The Casino
GenreReality television
Created byMark Burnett
James Bruce
Conrad Riggs
Written byJames Bruce
Mark Burnett
Robert Lieberman
Presented byRichard Wilk
John Sunstrum
Theme music composerBono and The Edge
Opening theme"Two Shots of Happy, One Shot of Sad"
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13
Production
Production locationsGolden Nugget Hotel & Casino Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Running time44 mins.
Production companyMark Burnett Productions
Original release
NetworkFox
ReleaseJune 14 (2004-06-14) –
August 29, 2004 (2004-08-29)

The Casino is an American reality television series broadcast on the Fox network in 2004 which followed two dot-com millionaires, Thomas Breitling and Tim Poster, as they manage the Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino, located in downtown Las Vegas instead of the more popular Las Vegas Strip.

The show was created by Mark Burnett, the creator of Survivor.[1] It was canceled shortly before the last three episodes of the series could be broadcast due to dismal ratings. However, sister station Fox Reality Channel picked up The Casino and broadcast the unaired episodes and then ran the series in re-runs until its cancellation from that network.

Production

Scenes of Tim Poster and Thomas Breitling were filmed around Las Vegas in January 2004.[2] Filming at the Golden Nugget was initially scheduled to begin that same month,[2] but was delayed and began instead on February 2, 2004.[3]

Casinos such as the Aladdin Resort & Casino and Caesars Palace were initially considered rather than the Golden Nugget.[1] An area of the Golden Nugget's casino was closed off to allow for filming of high-stakes gambling at a roulette wheel, a dice table, and four blackjack tables.[4] The Casino was the first reality series to be shot with high-definition video cameras.[1] Eighteen camera crews shot approximately 270 hours of footage for each hour-long episode. Executive producer James Bruce speculated that the show "could go on forever" because of its variety.[5]

Other filming locations included the Las Vegas Strip and downtown Las Vegas.[6][7] Filming at the Golden Nugget concluded on March 17, 2004, with additional background footage to be shot at a later time.[5] The theme song, "Two Shots of Happy, One Shot of Sad", was written by Bono and The Edge, and performed by Matt Dusk.

Broadcast

The Casino began airing on June 14, 2004.[4] In July 2004, it was reported that The Casino was a ratings disappointment, and that Poster, Breitling, and employees did not like the show's portrayal of the Golden Nugget, including its "staged feel".[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Cling, Carol (February 9, 2004). "Shooting Stars: 'Survivor' producer Burnett excited with 'Casino' work". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on February 20, 2004.
  2. ^ a b Cling, Carol (January 12, 2004). "Shooting Stars: 'Las Vegas,' 'Elimidate' prepare to start new work around town". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on February 20, 2004.
  3. ^ Cling, Carol (February 2, 2004). "Shooting Stars: Production on 'The Casino' set to begin at Golden Nugget". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on April 4, 2004.
  4. ^ a b White, Ken (June 3, 2004). "Reality Series: Lights, Cameras ... Gamble". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on July 7, 2004.
  5. ^ a b Cling, Carol (March 15, 2004). "Shooting Stars: Fox's 'Casino' completes initial work at Golden Nugget". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on March 7, 2005.
  6. ^ Cling, Carol (January 26, 2004). "Shooting Stars: Area production schedule features foreign visitors". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on November 17, 2004.
  7. ^ Cling, Carol (March 8, 2004). "Shooting Stars: Night spot at Forum Shops at Caesars focus of VTV series". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on July 7, 2004.
  8. ^ Clarke, Norm (July 18, 2004). "The other 'Casino'". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on March 8, 2007.

External links


Television series created by Mark Burnett
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