Las Vegas (TV series)

Las Vegas is a comedy drama that focuses primarily on Danny McCoy and his boss Ed Deline. They and others work at the Montecito, a fictional hotel-casino located on the Las Vegas Strip. The employees deal with a variety of issues, such as casino security, restaurant management, and valet parking. Danny, a former U.S. Marine 1st Lt. Counterintelligence/HUMINT (CI/HUMINT) officer initially works under the resort's head of security, Ed, former CIA counterintelligence chief. Early in the first season, Ed is promoted to president of operations. Danny has on-and-off relationships with Mary, a childhood friend; and Delinda, who is Ed's daughter. The Montecito undergoes several ownership changes during the course of the series. The resort is demolished in the season-two finale in favor of a new Montecito, which opens in the third season under the ownership of Monica Mancuso. Following the end of season four, Ed and Mary go into hiding after killing her father, who sexually abused her as a child. In the fifth season, the Montecito is purchased by A.J. Cooper, a billionaire and former Marine. Danny becomes the new president of operations, and he moves in with Delinda, who is pregnant with their first child. ==Episodes==

Main • (James Caan) is initially the head of security and surveillance for the Montecito, but is promoted to president of operations in the eighth episode. He is portrayed as a loving husband and father, as well as a father figure to his employees, especially Danny. Nevertheless, he is a tough man and does not hesitate to use violence to get what he wants. As the former director of counterintelligence for the CIA, his past has come back to haunt him on several occasions. During season three, Ed is briefly in retirement due to disagreements with the new Montecito owner, although he soon returns to his position. Caan and his character depart the series in season five when Ed becomes a wanted man for killing Mary Connell's father. She was married to billionaire Casey Manning, from whom she was estranged for seven years prior to divorcing. She is also involved in an on-and-off relationship with Det. Woody Hoyt from Crossing Jordan, until it ends in the fourth season. During this season, she is seen to be currently in love with and waiting for Jeremy, who fell into a 20-year coma after falling off a stool at a slot machine; he is the man who first brought her to Las Vegas from Austin, Texas. In the season five finale, Cooper's jet crashes during a business trip, and he is presumed dead. However, during the final moments of the show, Cooper arrives at his memorial service and appears to be fine. Recurring • (Lara Flynn Boyle) becomes the new owner of the Montecito in season three. She is portrayed as self-centered and bull-headed, and is generally disliked by the staff. At age 25, she married an 83-year-old billionaire. Upon his death at age 93, she inherited his fortune and used it to purchase and upgrade the Montecito. Dedicated to proving that she is more than just a woman who inherited money, she is determined to make the Montecito a success. She uses the resort as collateral to try purchasing other casinos in Las Vegas. Nine episodes into the third season, Monica dies in a freak accident: a gust of wind blows her off the roof of the Montecito and down the Las Vegas Strip, before she crashes into a shoe store. Her outfit, with wing-like sleeves, contributed to her being blown off the roof. The scene was created to be humorous. In accordance with her final wishes, the Montecito staff flush her cremated remains down a toilet in her suite at the resort. • Casey Manning (Dean Cain) is a shrewd and cunning businessman, and