News
Don Johnson Dishes His Return To Television & Leading Role In Soapy BLOOD & OIL!

Courtesy/ABC
From his previous popular TV roles and star turns as a South Florida detective Sonny Crockett in Miami Vice and a San Francisco investigator in Nash Bridges, Don Johnson is doing an about face in his return to primetime in his juicy new role in ABC’s new soap opera, Blood & Oil! Johnson also serves as one of the executive producers of the show.
In the series which premieres this Sunday night September 27th at 9PMET, Johnson plays Hap Briggs, the oil baron at the center of the fictional Bakken Shale, a boomtown of Rock Springs, North Dakot. And as you would expect from that premise, Hap is not the nicest guy on the planet. The series also stars: Chace Crawford as Billy Lefever, Rebecca Rittenhouse as Cody Lefever, Scott Michael Foster as Wick Briggs, and former Revenge star Amber Valletta as Carla Briggs.
The comparisons to the iconic primetime soap opera Dallas are already being bantered about. But can Blood & Oil separate itself from that iconic soap classic? Will it have traction with the viewing audience?
On-Air On-Soaps caught up with Johnson at the recent ABC TCA Summer Press Tour, as he shared a myriad of thoughts including: what to expect when the series begins its run, why he decided to take on the role of Hap Briggs, what does he think about the series be labeled a “soap opera” and more. Here’s what Don had to say:

Courtesy.ABC
If he considers Blood & Oil a soap opera: It’s a cut above that. I certainly think in people’s minds it’s going to fall into that category. But this is more like a sweeping epic novel that has some soapy moments. You know I loved the show, Bloodlines. And it was not considered a soap, but was sort of soapy, and sort of novelistic in its approach. That is what my aspiration is for Blood & Oil.
If this is the juiciest role of his career: You know, I have had a lot of juicy roles. But this is so much fun, because I’m not playing the good guy, and playing the good guy can get pretty boring, because you’re range is not that much. However, when you get to play a character like this – you get to go all over the place. And a lot of times in the middle of a scene that is written kind of innocuously or sort of neutral, I will say, “Well, what if he is sinister here … maybe he has a sense of humor … or what if we know don’t know what he is doing?”

Courtesy/ABC
How much villainy should we expect Hap Griggs to get into: He’s a billionaire! So, he’s probably capable of doing whatever it takes to remain the king! When you get the biggest oil boom in the world, and the largest oil find in the world, and I get to play the big cheese … watch out! You know, I get to do a big romp with the seven deadly sins!
Who did Don emulate to come up with this rich guy characters: I have patterned this character after an amalgamation of a few billionaires I know. I can’t tell you who they are! I gotta protect the guilty! (Laughs)
When fans turn into Blood & Oil, what can they expect to see: The show is about a family, greed and the biggest oil discovery of mankind, and about this character who is larger than life named Hap Griggs, who I get to play. He is a man that is driven by a sense of destiny to make America energy independent, and that it’s his calling to do it! Nothing is going to stand in his way to see that done. And if that ain’t enough to get you in there and interested in watching, I don’t know what is! (Laughs)
What is most exciting for Don returning to a network television series: You now what is exciting to me at this time? It’s the opportunity to be in touch with my fans in a more personal and direct way. That was never available to me before, and with social media and with the way that we are encouraged to involve and engage with our fans, that is very exciting for me. I’m embracing that.

Courtesy/ABC
On having a career that has spanned several decades: Television is king right now. I enjoy the opportunity to be in this world. My goodness! How lucky am I to be relevant after all these years! One time I was playing golf with Kevin Costner in Aspen. I said to him, “Wow, Kevin! Look at that. Look at how beautiful this is and where we are!” Kevin said to me: “Yeah, except for a right decision here and there, it could very well have been ‘Kevin and Don’s pool service.’”
Shooting on location, and the backdrop of the show: We are shooting in Park City Utah, and not North Dakota. We wanted to have the scope and the size of the show reflect in the photography, and illustrate the enormity of what is going on up here. And not unlike, Miami Vice where we created sort of a fantasy world, we are doing something here where you don’t have to think fantasy world, and where the power of being energy independent is the driving force in this story.

