Las Vegas (TV series)


Las Vegas is an American comedy-drama television series created by Gary Scott Thompson that was broadcast by NBC from September 22, 2003, to February 15, 2008. The show focused on a team of people working at the fictional Montecito Resort and Casino dealing with issues that arise within the working environment, ranging from valet parking and restaurant management to casino security. The series originally aired on Monday nights, though NBC later moved the series to Friday nights, first to 9 pm Eastern/8 pm Central and then to 10 pm Eastern/9 pm Central. The show entered syndication in the United States in September 2007. In July 2013, after a long run of weekday back-to-back episodes on TNT, Las Vegas reruns were moved to a graveyard slot of 4 am, then removed totally from TNT's lineup. In May 2020, E! began airing reruns of the show, making a return of the series in syndication for the first time since TNT removed it from its lineup in 2013. In July 2020, USA Network also reran the show.
The series originally centered on Ed Deline, a strict ex-CIA officer who went from being head of security to becoming president of operations of the Montecito, whose job is to run the day-to-day operations of the casino. Following his departure from the series in season five, former Marine Danny McCoy, Ed's former protégé, became the Montecito's new president of operations.
The series abruptly ended with a cliffhanger because NBC cancelled Las Vegas in the offseason following season five.

Cast and characters

Main cast and characters

Danny McCoy (seasons 1–5)

Daniel "Danny" McCoy is initially Ed Deline's apprentice, surrogate son, and good friend, who is later promoted to head of security. The series' pilot episode is told largely from his perspective and features Danny doing voice-over narration. This convention was quickly dropped, although he remained the show's main character throughout its five-year run. After Ed's resignation in season three, Danny is made president of operations of the Montecito Resort and Casino for a brief period. However, following Ed's return, Danny is officially reinstated as head of security in season three. He was born and raised in Las Vegas. Toward the end of season two, his father Larry McCoy dies in an accident and Danny inherits his father's construction company, McCoy Construction, and house. Danny sells his father's house and uses the money to pay for a condo. Danny is a former U.S. Marine, with guerrilla training and counterintelligence training. He is recalled into military service in Iraq at the end of season one. In season two, he is awarded the Silver Star after he calls in an air strike over his unit and himself when they are ambushed and overrun. Only he survives the air strike. He is involved in an on-and-off relationship with Ed Deline's daughter, Delinda, in season one. Danny and Mary have known each other since childhood, and have had a confusing on-and-off relationship. Danny proposes to Mary, but Mary calls off the engagement because she feels that Danny had a lot of things to sort out for himself. He ultimately begins living with his girlfriend, Delinda, who is pregnant with their first child.

Edward Melvin "Ed" Deline (seasons 1–4, 5 Episode One)

Edward Melvin Deline is the former president of operations of the Montecito Resort and Casino, and a former member of the board of directors. He starts as head of security and surveillance, but is promoted at the end of the eighth episode, when Gavin Brunson takes over the Montecito. 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, most recently during his daughter's wedding in "Father of the Bride Redux". During season three, Ed is briefly in retirement until the Maloofs try to hire him for their potential casino in Macau. Eventually, Ed returns to his position when Casey Manning buys the casino. Ed leaves the casino after becoming wanted by the Las Vegas police for killing Mary Connell's father, and goes into hiding. Ed returns to work for the CIA and is stationed in Paris. He makes the point of not being called Mr. Ed, Edward, or Eddie. James Caan's earlier "tough guy" roles are sometimes referenced, for example, when Ed is in a Montecito commercial, the director says he needs to be more like Sonny Corleone in The Godfather. However, in response, Ed says he "never saw" the movie, and indicates no interest in doing so. Another reference is the name on a fake passport he uses when Ed travels to Morocco to relocate a former CIA asset. That is the name of the "sidekick" character Caan played in the movie El Dorado with John Wayne.

