Las Vegas is an American comedy-drama television series created by Gary Scott Thompson. It was broadcast by NBC from September 22, 2003, through February 15, 2008, airing for five seasons. It focuses on a team of people working at the Montecito, a fictional hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip. The employees deal with various issues that arise within the working environment, ranging from casino security to restaurant management and valet parking. Las Vegas starred James Caan, Josh Duhamel, Nikki Cox, James Lesure, Vanessa Marcil, Molly Sims, Marsha Thomason, and eventually Tom Selleck. The series originally centered on Ed Deline (Caan), a strict ex-CIA officer who serves as the president of operations for the Montecito. Former Marine Counterintelligence/HUMINT (CI/HUMINT) officer, Danny McCoy (Duhamel), who is Ed's protégé, later becomes the Montecito's new president.
The pilot episode began filming in March 2003, and was produced for $5 million, making it the most expensive pilot in NBC history. Production for a full season began later that year. Much of the series filming occurred at Culver Studios in California, where a set was constructed to represent the Montecito. Some filming also occasionally took place in Las Vegas. The Mandalay Bay and Green Valley Ranch, two hotel-casinos in the Las Vegas Valley, were sometimes used to portray the Montecito.
Las Vegas marked Caan's first starring role in a television series. Thomason left the series after the second season to pursue other projects, and Caan and Cox departed in 2007, after completing season four. Caan wanted to resume his film career, and Cox was let go due to budget cuts, which were needed in order to greenlight a fifth season. After Caan's departure, Selleck was added to the cast as a new character. The series originally aired on Monday nights, before being moved to Friday nights in 2006. Ratings declined following the move, and Las Vegas was eventually canceled on February 20, 2008, ending the series with several cliffhangers.
Premise Las Vegas is a comedy drama that focuses primarily on Danny McCoy and his boss Ed Deline. They and others work at the Montecito, a fictional hotel-casino located on the Las Vegas Strip. The employees deal with a variety of issues, such as casino security, restaurant management, and valet parking. Danny, a former U.S. Marine 1st Lt. Counterintelligence/HUMINT (CI/HUMINT) officer initially works under the resort's head of security, Ed, former CIA counterintelligence chief. Early in the first season, Ed is promoted to president of operations. Danny has on-and-off relationships with Mary, a childhood friend; and Delinda, who is Ed's daughter.
The Montecito undergoes several ownership changes during the course of the series. The resort is demolished in the season-two finale in favor of a new Montecito, which opens in the third season under the ownership of Monica Mancuso. Following the end of season four, Ed and Mary go into hiding after killing her father, who sexually abused her as a child. In the fifth season, the Montecito is purchased by A.J. Cooper, a billionaire and former Marine. Danny becomes the new president of operations, and he moves in with Delinda, who is pregnant with their first child.