Courtesy/ABC
His thought’s on his Blood & Oil leading lady, Amber Valletta: Amber Valletta doesn’t really have to say anything. All you have to do is look at her. She happens to be a fine actress and she can deliver. When she is on the screen, they don’t even know I’m there!
So, will you be checking out Don Johnson in his new role on Blood & Oil on Sunday night? Do you think it can become the next big primetime soap?
Are you happy to see Don back in a starring role in a nighttime series? Share your thoughts in the comment below!
Don Johnson is tried and true, he will deliver..
thing is; in the trailers his southern accent is very heavy, even in TX is not that heavy lol
Blood & oil looks really good, I’m in ..
Actually, I am. I’ve missed seeing him in anything. Wouldn’t it be great if Kevin Costner was a guest star?
Don Johnson has been doing the talk show circuit to promote B&O. He looks fantastic! I was a huge fan of “Nash Bridges” and this looks to be just as good but totally different! He is very excited for people to see this and cannot say enough about how talented the cast is. I hope Michael Fairman includes updates and stories on this primetime soap like he has for “Nashville.”
Oh yeah, remember The Long Hot Summer…Jesus! Jason Robarts , Ava Gardner
Sybil Shepard. Don Johnson playing Paul Newman’s character good lord.
I’m so… looking forward to Don Johnson turn’
he can put that Miami Vice on the shelf and waste that
he has a brooding sensuality… and machismo
his command parlay
when asked if he considers blood & oil a soap opera his response was “it’s a cut above that” – hmm what does that remark mean – i took it as throwing shade against our beloved soaps & i am appalled he would even fix his lips to even say something like that………
this is just my opinion………………..
HE REALLY SAID…ITS A CUT ABOVE THAT??????? WOW..NO EGO PROBLEM THERE…..UNDERSTAND ITS THE REMAKE OF DALLAS…..WE WILL SEE…
yes judy – it is in the article ……………………
OH YES…I READ IT TOO IN THE ARTICLE,BUT I MEANT HE REALLY SAID THAT!!!!! watched for aqbout 45 minutes last nite…..Sure wasnt a cut above soap operas in my book….
i just finished watching it ( i record every thing ) and it definitely is a nighttime soap but that is just my opinion…………….
It’s far above Dallas and him saying it was a cut above has nothing to do with HIS ego, he didn’t say HE was a cut above, he said the show was, that means the writing.
I saw an interview with him and he said basically the same thing but he wasnt dissing daytime. He only meant that B&O was not like Dallas which was more like a daytime soap. Don Johnson is a good guy, his ego as he admitted was left behind in Miami back in the 80’s!
I recorded it. I’ll see if it’s any good. Loved him on MV!
I loved this show, I think it will far surpass Dallas, Dynasty and any other nighttime soap. It’s a soap to me.
Don Johnson looks amazing!
The characters all seem to have the right chemistry, I was thrilled to see Barry Corbin. He’s a great actor.
General Hospital
‘General Hospital’s’ Dominic Zamprogna Shares He Was ‘Happy to Hear’ of The Triangle Storyline Developing Between Dante/Elizabeth/Ric

General Hospital’s Dominic Zamprogna (Dante Falconeri) opened up about the burgeoning love triangle forming between his Port Charles alter-go, Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst) and Ric Lansing (Rick Hearst) after recently aired scenes, plus his hopes for the future of a Dante and Liz pairing, during his appearance on the Sunday, April 23 edition of the That’s Awesome podcast with Steve Burton (Jason Morgan) and Bradford Anderson (Spinelli).
On last week’s episodes of GH, Ric has made the decision that he wanted to propose to his ex-wife, only when he showed up at Elizabeth’s front door, he misread the scenario he walked in with Liz tending to Dante’s injured leg from the softball game. From there, the legal eagle’s jealous streak is reemerging which may cause him to act out and do something unforgivable, or will he take the high road? Stay tuned.
Speaking with Steve Burton and Bradford Anderson about where Elizabeth stands in the annals of the long-running soap, Zamprogna said, “She’s up there with Steve and Maurice (Maurice Benard) as one of the most legacy-filled people on the show.”

Courtesy/ABC
HOW DANTE AND ELIZABETH CAME ABOUT
Dominic jokes it’s a far cry for where Dante and Elizabeth previously, recalling, “We had some scenes together years ago and we were both laughing. Becky’s like, ‘Well, I guess we’re not going be paired up anytime soon.’ I remember we laughed immediately after they yelled ‘cut,”‘and said to each other, ‘Well, so much for that!'”
Fast-forward to early 2025 and as Zamprogna remembered it, “Elizabeth Korte (co-head writer, GH) came up to me at the General Hospital Christmas party, and I think it was a year and a half ago and she said, ‘We’re going to have you in scenes with Elizabeth,’ My internal monologue is going, ‘I’m not with Lulu (Alexa Havins) anymore and Sam’s (Kelly Monaco) gone, so maybe they want to see if this works.’ I didn’t want to get scenes with Becky and try to find the chemistry. I just wanted to play whatever honestly was written and came across for both of us and hope it was what people liked, and I don’t know if it is … or not.”
Knowing how beloved Elizabeth is to the GH faithfuls, Zamprogna added, “She got a big fan base with Ric … and a big fan base with with Jason … and you know, you’re going to piss somebody off. But, didn’t Ric drug Elizabeth and put Carly in a panic room?”

