I’m the first to admit that even if the basic premise of a TV series is a little dumb, if the show is enjoyable, I’ll handwave it.
Blood & Oil, premiering tonight at 9PM ET/PT on ABC, features two young and pretty characters (played by Gossip Girl’s Chace Crawford and Red Band Society’s Rebecca Rittenhouse) who come to North Dakota to strike it rich by opening a laundromat in an oil boom town. Never mind that there already is a laundromat in town — they do this while driving an old truck, barely protecting their assets, which they didn’t even bother to insure. And that’s just in the first minute. Yes, it’s naive. Yes, it’s kind of dumb. But these two characters are kind of likable, and if it gets them into this story, so be it.
Suspension of disbelief aside, I think part of what I really enjoyed about Blood & Oil is that, if Empire is this generation’s successor to Dynasty, then this one is definitely a successor to Dallas, a show that holds a special spot in my heart, no matter what nonsense the TNT show went through near the end. The producers and cast seem to deny any connection, but in my eyes, Don Johnson’s “Hap” Briggs reminds me so much of the Dallas patriarch, Jock Ewing, with perhaps a little bit of the Ray Krebbs character thrown in. Again, not a bad thing. As Dallas descended upon the world of Mexican drug cartels and Judith Light hamming it up as a character who is decades older than the actress really is, I wanted to see another show where oil and family equaled power. I’ve got that here… at least, as far as the first episode goes. There’s even an unofficial Dallas tie as Barry Corbin plays a pivotal role in the series pilot. Corbin played the Dallas sheriff, Fenton Washburn, in early seasons of that show and appeared in the new series as the lawyer who read J.R.’s will.
Blood & Oil is a show where characters do very risky things and either succeed or don’t succeed while they’re at it. Billy and Cody LeFever are both doing things that could get them in trouble later; Scott Michael Foster’s “Wick” definitely is getting himself into mischief. I’m also curious about Hap Briggs’ wife (Amber Valletta) – what is her deal?
But, yes, you do have to suspend disbelief. It’s not a high-brow show like The Good Wife, and that’s okay. As long as I have a good time, that is all I ask for as a viewer. Keep dealing and scheming and all of that, and stay away from drug cartel storylines, and I’ll get that successor to Dallas that I always wanted. I’m not sure it’s the best fit to follow Once Upon A Time on Sunday nights, but at the very least, it’s a fun alternative to zombies and good wives on the other channels.
Blood & Oil premieres tonight (September 27) on ABC. Take a look at some photos from the series premiere below:
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BLOOD & OIL - "Pilot" - Billy and Cody Lefever are a young, recently married couple with dreams bigger than their working-class upbringing. Following the largest oil discovery in American history, they pack up and move from their small city to the boomtown of Rock Springs, North Dakota, where a millionaire is made every day. Intent on tapping into this explosion of wealth, they set out to start their own business, which they've financed with every penny to their name. After a rough start, Billy becomes increasingly eager to cash in on this modern day gold rush. When he tries his hand in the oil business, he crosses paths with the baron of the Bakken, Hap Briggs and his equally powerful wife, Carla, as they embark on expanding their empire into new territory. But tangling with titans is not for the faint of heart and when Billy bets big, it causes Cody to question his intentions, and ultimately their marriage, on the series premiere of "Blood & Oil," airing SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 (9:00-10:01 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network. (ABC/Fred Hayes)DON JOHNSON
