Despite being one of the few gambling meccas around, Las Vegas also has a reputation as the world’s entertainment capital. Naturally, that stems from many musicians, comedians, and illusionists calling it home via their residencies at famous resort hotels. While discussing resorts, we should mention that Vegas is also an internationally renowned destination for such mega establishments. It is a city where tourists fight over tickets to the latest shows and a chance to snag a lucrative resorts bonus code or two. However, when people think of entertainment and Sin City, TV shows are not usually a thing that pops to mind. Yet, Nevada’s most populous city has served as a backdrop to more than a few scripted and reality-based television series. Let us run down five famous examples.
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Almost everyone with a TV has caught at least one episode of the CSI franchise, which included five procedural forensics crime dramas. Nevertheless, few are aware that the original show, starring William Petersen and Marg Helgenberger, was at one time the most-watched thing on US TV screens. Las Vegas acted as its setting, and it enchanted viewers with panoramic shots of the neon-covered town and innovative ways to show crime scene investigations.
Pawn Stars
Pawn Stars is likely the show that most average viewers associate with the History Channel. It first aired in 2009 and is still going strong. Pawn Stars focuses on the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, depicting its daily activities. The show attained massive popularity due to its colorful cast of characters, including Big Hoss, the Old Man, and Chumlee. Nonetheless, Vegas is an equally crucial aspect to the success of Pawn Stars.
Las Vegas
Las Vegas was a comedy-drama that ran from 2003 to 2008 on NBC. It was the brainchild of screenwriter Gary Scott Thompson, who also executive produced the reboot of Knight Rider. Las Vegas starred James Caan and Josh Duhamel, and it showed the potential issues that can arise within the operations of a high-end hotel/casino on the Vegas Strip. The show is notable for having the most expensive pilot in NBC history. It came with a price tag of $5 million.
Glow
The Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, or Glow, was a show that streamed on Netflix for three seasons. It was a fictionalization of an actual syndicated women’s professional wrestling circuit that businessman David McLane founded in the 1980s. Most of the series took place in Los Angeles. But, in its third season, Marc Maron and his gang of wrestling beauties took their show to the Vegas Strip.
Bad Ink
Here is another reality TV entry on our list. It was a short-lived one, as it only lasted two seasons, both airing on A&E. The series documented the goings-on in the Pussykat Tattoo parlor off the Las Vegas Strip, run by musician Dirk Vermin and his bandmate Rob Ruckus. This reality TV series attained its popularity height during the end of its first season, where its ratings quadrupled. However, it was all downhill from there.
