321 replies to this topic

[Strega]

The PR says:

Dennis Quaid and Michael Chiklis star in VEGAS, a drama inspired by the true story of former Las Vegas Sheriff Ralph Lamb, a fourth-generation rancher tasked with bringing order to Las Vegas in the 1960s, a gambling and entertainment mecca emerging from the tumbleweeds. Ralph Lamb (Quaid) wants to be left in peace to run his ranch, but Las Vegas is now swelling with outsiders and corruption which are intruding on his simple life. Recalling Lamb's command as a military police officer during World War II, the Mayor appeals to his sense of duty to look into a murder of a casino worker - and so begins Lamb's clash with Vincent Savino (Chiklis), a ruthless Chicago gangster who plans to make Vegas his own. Assisting Lamb in keeping law and order are his two deputies: his diplomatic, even-keeled brother Jack (Jason O'Mara) and his charming but impulsive son, Dixon (Taylor Handley). Ambitious Assistant District Attorney Katherine O'Connell (Carrie-Anne Moss), who grew up on the ranch next to the Lambs, also lends a hand in preserving justice. In Vegas, two powerful men - Lamb and Savino - are engaged in a fierce battle for control of the budding oasis, and for both of them, folding is not an option.

Premieres Sept 25 on CBS.

We'll be weecapping this so I needed to start a thread for it. (And I looked but if I missed an existing thread for this show just let me know and I'll merge them.)

[taiko]

So this is set just before the Crime Story squad transferred in from Chicago?

[Ailiana]

Since many law schools didn't even accept women as students until the 1970s, I am somewhat dubious about a woman as an Assistant District Attorney. Seems like that may be more an excuse to have an attractive woman involved in the plot than historical. I like a lot of historical setting shows, so I hope this one stays true to the era, however politically incorrect it may be, and doesn't PC it up.

[AimingforYoko]

So this is set just before the Crime Story squad transferred in from Chicago?

One of the reviewers on the AV Club said this is the season we didn't get.
Speaking of which: 'B' from AV Club.

[cranberry]

I just skimmed the AV Club review but I agree that parts of the story felt "rote." Plus, and this is more me than the show itself, I kept thinking, it's Justified's sherrif meets The Killing's casino meets Mad Men's clothes meets Boardwalk Empire's gangster meets Breaking Bad's sweeping deserts meets The Shield's resident tough guy.

But, all in all, a very solid pilot and I'll be checking in for the next episode. I find I prefer watching people solve crimes the old way rather than with all the whiz-bang techie stuff. I just hope they get a good story going and forget about the crime-of-the-week.

[fester01]

Solid start. I just wish they gave Michael Chiklis more to do, but I'm sure that's in the works. I was very impressed with the cast, there were a lot of names/faces I recognized from TV and the movies, hopefully the writing does them justice.

[FrogsRule]

You have to understand, I love Jason O'Meara - the guy has Paul Newman's eyes, yum - but the fellow cannot seem to catch a break. I fully expect Vegas to fold, just because he is on it. :-)

Cannot decide whether I like the show. I know that pilots take a lot of time explaining character background and laying the groundwork. So I don't want to judge it on that basis. But parts felt a little belabored.

I *did* like the fact that they stayed true to the era with "whites only" restrooms. I hope that the social injustices of the time are presented fairly and accurately, the way that African- and Mexican-Americans were railroaded for crimes they didn't commit. Seems it would be hard to do a cop show about that era without that factor.

I will give it a week or two more...

[thuganomics85]

It.... was OK, I guess. Probably the best of the three new shows I've seen so far (other two being Revolution and The Mob Doctor), but I found it kind of slow and boring at times. Dennis Quaid and Michael Chiklis fit their roles well, although I thought Chiklis was a bit underutilized, so hopefully we'll see more of Vincent in future episodes. Great seeing Carrie Ann Moss again and Jason O'Mara was much more likable here then as that douchebag Jim on Terra Nova. Fun seeing a few other recognizable faces like Billy Lush as the victim's boyfriend and Michael O'Neil as the mayor.

Noticed it was directed by James Mangold, who directed Walk the Line and the 3:10 to Yuma remake (and is currently doing The Wolverine.)

