Josh Duhamel's Earliest Childhood Memory
It's been a lucky 21 years since NBC took a gamble on Las Vegas.
The soapy prime-time drama starred Josh Duhamel as Danny, a former Marine who's figuring out his personal life as he rises through the ranks at the Montecito Resort and Casino. The fictional playground for high rollers managed to pack in everything Sin City has to offer—from games, showgirls and glamour to tough guys, backroom deals and the occasional untimely death—under one roof.
The show lasted for five seasons, with most of the cast sticking around for the duration, though new faces were brought in here and there to keep the action going, in addition to an endless parade of guest stars that included Alec Baldwin, Sylvester Stallone and Paris Hilton, plus cameos from celebrities just passing through, like Jon Bon Jovi, Snoop Dogg and Vegas entertainment staples Criss Angel and the Blue Man Group.
Though while it always looked as if the cast was having a lark, apparently shooting amid the hustle and bustle of Vegas comes with some caveats.
"Vegas is about as fun a place you can go, for entertainment reasons," Duhamel reminisced to Hollywood Outbreak in 2023, "but shooting there was a lot more difficult. It was pretty complicated, because they shut down a little bit of the casino for us but they don't shut down the whole flow of traffic."
Justin Lubin/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank
So they were basically filming in a "functioning casino," he noted, with the "constant ding-ding-ding."
Not that it wasn't also super-fun.
"It's not like you're shooting in eastern Europe, out in the field somewhere," Duhamel added. "You're in Vegas, so there's always something to look at. I won't say what, exactly, but there's always something."
And "there's so much energy in that city," he said, "it's just a matter of trying to stay focused on what you're trying to do."
Chris Haston/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
Which was always a lot. Like its namesake, Las Vegas was totally over the top and, especially as the plot twists got ever more twisted, quite the hoot, now available to binge on Peacock.
Though, as the Montecito regulars know, the drama lamentably ended on a cliffhanger because the writers had been planning on a sixth season that ultimately didn't happen.
So while we can't offer anything other than a hopeful "Danny and Delinda have a family and are doing great!," we can deal you in on a look at what the show's sprawling cast has been up to since they played their final hand.
Viva the cast of Las Vegas, then and now:
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(Originally published Dec. 21, 2020, at 4 a.m. PT)