Vegas (2012–2013) User Reviews

Hope the Show Makes It!

[ShelbyTMItchell · 8/10 · 14 April 2013]

CBS should be ashamed of themselves for putting the show on Friday nights from Tuesday nights. As really what in the world are they thinking by putting it on Fridays as that is a dead night of TV.

Anyway, Dennis Quaid makes his first TV regular gig as no-nonsense Sheriff Ralph Lamb based on the real life sheriff in Vegas in the 1960s-1970s. As he wants to clean up Vegas and deputizes two men, including his own son.

A great antagonist is "The Shield's" Michael Chiklis as Savino. Who comes from Chicago to Vegas to run a mob run casino. As both characters collide as they try to outwit one another week in and week out.

Lamb always outsmarts Savino but Savino is down but definitely not out regardless. Great writing and acting. As Quaid settles down in a regular TV gig. Chiklis an old TV pro, is nasty in a good kind of way as the main antagonist.

Above Average Fun Look at the Sixties

[auctionmaestra · 7/10 · 13 March 2014]

I binge watched Vegas and really enjoyed the blast from the Sixties. The plot was suspenseful, most episodes were taut and compelling. A few weak spots. Quaid, physically perfect for the Sheriff role, was very hammy in that role. He's a solid, charismatic actor; needed to be reined in (can't avoid the pun) here. The character of his youngest son was irritating--basically a hormonal nincompoop totally wrong as a sheriff's deputy. Not the fault of the actor who played it with energy and soul, just the writing. The mobster characters and story lines were just great, the working of the casino fascinating and true to life. Carrie Ann Moss, Michael Chiklis, and Sarah Jones were wonderful in their roles. I enjoyed this season, could have happily watched more, too bad.

Suggestions for wardrobe authenticity

[blondinis · 7/10 · 25 January 2013]

I respectfully suggest that 3 members of a family, all who live on a ranch together, would not be likely to wear 3 different hat styles in the American West. Rancher-turned-sheriff Ralph, purportedly a former rodeo competitor, wears a pinch front (not a rodeo man's style), his brother, also a rancher, wears a cattleman (spot on for a rancher), and Ralph'S son sports a bull rider crown, but I am not aware of his claiming any rodeo experience.

A hat is not just apparel in the West, it says who you are, what you do and where you are from, so I would expect these fellows to all wear the same style hat. I like the show, but it is distracting in this era of authenticity to see such a mistake in what you call "wardrobe," but I call "gear!" Perhaps it is time to engage an expert on Western customs.

Vegas is one hell of a great TV show

[afijamesy2k · 26 September 2012]

I Disagree with this person from IMDb who called this show inept, this is not only the best of the show of the season, it is also one of the best shows of 2012, Michael Chiklis and Dennis Quaid deliver brilliant performances and especially an emmy nomination for quaid as a 1960's rancher trying to find the killer of a governor's daughter and clashed with a mobster in las vegas, the story and the teleplay is wonderful, the chemistry is there, the writing is magnificent, the musical score is great, this is a very good show, in an era of bad television, from reality TV to bad TV remakes, this is a standout from the rest.

This is one of the best shows of the year and I Give it an A.

Great New Drama

[hufnagelocsi · 10/10 · 9 October 2012]

Wow! I've watched both shows and really like it. Dennis and his TV family are awesome. True Grit portrayals. Michael is great as the owner of the casino who is nice on the outside but so nasty inside although he has a softness with there needs to be some. I hope this series makes it and continues to be great. Next to NCIS, I have another great show to watch. Keep up the good work and I hope more people feel the way I do. I also enjoy the old Vegas backdrop and everything else related to the 1960 times! It sure doesn't look that way today. I wish I could have seen the way it looked back then but thanks to this show, I can. I also can't think of anyone who could replace Dennis in this series. He is so dynamic and I'm sure darn realistic. He portrays this character with lots of power which I'm sure being a rancher, he had to have a lot of. Can't wait for the next episode!

