History Series / LasVegas

** Other Vegas standouts, Creator/PennAndTeller, Music/BlueManGroup, Music/PaulAnka, Music/ThePussycatDolls, Creator/LanceBurton, Criss Angel and more make appearances in the show as well. Harder to find a 2000s celebrity who didn't guest on this show.

* JerkAssHasAPoint: antagonistic Detective Max Dillon introduced in season 5, pointing out that the relationship between the local police and the Montecito has been far too cosy, allowing the staff to regularly break the law without consequence.

* LingerieScene: when a business woman wants to open a hosiery store at the casino she tries to convince Danny by having her models dance for him in her apparel.

* LifeImitatesArt: the production office received numerous phone-calls from would-be gamblers who wished to stay at their fictional casino, seeming not to realise that it didn't really exist. Las Vegas cab drivers faced many similar requests.

* BreakingTheFourthWall: Mike and Danny would give occasional nods to the camera accompanied by a "Ding" sound, normally when they have inadvertently stumbled into a sexually advantageous situation. The female characters would do the same but normally when they had a financial windfall.

* KnightOfCerebus: The show was fairly light in tone despite several dramatic moments such as [[spoiler:Danny's shellshock]] and the episode's typical villains were usually thieves, cheaters and con artists. Then comes [[spoiler:Vince Petersen]] in season 4, who quickly establishes himself as the most twisted and horrifying one when he is revealed as a rapist and serial killer when he [[spoiler:abducts Sam Marquez to do the same to her. After Sam kills him she suffers from PTSD in the next season and spends most of it trying to cope with the trauma]].

* BaitAndSwitch: The pilot intro is shot in a manner to create the impression that Ed and his guys getting off the elevator are mobsters preparing to assassinate the man (Danny) who's having sex with the woman (Delinda) in the hotel room upstairs. No, Ed is the head of security and the whole thing was set up by Delinda, his rebel daughter, to embarass her father and get Danny in trouble.

* KnightOfCerebus: The show was fairly light in tone despite several dramatic moments such as [[spoiler:Danny's shellshock]] and the episode's typical villains were usually high-profile thieves, cheaters and con artists. Then comes [[spoiler:Vince Petersen]] in season 4, who quickly establishes himself as the most twisted and horrifying one when he is revealed as a rapist and serial killer when he [[spoiler:abducts Sam Marquez to do the same to her. After Sam kills him she suffers from PTSD in the next season and spends most of it trying to cope with the trauma]].

* KnightOfCerebus: The show was fairly light in tone despite several dramatic moments such as [[spoiler:Danny's shellshock]] and the episode's typical villains were usually high-profile thieves, cheaters and con artists. Then comes [[spoiler:Vince Petersen]] in season 4, who quickly establishes himself as the most twisted and horrifying one when he is revealed as a rapist serial killer when he [[spoiler:abducts Sam Marquez to do the same to her. After Sam kills him she suffers from PTSD in the next season and spends most of it trying to cope with the trauma]].

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: While they were portrayed as a loving couple, when Delinda's mother Jillian returns in the final episode for her and Danny's wedding, she reveals that after all of the lies and emotional coldness, and his actions often affecting the both of them, she has decided to leave Ed.

Running from 2003 to 2008 on NBC, ''Las Vegas'' was an hour-long drama that depicted the professional and personal lives of the employees of the Montecito Hotel and Casino in UsefulNotes/LasVegas, which was based loosely on the Mandalay Bay building. The show underwent several retools during its five-year run, usually referenced in-universe as the casino changing ownership (a few of the owners were portrayed by Creator/DeanCain, Creator/LaraFlynnBoyle, and Creator/TomSelleck). Creator/JamesCaan and Creator/NikkiCox left at the end of the fourth season (Caan to return to films; Cox, it was rumored, due to budget cuts) and Selleck was brought in as the new owner. Ratings, however, had never been stellar, and combined with the high costs of filming and the 2007 Writer's Strike, led the series to be cancelled with a CliffHanger series finale. Creator Gary Scott Thompson at one point wanted to do a TV movie that would tie up the numerous loose ends of the finale, but as yet nothing has come of it. Reruns currently air on Creator/{{E}}.

