LA to Vegas

When I first saw the trailer for this show I knew I had something to look forward to each week. Captain Dave is the pilot my husband wishes he could be. Is it a realistic portrayal of the airline industry? Of course not. But it's close enough to home and that's exactly why it fits the bill. These characters do and say what we wish we could at their workplace in the sky, much like how how Michael and the cast from The Office do and say things that would never fly past HR in real life. Is every joke perfect? No, but enough of them make me belly laugh and turn to high five my husband while we shhhhh each other to pay attention. We've watched and rewatched the episodes to replay our favorite one-liners and while some of the jokes are Sophomoric that is exactly what I was hoping for from Will Ferrell. In a way, Captain Dave is a 2018 version of Captain Ron Burgandy and I couldn't be happier.

Surprisingly, I love that Captain Dave is not the main character. I have found myself enjoying the depth and flaws of Ronnie, the Lead Floght Attendant. I didn't expect the show to make her more than a sky waitress so kudos to the writers. I am also hoping to see a lot more of Bernard (loved him as Todd in Zoolander). His witty quips and impecoble timing are spot on and are probably some of the most true to life conversations I've overheard from my real life airline industry friends. Not to mention that Bernard has some of the best raised eyebrow expressions that speak for themselves.

Hoping this show gets wheels up for many more seasons.

I give the series an 8 out of 10 rating with room to exceed my expectations.

Ever been to Vegas? Ever taken a red eye to Vegas? Well how about taken a bus to Vegas? Well for you naysayers, I think not. I am not saying that the pilot episode of LA to Vegas knocked my socks off, or hit it out of the ballpark, but there are a varied eclectic cast of characters that I see great potential in this comedy series.

Take Nicole (Olivia Macklin) for instance, she is a stripper who travels from LA to Vegas on a regular basis in an effort to recruit new strippers for the Vegas strip club she works at as she gets a bonus for every new girl she brings in.

Then there is the pilot Captain Dave (Dylan McDermott) who uses his position to pick up girls and bring them to his cockpit. A regular on this flight is a veteran gambler named Artem (Peter Stormare) who gambles by superstitions and will bet on anything including a young couples marriage vows. Captain Dave's co-pilot Alan (Amir Talai) who aspired to be a dancer (and apparently still does) seems to have more luck picking up the ladies than Captain Dave does.

The lead actress in the series is Kim Matula who plays stewardess Ronnie who hates her job as a puddle jumper flight attendant and aspires to become a Delta stewardess on international flights. Ronnie knows how to make her passengers happy even if she appears to be miserable doing it, as she states "I go on my gut". So she attempts to have sex in the plane's bathroom with a British passenger (Ed Weeks) but gets interrupted. Her peer steward is gay Bernard (Nathan Lee Graham). Bernard is very content in his job and tries to explain to Ronnie she is perfect as his peer stewardess. Bernard sees how easy it is for Ronnie to make their repeat passengers comfortable on their multiple flights to and from LA to Vegas.

The show is not about what happens in Vegas but what happens on the flights from LA to Vegas and from Vegas back to LA. So I say give this series a chance and watch a few more episodes and I am quite sure it will grow on us, just like the future multiple Golden Globe and Emmy winning series Seinfeld did after being bashed in the media continuously during its first flight (no pun intended).

It's the LA to Vegas route for discount Jackpot Airlines. Flight Attendant Ronnie is desperate to get on a better airline and travel the world. Bernard is the sassy gay flight attendant. Captain Dave (Dylan McDermott) is the drunken womanizing pilot and Alan is the co-pilot. Frequent flyers include gambler Artem, stripper Nichole, and British professor divorced parent Colin.

This is a fun bunch of characters. They're likeable individually and as a group. The premise is a little thin but the amiable actors make it work. It doesn't have the highest of aspirations but the fun group keeps the show going. It gets cancelled after one season. There are worst shows left on the network schedule.

I only write this because I am so sick of people wanting everything to be a cop procedural or talent contests or something in a hospital. Shows can be just fun. I know I am in the minority here but just STFU and enjoy some mindless humor FFS! Look if you want some nonsense to laugh at for 30 minutes this is a show you will enjoy. If you need everything to be some sort of commentary on society or watching a 12 year old hypnotist make a dog act like a chicken then you probably won't dig this show.

Being an Airline Pilot myself, I can say I love how they cover all the satirical topics of our industry. But to me, it's all about Captain Dave. If he could have his own show, I'd watch it all day.