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Viva Laughlin Latest News

  • 2007-2007
  • 1 Season
  • CBS
  • Comedy, Drama, Music
  • Watchlist
    Where to Watch

Small-time casino owner, Ripley Holden, dreams of opening up a snazzy resort on the Laughlin Strip. Based on the BBC murder-mystery-musical series, "Blackpool."

Ask Matt: TV Musicals, Revenge, Homeland, Once Upon a Time, Parenthood, More

Question: After the embarrassing debacle of Viva Laughlin, I figured network TV wouldn't ever touch musical dramas ever again. Then Ryan Murphy surprised the naysayers with the out-of-the-box success of Glee. Then came along my personal favorite Smash last winter, and the also-great Nashville this fall. Now I read a couple months ago that Fox was trying to revise Fame. My question is this: Have you ever known of a time when so many music-based shows have been on TV? Is it because of the success of American Idol, The Voice and The X Factor? And do you think there is room on TV for possibly four musicals, or will they cannibalize each other for viewers? I've noticed Glee has been down in the ratings, and for a year-four show targeted at the fickle teen market, is this expected? Have you heard any buzz on Smash? I thought Season 1 was great, but I did notice the weak links too, which seem to have been corrected. I hope Season 2 really gets grittier and goes more behind-the-scenes a la West Wing instead of the soapy melodrama of S1. Thoughts? — Sean

Tue, Oct 30, 2012
Ask Matt: TV Musicals, Revenge, Homeland, Once Upon a Time, Parenthood, More

Hookers, Cookers and Married Men in Drag: Will You Watch Bravo's New Lineup?

Bravo recently announced that it will add a fifth night of original programming, so it's developing a slew of new original series, including another Real Housewives franchise and a scripted dramedy about male prostitutes. Read our snap judgments on the lineup and then tell us in the comments section which series have the potential to be your newest guilty pleasure. New Pick-Ups Million Dollar Decorators What It Is: High-end interior decorators in L.A. work with the multi-million-dollar budgets of their wealthy clientele.Snap Judgment: We love shows about the hubris of the rich, but is this the financial climate for a show about squandering money?Tune-In, DVR or Pass: DVR ...

Thu, Mar 11, 2010
Hookers, Cookers and Married Men in Drag: Will You Watch Bravo's New Lineup?

New Cougar Growls on Gossip Girl!

Get those claws out Gossip Girl Upper East Siders, because there's a new cougar in town! OK, she's not quite a full-fledged cougar age wise, but Madchen Amick has just been cast as a May-December love interest for Nate — aka Blair's high school-aged ex. EW reports that Amick, who played a casino wife on the "blink-and-you-missed-it" Viva Laughlin, will play Catherine Mason when Gossip Girl returns to the CW on Sept. 1.What do you think of a cougar crashing the Gossip gang? — Erin FoxRelated• Gossip Invades the Hamptons• Use Our Online Video Guide to Watch More Gossip Girl

Mon, Jun 23, 2008
New Cougar Growls on Gossip Girl!

What's the latest on Kevin ...

Question: What's the latest on Kevin and Jason on Brothers & Sisters? I'm hearing some disturbing rumors about who Kevin chooses, and it's not Jason. Don't tell me we wished death on Viva Laughlin for nothing! Answer: Regardless of how the Scotty/Kevin/Jason triangle plays out, you did not wish death on Viva Laughlin for nothing. Believe me, the world is a much better place without that crappy show in it. Having said that, and without giving too much away, I can tell you that Kevin's initial choice isn't necessarily his ultimate choice.

Wed, Dec 12, 2007

Now that Viva Laughlin has ...

Question: Now that Viva Laughlin has been canceled, when can we expect the lovely Eric Winter to return to Brothers & Sisters?Answer: Barring something catastrophic happening, like, say, a writers strike, my guess is Rev. Jason will be back in time for February sweeps. To read exec producer Greg Berlanti's thoughts on the matter, click here.