Episodes
Cast and characters Main (James Caan) is initially the head of security and surveillance for the Montecito, but is promoted to president of operations in the eighth episode. 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. During season three, Ed is briefly in retirement due to disagreements with the new Montecito owner, although he soon returns to his position. Caan and his character depart the series in season five when Ed becomes a wanted man for killing Mary Connell's father. Ed goes into hiding and resumes work for the CIA, being stationed in Paris. (Josh Duhamel) is initially Ed Deline's apprentice and good friend who is later promoted to head of security for the Montecito. During season three, Danny briefly serves as president of operations for the resort, after Ed resigns. Upon Ed's return, Danny is reinstated as head of security. Danny is officially named the new president in season 5. Danny was born and raised in Las Vegas. At the end of season two, his father Larry McCoy (John Terry) dies in an accident and Danny inherits his father's house and construction company. Danny sells the house and uses the money to buy a condo. Danny is a former U.S. Marine, with guerrilla 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 calling in an air strike over his unit and himself when they were ambushed and overrun. Only he survives the strike. He is involved in an on-and-off relationship with Ed's daughter, Delinda, in season one. Danny and Mary have known each other since childhood, and they also have an on-and-off relationship. Danny proposes to Mary, but she calls off the engagement because she feels that he has a lot of things to sort out for himself. He ultimately begins living with girlfriend Delinda, who is pregnant with their first child in the final season. (Nikki Cox) is the special events director at the casino. A Las Vegas native, her father sexually abused her when she was a child, and Danny always came to her rescue. She is sometimes involved in a relationship with Danny, who proposes to her in season two – she accepts, then later calls off the engagement. In season three, Mary is 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. Near the end of season four, she purchases a gun to shoot her father. Cox departed the series and did not return for the fifth season. Explaining her character's absence, 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 (her dream house). (James Lesure) is Danny's friend who studied mechanical engineering at MIT. He works as head valet for the first season, but is recruited by Ed to the security department to help during Danny's military absence. He stays on as security personnel following Danny's return. In season 5, Mike is promoted to head of security and surveillance. 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 she leaves to be with her father and sister. Mike and Piper get married in the final season. Samantha Jane "Sam" Marquez (Vanessa Marcil) is the self-proclaimed best casino host in the world. She lives in a Montecito suite and is portrayed as a ruthless businesswoman whose sole interest is to get high rollers to play at the Montecito. However, in the fourth season, 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, until it ends in the fourth season. During this season, 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. After Casey's death, Sam is left in control of the Montecito, but she fails to pay back taxes owed on the property. Her ownership lasts for a week, until A.J. Cooper buys the Montecito by paying off the taxes. In the season-five finale, Casey's younger brother Vic Manning visits the Montecito to take over ownership. At the end of the show, Sam and Vic 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. (Molly Sims) is Ed and Jillian's daughter. She is the entertainment manager for the Montecito's clubs, and also works as the food and beverage manager for the resort. Delinda is 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. During season three, Delinda leaves the Montecito to work for another casino. She returns at the request of new Montecito owner Monica Mancuso, who is disappointed that club earnings have dropped without her. Derek, an old college flame, asks Delinda to marry him in season three. She accepts the proposal, but just before the ceremony, Ed is shot. In the fray of Ed's medical crisis, Delinda calls off the wedding. In season five, she becomes pregnant with Danny's child, and they begin a relationship. At the end of the season-five finale, Delinda becomes overwhelmed with pain after just learning that Montecito owner A.J. Cooper is alive; he was supposedly killed in a plane crash. Delinda begins bleeding, although the series ends on a cliffhanger, leaving the fate of her unborn baby unknown. (Marsha Thomason), also known as "The Ice Queen", is the head pit boss of the Montecito and is described as being the best 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. She and Mike had been getting closer to a relationship, although she fails to say goodbye to him. (Tom Selleck) becomes the latest owner of the Montecito in season five. He is a former Marine and cattle rancher from Wyoming who stirs things up at the casino. His net worth is about $2 billion. Cooper was a black ops Marine in the Vietnam War and awarded the Bronze Star for his work. During his time in the Marines, he served in the Battle of Khe Sanh. In the season five finale, Cooper's jet crashes during a business trip, and he is presumed dead. However, during the final moments of the show, Cooper arrives at his memorial service and appears to be fine.
Recurring (Lara Flynn Boyle) becomes the new owner of the Montecito in season three. She is portrayed as self-centered and bull-headed, and is generally disliked by the staff. At age 25, she married an 83-year-old billionaire. Upon his death at age 93, she inherited his fortune and used it to purchase and upgrade the Montecito. Dedicated to proving that she is more than just a woman who inherited money, she is determined to make the Montecito a success. She uses the resort as collateral to try purchasing other casinos in Las Vegas. Nine episodes into the third season, Monica dies in a freak accident: a gust of wind blows her off the roof of the Montecito and down the Las Vegas Strip, before she crashes into a shoe store. Her outfit, with wing-like sleeves, contributed to her being blown off the roof. The scene was created to be humorous. In accordance with her final wishes, the Montecito staff flush her cremated remains down a toilet in her suite at the resort.