TVSquad

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.

I just finished watching the now cancelled Viva Laughlin and I can totally understand why nobody watched the show. It was a total mess!

I was a fan of the BBC version (Viva Blackpool) and I really had high hopes for the Americanized drama. Sadly, the producers made way too many mistakes for this show to have even the slightest chance.

The first mistake they made was the decision to have the leads sing over the original songs. In the original version of the show, the actors lip-synced all the musical numbers which gave the show a really creepy quality. Especially when the male characters are doing a number like "These Boots Were Made for Walking." It was creepy and funny and weird and enjoyable to watch.

I'm going to file this under "Rumor" for now, since none of the major outlets appear to have anything on it, but some of the more gossipy sites are reporting the same story that actor Nicolas Cage is considering the role of Thomas Sullivan Magnum, IV in an upcoming film version of the popular '80s dramedy Magnum P.I. Tom Selleck, of course, played Magnum in the original series, and has said in several interviews he wanted to play the character in the film version.

Some have argued Selleck's too old to play the part, and that's true, he is too old to play a young Magnum, but with "senior citizens" such as Bruce Willis and Harrison Ford coming back to play roles from their more youthful days, I don't think Selleck returning as an older, seasoned Magnum is a terrible idea for a feature film.

Deal or No Deal is moving to Friday night at 8, providing a nice lead in for critically acclaimed Friday Night Lights and Las Vegas, which has Tom Selleck joining its cast.

Isaiah Washington is going to join The Bionic Woman. He'll be in five of the first eight shows.

• At 8, CBS repeats the Tom Selleck TV movie Jesse Stone: Night Passage. I wonder why this never became a regular series?
• Food Network has a new Emeril Live at 8, followed by Scoop, which has contestants trying to come up with a new ice cream flavor.
• There's a new Suite Life of Zack & Cody on Disney at 8, followed by new episodes of Cory in the House and The Emperor's New School.
• At 9, Cartoon Network has a new Naruto, then new episodes of Fantastic Four, Bobobo-bo Bo-Bobo, and One Piece.
• Have you ever seen My Favorite Martian? It's on American Life at 9.
• Also at 9: IFC has The Cooler, with William H. Macy and Maria Bello.
• At 10, BBC America has a new Graham Norton Show, with Alice Cooper.

Check your local TV listings for more.

Here are the weekly TV ratings, by number of viewers.

1. American Idol - Wed (FOX)
2. American Idol - Tues (FOX)
3. Dancing with the Stars - Results (ABC)
4. Dancing with the Stars - Mon (ABC)
5. NCIS (CBS)
6. Lost (ABC)
7. CSI (CBS)
8. Heroes (NBC)
9. CBS Movie: Jesse Stone (CBS)
10. The Bachelor (ABC)
11. Two and a Half Men (CBS)
12. Two and a Half Men - 9:30pm (CBS)
13. CSI: Miami (CBS)
14. Shark (CBS)
15. 24 (FOX)
16. Law and Order: SVU (NBC)
17. CSI: NY (CBS)
18. Deal Or No Deal - Mon (NBC)
19. Criminal Minds (CBS)
20. So You Think You Can Dance - Thurs (FOX)

• At 8, ABC has a Bachelor wrapup special, followed by the two hour season finale of Dancing with the Stars (two hours?).
• CBS has the season finale of NCIS at 8, then the new Tom Selleck movie Sea Change.
• NBC has a new Dateline at 8.
• FOX has a new American Idol at 8, followed by the premiere of the reality show On The Lot.
• The CW has the series finale of Veronica Mars starting at 8.
• Also at 8: TCM has Red River, followed by El Dorado.
• At 9, ESPN has the Spurs/Jazz playoff game.
• At 10, FX has a new episode of The Shield.
• Sci-Fi has a new ECW at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

I love checking out NBC and CBS' channels over on YouTube, and it's not because I'm necessarily a big fan of the programming on either of those networks. Sure, they have quality programming just like anyone else, but when it comes to their late night programming, I don't pay much attention (except for Conan, he gets Tivoed every night).

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.

Welcome to TV Squad Lists (formerly 'The Five'), a feature where each blogger has a chance to list his or her own rundown of things in television that stand out from the rest, both good and bad.

OK, so yesterday I gave my list of the Five Greatest Police Detectives, and several readers gave their lists. Today I thought I'd do the other end of the invesitgation spectrum, private eyes, amateur sleuths and other investigators. This list was even hard to do. So many great characters.

1. Spenser (Robert Urich): I picked this Boston-based private eye because he seemed to be a great mix of brain and brawn. The type of guy who could go to the ratty gym and knock around some boxer and then go off to a fancy Beacon Hill cafe and have coffee with his girlfriend and talk about politics or literature. He was smart, clever, caring, a wiseass, and ridiculously moral. What else do you want in a private eye?

Shhh, listen.

Hear that? It's the Magnum, P.I. movie rumor machine cranking up again.

Jonathan told y'all back in June that Ben Affleck was the favorite to take on the role popularized by Tom Selleck on the original '80s TV series, but now Dark Horizons is reporting that Matthew McConaughey has been listed as the new Magnum by Rawson Marshall Thurber, who recently finished a redraft of the script. Other actors supposedly involved with this "on again, off again" project include Steve Zahn as Rick, Tyrese Gibson as T.C. and William H. Macy as Higgins. Also, Optimus Prime, not wanting to be typecast for his role in The Transformers, will play the helicopter.

One other thing: in the movie, Magnum will be an Iraq war veteran, not a Vietnam veteran.