Sam Marquez's ex-husband. He buys the Montecito in the third season, following Monica's death. In season four, Casey is killed in a fishing accident: a giant squid envelops him off the coast of New Zealand. The autopsy reveals that he was poisoned before the accident. He leaves the Montecito to Sam, who faces tax problems he left. In the series finale, Sam plans to marry Casey's brother Vic, though she does not love him, because Vic reminds her of Casey. • Piper Nielsen (Camille Guaty), the newest concierge of the Montecito, is introduced in season five. She is fired for letting an underage person gamble, but Cooper pays a $1 million fine to hire her back, raising speculation among the casino staff about their relationship. Piper never knew who her father was, until Cooper reveals that they served together in the Marines. Before her father died, Cooper promised that he would keep an eye on Piper. As she moved to various states over the years, he did the same in order to be there for her, though without her knowledge. Mike and Piper get married near the end of the season. • Mitch Sassen (Mitch Longley) is a regular member of the surveillance team, and like the actor who plays him, he is paraplegic and uses a wheelchair. • Jillian Deline (Cheryl Ladd) is Ed's wife and Delinda's mother. Jillian expresses growing resentment of Ed's time on the job. In the season-four finale, Jillian says she will leave Ed if he decides to purchase the Montecito. In the opening of season five, she is revealed to support Ed's decision for better or worse after learning of her future grandchild. She leaves Ed after they move away under sketchy circumstances. • Luis Perez (Guy Ecker) is a Las Vegas police detective who appears in the first two seasons. He is a childhood friend of Danny and Mary, and friend of Ed Deline and his team. He also had served in the Marines, and his unit is later recalled for service in Iraq, where he dies in the first week there. A funeral is held in his honor with Ed and everyone attending, and he is discovered to have a child whose existence was unknown to him. • Kathy Berson (Rikki Klieman) is the Montecito's main legal adviser and lawyer, introduced in season two. If any legal issues arise, Kathy is the first person whom everyone asks. • Polly (Suzanne Whang) is a Korean manicurist in the Montecito's spa. She is introduced in season three, and later forms a friendship with A.J. Cooper. Polly openly discusses her sexual experiences. • Sarasvati Kumar (Lakshmi Manchu) is an accountant for the casino. She appears in the first three seasons, and eventually begins a relationship with Mike, although this ends in the season-three finale after she goes home with Delinda's bachelorette party strippers. • Gunther (Harry Groener), appearing in the first three seasons, is the temperamental executive chef at the Montecito's original restaurant. He habitually has issues that require Delinda's attention, and develops a rivalry with Wolfgang Puck when the more famous chef opens a restaurant at the casino. Gunther eventually quits after losing a cook-off to Puck; he sells his restaurant to Charo. • Erika (Anna Pheil), appearing in seasons three through five, is a hard-as-nails barmaid Danny hires on a lark when he sees her dealing with customers while tending bar at a strip club. • Shannon (Malaya Drew) is a member of the Montecito's security. She plays a small role in six episodes, spanning the third and fourth season. She briefly shows interest in Mike. Notable guest stars Various guest stars have appeared on the show, sometimes portraying themselves. Notable guest stars have included Alec Baldwin, Sylvester Stallone, Jewel, ==Production==

