Customer Reviews

Las Vegas - Season One Uncut & Uncensored

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Last year, when this show came on, I dismissed as yet another trendy crime show. I chose not to watch it, but my dad really got into it. Every now and then, I'd see bits and pieces of the show, and for the most part, I liked what I saw, whether it was actual plot, beautiful women, or great panoramic views of Las Vegas. Eventually, I started watching the show, and here is my final conclusion: my first assumption was not far off, but maybe that's not such a bad thing.
The series centers around the security team of the fictional Monticeto Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. The team is headed by Ed Deline (James Caan), an ex-CIA operative who apparently can make grown men cry using nothing but a fork. Ed's right-hand man is Danny McCoy (Josh Duhamel), a former Marine. And he isn't an actual part of the security team, valet Mike Cannon (James Lesure) often lends a helping hand to investigations due to his engineering degree (even though he could be doing other things, he prefers to be a valet). The rest of the main cast includes the Entertainment Director (and possibly ex-escort) Mary Connell (Nikki Cox), Casino Host Samantha Jane Marquez (Vanessa Marcil), pit boss Nessa Holt (Marsha Thompson), and Ed's sexually active daughter Delinda (Molly Sims), who eventually becomes the host of the Monticeto's main restaurant, Mystique. Each character brings something different to the casino. Sam is a cold and calculating woman who can get almost anything done for a client. Nessa is one of Vegas' best and most intelligent pit bosses. Mary has a good eye for talent and is the softie of the group. And Delinda's "knowledge" of what is hip transformed Mystique into one of Vegas' most popular restaurants.
The stories are pretty episodic. For the most part, plots involve cheaters, murders, thieves, and scams from other casinos, but that doesn't mean that things are limited to those events. One of my favorite episodes involves a power loss throughout the city. In addition to the episodic plots, there are a few mini-arcs that develop throughout the season. Ed and Danny's relationship is put to the test when, in the first thing that happens in the entire series, Ed catches Danny sleeping with Delinda. Danny and Mary's "relationship troubles" is probably the most developped arc. Danny and Mary grew up together in Vegas, and they have a very special bond (I won't say what it is). This storyline is both a strength and a weakness for the show, because it is an interesting story, but at the same time, the writers have trouble giving the actors good dialogue in which to tell the story. In the episode where a lot of their history is revealed, I both liked and hated the scenes with the two of them going through the events (they were stuck in an elevator, so they had a lot of time to talk).
For a first season show, Las Vegas must have had a HUGE budget. Not only did they have James Caan as a regular, but they got some very famous, and probably very expensive guest stars, such as Wayne Newton, Jean Claude Van Damme, Sugar Ray and Mark McGrath, Penn and Teller, Paul Anka, Blue Man Group, and Alec Baldwin. Other guest stars of note include Jon Lovitz (who probably would have been in the first category a few years ago), Sean Astin, Elliot Gould, and Harry Groener (the guy who played the Mayor on Buffy the Vampire Slayer). Furthermore, since the show was only filmed in Vegas for the pilot, they had to reconstruct the casino they used for all subsequent shows. The set is a very loyal adaptation of the interior of the Mandalay Bay, and it looks very expensive.
A few of the biggest surprises that I found with this show dealt with its crew. The creator, Gary Scott Thompson, is responsible for some of my most hated movies ever, yet, not only do I enjoy this show, I find it leagues ahead of said films. Also, one of the producers/writers is Rebecca Rand Kirchner, who worked on a few of my all-time favorite shows, so when I saw her name, I was really excited.
Ok, having gone over the good stuff, it is time to address the negatives. A lot of things that happen seem very unrealistic, such as Jon Lovitz's winning streak, Mike's ability to beat an expert poker player after a huge absence from the game, or Sam coming in second place in a competitive eating contest (the girl looks like she weighs 100 pounds, and in the context of the episode, I think it would have been much funnier for her to have to lose). Also, in the first few episodes, events were narrated by Danny, which was not very insightful. Fortunately, the inner monalogue was quickly phased out. Speaking of Danny, there were some times when my belief in him as an ex-Marine was called into question, but for the most part, I'm willing to accept that backstory. There were some other character problems. In my opinion, Delinda's intelligence levels seemed to fluctuate. She was never stupid by any means, yet sometimes, she seemed to be of normal intelligence and at other times, she seemed to be above average.
The good aspects of this show far outweigh the bad, and while this show is nothing new or special, I find myself liking it a lot due to its setting, eye candy, and guest list. This is definitely not for everyone, but I think that many people can find something that they like about it.

I am a fan of this show and I think the best seasons are 2 and 3. This show is truly a guilty pleasure. However, I have two very good reasons why you should not buy this DVD set or any other Las Vegas season for that matter. I just hope amazon publishes this review.

Reason 1: You can watch them free on TNT everyday (weekdays at noon). If you have a DVR, you can record them all in high definition on TNT. This show is syndicated and TNT loops the show over and over. Again, TNT shows every episode from season one to the very last episode of the last season (which by the way is the worst series finale in television history). This leads me to my second reason for not buying any of these DVD sets.....

