Plot: What’s it about?
When it comes to television shows about Las Vegas one pops into mind: “CSI”. Well there’s another show, a self-titled one at that, in town and we’ll see if Sin City is big enough for both of them. Unlike “CSI”, “Las Vegas” is devoted more to what the city is known for – drinking, gambling and women. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. The show concentrates on a security team of the Montecito hotel and resort and their constant uphill battle with cheaters, criminals and everything else in between. Admittedly the concept doesn’t sound that great – you’d figure that it would get a bit boring after a while but somehow the show keeps the energy going. This is in no small part due to the very appealing nature of the cast (let’s face it – no one except James Caan is very hard on the eyes).
The first season was a little slow to get off the ground, but I just watched an episode of the second season and it appears as if it’s starting to hit its stride. The main cast of characters makes the show go around – so let’s get introduced. Ed Deline (James Caan) is a former Chief of the CIA and the head of security for the Montecito hotel and resort. His daughter, Delinda (Molly Sims – yes, the model) is constantly getting into trouble and her introduction in the first scene of the first episode is classic. Her love interest of sorts is Danny McCoy (Josh Duhamel of “Win a Date with Tad Hamilton”), Deline’s protégé and Las Vegas native – but he’s prone to making some mistakes. Danny’s best friend since childhood is Mary (Nikki Cox), also an employee of the casino. This leaves us with the all-knowing, MIT graduate and head valet – Mike Cannon (James Lesure) and the pit boss, Nessa Holt (Marsha Thomason) a savvy English lass who seems to have the hots for Mike. Add all of this together and it’s not a bad show. The action runs rampant for the better part of an hour and the cast seems to gel more and more with each episode; proving that they’re more than just pretty faces.
Video: How does it look?
The episodes look great in their 1.78:1 anamorphic aspect ratio. It seems that with each passing year and each new show, the days of television are gearing more and more towards looking like feature-length movies. No complaints here. The bright lights of Vegas are present in most every scene, inside and out, and suffice it to say that we would want optimal image quality when looking at Molly Sims and/or Nikki Cox. Correct? Fleshtones seem natural and edge enhancement is at a bare minimum. Some of the outdoor scenes tend to be a bit on the softer side, but aside from that everything looks as it should – great. I’ve no complaints here as “Las Vegas” looks as good as it sounds, and speaking of which…
Audio: How does it sound?
Ok, this is where there’s a bit of dissent…on the back of the box is a tiny disclaimer that says “Actual music might differ from that of this DVD” (or something to that effect). For those that are familiar with watching the show, Elvis Presley’s “A Little Less Conversation” is played over the opening credits. This song is present on the pilot episode only and the rest of the episodes have a different title song all together. Don’t ask me why, but that’s the case. Aside from that, the Dolby Digital 5.1 is a surprisingly robust mix that features all the bells and whistles that a Vegas casino might have to offer. I don’t think its like “being in Vegas” by any means, but it does help the viewer get involved in the show a bit more. Dialogue is very clear as well and surrounds are used occasionally, but not to great effect.
Supplements: What are the extras?
As far as supplements go, there are commentary tracks on four of the episodes including the pilot. Writer Gary Thompson and the cast make for a pretty good track, though there are certainly better out there. Most of the comments tend to cover the production of the show as opposed to plot, etc. The show is also very notorious for its guest appearances and two are John Elway and Jon Bon Jovi. “Rumble in the Montecito: Jon Bon Jovi and John Elway” is like a mini-movie sequel to the episode in which they starred. The cast is also present and this is entertaining to say the least. “Inside the Montecito” is a very in-depth look at the design of the hotel used for the show. We see how many “I’s” were dotted and “T’s” crossed when it came to the attention to detail. I was very impressed that this much thought would go into something that most people wouldn’t notice. Perhaps the most interesting supplement is “Las Vegas: The Big Gamble” which is a history of America’s favorite city. There’s also a bit too much devoted to the AFL (Arena Football League), such as a schedule and when the games can be viewed on NBC (coincidentally the network that airs “Las Vegas”…how odd). On a side note, the three disc set isn’t dual-layered. This means that all of us who have become so accustomed to watching hours of content on one disc will have to *sigh* get up and flip the disc to the other side to watch the different episodes. In any case, “Las Vegas” is a fairly entertaining show and if it’s watching attractive young ladies is what you’re after – there’s plenty to spare here. On one other note, these episodes are present in their “Uncut” version, so there’s a fair share of skin (mainly by women) to be shown that wasn’t on NBC. As if you needed one more reason to buy this set…
