S01E01 The Playboy Legacy
Hugh Hefner sold himself as a champion of free speech who created the Playboy brand to set off a sexual revolution that would liberate men and women alike, but over the years he used Playboy...
Secrets of Playboy
A legacy up in smoke?
S01E05: The Circus
After decades of silence, Hefner's former number one girlfriend Sondra Theodore shares her story detailing how she was groomed by him to participate in his increasingly abusive sex life. Sondra's testimony shines a spotlight on Hefner's mechanisms for controlling and breaking women.
Overview
Explore the hidden truths behind the fable and philosophy of the Playboy empire through a modern-day lens. The documentary series delves into the complex world Hugh Hefner created and examines its far-reaching consequences on our culture’s view of power and sexuality.
Episodes
S01E02 The Girl Next Door
In the 2000s, Hugh Hefner reinvented himself and his brand through the runaway success of the reality show “Girls Next Door,” starring his girlfriends. The series made mansion life seem like a fairytale, but Holly...
S01E03 The Bunnies & the Cleanup Crew
Playboy hired the most attractive women in the world by promising an environment where they would always be protected, but outside of the Playboy Mansion, the Bunnies faced dangers and abuses that were covered up...
S01E04 The Price of Loyalty
This episode explores the 1970s DEA investigation into Hefner, Playboy, and drugs through the lens of two women who lived and worked at Playboy: Hefner's right-hand woman Bobbie Arnstein, who committed suicide while being investigated...
S01E05 The Circus
After decades of silence, Hefner's former number one girlfriend Sondra Theodore shares her story detailing how she was groomed by him to participate in his increasingly abusive sex life. Sondra's testimony shines a spotlight on...
S01E06 The Corporate Game
The Playboy corporate world was billed as a welcoming place for women, but Playmate and eventual Director of Playboy Promotions Miki Garcia and Bunny Mother PJ Masten reveal the rampant sexual harassment they faced within...
S01E07 The Big Playboy Lie
A roundtable of Playmates recount how decades of women modelled for the magazine because they believed that becoming a Playmate would lead to a lucrative career in a safe environment; instead, many faced a hostile...
S01E08 Predators' Ball
Even in the earliest parties at the mansion, celebrities like Roman Polanski and Bill Cosby are a big part of the allure of the Playboy brand, but Hugh Hefner keeps some Hollywood A-listers happy at...
S01E09 The Shadow Mansions
During the 1990s, Playmates, including Pamela Anderson and Anna Nicole Smith, reach peak fame and young women flock to Los Angeles in hopes of being the next centerfold; men in Hefner's inner circle set up...
S01E10 Predator Number One
In public, Hefner continually professed that he wanted to protect his "girls next door." But he continually failed. Never before heard stories from Playmate Susie Krabacher, mansion employees Stefan and Stella Tetanbaum, and Sondra Theodore...
S01E11 Behind "The Girls Next Door"
Former girlfriends of Hugh Hefner Karissa and Kristina Shannon, discuss their experience with Hefner and the hit television series "The Girls Next Door," which introduced a new generation to Hefner and the Playboy lifestyle. Telling...
S01E12 The Aftermath
Former Playmates, girlfriends, and employees including Sondra Theodore, Susie Krabacher, Lisa Loving Barrett and Audrey Ann Huskey come together to share their experiences and struggles stemming from their time in the Playboy world. Alongside sex...
Cast
Hugh Hefner
Self (archive footage)
