Yahoo News As CNN Rebuilds Original Series Unit, It Sets Sights On ‘Vegas’ (Exclusive)
CNN, meet Sin City.
As CNN appears poised to expand its original series offerings, the cable channel has set its next series: Vegas: The Story of Sin City.
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The series will premiere Sunday, Feb. 25 at 10 p.m., and will explore “the past seventy years of America’s cultural maturation through the lens of this unique city, featuring the entertainment acts, the visionary entrepreneurs, the infamous mafia figures, and the colorful political history that put it on the map,” per CNN.
That will include interviews with Vegas icons like Wayne Newton and Paul Anka, as well as journalists, showgirls, and historians. The series is produced for CNN by Bungalow Media+ Entertainment.
“Vegas is another of our acclaimed CNN Original Series that brings new life and color to major stories and events in our collective history,” said Amy Entelis, executive VP of talent for CNN Originals, and creative development for CNN Worldwide. “From the 1930s through today and from its Golden Age to its reinvention, this is the definitive telling of the story of Las Vegas and showcases the city’s everlasting ability to reflect and refract the American identity.”
The series comes as Las Vegas is having a cultural moment, having just hosted its first Formula 1 Grand Prix, and with the city set to host the Super Bowl next month.
It is also debuting as CNN appears set to invest more in CNN Originals after a pullback under former CEO Chris Licht.
In 2022, Licht announced that CNN would cut back on original series acquired from third-party production partners, and would instead lean on in-house productions (the company subsequently launched a CNN Studios division to develop those series).
Among the casualties was the popular travel-food series Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy, which just won its third consecutive Emmy award earlier this month (Nat Geo subsequently picked up a new show from Tucci with a similar premise).
However, new CNN chief Mark Thompson told staff in a memo earlier this month that he plans to adjust CNN’s original series strategy:
“I’m a strong supporter of news adjacent content and topical entertainment and plan both to reinvest in Originals and to experiment more boldly alongside our core news offering,” Thompson wrote.
You can watch the trailer for Vegas, below.
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