Mike Cannon (seasons 1–5)

Mike Cannon is an engineer, with both undergraduate and graduate degrees from MIT in mechanical engineering. He works as head valet for the first season, but is officially recruited by Ed Deline to the security department to help during Danny's military absence. He stays on as security personnel despite being paid less than his job as a valet. He is cured of his claustrophobia at the end of season one. Originally, in the pilot episode, Mike has a wife and daughter; this plot line is seemingly abandoned thereafter. Mike and Nessa become close in season two, until Nessa leaves to be with her dad and sister, without saying goodbye. In the season 2 finale, it is revealed that he is the nephew of singer Gladys Knight. He performs at the casino as one of the Pips. He decides to join his aunt on tour but returns to work for Season 3. In Season 5, when Danny accepts the job as president of operations for the Casino, Mike is promoted to head of security and surveillance. Mike and Piper are married in the series cliffhanger. Whenever approaching a beautiful girl, he first uses breath spray. He is Danny's best friend. Some discrepancy exists over whether Mike is a local or not. In the initial season, he is stated to be a local who moved back as evidenced in "Decks and Violence" through his conversations. However, in later seasons, he stated he moved/stayed in Las Vegas to get out of the debt he landed himself in when going on a poker tilt in "A Cannon Carol."

Samantha Jane "Sam" Marquez (seasons 1–5)

Samantha Jane "Sam" Marquez is the self-proclaimed best casino host in the world. She lives in a Montecito suite and is portrayed as a ruthless businessperson whose sole interest is to get high rollers to play at the Montecito. However, in the season-four episode, "The Burning Bedouin", she reveals that she is only "cold and jaded because everyone expects it of her", and "underneath it all, she is weak and pathetic like everyone else." 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, which ends officially based on the events from season-four episode, "History of Violins". From "The Burning Bedouin", 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. Following the death of her ex-husband Casey in a freak fishing accident, Sam is left in control of the casino. She becomes the latest former owner of the Montecito after failing to pay the back taxes owed on the property. Her ownership of the Montecito lasts for a week, until A.J. Cooper buys the Montecito by paying off the back taxes. A.J. fires Sam when she is rude to his ranch manager's son. After Delinda intervenes, Sam and Cooper work things out over a milkshake, bowling, beers, and cigars, and Cooper agrees to rehire Sam. Sam is originally from Texas and enjoys playing bingo. In the season-five finale, Casey Manning's younger brother Vic Manning visits the Montecito to take over the ownership of the casino. At the end of the show, Sam and Vic are said to plan to get married. When asked why Sam wants to marry Vic – she always stated she did not have feelings for him, though he loved her – she says it is because Vic understands her and will not try to change her; plus, he reminds her of Casey.

Delinda Deline (seasons 1–5)

Delinda Deline is Ed and Jillian's daughter and the entertainment/food and beverage manager for all the food and beverage outlets in the Montecito: the Mystique Club, the former Wolfgang Puck's restaurant, Opus Bar, and the Bella Petto Pool Bar. Delinda is also shown to have a genius-level IQ, and once majored in psychology, but decided the human race's biggest problem is that they are boring. Delinda has also been shown to be fluent in French, in the season-four episode, "The Burning Bedouin". Delinda leaves the Montecito in the beginning of season three, until Monica forces Ed to hire her back. She becomes Danny's girlfriend after a long and complicated romantic history with him. They are "involved" briefly for the first episodes of season one before calling it off. During season three, an old college flame returns and asks Delinda to marry him. She accepts, but before the ceremony, Ed is shot. In the fray of Ed's medical crisis, Delinda calls off her wedding to Derek. At the end of the season-five finale, Delinda becomes overwhelmed with pain after just learning that A.J. Cooper is alive; he was supposedly killed in a plane crash. Jillian is with her, and Delinda begins bleeding.

Mary Connell (seasons 1–4)

Mary Connell is the special events director at the casino. Originally, she was supposed to play the casino's personal hooker, but at the last minute during the pilot filming, Gary Scott Thompson changed her position to special events director. A Las Vegas native, her father sexually abused her when she was a child, and Danny always came to her rescue. In season three, Mary is rehired and promoted to hotel manager. In season four, she helps her stepmother and half sisters testify against her father – a case which is lost because of his connections. In the episode "Bare Chested in the Park", she is shown purchasing a revolver to shoot her father in the season-four finale. She is involved in a relationship with Danny, who proposes to her in season two – she accepts, then later calls off the engagement. Mary is hiding from the law for her part in her father's murder, but is apparently safe, as she sends Danny a photo with a house and white picket fence.