Wed, Oct 24, 2007

Viva's Dead! Will Brothers & Sisters' Gay Reverend Return?

How do I love thee, cancellation of Viva Laughlin? Let me count the ways….1) It means there's one less mind-numbingly awful TV show clogging up the airwaves.2) It hastens the return of TV's best reality series, The Amazing Race.3) It frees up Eric Winter to return to Brothers & Sisters as Kevin's minister boyfriend.Regarding that last one, although there's no official deal in place for Winter to reprise his role as Rev. Jason McCallister, his speedy return is a foregone conclusion. And if you don't believe me, believe B&S bossman Greg Berlanti: "Obviously, we wanted Eric's show to succeed, but we would be psyched to have him back," says Berlanti. "While I can't say what will happen to [Kevin and Jason] romantically, we would love to have Eric back as soon as possible. He's a great actor, and he and Matthew are wonderful together. And there's also the fact that he's McCallister's brother, which we always wanted to explore further."Barring a writers' strike, I predict Kev...

Tue, Oct 23, 2007
Viva's Dead! Will Brothers & Sisters' Gay Reverend Return?

Amazing Race In, Not-so-amazing Viva Out

As reported earlier on the TV Guide News Report, CBS has deemed Viva Laughlin (aka "Craps Rock") a bust and cashed its chips after just two airings. Following one CSI encore (on Oct. 28), the Eye's Sundays-at-8 slot will be filled by a 12th edition of The Amazing Race. In a statement, Race exec producer Bertram van Munster says, "If there ever was a season that I consider one of the best, it's this one. It's insanely funny, fast-paced and dramatic all at once." And there's no dancing on roulette wheels. He meant to add that. This season, the Race will cover five new countries including Ireland, Lithuania and Croatia.Related: Viva's Dead! Will Brothers & Sisters' Gay Reverend Return?

Tue, Oct 23, 2007
Amazing Race In, Not-so-amazing Viva Out

Exclusive: Backstage Shake-up at Viva Laughlin

Trouble's a-brewin' over at CBS' bad-buzz magnet Viva Laughlin.Sources confirm that Bob Lowry has been let go as show-runner on the Eye's new fall drama, although he's expected to retain his executive-producer credit (and thus continue getting paid). To fill the void, co-executive producers Steven S. DeKnight and Tyler Bensinger will be assuming more of the day-to-day responsibilities. The move wasn't entirely unexpected since, as you'll recall, producer Sony was wooing Rob Thomas to take over as Viva's boss even before Veronica Mars was officially laid to rest last May.The behind-the-scenes shakeup comes amid rumors that test audiences aren't responding favorably to the show's musical interludes, although one Viva insider denies that that had anything to do with Lowry's demotion/ouster. That same insider maintains that "the singing is staying in the show," which is good news for people who like to laugh at stuff that isn't supposed to be funny.

Sun, Aug 19, 2007
Exclusive: Backstage Shake-up at Viva Laughlin

Viva Laughlin: "Not a Musical," Says Exec Producer

Viva Laughlin is not a musical. "We're an episodic television mystery family drama with music," Robert Lowry, executive producer of the new CBS drama, told the audience at the Television Critics Association press tour. That's a mouthful. Critics suggested that the American version of the BBC series Viva Blackpool is a little more timid in its approach to the musical numbers, in which the actors sing along with familiar pop recordings. Lowry says that was intentional. His hope is that the CBS audience gets to know the characters better before cranking up the music. "There’s never any actor who bursts into song," adds costar D.B. Woodside. "The songs are the soundtracks of the characters' lives." Part of the challenge will be getting the rights to the right songs to tell those stories. Lowry says Pink Floyd already shot down a request to use "Money" in a casino scene. — Reporting by Stephen Battaglio

