Tell-Tale TV Series Premiere Panels: Blood & Oil

ABC’s certainly tried to find a soapy show to replace Revenge, but is Blood & Oil the answer?

In the premiere of Blood & Oil, we’re transported to a town that eats, sleeps, and breathes oil. It’s the number one earner, and for newlyweds Billy and Cody, it may be the thing that saves them after their failed attempt at opening a laundromat. Billy manages to get right in the middle of a father son fight, and the father, Hap Briggs, just happens to be the biggest oil man in the town.

Our panelists are:

• Amanda Coyne, associate editor for Tell-Tale TV
• Christine Laskodi, contributing writer for Tell-Tale TV
• Ashley Bissette Sumerel, founder and editor-in-chief of Tell-Tale TV
• Allison Nichols, contributing writer for Tell-Tale TV
• Carissa Pavlica from TV Fanatic

1. Give it to me straight, did you like the premiere?

Amanda: Yes! The premiere was suspenseful and exciting. I was on the edge of my seat by the end!

Christine: Absolutely. The characters are interesting, the scenery is gorgeous, and the plot has me completely hooked!

Allison: It was better than I was expecting. I enjoyed it, but I don’t think I’ll be tuning in next week to see what happens.

Carissa: Like seems a little too strong. It was cheesy soap stuff, and it worked in that capacity. If you watch without expectations, you’re going to be fine!

Ashley: I honestly can’t decide. It’s definitely intriguing, but it lacks something. I think I’m interested enough to watch one more and see how I feel from there.

2. What’s the show’s biggest problem?

Amanda: Some of the acting is a bit… soap opera-y. I’m hoping this balances out as the show gets its legs under it.

Christine: I agree with Amanda that it’s perhaps a bit too soap opera-y. I think to set up plot, the writers needed to go a bit overboard. I don’t think it will be an issue moving forward…at least I hope not.

Allison: People are going to immediately think of Dallas whenever they hear the synopsis of this show. If you start talking about oil and some family drama, people are going to associate it with Dallas. I have never seen Dallas, but it was still what I thought about whenever I heard about this show.

Carissa: The biggest problem is definitely the title. All great soaps have one or two word titles. Dallas, Dynasty, Knots Landing. Blood & Oil? Mmmm. Not good.

Ashley: I just don’t now if I buy the story for some reason. Maybe that’s the acting maybe it’s because it all feels so strange to me, or maybe that’s because there’s just a lot going on that we have to adjust to.

3. What’s the show’s greatest strength?

Amanda: A unique storyline. I’m loving the ‘wild west’ entrepreneurship.

Christine: The relationship between the protagonists, Billy and Cody. I think so long as they keep them on course together, they can navigate the crazy oil business world together. Plus everyone loves a good love story!

Allison: I like the hint of illegality and the high stakes. It makes things exciting. Watching Billy go around to get enough money was a lot of fun, and it was a little scary how that seemed to come naturally to him.

Carissa: The whole cast is rather good, to the point it’s almost hard to believe they got them all together for this show. I figure they know something I don’t, and that’s why I’m not counting it out based on anything I’m seeing in the pilot.

Ashley: It definitely is a good cast, and I agree with Allison about the high stakes.

4. Who or what do you want to see more of?

Amanda: Chace Crawford! I’m a die hard Gossip Girl fan, so I’m loving seeing him in a show again!

Christine: Jules Jackman, the bartender. There’s something about her…why is she so rich? Is she using Wick? Where is she from? Why is she in Rock Springs? I have so many questions about her character.

Allison: Scott Michael Foster. I absolutely adore him. He seems to be playing another lovable jackass. I’m excited to learn more about his character Wick.

Carissa: I’m with Allison. Wick, especially because Billy is going to take his place at Hap’s side. Oh yeah, that’s definitely good soap opera conflict right there. We’re talking JR and Bobby Ewing stuff, or the next gen, Christopher and John Ross. Make it so!

Ashley: Amber Valetta as Darla. I want to know what her character id going to be up to, and I also don’t trust her. Though, maybe that’s because of her character on Revenge. Either way I think she’s going to be interesting.

5. Who or what needs to go away and never come back?

Amanda: The weird saloon style bars. I’m just not buying that they are all that realistic.

Christine: That realtor with the hemorrhoids…so uncomfortably smarmy.

Allison: Nothing immediately sticks out. I can’t quite decide how I feel about Cody’s pregnancy. It was a bit of a predictable complication, but maybe in the long run it can turn out to be a good thing. I’m skeptical.

Carissa: The idea that starting a laundromat is of what dreams are made. Um. Just no on that one. Can we pretend that’s not why the Lefevers made their way to Rock Springs?

Ashley: I’m with Carissa on this one. That’s the thing I buy the least about the story so far.

6. Favorite quote/moment from the premiere?

Amanda: I loved when Billy got to put his money in the bank! “They say the first million is the hardest!”

Christine: I really liked the conversation between Hap and Wick, where he cuts him off and says, “You don’t deserve to be my son.” It’s setting up some definite drama between father and son, and between Billy and Wick, as it’s pretty obvious that Hap is taking Billy under his wing in a way he never did with Wick.

Allison: The very end with the fight scene was my favorite just because I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. It was the first time I really felt invested, and it was intense.

Carissa: Oh, because I’m all about the cheese, it was when that sole washer and dryer went tumbling off the truck, ruining the Lefevers’ dreams of hitting it big. Maybe there were two of each. Either way, that they thought their dreams were tied in that ticked me no end. Really good stuff there.

Ashley: My favorite was when Billy and Cody gave that check to the man who hoped to open a restaurant. It was just a nice, happy moment, and it make those two really likeable characters.

What did you think of the series premiere of Blood & Oil? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Blood & Oil airs Sundays at 9/8c on ABC.