Nessa Holt (seasons 1–2)

Nessa Holt, also known as "The Ice Queen", is the former head pit boss of the Montecito and is described as "the best pit boss in Las Vegas". She was born in Manchester, England, and has a shady past due to her father's connections with Ed Deline. Her father was a well-known gambler, cheater, and con artist, who was forcefully recruited into the CIA and faked his death. Nessa was raised by Ed and Jillian for some years, and is referred to as a sister to Delinda. At the opening of season three, Nessa is explained to have left Las Vegas and been given a new identity to be able to live with her father and long-lost sister. Nessa fails to say goodbye to Mike, although they were getting closer to a relationship.

A.J. Cooper (season 5)

A.J. Cooper is the new owner of the Montecito as of 2007. He is a former Marine and cattle rancher from Wyoming who stirs things up at the casino. His net worth is about $2 billion. On his first day, he allows an oncologist to avoid jail for cheating the Montecito by making him lose his winnings and promise not to return to Las Vegas again. In "Run Cooper Run", Cooper was revealed as a black ops Marine in the Vietnam War and awarded the Bronze Star for his work. He was a Marine who served in the Battle of Khe Sanh, a 77-day siege in which outnumbered Marines fought off and killed between 10 and 15 thousand NVA regulars as told by Danny in the episode. In "Sex, Lies and Lamaze", Cooper admits that he was best friends with Piper's father, a fellow Marine. Before Piper's father died, Cooper promised he would watch over Piper. Cooper also owns condominiums in Florida, the largest paper mill in Wisconsin, the largest cattle ranch in Wyoming, and a high-tech company in California. In the season-five finale, Cooper tells the Montecito workers he must go to New York and take care of some lawsuits filed against him by Vic Manning. Later, Mitch alerts Danny that the Montecito's jet has crashed in Colorado. The news reports say only one of the pilots survived. In lieu of the planned triple wedding, Danny and Mike set up a memorial service for Cooper's presumed death. During the final moments of the show, Cooper arrives at the service and appears to be fine.

Recurring cast and characters

Piper Nielsen (season 5)

Piper Nielsen, the newest concierge of the Montecito, is introduced in season five. She frequently socializes with both Sam and Delinda. In the episode "The Glass is Always Cleaner", she is arrested at a rave party with Sam and has to be bailed out by Mike. In her first episode, she states she is just 22 years old, but later slips and says she is 25. She is fired for letting a minor gamble, but Cooper pays a $1,000,000 fine to hire her back. Piper never knew who her father was, but her father was revealed to be a Marine who was Cooper's best friend during the Vietnam War. He died sometime after Vietnam. Before he died, Cooper promised him that he would keep an eye on Piper. Mike and Piper were married in season five. With the help of Cooper and Delinda, she won a magazine award as Las Vegas' best concierge.

Mitch Sassen (seasons 1–5)

Mitch Sassen is a regular member of the surveillance team, and like the actor who plays him, he is paraplegic and uses a wheelchair. Mitch has a recurring role from season one through season five.

Polly (seasons 3–5)

Polly , is a Korean manicurist in the Montecito's spa, who has recently formed a friendship with A.J. Cooper. Polly is always open about discussing her sexual experience, such as claiming she was one of Wilt Chamberlain's 20,000 partners in "2 on 2". Sam once gave Ed a full body massage from Polly for Christmas, in which Polly attempted to give Ed a "happy ending".