Development Las Vegas was created by Gary Scott Thompson, who also served as an executive producer. saying, "If there are 127,000 (hotel) rooms in the city, that means I've got a potential 127,000 stories every week, because everybody's got a story, and so do all the people who live here." The show would be reminiscent of the 1970s series Vegas. Originally known under the working title Casino Eye, the new series would also include Scott Steindorff as producer. Initially, Don Johnson was also going to serve as an executive producer, although he ultimately had no involvement in the final project. Casting and character changes James Caan was among several actors considered for the role of Ed Deline, although the producers were initially unsure that they could get Caan to sign on. Caan was cast at the last minute, He also said in 2005 that he had never watched the series. he insisted that his role require effort on his part, Approximately 350 women auditioned for the role of Delinda Deline, before it eventually went to Sims. The part of Nessa was originally written as a 60-year-old man, although Thompson was impressed enough with Marsha Thomason's audition that he rewrote the role for her. Thomason signed a seven-year contract, but later departed the series after the second season, in order to pursue other projects. Filming Filming for the pilot episode began on March 17, 2003, in the Las Vegas Valley. Filming locations included the Mandalay Bay resort, the Fremont Street Experience, making it the most expensive in NBC history. Filming lasted nearly three weeks, Each episode initially cost $2.3 million to produce, Thompson said that during these trips, the team would ask real security guards "if it's too far-fetched if we do X, Y and Z. They say, 'Are you crazy? That happens all of the time'". The series premiered in September 2003, and its success prompted NBC to greenlight nine additional episodes for the season. The show went over budget in its first season, necessitating the need for a cheap episode that would keep the cast on the Montecito set in California. As a result, an episode was written in which a blackout and a murder occur simultaneously at the Montecito, keeping the characters at the resort. Thompson said, "We were not allowed to have any guest appearances. I thought, 'How do we trap them all in the casino.'" The episode received some criticism from people who doubted that a casino blackout was possible, although such an event occurred at the Bellagio resort a few months after the episode aired. To refresh the series, Thompson wrote in the demolition of the Montecito for the end of season two, with a new version of the resort being opened in the third season. For the role, Boyle took inspiration from Shirley MacLaine: "I always daydreamed about being one of the Rat Pack. Shirley MacLaine could really hold her own with [Frank Sinatra and] the boys. I feel the same way — never let them see you sweat or cry." Montecito Early on, the Culver Studios complex had eight sets that depicted the Montecito resort, including a casino set. Other sets depicted hotel rooms, hallways, elevators, a dance club, A coffee shop set was added for the second season. Some Montecito scenes were also filmed at the Mandalay Bay, During season 1, the Green Valley Ranch, a hotel-casino in Henderson, Nevada, was also used to portray the Montecito. A new Montecito set was created for the third season, measuring and occupying three stories across six sound stages. The production team incorporated product placement into the set to alleviate its high cost. Among the brands featured in the third season was Aston Martin, which is shown to have a dealership at the Montecito. This was done following the opening of a Ferrari dealership at the new Wynn resort. Thompson wanted the series to feel current with the latest attractions in Las Vegas. A Wolfgang Puck restaurant was also added to the set, and Puck appeared as himself in the series. As of season 4, the Montecito set included 146 slot machines and 24 table games. This set went $2 million over budget, but was built in eight weeks to meet the deadline for the start of filming. Exterior shots show the Montecito at the south end of the Las Vegas Strip, across the street from the Luxor resort, although the views from interior shots imply different and contradictory locations on the Strip. Ahead of the fifth season premiere, Thompson joked about the Montecito's location, "We're just going to keep moving it around, just to piss people off." Final seasons and cancellation Season 3 saw a drop in ratings, and Las Vegas was only renewed for 17 episodes in its next season, instead of the standard 22. The series was facing cancellation after the premiere of its fourth season. For the season finale, Thompson told NBC, "I'm gonna make this the biggest cliffhanger anyone's ever seen. And if you cancel us, you're gonna have 15 million fans pissed off at you, not me." The fate of a fifth season was contingent on budget cuts. NBC announced a fifth season in February 2007, while stating that Caan and Nikki Cox would depart the series. Caan had wanted to resume his film career; he previously had to pass on several film opportunities due to conflicts with the Las Vegas production schedule. Cox was let go from the production due to budget cuts. The writers were caught off-guard by the cast departures, which were announced at the last minute. Tom Selleck was cast in April 2007, as the Montecito's new owner, A.J. Cooper. Las Vegas marked Selleck's first main role on a television series since Magnum, P.I. To prepare, Selleck watched the previous season on DVD. Selleck's character would fill the void left by Caan, while a new female concierge (ultimately played by Camille Guaty) would serve as a replacement for Cox's character. Filming for the fifth season began at the end of April 2007, three months earlier than usual. Production began early to avoid a potential writers strike. Three episodes ultimately went unproduced because of the strike, leaving the season with 19 episodes. Due to low ratings, NBC canceled the series on February 20, 2008, five days after the airing of the season 5 finale. Thompson said, "I sold my soul to get a Season 5, so I didn't have a soul left to sell. We fought an uphill battle from day one. We were the little big show that could." In reaction to the cancellation, upset fans sent baby booties and dolls to NBC, demanding a proper ending. Discussions had been held about making a two-hour film to serve as a finale. Due to Knight Rider cancellation, however, Danny and Delinda's cameo appearance never came to fruition. ==Music==