I don't watch anything else at 10 p.m., so I'll stick with it for now. And I heard Sarah Jones will be joining the cast and I'm curious to see how she will do; I know she got a lot of criticism on Alcatraz, but I personally thought it was more the writing's fault then hers. She was great during a guest spot on Justified, so I hope that Alcatraz was just an one time thing. My main concern right now is that it might become too procedural like with most CBS shows. I've seen Blue Bloods become boring because of it and even Hawaii 5-0 has lost some of it's charm; although, IMO, Person of Interest has done a decent job of balancing procedural aspects with ongoing arcs. I hope this can do the same thing.

Edited by thuganomics85, Sep 26, 2012 @ 10:28 PM.

[Rickster]

but I found it kind of slow and boring at times

I agree. There's potential here with the cast (did not know about Sarah Jones, I liked her but thought she was miscast on Alcatraz), but it's got to be more like an AMC show than a weekly procedural to get me to tune in. I'll try another week or two.

[kmm45]

Dennis Quaid's acting and facial expressions are enough for me to not tune in again.

[reggiejax]

Dennis Quaid and Michael Chiklis leading the cast, all on it's own, guarantees I am going to watch. Make them a cowboy Sheriff and a Chicago gangster, respectively, fighting for the soul of early 1960's Las Vegas, and there is no way I miss so much as a minute, no matter if it ends up being a cliched, crime-of-the-week procedural. Hell, I would have been all in if they had cast Jason O'Mara and James Russo, who both play the respective leads right hand men, in the lead roles.

[size=2]Right now I think this show could go either way, but I am in it for the longhaul. Whether that haul is 6 episodes or 6 seasons (and a movie), remains to be seen.[/size]

Edited by reggiejax, Feb 21, 2013 @ 4:21 PM.

[Taarn]

I love Dennis Quaid and the period touches were cool. Decent procedural and since it's based on a true story, it hopefully won't get too unbelievable. Jason O'Mara has a reputation (deservedly) for being a series killer so I won't expect it to go past one season but he's not the lead so maybe that won't be a factor.
I'm not hooked just yet but I'm definitely dvr-ing this one.

[AimingforYoko]

They're not setting up a love triangle between the brothers Lamb and ADA Trinity, are they?

[babyblackcat]

I just watched it - not too bad. I'll stick with it for a bit and see how it goes. Good cast.

I was one of the few people who seemed to like Sarah Jones on Alcatraz. Also didn't realize she was the pregnant prisoner on Justified, but that explains why she looked so familiar to me! She was good in that, hopefully she's a good addition here.

[snowbunny54]

I am so tickled to see this show! My Dad was raised with Ralph Lamb and his brothers! My Grandmother babysat all those Lamb kids. I moved to Las Vegas as a kid in 1964 so I am thrilled to see this show in that era. Ralph Lamb is a colorful character...a lot is legend and a lot will never be known. I wish my Dad and Grandmother and other relatives were still around to see this and talk about them.

I liked the first epi but I admit I was more focused on the scenery than the plot.

[Dowel Jones]

I generally liked it, although Dennis Quaid's jaw clenching rivals Tim Olyphant's character (the Sheriff) on Deadwood.

Two nitpicks: I think that was a DC-4, not a DC-6. Too short. And two, a memo to corrupt officials: When you are out in the isolated desert with certified bad guys, it is NOT a good idea to threaten to blow the whistle.

[Imonrey]

Cowboys vs. mobsters isn't exactly my cup of tea, so I think I'll take a pass, although I'm glad I sampled the pilot. Too bad, because I absolutely love the cast.

However, Jason O'Mara's character struck me as being entirely superfluous. When you have as recognizable and talented stars as Dennis Quaid and Michael Chiklis in the leads, I'm not sure how you make room for a third lead playing sidekick to Quaid's character and cast someone as compelling as O'Mara. It almost feels like the character was inserted into the pilot after it was already written, which is entirely possible. Maybe it's the same studio that produced Terra Nova, and O'Mara is under contract with them, so when TN was cancelled they had to find a place for O'Mara somewhere else.

Either that, or maybe O'Mara was initially cast as the lead and at the last minute they found out they could get Dennis Quaid, so a new character was created for O'Mara. In any case, something doesn't quite feel right here. The goofball son who's out screwing married women and being chased out of windows half-clad by a shotgun wielding husband is a cliche in itself but would typically serve as the goofy sidekick to the lead. I just don't see where the brother character fits in or why he's needed.

The scene with Quaid chasing the biker on his horse was absurdly corny.

[oakLeaf]

How is it possible that not a single character smokes? Not the gangsters, not the cowboys, not the gamblers in the casino (you should barely be able to see in that casino).

