Can you recall last Friday's episode of NBC's Las Vegas, the one that was touted as the show's season finale? Well, the network made a small grammatical faux pas. You see, they really meant to say that it was the 'series-finale-because-we're -canceling-the-damn-show' finale instead. You could see where the confusion was.
Yep, you read right. Straight from the The One Known As Ausiello we hear that the casino drama is ending its run after five years on the air. It's not like they didn't try to keep the series afloat after anchor star James Caan left last season. Heck, they replaced him with a fairly stoic Tom Selleck as owner of the Montecito. However, rather than increasing the ratings, the change led to a double-digit ratings decline.
Course, it didn't help that the show was put into the broadcast network wasteland of 10 pm Friday night. I say 'broadcast network' because that night is usually gold for the cable networks (see recent ratings for Psych). I'm a bit sad that this show is leaving the network. While it was fluffy drama at most times, it was a change of pace from all of the serious shows that air on NBC. I guess they'll replace it with a game show or reality program. Sigh.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
2-22-2008 @ 8:34AM
sitruc said...
The finale was actually one of the only episodes I watched this season. I only watched a few episodes this season since I sometimes have a life on Friday nights and didn't feel like watching a show I was behind on. I watched the finale and had a million questions that I'm sure would have been answered by watching other episodes this season, but I always hate it when shows don't get proper endings. It was an entertaining show with eye candy and not too horrible acting from some relatively big names. It was interesting how some of the characters were developed and changed over the years. Although some of the story lines went on way too long, it was mostly just entertaining. It didn't try too much.
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2-22-2008 @ 8:36AM
Sam said...
I'm sorry to see it go. Even though it was not the greatest show, it was a fun and light tv show to watch when you had nothing better to do on a friday night.
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2-22-2008 @ 8:47AM
Docc Occ said...
A show with sex, money, and attractive people is not designed to be shown on Fridays & especially at 10pm. It would be the perfect show to battle reality shows & family shows. Idiots at NBC can't see that.
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2-22-2008 @ 8:50AM
Ric Kaysen said...
Yes it was fluff, but as was noted, it will probably be replaced with some reality crap that is even more injurious to the national IQ. My question is; do ratings take into account the increasing number of viewers who have lives and time shift programs on DVRs' o VCRs' or do they only count those pitiful souls who are keeping company with a warm TV on Friday nights?
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2-22-2008 @ 11:11AM
dt3 said...
Ratings come from using a sample group through the neilson media research company. Basically, if there are 1,000,000 people in america they put monitoring equipment in 1,000 houses. If 100 people are watching las vegas on friday night they can extarpolate that 100,000 people would be watching it throughout the country. I read that in 2005 they started including tivo/dvr recordings in these figures. Whether they only use recorders in houses already with their equipment or if they buy info directly from tivo is the next question i am trying to answer.
This is my question though... As i see shows like american gladiators and smarter than a 5th grader climb the ratings polls i am starting to ask myself who is really watching this garbage?? Has anyone ever even met anyone who is part of this neilsen media research?? Is there some sort of television illumnati group that is dictating to us what we should be watching??
2-22-2008 @ 8:53AM
Lord Bodak said...
So the networks take a show that ran for five seasons and decide to kill it like that, without even a real finale? Thanks NBC! Remind me again why I watch your network?
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2-23-2008 @ 4:44AM
Dragulf said...
That's why I stopped watching NBC last year.
2-22-2008 @ 9:13AM
segsig said...
It may have had a huge decline in ratings, but compared to the rest of their schedule it did well against it's competition! Their only scripted shows to do better are the L&O's. Everything else comes in either third or fourth in their timeslots, while Vegas was either first or second.
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2-22-2008 @ 10:03AM
Christopher said...
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
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2-22-2008 @ 10:06AM
Ferley said...
I stopped watching the show mid-season last year because it was just becoming the same poop every week. I did and still like the show and the boobs but whatever.
Last year i remember reading that this was "going to be the last season" get 100 episodes and then sell the rights. That was the plan that i remember reading.
Also you put a show on Friday nights, the cast might as well just start looking for new jobs.
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2-22-2008 @ 10:07AM
Bill said...
Considering how it ended, that's a pretty lame note to end a long running series on. Not a great show or anything, but as others have pointed out, it was kinda fun. And as someone who had enough of cop/hospital/lawyer shows but still wants scripted stuff, it's sad to see it go.
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2-22-2008 @ 10:22AM
John said...
That's too bad.
Hey, Tom!
Grab Sam Elliott and come back to Westerns!
You guys make the best and it's time you returned to them.
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2-22-2008 @ 10:33AM
Stuman714 from Indy said...
Typical way of NBC.
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2-22-2008 @ 10:53AM
Argus said...
Thank god. That show started off awful and ended awful (from the one show I was forced to see this season it still seemed awful.)
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2-22-2008 @ 11:08AM
Leah C said...
I'm seriously sad to see this show go. I loved Selleck instead of Caan... the characters were charming in their own ways. And damnit, I wanted to see what Delinda's baby would look like.
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2-22-2008 @ 11:23AM
Mick said...
So it wasn't the greatest show but it was a steady program. It had one necessary ingredient for a good show a SEXY cast. With all the issues the strike provided I'd think they'd do a better job sending these shows off in a better fashion.
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2-22-2008 @ 11:23AM
Bill said...
dt3: The money is in actually knowing who's watching stuff, so there's no reason to lie about it. The only real caveat, as far as I know, is that nielsen data only comes from people who agree to be a part of it. It could turn out that people who you think have good taste are also prone to not agree to have their viewing habits tracked for ratings purposes. But more likely, the sad truth is that people love American Gladiators and not Las Vegas (or other, better shows that have been cancelled).
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2-22-2008 @ 11:25AM
Ric Kaysen said...
Friday nights were made for low brow, Love Boat style ensemble shows. Its core audience was already in for the evening by air time. I don't understand why this has happened.
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2-22-2008 @ 11:35AM
eric f. said...
Las vegas was filler, but the only other thing worth watching on Friday nights besides Friday Night Lights.
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2-22-2008 @ 11:47AM
Patricia Taylor said...
Well that ticks me off, and goes double for my husband!
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