[02/27/09 - 06:56 PM] Development Update: Friday, February 27 Updates include: David Morse moves to "Empire State" on ABC; Steven R. McQueen joins The CW's "Vampire Diaries"; and Rebecca Rand Kirshner Sinclair to run "90210."
[06/20/08 - 05:57 PM] Development Update: Friday, June 20 Updates include: HBO renews "In Treatment" for second season; TBS taps new "Match Game" host and panelists; plus Brooke Elliott and Lloyd Owen land lead roles in pilots.
[06/18/08 - 04:26 PM] Development Update: Wednesday, June 18 Updates include: Madchen Amick lands "Gossip Girl" arc; "Smallville" casts new villains; and more behind-the-scenes changes on ABC's "Dirty Sexy Money."
[08/24/07 - 06:59 PM] Development Update: Week of August 20-24 Updates include: New roles set on "24," "Bones," "Brothers & Sisters," "Jericho," "Lost" and "Ugly Betty," Kathryn Morris gets a raise on "Cold Case" and ABC Family and A&E each order two more pilots.
[08/17/07 - 06:21 PM] Development Update: Week of August 13-17 Updates include: Fates come down on three HBO originals and Sci Fi's "Painkiller Jane," Lifetime shuffles its Sunday lineup and NBC preps a syndicated version of "Deal or No Deal."
[07/18/07 - 10:56 AM] CBS Announces 2007-2008 Premiere Dates "Kid Nation" and "Survivor" will get the jump on the network's traditional "premiere week" while "Viva Laughlin" will get a special post-"C.S.I." bow on Thursday, October 18.
[07/18/07 - 10:53 AM] CBS Announces Its "New" Drama Development Team Christina Davis and Robert Zotnowski have been promoted to Senior Vice Presidents, Drama Series Development, CBS Entertainment, jointly overseeing the Network's drama department, and Yelena Chak joins as Director, Drama Development.
[05/16/07 - 07:05 AM] CBS Announces 2007-2008 Primetime Schedule CBS announced today its 2007-2008 Fall Primetime lineup, featuring five new series - one comedy, three dramas and one reality program. These freshman series will join 17 returning programs on the current CBS lineup, which will win the 2006-2007 season in viewers and adults 25-54, continuing the Network's multi-year winning streak.
[05/14/07 - 02:24 PM] CBS Picks Up 'Bang,' 'Power' Plus Four Dramas Four dramas ("Cane A.K.A. Los Duques," "Moonlight A.K.A. Twilight," "Swingtown," "Viva Laughlin"), a comedy ("The Big Bang Theory") and a game show ("The Power of 10") were among CBS' first wave of series pick-ups at the start of upfront week on Monday.
[03/13/07 - 12:31 AM] Development Update: Tuesday, March 13 Updates include: Jamey Sheridan, Christina Applegate, Jean Smart, Diedrich Bader and Amy Brenneman among those called for pilot duty, while Marti Noxon earns EP stripes on "Grey's" Anatomy."
[03/09/07 - 12:13 AM] Development Update: Friday, March 9 Updates include: New deals for "Grey's" co-stars, Bernero to stick with "Criminal Minds" and the usual pilot casting round-up.
[03/07/07 - 12:49 AM] Development Update: Wednesday, March 7 Updates include: Loads of casting news, including pilots for Holly Robinson Peete, Tawny Cypress, Nikki Reed, Marisa Tomei and Tim Daly.
[02/27/07 - 12:54 AM] Development Update: Tuesday, February 27 Updates include: MTV adds six new series while Fred Willard, Christopher Titus, Dylan McDermott and Carrie-Anne Moss all land pilot gigs.
[02/16/07 - 12:42 AM] Development Update: Friday, February 16 Updates include: Ryan Murphy gets new overall deal/season of "Nip/Tuck," the CW lines up pilot directors and TBS adds Frank Caliendo's sketch comedy series.
[02/09/07 - 12:52 AM] Development Update: Friday, February 9 Updates include: FOX lands "Action News" plus Peter Krause, Ron Eldard, Kim Raver and Lloyd Owen all snag lead roles in pilots.
[01/26/07 - 12:17 AM] Development Update: Friday, January 26 Updates include: Directors line up on nearly a dozen pilots, plus Michael Vartan and Gabrielle Union score lead roles on separate ABC projects.
[01/09/07 - 12:02 AM] Development Update: Tuesday, January 9 Updates include: ABC, CBS, NBC and the CW all order pilots plus Melissa Joan Hart and Mario Lopez are set to star in an ABC Family holiday movie.
ADDITIONAL NOTES: confirmed as canceled on 10/22/07
DESCRIPTION: (from CBS's press release) VIVA LAUGHLIN is a mystery drama with music about eternal optimist and freewheeling businessman Ripley Holden, whose sole ambition is to run a casino in Laughlin, Nev. Occasionally using upbeat contemporary songs to accentuate the drama and humor and advance the story, the series is based on the hit BBC show "Viva Blackpool." Ripley is the ultimate gambler with an infectious personality who is on the brink of making a killing... just as soon as he opens his casino that's nowhere near completion. When his financing suddenly falls through, the fearless and tenacious Ripley approaches his enemy - dashing, sarcastic, wealthy casino owner Nicky Fontana, and his lieutenant Marcus, for help. Though the odds are stacked against him, Ripley doesn't miss a beat, even when he becomes embroiled in a murder investigation headed by Detective Carlyle after the body of his ex-business partner is found at his club. At home, Ripley uses his dry wit to adjust to the demands of his family: his gorgeous wife Natalie wants more attention; his teenage daughter Cheyenne wants his approval; and his son Jack wants to help him at work. All of this adversity would defeat a lesser man, but for the outgoing and passionate Ripley there's no such thing as bad news, only deals to be struck and wagers to be won in the intoxicating neon glow of Laughlin, where the cards are on the table, romance is in the air and music is on the stage.
