High Roller

Robert Urich was perfect as Dan Tanna, and Greg Morris as Lt. Nelson, Will Sampson as Harlin Twoleafs and Bart Braverman as Binzer are also well-cast and play interesting characters. Phyllis Davis, who plays Tanna's secretary, Bea Travis, was probably a beauty in her prime, but she was far past that stage in this series and was a little silly in her part-time role as a showgirl. Judy Landers' character, Angie Turner was too foolish for comment.

The notion of a private detective driving anything as conspicuous as a red '56 T-bird is ridiculous, but it fit Dan Tanna's personality so well that the viewer could easily accept it. The various cars driven by Binzer fit his personality also, as did Twoleaf's dirty pickup.

The plots weren't great, but most were good enough to be interesting, and the Las Vegas scenery, both inside and outside the casinos added to the viewing pleasure. One could drool over the idea of staying in one of the Desert Inn's two story suites.

Anytime reruns of this come on, tape them to view at your leisure.

The pilot episode of VEGAS starring Robert Urich as smooth lady-killer Private Eye who practically winks into the camera with every incredible-looking woman he beds (or kisses), Dan Tanna, started out a bit different than how it would gain traction later on...

Similar to another show a few years later, Dan is a Vietnam vet, and his war buddies, like MAGNUM P. I.'s big T. C. and shorter go-to guy Rick, are the tall Native American Will Sampson as Harlon Twoleaf and THANK GOD IT'S FRIDAY actor Chick Vennera plays Costigan, a loyal hair-feathered friend...

Thus Dan (with a helpful older sister played by Catherine Hickland, who he practically makes out with... is this Chinatown?) had his team that would change in later installments...

After the second episode, the ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST Sampson would only appear sporadically and Chick vanished almost completely after the pilot save a few guest spots...

Both, for the most part, were replaced by Bart Braverman's Bobby 'Binzer' Borzo, who initially worked for the bad guys, unsuccessfully tailing Dan and, like Elliot Gould teaches David Arkin in Robert Altman's THE LONG GOODBYE, Borzo learns he's not cut out to be a gangster: token goofy sidekick was a much better fit...

The HIGH ROLLIN' pilot evolves around a young hooker who makes like a bubbly cheerleader to turn on old men (including Michael Lerner). Dan is hired by her parents for the search - turns out, she ran out of the frying pan and into the fire of the Vegas nightlife...

Meanwhile, in the b-story, playing a flashy Casino owner, Roth, who hires Dan to figure out how Red Buttons keeps winning the slots, is the iconic Tony Curtis... he only lasted through one season (as a regular) as well as Dan's sexy "secretary" Judy Landers...

Making this pilot a kind of TV-movie, like pilots often are, and, written by Michael Mann, it's a kind of neon-blasted gumshoe neo-noir with enough woodwork goons to make the handsome hero's plight one that's never boring, or predictable.

A few of the earlier comments have a couple facts confused... I was kind of a Vega$ junkie from way back.... Suffice it to say Vega$ was produced by Aaron Spelling for 3 seasons, (not 4)and though never a ratings blockbuster, Vega$ was ushered out of prime time when protest grew against the "t&a" look of some ABC network shows. The best episodes of Vega$ were outstanding,some were really corny, but from reading about the show, Vega$ was based on the life of real Las Vegas detective Eddie Larue. The exteriors for Dan Tanna's home were taken at a building just north of the Circus Circus Hotel Casino, with a sign saying Tanna's drive in home was the "Wardrobe Dept." for the Desert Inn. (Notice in every long "stock" shot of Tanna's house the same white Volkswagen Bus is waiting at the drive in teller at the bank, which was located about 100' in front of Tanna's house)... The Desert Inn (now also long gone) was endlessly plugged during each episode...The show's shooting during the days when Las Vegas was changing from a smallish quirky city to today's huge metropolis is indeed neat to see... When you watch the Vega$ pilot, notice the scenes shot at the under construction Barbary Coast Casino Hotel, which must have been taken in the summer of 1976? The Barbary Coast is still there, and looks about the same as it did back then, but so much of Vega$ has changed....... Urich as Tanna was cool, and his character was named after Dan Tana's restaurant in Los Angeles...Bart Braverman was solid as sidekick Binzer, Phyllis Davis steamy as Urich's gorgeous assistant, The Landers sisters fun, Tony Curtis credible as a casino owner, "Slick Roth", Greg Morris as the police detective,and the never ending parade of guest stars good to watch... Heck, we could pick apart the details of some episodes, but overall Vega$ was certainly not the worst detective show we have seen on prime time. Urich later in a 1986 TV Guide interview expressed regret at the fame Vega$ brought him,(he did not like people on the street still called him "Dan Tanna" as he was pretty unhappy with the show's final season, but there is no doubt Vega$ put Urich on the map. I was saddened about his passing a few years ago...