!This series contains examples of:

!!Significant characters:

'''Ed Deline''' (Creator/JamesCaan) - The Head of Surveillance and Security at the Montecito, Ed was a no-nonsense ex-[=CIA=] agent who had the respect (and fear) of most of the old guard in Vegas, as well as virtually all of the new establishment. He was soon promoted to President of Operations, and became responsible for the day-to-day running of the casino.

'''Danny [=McCoy=]''' (Creator/JoshDuhamel) - The central character of the series, Danny was a former Marine and childhood friend of Mary, who worked at the Montecito as a member of the Surveillance and Security team. When Ed became President of Operations, Danny was promoted to Ed's former job of Security head. The show started off with him giving voiceover explanations about what was happening, but this was quickly dropped part of the way into the first season. In the fourth season, Danny and Delinda got together and Delinda got pregnant, and in the fifth season, he was promoted to Ed's old job as President of Operations.

'''Mary Connell''' (Creator/NikkiCox) - The Montecito's Special Events Director, who was responsible for planning and organizing conventions, weddings, and any other events taking place at the hotel.

'''Sam Marquez''' (Creator/VanessaMarcil) - The Montecito's Casino Host, responsible for drawing [[UnusualEuphemism "whales"]] (rich clients who gamble large amounts of money) to the casino and doing everything she can to keep them happy and betting.

'''Mike Cannon''' (Creator/JamesLesure) - The Montecito's Head Valet, Mike is actually a genius graduate of MIT who moved to Vegas for the adventure. After Danny is promoted to Head of Security, he brings Mike upstairs as a member of the Security team. In the fifth season, the recently promoted Danny makes him head of Surveillance and Security.

'''Delinda Deline''' (Creator/MollySims) - Ed's daughter, Delinda becomes the Entertainment Manager of the Montecito, overseeing the running of the casino's clubs, restaurants and shops. She has a short-lived affair with Danny at the beginning of the first season, but they later fall in love and get back together.

'''Nessa Holt''' (Creator/MarshaThomason) - The Pit Boss of the Montecito, she oversees all betting on the floor and monitors the tables to ensure there is no cheating. Her father was a CIA agent who worked with Ed, and after his disappearance, Ed took her in and raised her like a daughter. She is of course very close to Ed, and she and Delinda consider each other sisters.

'''A.J. Cooper''' (Creator/TomSelleck) - A Wyoming cattle baron who buys the Montecito at the outset of the fifth season, little becomes known about him except that he is a former Marine and claims he got into the hotel/casino business because he wanted to learn about it. He prefers being called "Cooper" instead of "A.J.", is prone to shaking things up at the Montecito, and has a mysterious connection to...

'''Piper Nielsen''' (Creator/CamilleGuaty) - A new character introduced in the fifth season premier, Piper is a Concierge, focusing on getting the guests whatever they want (separate from Sam, who only worries about her whales).

* AlliterativeName: Delinda Deline
* AlmightyJanitor: Mike Cannon is an engineer, MIT graduate, and nerd. He starts the series as a valet. He's called in to help the actual security staff several times during the first season. Despite his initial reluctance — he actually likes being a valet, and doesn't want the potential pay cut -- he eventually becomes full-time security staff. In the final season, he's actually promoted to head of security.

* AsianRudeness: Sheesh, Polly, not everybody wants to hear about your sex life!

* BewareTheNiceOnes: Mary who is the most genuinely kind and sweet of the group has a fiery temper, is known to hold grudges, [[spoiler:and murdered her abusive father to protect her sisters.]]

* BigSisterInstinct: Mary, who was sexually abused by her father when she was a kid, learns she has little half-sisters when her father attempts to "make amends". After learning this, she tearfully contacts her step-mother and informs her of what her father had done to her when she was her sisters age. [[spoiler:After meeting her sisters, and immediately falling in love with them, when she learns from her step-mother that her father has begun abusing them too, she agrees to testify on their behalf. Ultimately after the trial goes lopsided, she outright murders him to protect them.]]