A soundtrack for the series was released in September 2005. Various theme songs have been used for the opening credits, depending on where, how, or when the show has aired. In France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and other countries, the theme song is "Let It Ride" by Charlie Clouser and Jon Ingoldsby, while in other countries, such as the United States and Canada, the theme song is "A Little Less Conversation" by Elvis Presley, off of the album ''Memories: The '68 Comeback Special''. For American DVD releases, episodes available for viewing on NBC's website and reruns shown on the cable network E!, Clouser's song is used (with the exception of the pilot episode), most likely because the original clearances for use of the Presley song did not extend to syndication and home video sales. ==Release==

Broadcast Las Vegas aired on NBC and premiered on September 22, 2003. It originally aired on Monday nights, but was moved to Friday nights starting on March 3, 2006. NBC had acquired the rights to air NBC Sunday Night Football, through a contract with the National Football League (NFL). The NFL sought to distance itself from the city of Las Vegas, and a clause in the contract prohibited any mention of the city during Sunday Night Football. This would include next-night promotion of Las Vegas, prompting the change to Fridays. The third season ended with several cliffhangers, and the season 4 premiere was delayed twice, eventually premiering on October 27, 2006. This was done in order to give 1 vs. 100, a popular new game show, another Friday night in the timeslot, while providing more time to promote the season premiere of Las Vegas. The American channel TNT purchased the rights to air reruns, beginning in 2007. E! later started airing reruns, in 2020. Cozi TV acquired the broadcast rights in 2022. In Bulgaria, the series was broadcast on NOVA, Fox Crime, Fox (three of which used the 1st dub, but for different reasons on reruns it has been replaced by a new dub), and is currently airing on bTV, which uses the 2nd dub done by Studio VMS, and in Italy it previously aired on Fox and Rai 2. In Brazil, the series aired on pay-TV channel AXN and later aired on Rede Bandeirantes. Home media All five seasons were released on DVD. The DVDs include extra scenes that were too sexual for network television. These scenes were shot specifically for the DVDs, as Thompson said that extra features helped DVD sales. ==Reception==

Critical response Alessandra Stanley of The New York Times reviewed the pilot episode. She was critical of Caan's acting, but wrote that the show "manages to be slick, fast-paced and engaging", concluding that it "leaves enough mysteries open to keep viewers coming back for another look". Robert Lloyd of the Los Angeles Times described Caan as the show's only "sign of real life", finding the other actors to be attractive but otherwise lacking: "They are not so much characters—not yet, anyway—as extensions of their clothes, or cleavage. You don't relate to them so much as simply stare." Lloyd considered the production values to be "extremely high" and wrote, "This may be trash, but it comes in an attractive can." Phil Gallo of Variety called the series a guilty pleasure and described the tone as "light and unforced", thanks to the actors and "some sharp editing". Reviewing the first season, DVD Talk described Las Vegas as a "fast-paced, slick, and attractive television series that rarely takes itself too seriously and never fails to entertain." In a review for the second season, Charlie McCollum of San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa Times called Las Vegas a guilty pleasure and wrote, "Flashy, often trashy and slickly produced, the drama may be fluff, but it's good, sexy fluff with James Caan on hand to provide a bit of gravitas." Television ratings Originally, Las Vegas was not expected to succeed. Ratings dropped after the series moved to Friday nights in 2006, with episodes averaging less than 9 million viewers. As of early 2008, the series aired in multiple countries. It was popular among viewers in Australia, France, and Spain, but received limited viewership in Germany. Below is a table of Las Vegas seasonal rankings in the U.S. television market, based on average total viewers per episode. Each U.S. network television season starts in September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May sweeps. ==Other media==

Las Vegas had several crossover episodes with the NBC series Crossing Jordan, starting in the second season. Medium, Monk, and Passions — when characters from those shows visited Las Vegas. Of these, only the daytime soap Passions included Las Vegas characters in cameo roles: Nikki Cox appeared as Mary Connell. The Las Vegas episode "The Story of Owe" mentions a Dunder-Mifflin convention, obliquely linking to The Office. In the episodes "Father of the Bride Redux" and "Died in Plain Sight", when Ed Deline travels to Morocco to find and relocate a former CIA asset, the false passport he uses is in the name of Alan Bourdillion Traherne. This is the name of the character he played in the 1966 film El Dorado. The Las Vegas tie-in novel High Stakes Game, by Jeff Mariotte, tells the tale of what could have occurred between the season-two finale and the season-three premiere when the casino was destroyed and rebuilt and the characters briefly went their separate ways. A second novel called Sleight of Hand, also by Mariotte, was launched in 2007. ==See also==