Reason 2: It has no ending or closure. NBC, showing little care for it's fans and the network's audience, pulled this show for financial reasons. When they pulled this show, they decided not to film or air the final episodes which would have closed out the series properly. Instead you are left with a cliffhanger that never gets completed. Las Vegas fans are outraged. You can watch every season and every single episode and be wondering what happens next, only to be left with one of the worst ending ever. This show was pulled from NBC's lineup due to bad ratings. The fact that it aired on Friday nights was the very reason for the poor ratings and not the quality of the series by any means. Don't you want your DVD sets to have an ending? Since NBC will not provide fans with an ending due to financials and ratings, why should you give them your $30? They don't deserve it.

Watch them for free on TNT. If you want to start from the beginning of the series, wait until they air the episode title "Pilot" and watch or record the episodes everyday at noon on TNT.

I am a true fan of this show and NBC angered me when they pulled the plug on this one. They could have at least let the creators give the show a proper ending for the fans.

Ben Silverman = King of Nepotism

NBC's Monday night glitzfest comes to DVD with almost everything intact. As far as the "uncensored" part is concerned, I've only found two scenes that were probably cut for TV. The couple in the elevator in the pilot episode, and the wet-t-shirt contest in "New Orleans" (networks hate nipples, ya' know). The extras are okay, although I saw the "Rumble in the Montecito" AFL promo when NBC ran it during halftime of the Gator Bowl. The Las Vegas history lesson looks too much like things I've seen on other DVDs, like the original Ocean's Eleven, "The Rat Pack's Las Vegas", etc. I like GST's description of "The Night The Lights Went Out in Vegas" as a "bottle show"...just the main cast, no unusual exteriors, the main sets (that aren't fully lit) and a few extras who don't have lines (another cost saver). By the way, for the trivia buffs, the blonde that winks at Danny is Christa Sauls, the computer specialist from "Acapulco H.E.A.T".
But, since the big gripe everyone has is about "A Little Less Conversation" (for the record, this IS the version that was going to be used in Elvis' 68 special, but not the JXL remixed version), hopefully I can clear something up. The average cost to clear a song for TV is $2,500 per minute, per use. For home video, it's $1,000. So, for this package, at the low end, it would have cost $23,000 to have this in every episode in the package. But that is a low figure, as I am sure that an Elvis song goes for much more. So we get it for the pilot, and that's it. All the other shows get, at least according to the series' fan club site, the music used on the internationally syndicated version of the show.

I only started watching this show at the beginning of the second season and I was hooked. I was curious to see what happened in the first season. As much as you can follow each episode without watching the first season, you need it to understand the relationships between all of the characters. It is brilliantly shot, and the stories are fast paced. I could literally watch this show everyday. I especially enjoy watching the DVD because it, of course, has no commercials to interrupt it. I haven't watched the special features yet, but I like the show enough itself that it doesn't really matter. If you want to watch a fun TV show with lots of gorgeous women, and I've never seen so many on any other show, then GET THIS DVD IMMEDIATELY! I guarantee you that you will not be disappointed. Its 17 hours of pure fun! It makes me want to move to Vegas and work there!!!

On a boring Monday and looking for something to watch this fall, I decided to give Las Vegas a shot. Immediatedly after the 2nd season premier, I regreted not having watched this show sooner and anxiously awaited the first season to be released on DVD. Needless to say, it was released yesterday and I have already made my way through the first disk and have been berating myself for not having watched a really good show.

About the 1st Season DVD...

I am a little disappointed over 3 issues about this DVD Set.

The first being that the shows are done on double sided DVD's, which requires you to get up, flip the DVD over after watching 5 episodes to watch the remaining episodes before moving on to the next DVD.

The second issue being that you seem to have to watch an entire side of the disk before it allows you access to the bonus. Nothing major, just a hinderance to say the least.

The last issue is perhaps the most trivial, the usual Elvis theme song has been replaced for some other, rather annoying theme song... this is easily fixed by skipping the credits with the remote.

I suggest this set for anyone who has been searching for a decent show to watch on television that isn't the usual 'reality show'. As said, this is a drama with a lot of excitement, action, intrigue and some nice twists and character development... and speaking of characters, I found it interesting that the characters (particularly Danny and Big Ed) seem very believable and comfortable for the actors who protray right from the start, where it usually takes a little bit for an actor to grow comfortable with the role that they play.

Oh... and for the record, it is INDEED uncensored! If the viewing of breasts is something that you don't want your children to see, then wait till they are in bed!

Hope this helps you!

