Created by Rich Wilkes
Vegas Dick was a UPN pilot, scheduled to air during the 2003-04 season, that never quite made it.
Although with a title like that, how could it lose?
It centered on young, hip and hunky DICKY BARRETT (or is it “STEVENS”?), a former con artist and parking valet attempting to go straight, but who ends up talking his way into a gig as the house detective at a swanky Las Vegas casino and hotel, after saving the life of the Madeline (played by Katherine Heigl), the daughter of the owner.
Unfortunately, Dicky (besides of course having the misfortune of being called “Dicky”) had several grifter cronies from his past life who aren’t convinced he’s gone straight, and he’s forced to juggle his new life with his former con ways. So, instead of cutting off all ties, he makes good use of his old mates, including Barnes, a twenty-something babe; Miguel Cruz, a teenage electronics whiz; and his uncle, Clay (played by Elliot Gould), an elderly scam artist who may just be losing it.
I dunno. It sounded promising to me. And having Gould onboard seemed like a good thing, one of the first of his “aging uncle” roles that he would later perfect in such shows as The Lincoln Lawyer and Ray Donovan.
Plus, Las Vegas seemed to be really hot as a TV show location in 2003. CBS kicked it off with CSI, Fox continued it with the quirky comedy/drama Lucky, and several other networks jumped on the bandwagon that year, including CBS with Las Vegas and Lifetime with Wild Card.
But a hot location apparently wasn’t enough. The pilot crapped out, and apparently never even made it to air. The pilot, however, has surfaced on You Tube, so you be the judge.
TELEVISION
- VEGAS DICK | Watch the pilot
(2003, UPN)
Unaired pilot
Created by Rich Wilkes
Writers: Rich Wilkes
Co-executive producer: Rich Wilkes
Executive producers: Neil Moritz, Marty Adelstein and Dawn Parouse
Starring Vincent Ventresca as DICKY BARRETT (Or is it “Stevens”?)
Also starring Katherine Heigl as Madeline
Elliott Gould as Clay
and Jullian Dulce Vida as Miguel
FURTHER INVESTIGATION
- Viva Las Vegas!
Feeling lucky? A list of Las Vegas eyes. - Not Quite Ready for Primetime
More Pilots That Didn’t Fly & Spin-offs That Didn’t Spin
THE DICK OF THE DAY
- September 11, 2026
THE BOTTOM LINE: A young, hip and hunky former con artist and parking valet talks his way into a job as a casino house dick. He may have filled his shirts well, but the network couldn’t fit his show into the schedule — the pilot never even aired. Maybe the title had something to do with it? But judge for yourself — the pilot’s on YouTube.
Respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith, following a lead from Chris Gumprich.