* BrilliantButLazy: Delinda, who is a member of UsefulNotes/{{Mensa}}, but usually acts very flighty and has a short attention span. She used to be a psychology major, and can still reel off several concepts from the field at the drop of a hat, but quit because it was boring.
* TheCaligula: Monica Mancuso. The Montecito’s other owners have ranged from reasonable (Gavin Brunson) to friendly (Casey Manning) to aloof but thoughtful (AJ Cooper), but Mancuso gradually devolved into outright megalomania during her stay.

* ChildhoodFriendRomance: [[ZigzaggedTrope Zigzagged]] with Danny and Mary. They grew up and spent all their time together and he protected her from her abusive father, but they never started a committed relationship. They made out the night before Danny joined the marines. Since then Mary harbors feelings for Danny, which he doesn't reciprocate. When she confronts him over it, she theorizes that he is afraid of commitment because of the way he lost his mother. They have sex again before his second tour. When he comes back he proposes to her, but it is primarily a sign of his [[ShellshockedVeteran shellshock]], so they break it off. Danny and Mary have spontaneous sex in a closet in another episode. Then later on they spend a romantic weekend with each other, but still don't get a RelationshipUpgrade. Then they both briefly get different love interests. Then Danny starts dating Delinda again, and keeps this a secret from Mary, who is hurt after she finds out. And finally, after four seasons of WillTheyOrWontThey, [[spoiler:Mary leaves town in the season 5 opener.]]

* CowardiceCallout: Mary calls Danny a coward for running away from their potential relationship after they sleep together for the first time. Notably, Danny is leaving to ''join the Marines and fight in Iraq,'' making the c-word sting a little more.

* DaddysGirl - Whenever Ed and Jillian argue, Delinda tends to side with her father. She viewed their life of travel as a constant adventure and doesn't understand why her mother is tired of it.

* DroppedABridgeOnHim: Monica, who is fatally blown off the Montecito's roof and carried by the wind into another casino.

* EthicalSlut: Delinda. Sam would be one, but she bends the interpersonal ethics at times, [[LovableSexManiac though it's usually funny]].

* FemmeFatale: Sam Marquez works for a casino. Specifically, her job is to keep 'whales' - big spenders - happy. Once, she only slept with a guy because he was dying, and she has openly called herself a slut. Strangely, she rarely sleeps with any of the whales themselves, and had to start going to a therapist later in the series after she was [[WhamEpisode abducted and nearly raped and killed]].
* FieldPromotion: Ed goes from chief of security to casino president on behalf of a mysterious owner who just bought a controlling interest in the Montecito.

* GeniusDitz: Delinda is specifically described as having a genius IQ. She is ''very'' good at running restaurants, fashion, and sex, while appearing to be a ditzy blonde.

* HeroicBSOD: Sam gets hit with one of these when she greets a visiting whale. She cheerfully asks where his wife and daughters are, only for the man to mournfully answer that they were all killed in a car wreck. Cut to a look of sheer horror on Sam's face.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: Danny and Mike have a serious bromance.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Sam Marquez had enough genuinely nice and selfless moments, where she did something kind even though there was nothing in it for her, to keep her from being a pure {{Jerkass}} or IceQueen. It's also gradually revealed that she had a rough childhood and secretly values her friendships with her colleagues, making her bitchy public personality just a façade to seem tough and unscrupulous. She ends up receiving the most CharacterDevelopment of anyone on the show.
* KarmicDeath:
** After her Megalomania is exposed, with her openly stating she has begun her plans to take over the entirety of the Las Vegas Strip, Monica Mancuso immediately is killed in a bizarre incident, involving the roof of the Montactio, long cape-like sleeves, and a gust of wind. Her death is even underscored by "Optimistic Voices" and the leitmotif of the "Wicked Witch of the West", from ''Film/TheWizardOfOz''.
** Mr. Chips, the man who had kidnapped Delinda and buried her in the desert, finds himself waking up in a coffin BuriedAlive after Delinda's rescue.

