‘The Strip’ full of flash, but no substance

The first of the midseason replacement shows has hit the air, prematurely it appears.

Several series, including Fox’s “Manchester Prep” and ABC’s “Then Came You,” got held back from the fall roster for fine-tuning (a euphemism for major revamping). “The Strip,” which debuts at 9 tonight on UPN, instead got hustled forward, replacing the more promising sounding “Secret Agent Man.”

“The Strip” is essentially a P.I. show set in Las Vegas, and it makes the old Robert Urich series “Vega$” look absolutely textured. Like its setting, the show, produced under the aegis of action-master Joel Silver (“Lethal Weapon,” “Die Hard”), is garish and loud, with rapid cutting and pounding music.

Fortunately, Las Vegas was already developed for the series’ producers, as they’ve put very little creativity in the characters of “The Strip.” Here’s a fake teaser for the program: “They used to be Vegas cops. Now they’re on the lookout for card counters at a casino.”

In a nutshell, partners Elvis Ford (Sean Patrick Flannery, “The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles”) and Jesse Weir (Guy Torry) quit the force to work as the security team for wealthy casino owner Cameron Greene (Joseph Viterelli). Here’s an example of the show’s logic: Ford was deeply in debt to a local bookie, but after finding out that his new boss has paid off his marker, he insists on paying back the mobbed-up Greene. So owing money to a nasty criminal is OK, but owing it to the more respectable criminal isn’t? Huh?

The best-drawn character is the Lucky Charms-munching Greene. He knows who he is and where he came from, but is now trying to make the glittery strip safe for tourists.

The debut episode had some interesting twists and turns, with some “Mission Impossible”-type gadgets, but it also had the gratuitous violence that no Silver production can be complete without.

In short, “The Strip” has lots of bang, lots of flash, but very little substance. Welcome to the Grade-B TV series.