And someone needs to get Dennis Quaid some prunes STAT. He looked constipated the entire time.

[supposebly]

Although I'm getting a bit tired of all the cowboys on TV these days, I watched it. Also, I've always had a soft spot for Dennis Quaid's particular branch of jaw-clenching intensity.

It was cute but mostly predictable. Either I'm watching way too much TV or this was just a bit too on the nose. As soon as I saw the guy, I was fairly sure he did it. I think it was the slicked-back hair that identified the weasly bad guys. The same goes for the mole guy who thought a cowboy can't handle it all which provoked the all-too-unbelievable story about the mass murdering medic.

I'll stay with it for a while but I hope it gets more interesting.

[TudorQueen]

the all-too-unbelievable story about the mass murdering medic.

Who knows? It might be true. The real-life Ralph Lamb was evidently legendary-yet-real.

If Jason O'Mara's there because of his contract with the Terra Nova people, I sure wouldn't mind if they exercised an option on Stephen Lang. It's been way too long since I've seen that man taking on Vegas gangsters in the early sixties!

Good acting, good production, so-so writing. I'll give them at least a few episodes to work out the kinks...

[threebluestars]

My mom pointed out the lack of smoking as well. This was pretty evident on PanAm and most set-in-the-60s shows, all because they don't want to look like they're promoting smoking. You know that if X-Files aired now, William B. Davis would be the Nicorette Gum Chewing Man.

[Brian C]

I saw William Russ' name in the credit. Who the heck did he play? I didn't recognize him anywhere in the episode.

[FrogsRule]

Brian C, he's credited in imdb.com for the first episode, but with no character name next to his. His name didn't appear in the second episode cast and crew.

Also interesting - On the Vegas home page on imdb.com, Jason O'Mara (I could've sworn it's usually O'Meara) is listed first, followed by Russo and Quaid. But on the episode pages, Quaid is listed first.

Wonder if Vegas is going to do the thing where they rotate stars' names in the credits?

[Brian C]

Brian C, he's credited in imdb.com for the first episode, but with no character name next to his. His name didn't appear in the second episode cast and crew.

Thanks, yeah, I noticed that, as well. I actually re-watched the episode to look for him in scenes (well, fast-forwarded through the show again, at least) and I can't find him. He likely was somewhere obvious that I just missed, but I can't seem to figure it out.

And yeah, add me to the list of people who are confused as to the casting of O'Mara. The guy is a fine lead so when I heard he took this gig, I thought, "Wow, a second banana gig? I guess he really wants to be on a show that succeeds," but I didn't know he'd be this minor of a character. Also, if the low debut ratings are any indication, this might be O'Mara's third straight one and done shows. If that is the case, it might work out for him in the end, as I think he's bound to end up in a successful show. He's just too good not to.

[FrogsRule]

My theory on O'Mara? He needs to start taking parts as creepy bad guys. His stint on The Closer as Brenda Leigh Johnson's nemesis is legendary. His charming persona, gorgeous blue eyes, and slooowww smile work well as Mr. Evil.

But he tends to look for starring roles that are white hattish.

Edited because TWoP is going berserko and duplicating stuff.

Edited by FrogsRule, Sep 28, 2012 @ 4:57 AM.

[Brian C]

Agreed, but I think that's the case for any really charming lead-type actor (like a Jon Hamm or a Simon Baker).

[FrogsRule]

And Simon Baker has found the best of both worlds, the good guy with a touch of con man. Really, O'Mara needs to sign up with Baker's agent. ASAP.

[Ailiana]

He needs to start taking parts as creepy bad guys.

That is basically his role on Dexter in Season 5.

[Foiled]

Brian C., Russ was the rancher with all the land he was trying to sell. Watch the party/reception, he's the one with the big Stetson hat. He was one of the reasons I watched, and I was searching through the whole program for him, and all we got was a quick flash.

On a nit-picky note, for being 1960, there were a lot of cars from 1961 through 1966 on the streets of LV. The police had 1962 and 1963 Fords. (Yeah, I'm an old car guy, what about it.)

[Brian C]

Thanks a lot, Foiled. On the re-watch, he was the only one I could even conceivably see as being Russ and I just couldn't see it as being him. But fair enough, it was a quick enough bit that I can see myself missing it. While it is sad that it was just a quick bit, it also at least leaves open the possibility of his returning, right? That's something!