The Good

Despite all the flash and everything else, this show still manages to sizzle like few others.

The Bad

I wish James Caan would have done a commentary track on this 5 disc set.

Las Vegas: Season Three keeps things moving at the Montecito Resort and Casino. Whether Ed Deline (James Caan) is trying to stop a "smash and grab" on the hotel ("Viva Las Vegas), or Danny (Josh Duhamel) and Delinda (Molly Sims) are growing closer through casual sex ("All Quiet on the Montecito Front"), or the surreal ("Everything Old is You Again"), Las Vegas keeps things hopping without giving us too much time to worry about the characters. The fact that this show constantly seems like it's just getting started, and it manages to tell the involved stories it does, really works to it's advantage. Also, having people like Molly Sims and Vanessa Marcil in the cast certainly isn't hurting the situation.

What I think people really latch on to with this show is how much it takes us into the world of Las Vegas. It shows us people and events that are certainly heightened, but they happen in such a way that they are believable. Also, unlike a lot of shows today (namely hospital shows), Las Vegas works because it doesn't try and be any more current than it needs to be. I get the feeling when I watch this show, that I am watching people and not types. The interchanges and exchanges give this show an ensemble feel and because of that Las Vegas: Season Three still feels real and not star driven.

Features

Gag Reel

I thought things might be a little different with this gag reel, mainly because they start off with a mockup of The Godfather marionette symbol. However, once this section got rolling (with James Caan imitating Marlon Brando as Don Corleone), we see the character's messing up their lines, cursing, and all other manner of behavior that would never get shown on prime-time TV. Fans of this show will surely appreciate the candid look presented here.

In With the New

This is a special feature? I think the studio just happened to have a camera on the ceiling at the time this was shot. While I think it's interesting seeing the new casino set being built from the ground up, I watched this time lapse photography section in slow motion. Afterall, how interesting is it to see people make things like this? Maybe for 30 seconds, but not for a few minutes in my opinion.

Video

Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.78:1. Something tells me that we are soon going to hear about Universal putting out these shows in High Definition (I am sure they can already be watched that way). These things, even on my crummy set up, looked terrific. Not only were they edited in a really succinct style, they just seemed brighter and fresher than most of the TV shows I have reviewed. I guess the fact that Season Three of this show hasn't had that long to sit in the vault probably helps.

Audio

English Dolby Digital 5.1. Subtitled in English and Spanish. The audio on these shows was really well done and I loved that the characters weren't talking in whispers. I also didn't need to turn up the volume on my set that loud, which also surprised me just because I often have to do that on a lot of those other one hour, whispering shows. Overall, everything about the audio, when the show is in the casino environment, does nothing to make me think that we aren't exactly where the show says we are.

Package

The cast of this show stands with the colors of glittering gold all around them. I am actually surprised at how simplistic this cover was designed, considering how action oriented the show itself is. The back cover continues the gold motif with individual shots of the main cast members, a description of what is going on in Las Vegas: Season Three, a Bonus Features listing and some technical specs. The five discs that make up this set are house in three slim cases, all of which have the same front cover as this box set. The back portions of the cover index out each episode and offer up simple descriptions.

Final Word

Okay, I don't know why I haven't noticed this before but Molly Sims is probably the best looking woman on TV. I mean my gosh... I was watching this show and it almost got difficult, simply because of her and Vanessa Marcil. There is something so simple about both of these actresses yet they command the screen. I hate to close out this review on such a base level, but if a female from MovieWeb had reviewed this show, she'd probably be speaking about Josh Duhamel the same way am talking about Marcil and Sims. Why these women aren't in more movies is anybody's guess...

I also have to admire James Caan. While the Ed Deline character does play into his tough guy persona, Caan never seems to allow himself to devolve into a caricature of who he is. I always get the sense that he is trying and never resting on the fact that he's James Caan, and that his presence alone gives the audience a shorthand that they probably wouldn't need with other actors. Everyone seemed so fresh and vibrant in Las Vegas: Season Three, and because of that I am not surprised that the show remains as popular as it is.

Las Vegas was released .