The 2007 CBS TV series “Viva Laughlin” was a remake of the show “Blackpool,” which ran on BBC One in the mid-2000s. In the British series, David Morrissey played Ripley Holden, a character who became embroiled in a murder in a local video arcade right when he was planning on transforming it into a hotel and casino. Georgia Taylor played Shyanne, Ripley’s bratty daughter, while Sarah Parish portrayed Ripley’s wife Natalie, and erstwhile “Doctor Who” star David Tennant played a cop who was convinced that Ripley was guilty. “Blackpool” ran for six episodes in 2004 and then returned for a 2006 TV movie titled “Viva Blackpool.” The show’s main selling point was that it featured multiple musical numbers in every episode. The works of Elvis Presley (the musical ones, not his movies), Elvis Costello, Queen, Billy Idol, the Clash, and many others were crooned by the cast.
Advertisement
In 2007, “Blackpool” was adapted for the American airwaves by Bob Lowry and Peter Bowker (the latter of whom also created “Blackpool”). “Viva Laughlin” transposed the selling to Laughlin, Nevada, a small town about 90 minutes southeast of Las Vegas. Ripley Holden was now played by Lloyd Owen, while Ellen Woglom played his daughter, sporting the re-spelled name of Cheyenne. Similarly, Mädchen Amick played Ripley’s wife Natalie, with Eric Winter portraying the cop on Ripley’s tail. “Viva Laughlin” also featured a notable addition in the form of hotshot casino investor Nicky Fontana, as played by the ordinarily dazzling Hugh Jackman, in addition to multiple musical numbers covering well-known pop hits (like its predecessor).
Advertisement
With Jackman bringing his showmanship to the table, one might expect “Viva Laughlin” to be far glitzier than “Blackpool.” Few people got to find out, though, as the former was canceled after only two episodes. “Viva Laughlin” debuted on October 18, 2007, and aired its finale on October 21. Five episodes were filmed, but the remaining three have yet to see the light of day. Indeed, as of this writing, it’s thought those final three episodes may have be lost forever.
Three of the five Viva Laughlin episodes may be gone forever
It’s certainly worth noting that “Viva Laughlin” was widely derided when it was released. Alessandra Stanley’s review in the New York Times argued that it was not only the worst new show of CBS’ 2007 lineup but may’ve also had the worst premiere episode ever. She compared the series to Steven Bochco’s bizarre (but actually pretty good) 1990 bomb “Cop Rock,” but noted that “Cop Rock” is admirable for its striking originality. “Viva Laughlin,” because it was a remake, felt derivative right away. The idea of a musical murder mystery isn’t inherently bad, she went on, but it was undeniably terrible here.
Advertisement
Diane Werts’ equally harsh review for Newsday counted out everything that “Viva Laughlin” did wrong, from the casting to the songs. The first episode featured Blondie’s “One Way or Another” and the Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil.” However, Werts felt they were sung without passion, stopping the story cold to croon. Despite Jackman’s involvement, the show’s poor critical reception, coupled with a total lack of interest among viewers, caused CBS to panic. As a result, the network yanked the series before any more damage could be done.
While six episodes of “Viva Laughlin” in total were reportedly filmed, they have yet to surface. Indeed, the only known episodes that are available online right now are low-quality bootlegs. CBS really, really didn’t want people to see this. This is one of those instances wherein any pirate is currently serving as an archivist.
Advertisement
Did CBS delete the remaining episodes? Probably not entirely. It’s likely the completed, fully-edited episodes exist in a CBS vault somewhere. It’s also just as likely that the network wants to keep them there. Why risk another round of mockery?
Case in point: When “Viva Laughlin” was canceled, Vulture wrote that it “would like to express our sincere condolences to the cast and crew, and our warmest thanks to CBS for sparing us from another crappy episode.” Ouch.
R.I.P. “Viva Laughlin.” We hardly knew ye.