Fantastic Show - More please!

[haggar3 · 10/10 · 27 March 2013]

This show has it all and best of all it appeals to me at 40yrs young which is a rare thing for a TV series to do these days. Most of the garbage they churn out now is aimed at young folk but Vegas is a treat for someone who loves the old westerns, classic movies and a good thick plot. Quaid is a great actor and he has great supporting actors around him in this series, the characters are very well written and they all play a big part with no sub plots that waste your time and don't progress things. For once I can see scope for several seasons to come as Vegas grows,the casinos get bigger and the Mob wanting a bigger slice of the action. There seems plenty to go at without getting repetitive. Here's hoping those seasons materialise and who knows, a few cameos for Joe Pesci and co...

Sex and Violence in Vegas, Not Here

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 26 September 2013]

Ralph Lamb (Dennis Quaid) is a no non-sense local rancher and a former Army MP. He is pressed into serving as sheriff in the wild unruly new town of Las Vegas. It quickly becomes a family affair as both his brother Jack (Jason O'Mara) and his son Dixon (Taylor Handley) are deputized. On the other side, Vincent Savino (Michael Chiklis) comes to run a hotel and casino for the Chicago mob. Johnny Rizzo (Michael Wiseman) is the mob wiseguy in charge, and Vincent's pain in the neck. Mia Rizzo (Sarah Jones) tries to prove herself to her father.

The possible subject has deep depths of sex, crime, mob, gambling, and violence. The problem is that it makes it look so mundane. This is probably the curse of network TV. I can imagine this show being amazing if it had been on cable. Dennis Quaid and Michael Chiklis have the acting chops to power the show. But instead of shocking, it's mostly soapy.

VEGAS Provides Real Entertainment

[bdp-571-882498 · 10/10 · 2 January 2013]

Vegas is real entertainment. Not the typical TV show that airs most of the time, it has a real story and real characters set in a real place and time. It escapes the foul locker room humor of the so called comedy. It doesn't follow the CBS worn out cop show procedural plot lines. What it does do is present a place and time that are different from every other New York grimy modern day cop show loaded with violence. While it deals with the mob and with law and order it does so in a way that is artfully crafted by the writers. It weaves it's plot in and around the Vegas that was just beginning to grow and not the neon metropolis that exists now. The writers touch on bits and pieces of Vegas history that are nicely blended with the storyline. But most of all Vegas presents a cast of characters played by excellent talent that the viewers are just now beginning to build a relationship with as the season progresses. Interrupted by debates, the election, Hurricane Sandy, and other events, this show is just beginning to get in the saddle. Given a fair shot this is a great show just beginning to emerge from the rest of the worn out fare of nighttime television.

Cancelled after one season? Ridiculous CBS

[acebreaoeva · 7/10 · 24 February 2019]

I saw some reviews say it was very inaccurate, I didn't know this was a biopic. It was awesome, a show that should still be on. Just ridiculous

Good old-fashioned sheriff show

[kis-aleksandar · 9/10 · 27 September 2012]

"Vegas" has everything you need for a good, old police story. Based on true events that follow the life and work of the sheriff of Las Vegas. All the characters in the series are clearly defined, without unnecessary drama nonsense. It is a Lamb sheriff, who was for many years the sheriff in Las Vegas since the first casino to mid seventies. Dennis Quaid portrays a rancher who became a sheriff and who catches the first time in the fight against organized crime, sexual predators and maniacs at the time far, far from that described in the CSI: Las Vegas. No microscope, DNA laboratories. There are only a fist, shotgun and boot in the butt.

