# Vegas (2012)

> A ranch-bred sheriff drawn back into duty in 1960s Las Vegas must confront a ruthless Chicago gangster bent on taking over the city.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/40398

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 21
- Episode runtime: 44 min
- Status: Canceled
- Genres: western, crime, drama
- Created by: Nicholas Pileggi, Greg Walker
- Network: CBS
- Cast: Dennis Quaid, Michael Chiklis, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jason O'Mara, Taylor Handley, Aimee Garcia, Sarah Jones, Sonny Marinelli
- TMDB rating: 7.3/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2262383/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: gritty, action packed, nostalgic, tense, colourful

## What critics say

Viewers broadly praised Vegas as a well-crafted period crime drama with strong lead performances, colorful period production design, and a satisfying blend of western and gangster elements, though it was canceled after one season.

## Synopsis

Vegas (2012-2013) is a CBS period crime drama created by Nicholas Pileggi and Greg Walker, a single-season limited run of twenty-one episodes that was canceled before its story could finish. Dennis Quaid plays Sheriff Ralph Lamb, a former military policeman who wants nothing more than to run his quiet ranch, until the mayor appeals to his sense of duty to investigate the murder of a casino worker. That case launches his clash with Vincent Savino, a ruthless Chicago gangster played by Michael Chiklis, who plans to make the desert city his own. Carrie-Anne Moss plays Katherine O'Connell, and Jason O'Mara and Taylor Handley play the sheriff's deputies, all drawn into a conflict between frontier-style law and organized crime. Each episode builds around a fresh investigation while the larger struggle over the city's future simmers. The series is set in 1960s Las Vegas, a boomtown swelling with outsiders and corruption. Its tone blends action, gritty drama, and western grit, with bright, carefully dressed period surfaces. Fans of Boardwalk Empire, Deadwood, and Mad Men will find resonance in its mix of crime, historical texture, and a lawman caught between old values and new vice.

## Shows like Vegas

- [That Dirty Black Bag (2022)](https://ember.film/tv/119269)
- [The Cleaning Lady (2022)](https://ember.film/tv/103950)
- [Deputy (2020)](https://ember.film/tv/75912)
- [The Player (2015)](https://ember.film/tv/56639)
- [Coyote (2021)](https://ember.film/tv/76868)
- [Crime Story (1986)](https://ember.film/tv/2820)
- [Renegade (1992)](https://ember.film/tv/566)
- [Longmire (2012)](https://ember.film/tv/39938)
- [Duster (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/94959)
- [Sheriff Country (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/168370)

---

Site overview: https://ember.film/llms.txt