Luis Perez (seasons 1–2)

Luis Perez, a Las Vegas Police detective, is a childhood friend of Danny and Mary, and friend of Ed Deline and his team. He was also a former Marine whose unit was recalled for service in Iraq. In the episode "One Nation, Under Surveillance", he asks Danny about his experience in the war and what to expect. Luis dies the first week sent in the war. In the episode "Letter, Lawyers and Loose Women", 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 (seasons 2–5)

Kathy Berson is the Montecito's main legal adviser and lawyer. If any legal issues arise, Kathy is the first person whom everyone asks. Kathy helps Ed, Cooper, and Danny with many of their problems over the course of the show.

Jillian Deline (seasons 1–5)

Jillian Deline is Ed's wife and Delinda's mother. Jillian expressed growing resentment of Ed's time on the job, and admits this to her daughter, Delinda, at the end of season four. In the season-four finale, Jillian said she would leave Ed if he decided 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. She is awaiting her first grandchild, via Delinda and her fiancé Danny McCoy.

Monica Mancuso (season 3)

Monica Mancuso, former owner of the Montecito, is portrayed as self-centered and bull-headed. In the first episode of season three, at age 25, she is revealed to have married an 83-year-old billionaire. Upon his death at age 93, she inherited his fortune and used it to purchase the Montecito and upgrade it. She was a waitress in the morning and a stripper at night before she married the billionaire in Ohio. She later used the casino as collateral to try to purchase other casinos in Las Vegas. Dedicated to proving that she is more than just a woman who inherited money, she is determined to make the Montecito a success. In the season-three episode "Mothwoman", she dies in a freak accident: a gust of wind blows her off the roof of the Montecito, and down the strip into a shoe store at the Wynn. Because her character was generally disliked by the other characters in the series, and typically was portrayed as a buffoon, her death was constructed mostly for humor. Ed, Sam, Delinda, and Mary, along with Monica's former co-worker, Norma, dispose of her ashes ceremoniously by flushing them down the toilet in her suite at the Montecito.

Casey Manning (seasons 2–4)

Casey Manning is a shrewd and cunning businessman, Sam Marquez's ex-husband, and former owner of the Montecito. In season three, Casey buys the Montecito from the Foundation for the Blind, after it was left to them following Monica's death. In the season-four episode "Bare Chested in the Park", his character is killed off 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.

Sarasvati Kumar (seasons 1–3)

Sarasvati Kumar is an accountant for the casino and one-time interest of Frank, and later Mike. Her relationship with Mike ends officially after she goes home with Delinda's bachelorette party strippers.

Gunther (seasons 1–3)

Gunther 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. Believed to be a parody of Wolfgang Puck, his disposal by means of a cook-off is arranged when the show was able to sign on the real Wolfgang Puck, who plays himself in the series.

Erika (seasons 3–5)

Erika 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 (seasons 3–4)

Shannon is a member of the Montecito's security. She plays a small role in six episodes. She briefly shows interest in Mike Cannon.

Notable guest stars

''Crossing Jordan'' crossover

Las Vegas is set in the same world as fellow NBC series Crossing Jordan. In the season-two episode "Two of a Kind," a case is brought by Dr. Jordan Cavanaugh and Det. Woody Hoyt to Las Vegas. Woody and Sam got very well acquainted and maintained a long-distance relationship. However, as of the season-four episode "History of Violins", the relationship seems to be over. Jordan and Danny also become involved, but both agreed it was only for fun, and no relationship came from it.
Episodes ordered by airdate:
The Montecito Hotel and Casino has appeared in several shows — Heroes, Knight Rider, 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 final season of Las Vegas also featured a crossover episode of sorts with one of the highest-rated TV shows from the 1980s. During the episode, several cast members of Magnum P.I., including guest stars Roger Mosley and Larry Manetti, appeared on the program with Las Vegas regular Tom Selleck. Manetti and Mosley essentially played millionaire older versions of their characters from Magnum P.I. in the episode.
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, also known as "Mississippi", in the 1966 film El Dorado in which he starred with John Wayne. When Wayne asks the character his real name, he replies "Alan Bodillion Traherne", to which Wayne responds incredulously "Lord Almighty!".

