The Strip (American TV series)

The Strip is an American action drama series created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, which aired on UPN from October 12, 1999 to July 7, 2000, during the 1999–2000 television season. The drama series was produced by Silver Pictures Television, Millar Gough Ink and Warner Bros. Television.

The Strip
GenreAction drama
Created by
Written by
Directed by
Starring
Opening themeCumbionda mix by Argento Vivo (Canale 21 airings in Italy only)
Composers
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes10
Production
Executive producers
Production locationsLas Vegas, Nevada
Cinematography
  • Christopher Faloona
  • Andres L. Porras
Editors
  • Ron Spring
  • Rick Tuber
  • Kerry Michael Tym
Running time60 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkUPN
ReleaseOctober 12, 1999 (1999-10-12) –
July 7, 2000 (2000-07-07)

Synopsis

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Sean Patrick Flanery and Guy Torry portray former Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department detectives who are hired by the owner of Caesars Palace to serve as "troubleshooters" protecting his interests.

The series was cancelled after nine episodes, with a tenth episode airing months later in July 2000.

Cast

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Episodes

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No.TitleOriginal air date
1"Games Without Frontiers"October 12, 1999 (1999-10-12)
2"Send Me an Angel"October 19, 1999 (1999-10-19)
3"Murder by Numbers"October 26, 1999 (1999-10-26)
4"Winner Takes It All"November 2, 1999 (1999-11-02)
5"Even Better Than the Real Thing"November 9, 1999 (1999-11-09)
6"Use Your Illusion"November 16, 1999 (1999-11-16)
7"We Will Rock You"November 23, 1999 (1999-11-23)
8"Money for Nothing"December 14, 1999 (1999-12-14)
9"I Wear My Sunglasses at Night"January 11, 2000 (2000-01-11)
10"Pilot"July 7, 2000 (2000-07-07)

Production

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The Strip was picked up by UPN as a series in March 1999. It was created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, who served as executive producers alongside Joel Silver.[1][2]

The series was shot during 1999, at various locations in the Las Vegas Valley,[3][4][5] including the real Caesars Palace resort. Other locations used throughout the series included the Stratosphere resort, Eldorado Dry Lake, and a warehouse in Henderson, Nevada that served as a soundstage facility.[3][6][7][4] The series premiered on October 12, 1999,[5][8] and was canceled six weeks later.[4][9]

Distribution

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In the Czech Republic, the series was broadcast as "Bulvár Strip" from 2001 to 2002.

In Italy, the show first aired on 7Gold with DEA5 dubbing under the title "La Striscia" from 2009 to 2010. It was also featured on Telecapri, Telecapri News, and occasionally Telecity 1.

In December 2014, the series returned to 7Gold with the new title "La Striscia - Viale Strip di Las Vegas," but only 5 of the 10 episodes were broadcast. The series was moved from its afternoon slot to late night at 11:55pm, and subsequently aired in the midnight block of Sette Notte (Monday to Saturday late evening, and Sundays at 8pm). On December 26, 2014, the series faced criticism for its scheduling and similarities between its title and the Italian version "Viale Strip." To boost ratings, the series returned to also briefly air in the afternoon from December 29, 2014, to January 1, 2015, replacing teleshopping. Despite these efforts, it was removed from the schedule on January 2, 2015, due to poor performance.

The series briefly returned to 7Gold Musica on February 16, 2015, with a single episode airing at 5:45pm before being removed due to low ratings.

On January 22, 2018, the series resumed on Canale 21 as "Viale Strip" with episodes cropped to 16:9, redubbed by DEA5, and a new intro, 'Cumbionda Mix' by Argento Vivo. This version became a flagship series of Neapolitan television, with all 10 episodes broadcast. It aired in both morning and nighttime slots (and rarely in the afternoon, replacing movies up until April 15, 2018) until May 14, 2018, when it was removed after reruns were sold out.

In Turkey, the series began airing on Nickelodeon and Show TV on June 30, 2024. It is shown every Thursday at 3 pm on Nickelodeon and every Saturday and Sunday at 2 am on Show TV under the title "Vegas Şeridi".

The series is not currently available for streaming on Max.

Reception

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Ray Richmond of Variety wrote: "As shallow and contrived as The Strip often proves to be, there is also something wonderful about a show that ain't afraid to wear its testosterone and aggression on its sleeve".[8]

References

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  1. ^ Hontz, Jenny (March 10, 1999). "UPN orders WB TV pilot from Silver". Variety. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  2. ^ Littleton, Cynthia (August 6, 1999). "UPN's silver lining". Variety. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Cling, Carol (September 20, 1999). "HBO ends filming installments of 'Taxicab Confessions'". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on October 5, 2000.
  4. ^ a b c Cling, Carol (November 29, 1999). "UPN cancels 'Strip'; filming concludes this week". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on January 22, 2001.
  5. ^ a b Cling, Carol (October 11, 1999). "Carradine hopes TV movie turns into regular series". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on October 30, 2000.
  6. ^ Cling, Carol (September 27, 1999). "Fall TV season keeps Vegas hopping with business". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on April 30, 2001.
  7. ^ Cling, Carol (November 1, 1999). "'Blind Date' captures adventures of five local couples". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on August 23, 2000.
  8. ^ a b Richmond, Ray (October 12, 1999). "The Strip". Variety. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  9. ^ Wolk, Josh (November 24, 1999). "The Artist announces a '1999' New Year's Eve concert". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
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