Photo: ABC
DANTE AND ELIZABETH PAIRING COULD STIR UP STORY FOR OTHERS IN PORT CHARLES
In closing, Dominic felt that the wide-reaching tentacles of a Dante and Elizabeth relationship is something he is 100% down for. “The triangle thing; I was happy to hear it was with Ric and her, because I felt it’s important to have her the top of it as opposed to Dante, Lulu and Elizabeth.”
Zamprogna added, “When you get into relationships on a soap, things seem to fizzle out a little bit, The buildup is what’s the fun part, and the getting to know each other, and the people who are affected by this coming together. When with this case it’s going to affect: Ric, Sonny, Lulu. There’s so much more story here. To me, it’s going to be a fun story to play.”
You can check out Dominic’s visit to That’s Awesome with Steve and Bradford below.
Now weigh-in: Are you rooting for Dante and Liz, or Dante and Ric at this juncture of the story, or neither guy for Elizabeth? Let us know your thoughts and picks via the comment section.
Beyond the Gates
‘Beyond the Gates’ Star Mike Manning Lands Role in Indie Horror Feature ‘Deify’

While Smitty tries to hold the fort down in his marriage to congressman Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon) and their two teenaged children, Samantha (Najah Jackson) and Tyrell (Jaden Lucas Miller) on Beyond the Gates, Emmy-winner Mike Manning has also landed another feature film role.
According to Deadline, Manning has joined the cast of Deify with 6 other new cast members for the indie psychological horror film starring Neal McDonough and Skeet Ulrich, which was previously announced last week.
Joining Manning as the latest cast addition are: Dennis Haysbert, Ashley Greene, Casey Harnett, Kirk Avecdo, Anji White, anf Nicholas Chimera who’s directing the pic also has a part in the film.
WHAT’S THE STORY OF DEIFY?
Taking to his Instagram with the news of his casting, Manning shared, “A movie about a cult? What could possibly go wrong? Come for the enlightenment. Stay because they won’t let you leave. DEIFY is coming…”
The movie is currently shooting in Chicago and in story, “a cult leader is put on trial after causing his devoted followers to be burned alive. The film is inspired in part by events surrounding the 1993 Waco, Texas, standoff between members of the Branch Davidians church and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, one of the largest civilian firefights ever recorded on American soil.”
MIKE MANNING IS A DAYTIME EMMY NOMINEE
In addition, the multi-talented Manning is a producer on the feature. Previously, Mike was nominated last month in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for the upcoming 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards. He previously won an Emmy for his role on The Bay and for being a producer on the digital drama.
Mike’s previous credits include the role of Charlie Dale on Days of Our Lives and the Manny on This Is Us, plus various primetime and screen credits.
So intrigued to find what role Mike will play in the upcoming horror/cult film, Deify? Enjoying him as Smitty on Beyond the Gates? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.
General Hospital
GH and OLTL Alum Patrick J. Gibbons Reveals the Story Behind Writing Trina’s Song on ‘General Hospital’ (Exclusive)

At the conclusion of today’s August 21 episode of General Hospital, Trina Robinson (Tabyana Ali) sings a lullaby to baby Dez, that went into a montage to close out the episode as her father Curtis Ashford (Donnell Turner) reports to Pentonville and winds up in his jail cell.
However, in a fun fact, the song entitled, “A Lonely Heart To Give” was actually written by none other than former One Life to Live and General Hospital actor, Patrick J. Gibbons.
Daytime fans first met Gibbons as Sam Manning on One Life to Live. At the time, when he started on the soap, he was just 5-years-old. Gibbons played the part from 2010-2013 on ABC and Prospect Park’s editions of the show. Fast-forward to 2018, Gibbons shows up on General Hospital as Wyatt Hoover, the scout who seemed always be injured, but in the thick of the drama. Patrick had appeared on GH multiple times as Wyatt including: 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023.

Photo: ABC
FROM HIS GRANDMOTHER’S DEATH CAME THE INSPIRATION FOR HIS SONG
Now in 2026, General Hospital fans are getting to learn about another side of Gibbons’ talent as a songwriter and guitar player after “A Lonely Heart to Give” debuted today! Michael Fairman TV caught up with Patrick, who is now a senior at Penn State entering his final year as a finance major, to get the back-story of how his song wound up on GH!
Gibbons explained he wrote the song in honor of his grandmother who passed away a few years ago with whom he was, very, very close with. “Randomly, my grandmother had a downfall and passed away during the second semester of my sophomore year. I was in my dorm a lot and I was just playing with my guitar. And at the time, I was really into finger-style playing. I wrote the lyric and music to it (with a little help from my guitar teacher Lou), and my mom showed the rough demo to Frank Valentini (EP, General Hospital). He’s like an uncle to me. Frank loved it so much he said, “Finish that up. I want to hear the whole thing, and I want it on the show.”
MAKING MUSIC FOR GENERAL HOSPITAL
Gibbons and his parents took the next steps! “So now, all we needed was a female voice, because I thought that would fit the song well,” Patrick shared. “At the golf club we go to my parents were at a dinner. They liked the singer that was performing and spoke to her about the song, and she says she would like to bring it to her ‘boss’ who ended up being Eric Bazilian of the Hooters fame!” (Bazilian also wrote the smash hit song “One of Us” for Joan Osborne).
Next, “We went in the studio and recorded it and the song came together and it was beautiful. We loved it. They loved it at General Hospital and now they’re putting it the show and they are coming in with a piano, instead of a guitar. Paul Glass, the GH musical director, has been keeping us updated over the last six months of how it was coming along, and when it would air, and how GH put their own arrangement to it. I can’t wait to see and hear what they did with it.”