Sarah Jones Hair

[robbiepruett · 7/10 · 12 December 2012]

I am enjoying Vegas and love love love Dennis Quaid. I agree with some others that the voice thing they are having Quaid use is very distracting. He is really thin too. Is he well? Michael Chiklis is great too with just enough menace to be believable. But is it just me or is Sarah Jones wearing a wig? If so, it is terrible. She has beautiful hair, why don't they make it better? The french roll looks like it was done on a plastic head and then pulled over her head. It would be nice to see the brothers do more work at their ranch too. It has become a little tired that they spend all their time at the city. Who is running their ranch while they are gone? The first episode showed Quaid quite protective of his ranch and now he doesn't spend much time there.

This was awesome

[Brownsbros3 · 10/10 · 1 October 2012]

I thoroughly enjoyed this series. Dennis Quaid made a nice transition from the big screen to the small screen. He is perfect in the role of Ralph Lamb. Being from Texas, just like Quaid, I can't help but like a throwback to classic TV Western good guys like Cheyenne Bodie, Matt Dillon, Dan Troop, and others.

Michael Chiklis was also outstanding as the new Mob Boss in town. He's not over-the-top evil like his former rogue cop persona on The Shield. He will do well in this role as the series progresses. It also helps that they have that glitzy Vegas strip background to provide extra eye candy.

The key to a good TV show is making you want to come back the next week and see what happens, and CBS has that with Vegas. I also like seeing the good guys ultimately win, and apparently so do others. CBS seems to have found that formula with shows like this, Hawaii Five-O, and Blue Bloods.

Vagas

[thparallel · 7/10 · 18 October 2015]

An exciting, potential series, set in the early sixties in the town of the film's name. The characters are true to life especially "Rizzo" the mafia boss who maintains a nasty presence throughout.

The thing that irritates me tremendously about this and so many made for TV films is the over use of pan-shots..we rarely get to see a still shot and at times this induces nausea and a little voice in my head saying..."good cinematography wouldn't need this device/gimmick"... also there is something about Quaids performance that lacks the mischievous shine, we saw in his work previous to his addiction problems....anyway...not a bad effort with a good cast and storyline!

Cars and props used incorrect for 1960

[PatrickFitzHenry · 5/10 · 26 September 2012]

Whomever was in charge of securing the cars and other props for this show, indicated at the beginning as 1960, really failed, embarrassingly. For starters,at the airport, a 1961 Lincoln Continental arrives to pick up Michael Chiklis. Maybe this was supposed to be September 1960? There was also a 1963 Mopar car at the airport. 1963 Ford police cars? A 1967 Dodge Power Wagon pick-up. A 1961-66 Ford pick-up? About the only car that could have been around in 1960 that was in the show was the 1956 Buick that the old Sheriff who was murdered, arrived in. A quick glimpse inside the casino showed slot machines much newer than 1960. The sad thing is that the production company could have rounded up enough cars and trucks of the 1960 model year and earlier, within a day or two. There are also plenty of slot machines of the correct era out there and I could have rounded up enough to fill a small casino in a couple of hours. It looks like CBS cheaped out again like they did back in the 60's for Gilligan's Island. Maybe they built a 1960 Las Vegas Fremont Street on the back lot at CBS in Studio City. If they show a cove of Lake Mead, maybe it's the old lagoon from Gilligan's Island. Oops! I forgot, that's where the Big Brother house is now.

Wow, this show looks like pictures right out of my childhood!

[Irishise · 26 September 2012]

The sets and costuming really made me feel like I was looking at photos from my childhood. And Ralph Lamb had been a personal hero of mine. I look forward to some interesting, if fictionalized stories of the early days when the test site was bombing above ground and most of the Las Vegas Vally was ranch land. I have hopes for this show, providing the writers are as good as the actors they've acquired for it.

If anyone is interested in old Las Vegas and how it was, I also recommend watching DESERT BLOOM with JoBeth Williams and Jon Voigt. The emergency drill scene in this movie made my mom cry because she remembered doing the sane drills growing up here.

