Monday, January 01, 2018

Fox Mid-Season Pilot Review: LA to Vegas - Premieres Tuesday (Jan. 2)

LA to Vegas

LA to Vegas - Tuesdays at 9:00PM ET/PT on Fox
Premieres Tuesday, January 2, 2018 at 9:00PM ET/PT


by Skees

Los Angeles to Vegas: it's a weekend flight that you can take from the first city to the second city every weekend to escape everything and let what happens in Vegas stay in Vegas. Fox's newest sitcom, LA to Vegas, follows a flight crew that makes that trip every weekend, along with some of the familiar passengers who make that trek every weekend and a few guests who come along.

Cast Details:

Kim Matula as Ronnie Messing
Ed Weeks as Colin
Nathan Lee Graham as Bernard
Olivia Macklin as Nichole
Peter Stormare as Artem
Dylan McDermott as Captain Dave Pratman

Kim Matula (Ronnie) is best known for her long-running role in the CBS soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful, and aside from a single episode of How I Met Your Mother, she makes her sitcom debut with this series.

Ed Weeks (Colin) is known for his role of Jeremy Reed on The Mindy Project. He has also appeared in episodes of Royal Pains, House of Lies, and other series in the UK.

Nathan Lee Graham (Bernard) appears in the web series Hug-O-Gram and has also appeared in the series The Comeback, as well as episodes of Scrubs and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Olivia Macklin (Nichole) is a relative newcomer to acting who has appeared in HBO's The Young Pope

Peter Stormare (Artem) is a Swedish born actor who has had roles in Sweden and still lives there part-time, and in the United States, he has been seen in series such as Watching Ellie, Prison Break, Weeds, The Blacklist, Arrow, Manhattan, and Longmire, among others.

Dylan McDermott (Captain Dave Pratman) is best known for his role on the ABC series, The Practice. He has also appeared in American Horror Story, Hostages, and Stalker.


Pilot Plot:

"Pilot" (Airs January 2 at 9:00PM ET)

In the pilot, we meet Ronnie Messing (Kim Matula), the airline stewardess who isn't happy with where she is in her professional life. No, she doesn't want to leave behind the life of a stewardess, she wants to leave her job at her current airline on the Los Angeles to Las Vegas flight and get that job with Delta on the Los Angeles to New York flight. When she learns she didn't get it, she takes drastic action, including quitting her job (at least temporarily) and getting involved in a fling with one of the regular passengers, Colin (Ed Weeks) on the flight. Meanwhile, a young couple on the flight is headed to Vegas to elope to escape the big wedding their family has in mind, and that should all go as planned, right?


Analysis:

When I'm watching/reviewing a pilot, I try to look for the good parts of it and focus on those. And I definitely did that with this one as well, but it was hard to find anything good to say about this, as it sort of stinks.

Before getting into what's wrong with it, maybe it is worth pointing out the positives of the series. The individual cast members of the series make up a great are decent actors who could do well on a good TV series with good casting. But that long list of qualifiers already brings up the first problem with the series: it has a cast that doesn't seem to fit in with one another. In watching the first episode, you couldn't really see how they all fit together. So what we've got here is a case of a good cast that seems to be poorly matched.

I also couldn't really tell where the stories are going to go on this series. In the pilot, we got to see Ronnie losing out on a job opportunity and (possibly) opening a new door with a new relationship and the young couple who went to Las Vegas to get hitched. The possibilities with the main cast seem limited, though, as long as they're in the air, so this series will definitely need good guest stars with good stories, and the one in this pilot wasn't all that compelling of a story.

I had trouble finding the laughs in the pilot as well. I've always felt that not all sitcoms need a laugh every minute. In fact, some of the best sitcoms of all time won't necessarily make you laugh out loud at all. But they make up for that with solid storylines, which this series is lacking in what I've seen.

It is worth pointing out that one cast member that I sort of enjoyed that seemed to be underutilized in the pilot was Nathan Lee Graham. I had never really heard of him (although I've seen every episode of Scrubs, which he appeared in one episode, so I've undoubtedly seen him before), but some of the better scenes and somewhat funny (the comedy was still limited by the series itself) scenes came from him. Assuming this series doesn't work out, it would be nice to see him elsewhere, as he seems to have a lot of potential.


Conclusion:

I wish that I could say that I have a glimmer of hope for this series, but I honestly don't. This strikes me as one of those "fly by night" (pun intended) sitcoms that Fox likes to bring out midseason that vanishes within a few weeks and is subsequently completely forgotten about. I'll give it a fair shake and watch it as long as Fox continues to give it a chance, and it's only fair for everybody to do that, but this series came in with low expectations and it seems to have met that standard. Perhaps if the series doesn't stay as "grounded" as the pilot, there is hope for it.

Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):

Watchability: 2/5
Funniness: 2/5
Overall: 2/5

Discuss the show after you watch it on Wednesday, January 2, 2018 at 9:00PM on our message board.

Related Links:


  • Fox.com Official Site
  • TV.com
  • epguides.com
  • Internet Movie Database
  • Wikipedia
  • LA to Vegas Photo Gallery


  • Preview:


    Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

    Friday, October 24

    Vampirina: Teenage Vampire - " First Heartbeat" (Disney Channel, 8:00PM ET/PT)
    Vee reconnects with Billie (from Wizards Beyond Waverly Place) and gets a surprise visit from the Vampire Council. Meanwhile, Britney is mad at Elijah for forgetting their plans.

