Over the years actors and directors of the big screen have been drawn to Las Vegas like moths to a flame.
The same cannot always be said of television shows, with production houses perhaps put off by steep running costs, which are only bound to get worse in the current climate.
Despite this, there are some television shows that have gone under the radar, which brought Sin City to life for viewers in the US and indeed around the world. Here are just a few of the best.
The Las Vegas skyline is ever present in all of these TV shows
LA to Vegas
This show was masterminded by Lon Zimmet who decided it could be fun to run a sitcom about a flight crew who work the Friday night flight route from LAX to McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas.
With the budget airline being called Jackpot Airways you can only imagine the sorts of hijinks that the characters get up to.
However, despite the airline’s name and all the entertainment on offer in Vegas, casinos and the resorts they are housed in very rarely get a mention in the show, with characters not even taking advantage of the top online casinos which can be played by those who visit the state of Nevada.
Perhaps it is for that reason that this out-there show only ran for one season on Fox in 2018.
The strip and its varied characters are an endless source of inspiration for actors and television producers alike
CSI Las Vegas
While LA to Vegas and its wacky brand of humour was always likely to fall flat at some point, the same could certainly not be said of CSI Las Vegas, whose forensics experts were as compelling as they were beautiful.
Grisham, the leader of the scientifically minded investigation squad, was a unique character who harnessed his fascination with creepy crawlies to help him and his colleagues crack serious crimes.
What the series also stood out for was depicting the lives of locals and how the strip’s vagaries shaped their respective lives.
Arguably the most alluring character to stem from this approach was Catherine Willows, played by Marg Helgenberger, who retrained as a detective after having grown up as a mob boss’s daughter and masquerading as a cabaret dancer. She was the perfect fit for the role, having previously played a Greek goddess in the 2009 hit Wonder Woman.
Las Vegas
This show did exactly what it said on the tin, showing the inner workings of a fictional casino resort on the strip.
Although not quite as universally popular as CSI, the show still managed to run for five series, mainly carried by the charisma and jawlines of stars such as Josh Duhamel and Molly Sims, as well as Tom Selleck’s moustache.
When the series was abruptly brought to an end it had seen guest appearances from the likes of Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dennis Hopper and even Sylvester Stallone.
Glow
The third series of this critically acclaimed show about a troupe of women wrestlers (the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling) was set in Nevada.
Glow poked fun at more established wrestling organisations such as the WWE, but still had all the crazy outfits and nicknames viewers would expect. Some of the best included Ruth "Zoya the Destroya" Wilder and Tammé "The Welfare Queen" Dawson.
While some in the Las Vegas wrestling community were less than impressed with the show’s portrayal of their lifestyles, that did not stop some big names from the wrestling business turning out in front of the camera, such as Brooke Hogan (daughter of Hulk Hogan) and Chavo Guerrero Jr.
Unfortunately, a much anticipated fourth and final series was shelved, with current world events being blamed rather than poor ratings. The strip will be worse off as a result.
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