Opening sequence

Various theme songs have been used, depending on where, how, or when the show has aired. In France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, the UK, and other countries, the theme song is "Let It Ride" by Charlie Clouser and Jon Ingoldsby, while in other countries, such as the US and Canada, the theme song is "A Little Less Conversation" by Elvis Presley. For the American DVD, as well as the episodes available for viewing on NBC's website, Clouser's song is used, with the exception of the pilot episode. Most likely, the reason "A Little Less Conversation" can't be heard as the theme song now is that the "clearance" the show got from the Presley estate/ASCAP/BMI for using it doesn't extend into syndication and video sales.

Episodes

Reception

U.S. television ratings

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.

Home media

Season information

The show has five complete seasons; all are available on DVD. The show was renewed for the fifth season on February 27, 2007. On March 2, 2007, it was announced that James Caan and Nikki Cox would be leaving the series. Caan departed because he wanted to return to acting in feature films, while Cox's departure seemed to stem from budget cuts. Tom Selleck replaced James Caan as head boss in season five. In the final season, only 19 episodes of the originally planned 22 were filmed at the time the show was cancelled, due largely to the 2007 Writers Guild of America strike which effectively killed off numerous hit TV shows, like Las Vegas. The final episode was a cliffhanger with many issues left unresolved; they will remain unresolved, according to TV Guide Canada. At one point, Michael Ausiello of TV Guide said that there were plans, should a proper resolution not be possible, to have the characters of Danny McCoy and Delinda Deline cameo in an episode of Knight Rider, carrying a newborn. Due to Knight Rider cancellation, however, Danny and Delinda's cameo appearance never came to fruition.

Setting

The location of the fictional Montecito has changed from season to season. Some of the first episodes were shot at the Monte Carlo and Mandalay Bay. Because of its similarity to Mandalay Bay, many of the show's visuals place the Montecito at the far southern end of the Las Vegas Strip, albeit usually across the street from Luxor on the airport side of Las Vegas Boulevard. The exact location and rotation of the building seems to vary within this area; indeed, the CGI zoom shots of the building's exterior in the season-two episode, "Montecito Lancers", shows the building in three slightly differing locations for three different shots. Also, a few interior and exterior shots were filmed in Dana Point, California, at the St. Regis Hotel in Monarch Beach. In season five, the Montecito seems to have a consistent location across from the Luxor.
Many of Mandalay Bay's interiors and exteriors have been used as Montecito exteriors, although the actual set of Montecito is located at Culver Studios, in Culver City, California, so the interiors are a replica of the Mandalay Bay. The season-three set of Las Vegas has been said to be the biggest set for a TV show ever.
During the first season of the show, many of the Montecito's suites overlooked various parts of the middle part of the Strip, placing the hotel near where The Venetian, Flamingo Las Vegas, or The Mirage are located, before the more consistent location at the southern end of the Strip was finalized.
During the first season, except for the pilot episode, the sets were built as needed for filming.
Some episodes were shot using interior and exterior shots of Green Valley Ranch, including a shot of the pool and spa area where, in one episode, Everlast holds a concert.
In season three, Ed Deline's office appears to be in the middle of the strip, overlooking Harrah's, Caesars Palace, The Mirage, and The Venetian, which puts the Montecito near where Treasure Island is located. This is inconsistent with the flyover shots of the Montecito, which would place Ed's office over two miles away. Closer examination of the window scene shows that The Mirage's marquee over their driveway has been edited to read "Montecito". In season 4, "Died in Plain Sight", a scene in Ed Deline's office shows again an overview of The Mirage and Caesars Palace. Again, it is a confirmation that Ed Deline's office would be where Treasure Island is located.
According to an episode that originally aired in December 2005, the Montecito is located about 1.5 miles from Wynn Las Vegas. This distance is in a straight line as opposed to a reference to actual driving distance. This distance is inconsistent with long shots that place the Montecito near the airport, Luxor, and Mandalay Bay, but is in line with the season-three visual references noted above. Other episodes show aerial shots of the Montecito that make it appear to be situated at the corner of Giles St. and Reno Ave., about half a mile from Mandalay Bay and across from the Luxor.

Spin-off fiction

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 Jeff Mariotte, was launched in 2007.