Vegas is a winner

[john-h1961 · 9/10 · 21 February 2013]

Vegas is the only major network show I anticipate watching. It is nice to see some entertainment aimed at more adult viewers. I love Las Vegas and I enjoy watching a show about the 'early' days of Vegas. Dennis Quaid is one one of my favorite actors and Michael Chiklis does a great job also. One of the nice features of the theme is the fact that there are so many potential stories and plot possibilities. CBS - please do not cancel this show. It deserves a good run. One of the features I enjoy is the on-going theme of plot line and character continuity (soap opera style) and the sub story theme of a separate crime that occurs and is solved within one show.

Vegas, love it!

[ozfan-1 · 9/10 · 12 November 2012]

I am very impressed with this show. From the opening moments in the pilot there was action and drama. The characters are based on real people who ran Las Vegas in the 60's when the town was emerging from the desert to become the mecca it is today. I enjoy Quaid's portrayal of Sheriff Lamb. I sure wouldn't want to tick him off. I like the balance that Jack Lamb (brother to Ralph) brings to the sheriff's department. There is minor sexual tension between Ralph/Katherine and Jack/Mia. One of my favorite vacation spots is Vegas (the other is Disney World), I am fascinated by the way this amazing town started. It isn't a surprise with the mafia connections but me being 47, Vegas was just getting started when I was born so all I know of that town is the colossal casino/resorts and attraction/shows. I am really enjoying this portrayal of how it started and am especially happy that the writers are using real life people on which to base the story. I highly recommend this show to my readers.

Check out my blog at blogspot.com talesoftelevision

Good production values

[bobbobwhite · 6/10 · 24 September 2015]

Glitzy LV is the center of this series about a dour rancher/sheriff v. the casino mob in 1960. Lots of break-your-face action, but little regard is given to the small details that make or break a cop show. For example, in the pilot, a biker could not identify a man on a dark night in the desert but he could see the color of his car as blue? What? Many other errors were just as bad, as with later model cars than 1960. Watch for them.

Dennis Quaid is his laconic, smirky self in his role as the R/S given the sheriff's job of solving a murder that turns into another murder, etc., etc., on and on, all done by the mob or related types, of course. The main casino mobster is the sheriff's primary antagonist and is played by Michael Chiklis of The Shield fame. Dishy female ADA, mobster daughter, and mobster wife are also featured, of course, two of whom will obviously find love with the rancher and his brother in the end, but the wife will not. Also watch for that.

Not a sophisticated series, with a too predictable formula and too much overt violence along with numerous detail errors, but it is a good showcase with great LV strip production values done by Quaid and Chiklis as the two producers and actors who well know what network TV audiences want to see today.

Wish there was more

[fwanderer · 10/10 · 23 April 2018]

I found Vegas only after it came out on DVD. Thoroughly enjoyed it. I wish there had been a second season, as I felt that it was wrong leaving the ADA in hospital in a coma without knowing what happened to her( did she come out of the coma?, did they catch the one responsible? etc.) or if she and Ralph might have gotten together!! I also would have liked to see Jack and Mia get back together, and seen more of Dixon and Yvonne. so many loose ends. maybe a 2hr movie special to tie them up?

Man I loved this show.

[superliberalgirl · 10/10 · 13 May 2019]

Every so often I remember it and feel sad longing for the seasons that never were.

Great cast, good scripts, a story that kept us coming back, beautifully recreated time-period sets and wardrobe, and set in a historically intriguing location during a deceptively sexy era...I still don't know why it didn't take off. Sometimes the smartest, most fully-realized and executed shows suffer the most from lack of audience (they're too smart and out-of-the-box for middle America?). Whatever it was this was one of those shows.

Quite a few beautifully realized/produced shows set in this time period came out around the same time (Pan Am, Alcatraz...) and despite also being really, really good didn't get the numbers for a second season, either.

If there was one MCM period show from those couple of years that I could pick to be resurrected now, though, Vegas would be the one. Wonder if they could get the original cast back on board?

Now I want to watch it again. Time to see if I can buy the DVD.

Bring Vegas back!

