TVSquad

"This place is cursed." - Danny McCoy during the Las Vegas season series finale.

Danny couldn't be more right. Over the years, Las Vegas switched timeslots so many times that I've lost counts. It also went through as many casino owners as timeslots! No matter, the show was an entertaining one. It's the type of show I enjoyed watching on Friday nights (or in most cases Saturday afternoon thanks to my old VCR) because of its lightness. I didn't have to think much while watching the gang try to catch the bad guys, Delinda put her foot in her mouth and Sam try to please her whales so they would lose big bucks on the tables.

A few days after a cliffhanger season finale, NBC decided that fans would have to do without the Montecito crew from now on; Las Vegas was canceled.

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.

Now that about half of the season of NBC's Las Vegas has aired, it is probably time to analyze if the series still works, especially since James Caan and Niki Cox have departed after the September 2007 season premiere.

Back when I reported the news that both actors wouldn't report, I was pretty sure the show would do fine without Cox but I wasn't sure it could survive Caan's departure, not only because his character was a pivotal one that brought a unique flavor but also because of Caan's presence on screen. Would they do the show without replacing Caan's role? If so, who had enough small screen star power and on-screen presence to fill in those shows? Well, that person turned out to me Magnum, P.I.'s Tom Selleck.

A while back we told you about news that Las Vegas producers had approached former Magnum, P.I. star Tom Selleck about joining the series, and now NBC has announced that it's a done deal. Selleck will join the show this fall and be the new billionaire owner of the Montecito with a mysterious past (of course).

But James Caan fans take note: he will appear in the first episode of the new season to wrap up his storyline, and resolve those cliffhangers from the final episode this season. Along with Caan, Nikki Cox is also leaving the show.

Hmmm...mysterious billionaire? They should give Selleck's character the name Robin Masters. That would be funny.

[via TV Tattle]

Thomas Magnum has a new job: he's going to be the new boss of the Montecito Resort and Casino.

Tom Selleck is joining the cast of the NBC drama Las Vegas this fall. He'll play the new owner of the casino, taking over from James Cann, who has left the show along with Nikki Cox. The only way the show was going to be renewed was to cut the budget, so they're gone (though I wonder how much Selleck will cost?)

This is good news for Selleck fans. It will be great to see him in a regular television gig again. Yeah, I kinda wish they'd bring Magnum, P.I. back for at least a reunion TV movie (as the years go by it looks less and less like that's going to happen), but this is a good replacement for now. Hopefully Rick and T.C. can make guest appearances.

Talk about a poisoned cake! The same day NBC announces Las Vegas is renewed for a fifth season, series regulars James Caan and Nikki Cox announce they will not be part of the 2007-08 season.

TV Guide reports that Caan wants to focus on his movie career claiming that, even though he had a good time on the show, being part of Las Vegas made him miss a few good movie opportunities. Nikki Cox has yet to comment on her departure from the show.

The show can survive Cox leaving, even though it will crush the Danny/Mary shippers. But can it survive Caan's departure? His character is a pivotal one in the show and brings a unique flavor.

The season 4 finale, which will more than likely be Caan's and Cox's last episode unless the show convinces them to guest star, will air on March 9 at 9 p.m. EST on NBC.

Las Vegas is one of those shows that I've always thought was in the same category as Wings and Just Shoot Me!, one of those nice little shows that never generates any buzz, but does just well enough in its timeslot to keep getting renewed. If you're around on a Friday night and there's nothing to watch, it's always good to stumble across the show; the beautiful triumvirate of Cox, Marcil, and Sims is always nice to look at, and they make good use of celebrity guest shots. Most of all, the show stars James Caan; 35 years after The Godfather, the man is still compelling to watch, even if he only seems half-interested in being on the show most of the time.

Anyway, the crew at the Montecito is going to get another year to distract us from our lonely Fridays, as NBC has decided to pick Las Vegas up for a fifth season, according to TV Week. "The cast and producers have consistently given us what we want from Las Vegas - pure entertainment," said NBC Entertainment president Kevin Reillym "and we're looking forward to another fun ride next season with the show." Ah the beauty of low expectations: the show is averaging a 2.8 rating for the season.

In an effort to change how viewers perceive the network, Turner Classic Movies has unveiled a collection of original programming that they are readying for 2007. Rather than being seen as the network for old movies, they want to be known as "a dynamic television destination for movie lovers of all ages", as General Manager Tom Karsch puts it.

The network has ordered a pilot for Idols, though that name isn't a sure thing yet. The series will feature actors interviewing the people that influenced them. The first episode finds Alec Baldwin interviewing Gene Wilder. Yeah, that one surprised me, but it should make for an interesting conversation.

Also in the works is a series of documentaries. One of those is Spielberg on Spielberg, a 90 minute look at his film career. There are also plans for a look back at the career of Marlon Brando through interviews with James Caan, Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, and Martin Scorcese.

I am a total sucker for the Olympics, but I really hate all the cheesy, promotional crap that goes with it. This time around, NBC and Chevrolet are teaming up to feature some camera-friendly Olympians in their very own mini-movie. Oh, joy. It airs during Las Vegas on NBC in February and it'll also be included with advertisements before the trailers start at AMC, Cinemark, Regal, UA and Edwards movie theaters. Now, I clearly remember the little mini-movie that Chevrolet did during the last summer Olympics where a bunch of athletes call each other and drive their own Chevrolets to Athens (way to carpool, guys). I wanted to throw something at the movie screen everytime I saw it. Why? As a general rule, athletes can't act. You hear that, advertising geniuses? Athletes. Cannot. Act. This time around, the lucky Olympians are halfpipe snowboarders Kelly Clark and Ross Powers, alpine skiers Eric Schlopy, Ted Ligety, and Julia Mancuso, freestyle skier Toby Dawson and snowboarder Seth Wescott. They're all somehow paired up with the cast of Las Vegas and then whisked off to Torino, Italy for the competition. There will also be a behind-the-scenes mini-mini-movie of the mini-movie on NBC's website.