A city known for its mega casinos and wild nightlife will be the focus of CNN’s latest original series.
Vegas: The Story of Sin City will take viewers on a journey into the heart and history of one of America’s most beloved and notorious cities.
Premiering on Sunday, Feb. 25 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CNN, this docuseries will over four episodes showcase the past 70 years of America’s cultural maturation through the lens of Vegas, featuring the entertainment acts, visionary entrepreneurs, infamous mafia figures, and the colorful political history that put it on the map.
Interviews with notable Vegas entertainers like Paul Anka and Wayne Newton, former showgirls, journalists, and cultural historians will document the city’s evolution into an entertainment mecca, revealing the role Las Vegas played in the most important movements and moments shaping American culture as we know it today.
“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 CNN evp of talent, CNN Originals and Creative Development Amy Entelis said in a statement. “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.”
Produced by Bungalow Media + Entertainment, Vegas: The Story of Sin City is the latest series to be produced by an outside party, continuing a trend reestablished by CNN’s CEO Mark Thompson, who, in a company-wide memo sent to CNN staffers earlier this month stated, “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.”
The first collaboration with a third-party suitor under Thompson’s watch was the new limited CNN Original Series The United States of Scandal with Jake Tapper, produced by The Intellectual Property Corporation. The series premieres with a two-episode special on Sunday, Feb. 18 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, with the remaining single episodes airing regularly on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
Vegas: The Story of Sin City is executive produced by Robert Friedman, Stephen J. Morrison, Mike Powers, Liz Yale Marsh, and Richard Zoglin for Bungalow Media + Entertainment and Entelis and Lyle Gamm for CNN Original Series.