and social landscape.
Heard will star alongside Eddie Cibrian, who plays a charismatic yet sly attorney.
“The combination of the sex appeal of the Playboy brand – especially in retro-nostalgic terms – and a promising new star in Amber Herd will attract a lot of attention early on as the show rolls out,” pop culture and entertainment expert, Scott Huver, told FOX411’s Pop Tarts. “Beyond that, the show's long-term appeal will rely heavily on its quality. By invoking a sexy 60s vibe, the series will most certainly be compared to ‘Mad Men,’ and it can only hope the comparison is favorable.”
There is also growing speculation over whether or not the highly-anticipated television show will contain nudity.
According to "Variety," the actors have a clause in their contract which allows for both “nudity and/or simulated sex acts,” although no naked scenes were shot for the show’s pilot episode.
While nudity is not typical for network programming and usually reserved only for pay TV, the contract paves the way for adult content to be released as bonus features on DVD or for cable syndication at a later date.
NBC and 20th Century Fox, the production company behind the series, were unable to comment as the show is still in its development stage, and an air date has not yet been announced.
Aside from featuring attractive ladies serving drinks while donning bunny ears and a tail, it is likely “Playboy” will delve much deeper into the issues of the day.
Hefner opened the first Playboy club in Chicago in 1960, before expanding the empire into iconic clubs all over the world. These nightlife destinations became famous not only for their sex appeal and star-studded guest performers like Ray Charles and George Carlin, but for breaking new ground in America’s Civil Rights Movement.
“The first black stand-up comics appeared in the Playboy Clubs where they had previously not been allowed in white clubs across the country,” Hefner recently told us. “When we had clubs in New Orleans and Miami they refused to accept our black members and we bought the contracts back. And I did that because it was the thing to do.”
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