It’s Official, Tom Selleck heading to ‘Las Vegas’

NBC confirmed this week my earlier report that Tom Selleck will be joining the cast of the Friday night drama, Las Vegas, for its fifth season.

When we left the series in March, current owner Sam (Vanessa Marcil), who by the way is trapped in a trunk and being kidnapped by a rich client, is about to lose the Montecito to back taxes.  Ed Deline (James Caan), president of the Montecito, wants to buy the casino but gets an ultimatum from his wife (Cheryl Ladd).  Oh did, I mention Ed was also busy killing Mary’s (Nikki Cox) molesting father?

Caan will reportedly be back for the first episode of Season 5 to wrap up the cliffhangers from the finale.  However, since we know neither he nor Cox will be staying for the new season, I’m guessing Ed’s plans to buy the Montecito go south.

Will Sam, once she’s saved, lose the hotel to taxes or sell it?  I don’t know, but Selleck will become the new owner.  A self-made billionaire, Selleck’s character comes with his own mysterious past.

This role marks Selleck’s return as a series regular in television show.  Since he’s days as Thomas Magnum on Magnum P.I., Selleck has focused on a film career — both on the big screen and in TV movies.  More recently, he had guest starring roles on Friends and Boston Legal.

No word yet on Cox’s replacement.  Along with Sam, Danny (Josh Duhamel), Delinda (Molly Sims) and Mike (James Lesure) will all be returning.

While I will really miss James Caan’s tough guy with a heart of gold on this series, I’m looking forward to seeing what storylines will come from the new characters.

Tom Selleck Might Be Returning to Primetime — Vegas Style

Tom Selleck, who has not been a series regular on a drama since Magnum P.I., might be returning to prime time.  According to the Hollywood Reporter, Selleck is in talks with NBC to join the cast of Las Vegas in Season 5 as the new owner of the fictitious Montecito Resort & Casino — a dangerous position if you consider the history of his predecessors.

In the Season 4 finale, Sam Marquez (Vanessa Marcil), the current owner of the casino who is about to lose it to back taxes, has been kidnapped.  She acquired the Montecito when her ex-husband Casey Manning (Dean Cain) bequeathed it to her when he was murdered.  Manning had bought the casino after the previous owner Monica Mancuso (Lara Flynn Boyle) literally flew off the roof of the Montecito.

Despite the hazards associated with the role, Selleck should be an asset to the cast with the masculine charm he showcased in Magnum P.I.and the subtle humor that made him a hit in his guest role on NBC’s sitcom Friends.

Selleck will be one of two new characters added to the cast of Las Vegas for Season 5 to compensate for the lost of James Caan, who played the President of the Montecito Ed Deline, and Nikki Cox, who portrayed concierge Mary Connell.

Unfortunately, the storyline for how Ed and Mary are to depart the show is still not clear.  In the season finale, Mary, bent on revenge against the father who abused her, set out to shoot him.  But, unbeknown to Mary, Ed stealthily takes the shot at the same time she does.  If shooting a man isn’t enough, Ed had drama of his own.  While bidding to become owner of the Montecito, Ed receives an ultimatum from his wife (Cheryl Ladd) — the casino or her.

In true cliffhanger fashion, we know nothing on how this wraps up.  I’m hoping that at least part of the Season 5 opener was shot before Caan and Cox where released so that we can have closure on their characters.

I guess until the fall, I’ll just have to wonder.

(Photo courtesy of biography.com)