Viva Laughlin

Top 7 of '07: Worst Show #4 - Viva Laughlin

editor@buddytv.com — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 00:01:09 GMT

Check out all our lists for BuddyTV's Top 7 of '07 to relive the best and the worst of the year in television.

Being original for the sake of being original is worthless. Oftentimes, people will confuse uniqueness with quality. I can only assume this is how Viva Laughlin made it to prime time. The drama/musical/murder mystery/all-around crapfest involved an up and coming casino owner who became entangled with a murder mystery. Fine, there's potential there

BuddyTV on the Radio: 10/23/07

editor@buddytv.com — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 06:43:54 GMT

BuddyTV writer and editor John Kubicek is a featured commentator on Baltimore's WBAL morning radio program hosted by David Durian every Tuesday at 8:40am EST.

The big story this week in television is the new show Death Watch. This past week, two new shows were officially cancelled, both after airing just two episodes. What's the reason behind such quick decisions by the networks, and what will they do to fill that space? Read on to find out and to listen to an mp3 recording of the radio segment.

CBS Puts 'Viva Laughlin' Out of Its Misery, 'Amazing Race' to Fill the Void

editor@buddytv.com — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 14:32:11 GMT

Viva Laughlin, universally regarded as the worst new series of the Fall TV season, has been canceled by CBS after only two episodes. The Viva Laughlin pilot aired on Thursday, with CBS showing the second episode on Sunday (which was supposed to be its permanent time slot). The ratings were abysmal on both nights, almost historically so, prompting CBS to enact the quickest series cancellation of the 2007 season. The Amazing Race, originally slated to return in January, will be moved up a few months and premiere on November 4 in the Sunday 8pm slot. Next Sunday, a repeat of CSI: will fill the 8pm slot while The Amazing Race prepares to take the air.

'Viva Laughlin' Premieres Tonight on CBS

editor@buddytv.com — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 14:23:55 GMT

Viva Laughlin is s a new musical/drama/comedy/soap opera from CBS which will premiere tonight on CBS at 10pm, following CSI. CBS is calling this a preview of the Viva Laughlin pilot. It will re-air this Sunday in its permanent time slot at 8pm. The show is based off the English series Viva Blackpool, originally created by Peter Bowker. Viva Laughlin was adapted by Bowker and Bob Lowry, and are joined as executive producers by John Palermo, Paul Talegdy, Gabriele Muccino (who directed the pilot) and Hugh Jackman. Jackman is also the sometimes-star of the series who will appear in some, but not all, episodes of Viva Laughlin. The series follows an optimistic gambler/family man named Ripley Holden as he attempts to open his very own casino in Laughlin, Nevada.

Viva Laughlin: 'High School Musical' for Adults?

editor@buddytv.com — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 08:00:00 GMT

In attempt to bring forth a groundbreaking and provocative pilot, CBS has decided to launch a new series that fuses murder, comedy and chockfull of great music. Viva Laughlin, which CBS admits to being a huge gamble, will try to capture the hearts of spectators despite some hints that U.S. audiences are not yet ready for a singing TV protagonist.

But looking at the trend nowadays, many shows and movies have already earned acclaimed reviews and a solid fan following with its musical-themed programs.

Lloyd Owen Talks 'Viva Laughlin'

editor@buddytv.com — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 14:30:00 GMT

Much has been said about the unconventional format for CBS' new series Viva Laughlin. The non-traditional song and dance drama has never been tested for weekly television programming. Even CBS Entertainment chief Nina Tassler acknowledges the risk they're taking with such a far-fetched idea as that employed by Viva Laughlin.

"I totally see [Laughlin] as a risk,” Tassler confessed. “That's why we went for it. We see it as something groundbreaking and provocative."

Viva Laughlin: Laudable or Laughable?

editor@buddytv.com — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 08:30:00 GMT

The murder mystery format is one of the more fascinating and riveting genres on television. Arguably, so are musicals, or at least, the presence of appropriately placed songs or scoring in a show. Debuting series, Viva Laughlin, attempts to marry music and mystery in a bona fide musical drama.

Imagine big screen heavyweights Hugh Jackman of X-Men and Van Helsing fame and Melanie Griffith of Bonfire of the Vanities and Shining Through, singing along to Blondie and The Rolling Stones. That's exactly what you'll get on the maiden season of CBS' Viva Laughlin, which begins October 18.

Exclusive Interview: 'Viva Laughlin' Showrunners Tyler Bensinger and Stephen DeKnight

editor@buddytv.com — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 09:13:52 GMT

In conjunction with our 2007 Fall TV Guide, BuddyTV will be publishing exclusive interviews with the creators and showrunners of some of the hottest new shows this fall throughout the week. Check back all this week for interviews with: Cane Creator Cynthia Cidre, Chuck and Gossip Girl Creator Josh Schwartz, Journeyman Creator Kevin Falls and Director Alex Graves and Reaper Creators Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas.

