vegas

Break out your cowboy hats and magnifying glasses: CBS has ordered full seasons of two of its freshman series, modern detective story Elementary, starring Jonny Lee Miller, and Vegas, starring Dennis Quaid. The shows have been pulling in around 14 million viewers each, which are the highest numbers for any new Fall series. This is clearly a good move for CBS, but what do you think of the decision? Have you been watching?

One of CBS's new series this Fall features a star making the move from film to TV: Dennis Quaid. In Vegas, Quaid plays Ralph Lamb, Las Vegas's real-life sheriff in the 1960s. The drama traces his rise from a rancher to an authority tasked with getting the emerging city under control. Read on to find out my thoughts on the pilot and whether it might be something you'll want to check out when it premieres this Fall.

• What it's about: In the 1960s, Las Vegas is establishing itself as a gambling mecca, and ruthless gangsters like Vincent Savino (Michael Chiklis) are trying to take control. Old-school rancher Ralph Lamb gets pulled into cleaning up the city when he doesn't like the direction he sees it going, especially when he butts heads with the shady Savino and murders start happening. Lamb also has his brother (Jason O'Mara) and son (Taylor Handley) to help him out.
• Where it works: Quaid is always charismatic, and I love seeing him as a cowboy, asserting himself the old-fashioned way (i.e., punching people in the face if they deserve it). Chiklis is also perfectly cast as a tough Chicago mobster.
• Where it doesn't: The writers do their best to make vintage Sin City as exciting as it is in modern day, but it's not. The pilot is often boring, despite the great actors in the cast like Quaid and Chiklis.
• When it's on: Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on CBS.
• You might like this show if: Mad Men has really gotten you curious about what else was happening in the country in the '60s.

See some photos and a preview of Vegas after the jump.

Dennis Quaid hasn't been part of a TV series since 1977's Baretta, but he's returning this fall on the CBS drama Vegas. The drama takes place in Sin City during the 1960s, the turning point when the city changed into the glitzy gambling capital. Quaid plays sheriff Ralph Lamb (based on the real-life rancher of the same name), who struggles to maintain the culture of the town as the mob rolls in (led by Michael Chiklis's Vincent Savino).

• Both Ralph and Vincent are are gritty, dangerous characters, which lead to questions from reporters about how both can survive if the series is picked up. Executive producer Greg Walker assured us that though the tension between them is integral to the series, they'll often both be on the same side of the law because there are characters out there who will be even worse than they are.
• Quaid's had a long career as a movie star, so why is he making the transition to TV now? He said, "A lot of exciting things are happening on television now. The best writers have come to television, the best story lines get continued. When I was offered this, it was really about the team more than anything else, and the story really interested me. It seemed really authentic."
• Quaid went on to say that the time period had a lot to do with why he was attracted to the project: "It's the era I grew up in. I'm still fascinated with what America was back then. There's such vibrancy, optimism, exploration, and sexiness. It was in the air. It was electric. We didn't have cell phones."
• Another part of the appeal for Quaid was playing a real-life character. He said, "[Ralph] had quite a life and that was certainly part of the attraction, to be the sheriff of Las Vegas for 20 years, especially during this period of time because this is really when Vegas became Vegas, and Ralph had a lot to do with shaping that."

.

Though CBS cut some shows from its schedule, the network is lining up its new series to fill up its schedule. Check out the details below to get up to speed on the brand-new shows you'll be seeing on CBS this Fall.

COMEDIES

• Friend Me: This comedy stars Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Nicholas Braun as best friends who move to LA to work at Groupon and struggle to be social when one would rather stay at home.
• Partners: Michael Urie and David Krumholtz play a pair of architects whose friendship has outlasted all their romantic relationships. Sophia Bush and Brandon Routh also appear.

DRAMAS

• Elementary: This take on Sherlock Holmes is set in present-day Brooklyn and stars Jonny Lee Miller in the Sherlock role, with the added twist of Lucy Liu as his colleague Watson.
• Vegas: Dennis Quaid and Michael Chiklis star in this 1960s-era drama about a rodeo cowboy (Quaid) who becomes the sheriff of the city.
• Made in Jersey: A street-smart woman (Janet Montgomery) tries to prove herself to her colleagues at a New York law firm in this drama, which also costars Kyle MacLachlan.
• Golden Boy: This cop drama follows the rise of a man (Theo James) as he climbs the ranks from office to detective to police commissioner.

• A Vegas wedding sans Elvis and a little white chapel — The Wedding Chicks
• How to keep planning a wedding fun — Equally Wed
• Would you care if people didn't like your groom? — Glamour
• Take your bridal boudoir to the beach — Green Wedding Shoes
• How do you tell your best friends they aren't invited to the wedding? — 100 Layer Cake
• Scotland meets Texas in this culture-rich wedding — Style Me Pretty
• Super8 films make sentimental wedding videos — Once Wed
• A courthouse elopement with classy, romantic touches — Ruffled
• A virtual wedding invitation! — The Bride's Guide
• How to plan wedding parties — YumSugar