by Moe Zilla

Created on: January 29, 2008   Last Updated: February 01, 2009

"Las Vegas" was cancelled in February of 2008. It's a shame, because the show was a lot of fun. The entertaining episodes showed a wealthy casino's adventures while handling an assortment of pleasure-seeking tourists, various con artists, and heist-planning crooks. Could their security team thwart them? Every single time.

The exotic locations were filled with gorgeous and glamorous characters, like the confident casino host Samantha (played by General Hospital's Vanessa Marcil) and head of operations Danny. Giving it grit was Ed Deline, the casino's tough-as-nails owner, played by James Caan. though the fifth season replaced him with hunky TV star Tom Selleck. This eliminated one interesting point of tension. While Danny struggled to prove he could handle Ed's operations, he was also dating Ed's daughter!

That was the secret of the show's appeal - it's offered stories that were funny, exciting, and just plain entertaining. How were the diamonds stolen? What's that gambler's winning secret? Who's counterfeiting the poker chips? Anything could an happen - as long as it was interesting. Five episodes even included characters from "Crossing Jordan."

And each episode offered multiple stories, cutting away from one to follow the other. The writers seem to have mastered the secret of Vegas - that there's a special magic if the stakes are high enough. The luxury casino "the Montecito" was the perfect setting, creating endless possibilities and giving every new character a reason to try something tricky. To keep the surprises coming, they included guest appearances by Paris Hilton, Snoop Dogg, Jon Bon Jovi, and even a porn star. For four seasons the show also featured Nikki Cox, a former "Baywatch" actress, and other interesting side characters who fit into the specific story arcs.

My favorite character was Mike, who began the series as the casino's valet. Mike had a graduate degree from M.I.T., so he was smart enough to realize that he'd earn even more money working at the casino. He saw everyone entering the hotel, offering a useful on-the-floor perspective for any capers going down, but the show eventually put this premise on steroids, moving Mike into the casino's high-tech security control room. The show's wild premises evolved into state-of-the-art surveillance, capturing slick video footage of wrong-doers in action. And somehow it was even possible to instantaneously search the footage, pulling up just the right clue at just the right moment. (Usually, about 12 minutes before the episode ends!)

But it was hard to complain about credibility when you were having this much fun. I think ultimately "Las Vegas" lived up to the promise of the re-mixed Elvis song in its opening credits. The show definitely offered "a little less conversation, a little more action."

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