This article originally appeared in the Las Vegas Sun

Fox News political and social commentator and anchor Bill O’Reilly has turned the spotlight on Las Vegas and Nevada for part of his new Sunday night TV series “Legends & Lies: The Real West.”

The series began April 12 and after its two-episode premiere this Sunday will air the fifth installment with a look at David Crockett and a repeat of the Kit Carson episode.

When Bill talked about the breakthrough series on his “The O’Reilly Factor,” he said: “This history series about the Old West has gotten great viewer reaction. It’s fun to watch. Exciting and you learn stuff. There’s also a companion book, ‘Legends & Lies.’ It’s just great if you want to know about the history of the West in detail."

The hourlong episodes recount the tales of the greatest characters of the Wild West and feature first-hand accounts from descendants and historians along with the support of archival photographs and special effects to let viewers see the forensic science behind the historical analysis.

The programs look at Wild Bill Hickok, who was a well-known gambler and was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame here in Las Vegas. Western frontier man Kit Carson had not only a river in the state named after him, but also our capital, Carson City. We also have the Kit Carson Elementary School here in Las Vegas.

John Finley, VP of development and Bill’s co-executive producer, told me future episodes include Black Bart on May 10; Billy the Kid on May 17; George Custer on May 31; The Real Lone Ranger on June 7; and Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid on June 14.

He explained why the network teamed with Bill:

It’s not that it seems odd for Fox News to be broadcasting a historical series, but it is a departure from talking heads and politics.

Yes, it’s different. We’re always looking for new opportunities to reach new viewers and give our normal viewers something different.

Again, we felt that the historical programming as opposed to some other versions, as opposed to say reality programming, made more sense with the interests of our audience. We’re very happy with the way that it’s started out. His books of “Legends & Lies” ties in with the television series.

America’s Wild West was truly wild out here in Nevada, yes?

Yes, indeed. Some of the characters in the show obviously have historical ties to Nevada. I know Wild Bill Hickok was a gambler. In real life, he’s in the Poker Hall of Fame, which I understand is out there in Las Vegas. Carson City is named after Kit Carson, who was the focus of last week’s episode.

We talked about Carson and John Fremont exploring this sort of western territory in last week’s episode, too. Then there are lots of Doc Holiday stories in nearby Arizona, so there are regional ties to the Las Vegas area.

The show is now how many weeks old?

Three weeks old but four episodes in as we ran a double-premiere episode. The fifth episode is this weekend on Davy Crockett. He’s from Texas; no Las Vegas connection. The Alamo is specific in that episode.

How much historical research went into these episodes?

A great deal of research and then used in the writing, and then obviously there are historical experts reviewed throughout the course of the program, too.

Bill has been very happy with the success so far. From a ratings perspective, it’s given us a large percentage increase in viewers and key demographics for the first four episodes of the show.

This was not an inexpensive production I’m guessing, right?

It was a different undertaking for us. It feels and presents itself very much like a Hollywood production. They’re always present for not all of the shooting but some of the shooting of the episodes. They had special effects guys and stunt doubles and horse trainers and gunshots going off and all sorts of stuff, which historically we haven’t don't a lot of. It was fascinating to watch, and I think it comes across in the level of production of the show.

We shot in Arizona, but Las Vegas wasn’t really around in the modern sense for most of these stories.

Is this going to trigger more programming of this nature for Fox?

We’re considering that now. We’re considering options for a second season of “Legends & Lies,” extending the franchise. We’re also considering other ideas in this genre, but we’re not ready to announce anything just quite yet.

And viewer reaction?

It’s been very positive. People have enjoyed seeing something different in terms of our programming. I think it’s taken people by surprise that something like this would find a home with Fox, but in a very positive way.

Are schoolteachers using this to teach history?

I don’t know the answer, but it’s something that we’ve talked about internally. We haven’t done anything to push that or make it specifically available yet, but it’s something that we’ve talked about and are considering because they are doing it on their own. Obviously, I’d encourage that; I think it’s terrific”.

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History is back as a big audience favorite: Bill’s companion book has already become a No. 1 New York Times bestseller. Fox’s Sunday 8 p.m. hour has reaped a huge ratings boost with a 170 percent increase in viewers and a 182 percent increase in key demographics over last year.

Robin Leach of “Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous” fame has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past 15 years giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Sun A&E Senior Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.