Fri, Jul 20, 2007
Viva Laughlin: "Not a Musical," Says Exec Producer

CBS Execs Defend "Daring and Different" New TV

When the promos for CBS’ new fall reality show Kid Nation come on, you can’t look away. Forty kids. No adult supervision. Watch how they build their own civilization in a ghost town in New Mexico. You immediately want to know: Which one is going to be Piggy from Lord of the Flies? But when pressed by reporters at the Television Critics Association — stirred by a report in Television Week that the kids were performing on camera for 14 hours a day, making their own meals and missing school days — the show’s executive producer Tom Forman was forced to repeat a far less provocative message: “I don’t know that it's different than what goes on at an Eagle Scout camp,” he said. As reporter questions chipped away at the show’s artifice, Forman noted that there was a large “adult safety net” on the set... er, in the town, which included a pediatrician, a child psychologist and even an animal wrangler.But doesn’t calming everybody do...

Thu, Jul 19, 2007
CBS Execs Defend "Daring and Different" New TV

Now that Eric Winter's CBS ...

Question: Now that Eric Winter's CBS pilot, Viva Laughlin, has been picked up, what does this mean for his role as Kevin's love interest, Jason, on Brothers & Sisters?Answer: Based on what I'm hearing about Viva, I have a hunch Eric will be back on B&S by November sweeps. OK, that's all he wrote this week, folks! Head on over to the Ask Ausiello Discussion Thread to debate the merits of this week's column; check out the latest installment of my Ausiello Report vodcast to find out who's leaving Smallville; send questions/hot tips/Smurf sightings to

Wed, May 23, 2007

CBS: We've Got Ratings, Now We Want Buzz!

It isn't enough for CBS to be the most-watched network. At the presentation of its new fall schedule, network execs announced they want their shows to be talked about, too.It's a new version of an old tune. For years, CBS has had the largest number of viewers, but many of them were old and not as desirable to advertisers. Recently, the network has gotten much more competitive for the 18-to-49-year-old crowd that Madison Avenue pays most for. Yet shows such as ABC's Ugly Betty get a lot more ink and watercooler chatter than the higher-rated Two and a Half Men or Survivor (CBS Entertainment president Nina Tassler drove the point home to the audience at Carnegie Hall by citing how Betty's ratings have dropped 40 percent since its premiere).With a solid foundation of dependable hits, Tassler says this is the year she can afford to take a few programming risks to improve her share of buzz. Even if CBS' new shows fail, its regular program lineup will deliver ratings close to what it did t...

Thu, May 17, 2007

Veronica Mars Update: "Nothing Definitive"

Veronica Mars is still clinging to life.Despite reports this morning that the show has been canceled, Rob Thomas just assured me via e-mail that there's "nothing definitive." That jives with what I told you in Ask Ausiello: It's possible CW head Dawn Ostroff is delaying a final verdict on VM until after Thursday's upfront. One encouraging sign: Sources say Rob has passed on CBS' offer to come aboard its new musical mystery drama Viva Laughlin as an executive producer. (Rob declined to comment on anything Viva-related.)Anyone wanna guess what the first question out of my mouth will be at tomorrow's CW press conference? C'mon, give it a shot.(For more upfront coverage, check out TVGuide.com's First Look: Hottest Fall TV blog.)

Wed, May 16, 2007

CBS Sneak Peek: Swingers, Geeks and Vampires, Oh My!

CBS on Monday began tipping its hand, ordering several new shows.On the drama front, there is Cane, starring NYPD Blue alum Jimmy Smits as the head of a Latin-American family in the rum biz; Moonlight (FKA Twilight), starring Alex O'Loughlin as a P.I. who is, by the way, a vampire; Viva Laughlin, a Hugh Jackman-produced import of a BBC series, concerning a family man who dreams of opening a casino in Laughlin, Nevada; and Swingtown, an Ice Storm-esque look at couples swapping partners in the '70s.The laffer bound for the Eye is The Big Bang Theory, starring Roseanne's Johnny Galecki and Jim Parsons as science geeks who befriend a party girl, (8 Simple Rules' Kaley Cuoco). CBS presents its full schedule on Wednesday. — Matt Webb Mitovich

Tue, May 15, 2007