Las Vegas Season 4
Starring James Caan, Josh Duhamel, Vanessa Marcil
NBC/Universal

Say the words “Las Vegas” and many images come to mind. Bright lights. Beautiful people. Larger than life entertainment. A place outside ordinary reality, where anything can and sometimes does, happen. The NBC drama of the same name taps into all of this with a mix of attractive cast members, outrageous guest performances, and over-the-top plot lines. More guilty pleasure than exquisite confection, the TV show Las Vegas nonetheless delivers a gratifying sense of energy and excitement. It is junk food television, but the kind that keeps you wanting a little more… maybe not tomorrow, but certainly by the time the next episode rolls around.

Season 4 finds the series at something of a crossroads. After the completely outrageous appearance and sudden death of the Montecito’s new owner Monica Mancuso (Lara Flynn Boyle) in time for Fall ratings sweeps in Season 3, the show came perilously close to jumping the shark and needed to find firmer ground. With stories about a detached finger and a missing kidney, it never quite made it back to Earth.

Season 4 starts in better shape. “The Story of Owe” has Sam (Vanessa Marcil) and a gruff collection agent heading cross country to find some whales who stiffed her. Jordan Cavanaugh (Jill Hennessey) and Woody Holt (Jerry O’Connell) from NBC’s Crossing Jordan are searching for a lost Stradivarius violin in “History Of Violins.” There is even some attempt to bring the world of high-end wine to the show in “Wines and Misdemeanors,” when Monica Mancuso’s cache of rare wines is discovered in the Montecito basement. The feeling doesn’t last though, and the show’s more outrageous impulses take over. By season’s end, Sam has inherited both a fortune and a mountain of debt, is drugged, and is kidnapped, and Ed Deline (James Caan), Danny McCoy (Josh Duhamel), and Mary (Nikki Cox) are all ready to shoot Mary’s no-good father. Tension and pacing go right out the window… and not in a way that is “so bad, it’s good.”

The DVDs themselves are good, but not great. North American viewers of the show will be disappointed to find that the “Elvis vs. Junkie XL” version of “A Little Less Conversation” is absent from the show credits. The DVDs also feature a Season 3 recap, some behind-the-scenes footage, and a “making of” featurette. It’s all adequate, not astounding. Still, Las Vegas Season 4 is an interesting ride, even if you’re never quite sure where you’re supposed to end up.