Las Vegas: NBC in Trouble Over Series Finale — Did This Cause the Show’s Cancellation?

Though Las Vegas is on its way out, that’s not stopping a conservative watchdog group from taking some final shots at the NBC series.

It seems that the Parents Television Council (PTC) has a problem with the last two episodes of Las Vegas. They’ve filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) over an image that was shown on the February 15th installments of the five-year-old drama.

In the opening moments of the first of two episodes, three young women gather together in the center of the Montecito casino floor and disrobe. They then begin to run around the casino, creating a distraction for some bad guys to start a robbery. As you might expect, this was filmed without showing any objectionable nudity.

What the PTC has a problem with is what they claim they can see on small casino security monitors. In a recent press release, they say that the women’s “buttocks are visible, and only shadows obscure their breasts and groins.”

In a statement, PTC President Tim Winter said, “This crossed the line of common sense decency. NBC seems eager to test the FCC’s resolve to fine stations for violating broadcast decency laws. I remind NBC that the broadcast airwaves are public property. The TV networks do not own them. The TV stations do not own them. The industry must be held accountable for the content they air and the FCC must act in the public interest by slapping NBC with a significant indecency fine.”

These fines are serious business. A few weeks ago, the FCC hit 52 ABC affiliate stations with a fine of $1.4 million because of a 2003 episode of NYPD Blue. As you might expect, NBC has had no comment on the complaint as yet.

Though the series won’t be back on NBC next season, the network will still have to pay the fine if the FCC agrees with the PTC. Could this complaint from the conservative watchdog group have had a hand in getting Las Vegas cancelled? Even if the peacock network had already decided the drama’s fate, this issue over the series finale likely ensures the network won’t be changing their mind. Stay tuned!