Quirky ‘Viva Laughlin’ hits high note for CBS

The technicolor fantasy “Pushing Daisies” was the early front-runner for the most creative new series of the fall season. But now it has got competition in “Viva Laughlin,” which debuts with a one-time airing at 10 tonight on CBS before moving to its regular time slot at 8 p.m. Sunday, beginning Oct. 21.

“Viva Laughlin” is an intriguing hybrid: part melodrama, part murder mystery, part musical.

The heart of the show is Ripley Holden (played by Lloyd Owen), an optimistic businessman who sold a string of convenience stores in order to build his dream casino in Laughlin, Nev.

Providing stability to Ripley is his family: wife Natalie (Madchen Amick), college-age daughter Cheyenne (Ellen Woglom) and teen-age son Jack (Carter Jenkins).

But Ripley is surrounded by colorful characters at work: rival casino owner Nicky Fontana (Hugh Jackman, also an executive producer), Nicky’s fixer Marcus (DB Woodside), old flame Bunny (Melanie Griffith, doing her best blowzy blonde) and Ripley’s faithful creative accountant Jonesy (P.J. Byrne).

Ripley’s dream starts to fade when an investor pulls out at the last minute. So much of the premiere is the entrepreneur scrambling to find more funding so the casino can open.

The plotline itself is fairly straightforward. What makes “Viva Laughlin” different is having characters sing along with contemporary rock songs in place of dialogue. And, hard to believe, this actually works, with the songs advancing the storyline.

CBS has put the offbeat “Viva Laughlin” in a time slot where it can succeed, on Sunday nights, where the stakes are lower. Up against Fox animation, NFL football and “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” it won’t have to break the bank in order to keep rolling.