Vegas’ Season 1, Episode 1

• CBS
• “I’m the law in this town”

Westerns are making a comeback, and the broadcast networks are finally getting in on the game. While CBS churns out a great deal of popular police procedural shows (their bread and butter), they come out now and again with something truly different and great. “The Good Wife” (whose new season starts up this coming Sunday) has been the shining example until, perhaps, now. “Vegas” may take over as CBS’s best dramatic offering, coming out of the box with not only a strong pilot but an extraordinary cast.

There’s something nice and old-fashioned about “Vegas” that plays upon the best cliches. It doesn’t feel stodgy or boilerplate, but it does seem familiar. That’s not due to the fact, either, that it’s actually based on the real-life story of a rancher Ralph Lamb (played by Dennis Quaid) who was the Las Vegas Sheriff for almost two decades. Quaid’s Lamb is not the morally gray protagonist of modern stories — he’s the good guy in the cowboy hat using his shotgun to bring down the bad guys. He’s also a surly ex-cop with a long-deceased wife and a ranch that he just wants to tend in peace, of course. Lamb is one of the stand-up good guys from the height of Westerns’ popularity, which was some time around when this series actually takes place (1960). The setting, theme and characters reminds one of a hodgepodge of “Deadwood,” “Boardwalk Empire” and “Mad Men.” Not shabby at all. For more on the specifics of the pilot episode and why this one could be worth sticking with (and where Michael Chiklis fits in), hit the jump.