    Vampirina: Teenage Vampire - "First Power Trip" (Disney Channel, 8:30PM ET/PT)
    Vee, Sophie, Elijah and Britney compete to be Millie Eyelash's opening act. Meanwhile, Demi is forced to protect Dean Merriweather.

    Complete TV Listings


    Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of October 20)

    Friday, October 24

    • Tom Hanks (Bosom Buddies) - Watch Tom on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
    • Jennifer Lopez (South Central) - Jennifer appears on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
    • Bette Midler (Bette) - Bette is a guest on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
    • Tim Meadows (DMV/Schooled/No Activity/Son of Zorn/Mr. Box Office/The Bill Engvall Show) - Tim appears on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
    • Reneé Rapp (The Sex Lives of College Girls) - Reneé is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
    • Christian Slater (Breaking In) - Christian appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
    • Roy Wood Jr. (Sullivan & Son) - Roy talks about The Man of Many Fathers: Life Lessons Disguised as a Memoir with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
    • Brie Larson (United States of Tara/Raising Dad) - Brie and Courtney McBroom tell Drew about their new cookbook – and make a delicious dish for her in the kitchen on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
    • Wilmer Valderrama (That '70s Show) - Wilmer chats about his Starring: Desi Arnaz & Wilmer Valderrama podcast on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.


    New on DVD and Blu-ray

    Frasier (2023) - Season Two Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered) Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray) Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season

    01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
    02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
    03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
    04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
    05/13 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered)
    06/06 - Shoresy - Season 2
    06/17 - Looney Tunes - Collector's Vault - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
    07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
    08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)
    10/07 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season

    More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive


    Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

    10/23 - The CW Holiday Specials Schedule; Apple TV Fraggle Rock Special
    10/22 - Apple TV's Shrinking Returns in January 2026; Season 2 of Idris Elba Series Also Returns in January 2026
    10/21 - FETV Acquires Here Come the Brides; Netflix's Mo Amer Special Trailer
    10/20 - SNL November Guests Lineup; It's a Wonderful Lifetime 2025 Schedule
    10/19 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of October 20, 2025)
    10/18 - SitcomsOnline Digest: First Look at NBC Comedy Stumble; Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage Showrunner Talks When the Inevitable May Happen
    10/17 - Apple TV's Palm Royale Returns November 12; Pop Culture Jeopardy! Moving to Netflix
    10/16 - Kathleen Madigan Prime Video Special; His & Hers Premiere Date for Netflix
    10/15 - ABC Wednesday Comedies Premiere Strong; Sebastian Maniscalco's Hulu Comedy Special Date
    10/14 - Tubi's Breaking Bear Premieres March 2026; NBC's Stumble Trailer
    10/13 - Jurassic World: Chaos Theory Final Season; Bat-Fam Premieres November 10 on Prime Video
    10/12 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of October 13, 2025)
    10/11 - SitcomsOnline Digest: First Look at Upcoming Paramount+ Sitcom Crutch; Yellowjackets to End After Upcoming Season
    10/10 - Prime Video Releases Trailer for The Mighty Nein; Season 2 Premiere Date for Cross
    10/09 - Rachel Sennott's I Love LA Comedy Series Trailer; Kaley Cuoco Heads to MGM+
    10/08 - Prime Video's Kevin Details; Trailer for Crutch with Tracy Morgan
    10/07 - The CW's TV We Love Docuseries; Happy's Place Season 2 Trailer
    10/06 - Dancing with the Stars Surging in Viewership, Especially Among Younger Viewers; Remembering Kimberly Hébert Gregory of Vice Principals
    10/05 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of October 6, 2025)
    10/04 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Fox Cancels The Great North; Everybody Loves Raymond Cast Set to Reunite for 30 Year Anniversary
    10/03 - MeTV Acquires Everybody Loves Raymond; Hazbin Hotel Season 2 Trailer
    10/02 - CBS Presents Everybody Loves Raymond: 30th Anniversary Reunion; Apple TV+ Renews Peanuts Specials Through 2030
    10/01 - The CW's Six Brand New Movies Starting November 16; Hulu's Family Guy Halloween Special Details
    09/30 - Sarah Sherman HBO Comedy Special in December; Huluween Programming for 2025
    09/29 - Netflix Renews Haunted Hotel for Season 2; Christmas Comedy Series Sicilia Express
    09/28 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of September 29, 2025)
    09/27 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Scrubs Cast Comes Together for First Table Read for Reboot; Monopoly Game Show Moving Ahead
    09/26 - Netflix Adds to Cast for Running Point Season 2; Stiller & Meara Apple TV+ Documentary
    09/25 - Adam Pally HBO Comedy Special; Jimmy Kimmel Live! Returns with Huge Ratings
    09/24 - Weigel's Newest Diginet WEST Launches Monday, September 29; New Baywatch Coming to Fox in 2026-27
    09/23 - DMV Trailer for CBS; Mo Amer Returns to Netflix