For all of you waiting for a great drama that has nothing to do with politics or corpses then this is the dvd for you. Las Vegas is positively the best show on television it has a little bit of everything for everyone even if you're not a fan of drama's. It's got drama, action, comedy, suspense, sex appeal, and there is no end to the list of celebrity guest guest stars from Alec Baldwin, to Jon lovitz, to Mark Magrath, just to name a few. And for all the guys out there there is an insane amount of gorgeous women in everything from halter tops to the skimpiest dresses I've ever seen and for the ladies Josh Duhamel is not uneasy on the eyes. In closing if your in for a change of pace then pick up this dvd

Mrs. Stinkhead and I have been tearing through episode after episode of NBC's Las Vegas now that we have it on DVD. When it originally aired, we were either not around a TV, or watching a different show. What were we thinking? We jumped in with both feet and can't stop watching just one more episode. Hmmm, much like the real Vegas, you lose all concept of time passing, however we haven't been comped a room or taken in a risque showgirls revue yet.

We are Sopranos junkies and can digest an entire season in a single extended weekend. We love the power and corruption, the decadence, and the humor of the Sopranos. We were surprised that Las Vegas was keeping up and had a good grasp on moving a good story while dazzling us with tricky camera moves, flashy women, and loads of people spending money they shouldn't. There's action, but not the skull-cracking, knee breaking violence of the Sopranos.

James Caan is the director of security at the Montecito casino and resort. I love his presence as the tough guy you just don't dick around with. Let me compare him to Tony Soprano. They're both powerful and get what they want, when they want it. However Caan's Big Ed hasn't (yet) stooped to criminal urges to get what he wants. He can actually be satisfied with doing the "right thing." We love watching him slide around the casino floor keeping the kiddies in line, and being protective of his hot daughter played by Molly Simms

Simms is hot and all, but my favorite is Vanessa Marcil as Sam, the sexy no-nonsense hospitality manager. Her job is to keep the high-rollers (or whales) happy and gambling at their casino. She doesn't dick around, but she can turn off and on the charm at a whim. I like how she portrays vulnerability (in the way that she has to please these infantile gamblers), but command (she too, will get what she wants).

One of the characteristics of any drama on network TV these days is stylistic camera work. CSI pushed it from cool gimmick to requisite for any new show. Like most of Vegas, the Montecito is covered in cameras, watching every move. The show transitions between the floor and the security control booth through these surveillance cameras. At first I thought it would get old, but it is done with some restraint, and I don't really mind it at all now. The whole "behind the scenes of security at a Las Vegas resort" as a premise is what got me interested in the first place. I love watching the sneaky methods the cheaters come up with, and the all powerful viewpoint our characters have at busting them.

My only complaint is that like a lot of shows, they sure do take liberties with the amount of information you can get from a digital picture. Even Law & Order is guilty, but I want to single handedly educate audiences of crime-type dramas that you cannot "zoom in" and read serial numbers from a camera-phone pic. I wish the writers (of all of these shows) would stretch a bit more in figuring out ways our heroes can solve the case. One other small complaint... they had some issues getting the music rights for home usage, and the theme song is not used.

Oooh bonus!, the DVD package says Uncut and Uncensored. I didn't have expectations that this thing would turn into some R rated, made for cable, skin-fest-but I was surprised. It appears that when filming this series, they would film these ladies in nary a stitch, being careful with camera angles and such... but occasionally they'd capture just a little bit more, and then digitally fuzz it out or otherwise obscure it for broadcast. Such precautions have been removed. There were several times while watching that I stopped blinking and leaned in, a bit slack-jawed. Did I just see nipples? Yes sir. It's not a Mack truck-load of nipples-you wouldn't buy this set just to see some extra flesh. This isn't hard-to-get-through-French-cinema-that-is-so-worth-it-just-for-the-boobs. But it did give me a well lookee here! type feeling. Nice.

(...)

This is a really fun show. Slick, and well-filmed, it is good popcorn fare.

Don't be fooled by the "uncensored" in the title, though. Sure, it is uncut, and has no commercials, but you won't find anything that was cut out of the original show as you would a movie. That part is just marketing hype.

The DVD transfer is well done, and the show is well filmed. The DVD looks very much like the high-def broadcast of the show.

Las Vegas is a really entertaining show.The girls are deadly and the lads are really cool.

James Caan is still at the top of his game (continuing from the godfather in 1972)and his character is so powerful cool. THe father - son type of relationship between 'Danny and Ed' fits really well with seris.

Its good because the show can be really intense at times and then it can have a great sense of humour between the characters. Also the action in casino on a daily basis makes the life of Las Vegas Security so exciting than i presume it really is...

I can't wait for this show to come back on telly coz its deadly and is so adictive.

I am definitely a Las Vegas show fan. I normally don't watch many TV series shows at all. Most series come and go without me seeing a single episode. I started watching this one by accident and have now watched most every one (through renting them as I never seemed to be able to be consistent at watching it on TV regularly). The chemistry between characters stood out to me and it was one of the things that attracted me to it. I just don't see chemistry between characters like that very much at all and it's quite refreshing to watch. The show was very well done and entertaining and ranks up there with the best series I have seen to date. I was so bummed it got cancelled, it was one of a kind and I will surely miss it.