| Slick, stylish, and fast-paced, Las Vegas is a high-tech hybrid of 1970s' Vega$ and 1980s' Hotel. Created by Gary Scott Thompson (The Fast and the Furious), season 1 includes all 23 episodes of the NBC dramedy's. Set in the fictional Montecito Resort and Casino, the show revolves around surveillance expert and ex-Marine Danny McCoy (Josh Duhamel, Win a Date with Tad Hamilton). McCoy reports to the president of operations and ex-CIA operative "Big" Ed Deline (the inimitable James Caan). If Duhamel is the show's charisma, Caan is the gravitas. The attractive cast is rounded out by Vanessa Marcil as casino host Sam Marquez, Nikki Cox as event coordinator Mary Connell, James Lesure as valet Mike Cannon, Marsha Thomason as pit boss Nessa Holt, Cheryl Ladd as Deline's wife Jillian, and model Molly Sims as Deline's daughter Delinda. From the start, Las Vegas has attracted a diverse array of guest stars, from musicians, like Little Richard ("New Orleans"), to movie stars, like Sean "Samwise" Astin ("You Can't Take It With You"). Even "Mr. Las Vegas" himself, Wayne Newton, puts in an appearance ("Pros and Cons"). Other notable guests include Elliot Gould ("Jokers and Fools"), Jean-Claude Van Damme ("Die Fast, Die Furious"), and Alec Baldwin ("Hellraisers and Heartbreakers"), hot off his Oscar-nominated turn in The Cooler. First used in heist hit Ocean's 11, Elvis Presley's "A Little Less Conversation" (JXL remix) is the Las Vegas theme song. On the DVD set, however, it's replaced by "Let It Ride" on all episodes except the pilot. Also, the subtitle "Uncut and Uncensored" indicates footage too hot for network TV, but the additions are minor. While a few seconds have been added to the more risqué sex/poolside scenes, any other changes from the original broadcast are difficult to detect. --Kathleen C. Fennessy |