[mypokkemon · 10/10 · 10 January 2018]

We just finished watching the first season of Vegas and I cannot believe it only had one season. The actors are superb and the plot is captivating. The ending left us wanting more and it is set up so beautifully for another season. Great writing and direction. Bring it back please!

count the anachronisms!

[jbacks3 · 2/10 · 1 October 2012]

1960? Whoa! Someone needs to study what 1960 looked like. I saw 1962 Ford Galaxy police cars... a '63 Plymouth and in the scene where Quaid knocks the biker off his bike... a 1967 Pontiac Le Mans! What year is it supposed to be? News flash to the producers and set designer: motorcycles in 1960 didn't have disc brakes. You also have the mayor's flunkie driving around in a 1963 Pontiac. I just don't understand how a production can be this sloppy. Go back and watch CRIME STORY... that series got it right. Why do they bother with a period drama if they don't even try to make it look right? Aiiiigh. I realize this may seem trivial but I believe set design matters. For me watching people drive '63 T-Birds in 1960 is like watching a super tanker float by in a viking movie (see Lee Majors' epic The Norseman) or spying William Shatner wearing a Seiko watch in The Barbary Coast.

Nobody smokes in Las Vegas in 1960

[michaelwill-1 · 26 September 2012]

What a triumph of period detail. Of course none of these characters, local rednecks and arriving mob thugs from the east, would be lighting up, halfway through a butt, or looking for a place to put one out, fifty years ago when the majority of the adult population smoked. And that casino, where nobody gestures with a lighted cig as she or he talks, was as clear aired as a mountaintop. Such realism.

Lovely cars throughout, but a good many were from 1962 and 1963.

Who in the hell was the killer? I saw someone behind the wheel of that blue Cadillac, after Sheriff Quaid faced him down in some strange arrangement of confrontation, but damned if I could make out who it was. There was some revelation a scene earlier, but I wasn't fast enough to catch it. I'm embarrassed to say I'd somehow lost track as the mystery was cunningly laid out.

Who is that Carrie Ann Moss character, looks like a future love interest? One minute the cold establishment enemy and the next laughing with knowing, flirtatious respect. Mob Boss Michael Chiklis has no personality beyond being threatening, or at other times toughly sympathetic. The sheriff's youngest son looks like a wild loose cannon, irresponsible but there when he's needed. Everyone else seems to be holding off till next week or ones beyond, when we learn the cliché they fill.

What a friggin' BOMB! Stupid, phony and inept. Exactly which makers of "Goodfellas" etc. were behind this new dimension of television crime entertainment? It is a gangster show that has no swearing, and no violence beyond what you might've seen in "Murder, She Wrote."

when is TV show "Vegas" episode 18 going to be on?

[honolulu-hawaii · 10/10 · 21 April 2013]

When is this episode 18 of TV show "Vegas" going to be shown? The local TV schedule for CBS on this Bright House cable did not show it on Friday, because the coverage of what was happening in Boston. Then it said it was going to be on Saturday, April 20, at 8 pm. Then it did not show then, because of some sporting event. Then it said it would be on Sunday morning at 2:05 am. Once again, another show, "Extra" was on instead. How can CBS expect a high rating for a show if this keeps happening? How can we, the viewing public, know when a show is on, if CBS or Bright House keep telling people to watch at a certain time, but keep showing a different program instead?

Technical error burned out car scene, Solid Citizens # 1.5

[windywayne · 9/10 · 31 October 2012]

I find the program entertaining and enjoy the effort to provide the flavor of the late 1950s to early 1960s.

I understand the show is placed in early 1960s.

There is a scene where Dennis Quaid brushes the char to read the VIN number located in the left driver side window. This action would not be appropriate or possible for pre-1968 vehicles. The VIN number would be located in the driver side door frame, glove boxes, under the dashboard, on firewalls and other locations.

The engine block casting numbers were often used in place of the VIN numbers.