Tyler Bensinger and Stephen DeKnight are the showrunners and executive producers of CBS' new genre-bending series, Viva Laughlin. Half murder mystery, half drama and half musical, it's based on the British series Viva Blackpool and stars Lloyd Owen as Ripley Holden, a wannabe casino owner in Nevada. Produced by film and stage star Hugh Jackman, Viva Laughlin gets a special premiere Thursday, October 18 at 10pm after CSI before moving to its regular time slot, Sundays at 8pm.

The duo spoke to BuddyTV about how the new show stacks up against the British original, working with Hugh Jackman, and their fondness for The Singing Detective. Below you will find a transcript as well as the mp3 audio file of the interview.

Surprise Hits and Misses: Viva Laughlin

editor@buddytv.com — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 00:00:01 GMT

In BuddyTV's 2007 Fall TV Guide, we scoured the new shows for this year's biggest potential hits and misses. We found the ones that you should be following and which ones will probably get canceled early. The hits include Journeyman, Kid Nation and Dirty Sexy Money while the misses are Samantha Who?, Viva Laughlin, and Nashville.

Viva Laughlin is a new quasi musical-drama-mystery from CBS that follows wannabe casino owner Ripley Holden as he strives to open a successful casino in Laughlin, Nevada. His rival is Nick Fontana, a wealthy and charismatic casino owner, played by movie star and show executive producer Hugh Jackman. Viva Laughlin is based on the similarly themed English show Viva Blackpool. I've never seen Viva Blackpool, but if it's anything like Viva Laughlin, it's a miracle that anyone ever watched it. Viva Laughlin is the worst pilot I've seen in ages. It misfires on so many levels that it's astonishing. This is why I believe Viva Laughlin will be one of the very first network shows to be canceled this season. In fact, I'm almost certain the show will be off the air by December.

Time Slot Wars: Sunday

editor@buddytv.com — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 00:00:01 GMT

In BuddyTV's 2007 Fall TV Guide, we assessed each night to see which shows the major networks were pitting against each other, and determined which ones would emerge victorious in the ratings war.

Sunday is quite the boring night for TV. Basically, it's a lot of the same old stuff we've become accustomed to on Sunday nights, and the two new shows are likely to fall through the cracks.

Writer Face-Off: Viva Laughlin

editor@buddytv.com — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 00:00:01 GMT

In BuddyTV's 2007 Fall TV Guide, our team disagreed vehemently on the prospects of several new shows. Please read as they cheer, bash and degrade each other and the shows. Then you can decide what you think about Gossip Girl, Samantha Who?, Viva Laughlin, and Aliens in America.

BuddyTV writers Oscar Dahl and John Kubicek couldn't have more differing opinions of the new CBS musical-drama hybrid Viva Laughlin. John ranked it a lofty third on his list of new fall shows, while Oscar ranked it 478th out of 26. John enjoyed the original BBC series, but Oscar had never seen it before. Oscar and John met up on instant messenger to discuss the show. Read on to see how their conversation went.

When you tune in on Sunday nights, will you be as impressed with Viva Laughlin's genre-bending execution as John is? Or will you agree with Oscar, and consider it an embarrassment to all of television?

Viva Laughlin: BuddyTV Fall 2007 Preview

editor@buddytv.com — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Premiere Date and Time: Thursday, October 18, 10pm (special night and time)

Regularly Scheduled Date and Time: Sunday, October 21, 8pm

Network: CBS

Time Slot Competition: Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Sunday Night Football, The Simpsons and King of the Hill, Life is Wild

Cast: Lloyd Owen, Madchen Amick, Carter Jenkins, Ellen Woglom, Eric Winter, D.B. Woodside, P.J. Byrne, Hugh Jackman, Melanie Griffith

CBS Holds Back Series Premiere of 'Viva Laughlin'

editor@buddytv.com — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 11:00:00 GMT

The CBS network announced its fall premiere dates for the 2007-08 schedule with only the new series, Viva Laughlin, being pushed back to October. Originally, the network intended to begin airing the musical series along with the rest of its old and new productions in September. However, due to early NFL-season double headers, CBS was forced to delay the premiere of Viva Laughlin.

On October 18, a special preview episode of the series will air at 10pm, after a new episode of CSI. The pilot episode will then be aired on Sunday, October 21, at its regular timeslot of 8pm.

Meet the Cast: CBS' Viva Laughlin

editor@buddytv.com — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 12:00:00 GMT

The CBS network’s Viva Laughlin is based on the Golden Globe-winning British miniseries, Viva Blackpool. Set in Laughlin, Nevada, the show follows the story of a man named Ripley Holden, whose dream to open a casino is jeopardized by his family, his enemies and his involvement in a murder case.

The show is a drama, a thriller and a musical all rolled into one, with Australian actor and film star Hugh Jackman playing one of its’ recurring characters. It is slated to premiere this fall on a Sunday at 8PM ET/PT.

Read on to know more about the cast of Viva Laughlin.