* {{Malaproper}}: Polly the beautician, a woman who speaks near-perfect English, except with a Korean accent. Problem is, she has no appropriateness filter. Take the time her friend Sam is offered a drink by a cute guy in Traffic school. Polly complains that no one offered to buy her a drink. Paraplegic Mitch offers to buy her one.
-->'''Polly:''' No thanks. Wheelchair give me bruises.
* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: After Sam and one guy have sex, he wants to cuddle, but she zips up, adjusts her crotch, and moves on.

* MistakenForProstitute: A meta-example in the pilot. Danny [=McCoy=], the main character and {{Narrator}} for the first few episodes, is going through his work day and introducing the various supporting characters. After talking with his buxom colleague Mary, she walks off with one of her (older, male) clients, and Danny turns to the audience with "No, I know what you're thinking, and don't go there. Mary's not a hooker, she's our Special Events Director". This was done because originally Mary was supposed to be an escort, and the pilot was filmed with this information, before her role was changed after it had been picked up.

* ObliviouslyBeautiful: Mary Connell, which isn't exactly atypical for abuse victims.
-->'''Mary:''' Why is everyone so fascinated with my ''breasts''?

* PapaWolf: Ed. Take the episode that starts with Delinda being kidnapped unless Ed steals money from the Montecito for the bad guys.
--> '''Ed:''' (calmly) I swear to God I will kill you.
** This gets him in trouble a few episodes later when [[spoiler:Danny tells Ed to give him and Delinda some space to which Ed agrees, then realizes Ed's installed spy cameras in their suite. He punches Ed in the face]].

* RapeAsBackstory: Mary was molested by her father, which informed much of her character.

* RetiredBadass: Ed's jobs as Chief of Security and then President of Operations came '''after''' he'd left his first job: Chief of Counter-Intelligence for the Central Intelligence Agency.

* SamusIsAGirl: In the pilot, Danny is surprised to learn that the super-host "Sam" is a host''ess'', as she'd previously maintained her mystique by posing as her own secretary.

* SternTeacher: Ed takes Danny under his wing and tutors him to become his eventual replacement.

* SurvivorsGuilt: Danny [=McCoy=] returns to Las Vegas from a tour in Afghanistan with a massive case of PTSD after he had to call in an airstrike that killed everyone else in his unit. He eventually comes to terms with this after a near-suicide attempt and some heartfelt words with his boss Ed Deline, who has had to do similar things in his past job as a CIA agent.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Piper in season five seemed to fill the occupational role Mary had before she left, but Piper's backstory is more reminiscent of Nessa's with Cooper being connected to her past as Ed was to Nessa's.

* TellMeAboutMyFather: Piper mistakenly believes for a while that Cooper is her father; it turns out he's not, but that Piper's father was his best friend and Cooper promised the man he'd watch after her.

* ThereAreNoTherapists: Averted. In season 5 after Sam [[spoiler:was kidnapped, nearly raped, and killed her rapist by throwing him out of his own flying plane mid-flight]] she went to a therapist to deal with the stress. One episode was told from her telling the therapist about her day and later she consulted him about a broken client who was contemplating suicide.

* TokenEvilTeammate: Sam. While the other characters are charitable when the situation demands it she is an utter mercenary, using low, malicious and down right evil methods to get high rollers gambling and more importantly losing.
* {{Tsundere}}: Mary becomes this for a while after Danny and Delinda begin dating.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Some of the season one episodes (including the pilot) featured a "Mr. Schaefer", who was implied to be Ed's boss at the Montecito. The character was quickly dropped.

* BreakingTheFourthWall: Mike and Danny would give occasional nods to the camera accompanied by a "Ding" sound, normally when they have inadvertently stumbled into a sexually advantageous situation.

* HighTurnoverRate: Montecito owners are usually killed or bought out, with the notable exception of [[spoiler:Sam]] and outright subversion of [[spoiler:Cooper.]]