Photo: JPI
PATRICK’S ONE LIFE TO LIVE FAMILY
Everyone knows that the One Life to Live extended family share a very tight bond, and Patrick said he does stay in touch with a few of his former One Life to Live co-stars, especially those from the Manning family! “I stayed in touch with Kassie DePaiva (ex-Blair) and sent her little videos here and there. She was like my second mom for five years. We keep in contact with Kristen Alderson (ex-Starr) over X the most, and she can’t believe how big I’ve gotten. Like, none of them can! (laughs). I also loved working with Roger Howarth (ex-Todd) and Trevor St. John (ex-Todd and Victor Jr.), and to me since I was so young, they were just my friends, ‘Roger and Trevor,’ not Todd Manning or Victor Jr.”
It was a trip to California and a visit to Port Charles that ultimately led to Gibbons second soap role of Wyatt Hoover. Patrick explains, “In 2016, Frank Valentini invited us out to Los Angeles to visit the set of General Hospital. I think he heard me say, ‘This is so much fun. I miss being on the set.’ He goes, ‘You should come out. I’ll bring you on the show. We can make you a character.'”
A few years later, Patrick’s dream became a reality! “Then, by the summer of 2018, I was playing Wyatt, the scout, and shared scenes with Wes Ramsey (Peter August), and the best was when I shared a scene with Roger Howarth and Michael Easton (ex-John, OLTL and ex-Silas, Finn et al, GH), it was like chemistry from the old days.”

Photo: PGibbons
IT’S ALL IN THE NUMBERS
As to his future aspirations, it’s a career in the finance game that has piqued Gibbons’ real-life interest. But never say never to a return to acting. Patrick explained, “I’ve always enjoyed numbers. And on top of that, one of the biggest parts of finance is being personable and outgoing.”
He continued, “That’s one of the greatest skills I developed growing up. I really love the markets. I’m super interested. I’m never going to close the door to acting. I’m always open to that because I just love it so much. It’s such a great art.”
Take note! If there are any investment bankers or private equity folks among the GH faithful looking for a young analyst next year, Patrick’s DMs are open. You can find him on X at @PatrickJGibbons.”
So, what did you think of the song sung by Trina on today’s GH that was written by Patrick J. Gibbons? Did you enjoy Patrick’s performances as One Life’s Sam and GH’s Wyatt? Would you like to see him back on GH at some point? Let us know via the comment section.
-

General Hospital1 week ago‘General Hospital’s’ Maurice Benard Talks: New ‘Sonny’ Storyline, His Contract, and Three Characters He Would Want to See Back in Port Charles
-

Days Of Our Lives1 week agoHow John Oliver’s ‘Days of Our Lives’ Guest Star Turn as ‘Devlin St. John’ Came to an End
-

Days Of Our Lives6 days ago‘Veronica & Julian’ Feature Starring ‘Days of Our Lives’ Alums Nadia Bjorlin and Kyler Pettis Releases Key Art and More (Exclusive)
-

Breaking News7 days agoJohn Oliver Recaps His ‘Days of Our Lives’ and ‘General Hospital’ Soap Opera Experience on ‘Last Week Tonight’
-

General Hospital5 days ago‘General Hospital’ Alum Bryan Craig Cast in ‘The Weapon’
-

Breaking News1 week agoHayden Panettiere, ‘Guiding Light’ and ‘Nashville’ Alum, Dead at 36
-

Recaps1 week agoTHE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS: Sharon, Nick and Marie Struggle in Aftermath of a Relapse; Jade Harlow Shares She’s ‘Really Proud’ and ‘Grateful’ to ‘Show How Addiction Can Touch Anyone’ (Exclusive)
-

News1 week agoB&B’s Don Diamont Recalls His Soap Start on ‘Days of Our Lives’ and Confrontation with Exec Prod Al Rabin (Exclusive ‘Soapy’ Preview)


















