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NBC Orders New Primetime Medical Soap Pilot HEART MATTERS!

By Michael Fairman

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Courtesy/NBC

Courtesy/NBC

The peacock network, NBC, ordered three pilots on Friday for the 2015-2016 season, and one of them is a medical based soap entitled, Heart Matters.

Heart Matters is medical soap about Alex Panettiere, a heart transplant surgeon who struggles to balance her romantic and professional life with her career! Amy Brenneman (Private Practice) and Brad Silberling will executive-produce alongside writer Jill Gordon (My So-Called Life). Susan Carlson, Eric Carlson, Kelly Meyer and Kathy Magliato will co-executive-produce.

Heart Matters is inspired by the life of Dr Kathy Magliato and her memoirs.   As to who will play the title role … that has yet to be announced.

The two other series going to pilot for NBC are from The Flash EP, Greg Berlanti entitled Blindspot, and Mark Burnett and Roma Downey’s Unveiled.

What do you think about the premise of Heart Matters? Who do you think will play or should play the title role?  Comment below!

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”What do you think about the premise of Heart Matters? ”

I think it will be a snore and pale in comparison to the other primetime soaps..
I say– a snore …

I agree. Anyway, haven’t viewers had their fill of primetime medical soaps?

I guess not..
no way would waste an hour watch a heart transplant surgeon who struggles to balance her romantic and professional life with her career…. snore..

And then they threw in RomaDowney for good measure…TOUCHED BY AN ANNOYANCE!!! ..Sooo sick of her!!!

Roma Downey is producing another series for NBC. She’s not involved in the HEART MATTERS pilot.

May watch GH but it’s way more than a medical show. Not interested in a med show during prime time. Plus any of the trailers for prime time med shows have made them seem way to dramatic and serious for me, especially at night. As it is I spend enough time muting, or switching channels, when all of the depressing pharmaceutical ads come on.

LOL..and they’re bringing back NigthWatch which is supposed to be in the U.S.A. but the sets look like they’re in another country doing Doctors without borders…so off putting…I do like the new show on A&E NightWatch about the Police/EMT/FireFighters in New Orleans…not bad.

I’m open to who plays the female lead. All I want is another devilicious doctor role for Vincent Irizarry! 🙂

That would be wonderful to have Vincent back!

I am looking forward to giving it a shot. I watch Days but at this point I am not very happy with the storyline. The writers need to rethink what they are doing to the show.

Way too early in the process to care– prime time dramas a dime a dozen when in comes to ordering pilots, most never get a shot. But the day any network announces a new daytime drama that I would love to see, but I ain’t holding my breath on that one ever happening.

In 10 years daytime tv will be junk programming and infomercials..
There will no longer be investing in daytime, it is dying ..

the soaps need to find a home on cable, the sooner the better..

Maybe even LESS than ten years the way things are going.

I have not watched a medical series on a regular basis since EMERGENCY! was on reruns after school. Not even ST. ELSEWHERE or ER. So, no…this show won’t be for me. As for nighttime soaps, this sounds rather provincial for NBC. I thought they were looking to attract a younger audience with edgier fare (GRIMM, THE BLACKLIST, CONSTANTINE). This sounds too boring even for CBS. Medical-based dramas are passe since HOUSE ended.

Gee, Heart Matters….as if we need another medical themed evening tv show…..not interested at all.
Bring back ALL MY CHILDREN combined with One Life to Live….call it LANDVIEW and air it at night. That I would watch.

Why not focus their attention on DAYS instead of creating new shows, other than the gay story, that soap is in need of repair.

General Hospital

‘General Hospital’s’ Chris McKenna On Jack’s Reaction to Carly Cheating On Him with Valentin: ‘Heartbreak and Absolute Rage and Humiliation’

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The stage is set for next week on General Hospital, after yesterday’s May 1 cliffhanger, when Brennan (Chris McKenna) sneaks into Carly’s (Laura Wright) house and heads up to her bedroom, bursts in the door and finds her between the sheets, albeit at that moment alone.

However, Jack is already armed with plenty of ammo, he saw two glasses of wine in Carly’s kitchen, Josslyn (Eden McCoy) already lit the fire, by telling him her mother was seeing someone else, the WSB bureau chief then went to visit Carly’s ex, Sonny (Maurice Benard). The mobster’s reaction pretty much sold Jack that Carly must be sleeping with another man.

As Jack goes to check out the situation to confirm his suspicions, Carly and Valentin (James Patrick Stuart) have just hit the sheets, after fighting their attraction once again for each other. Now comes the moment of truth that Carly has been sleeping with Brennan’s sworn enemy, Valentin.

Courtesy/ABC

In a preview of what’s to come, Soap Opera Digest spoke to both Chris McKenna and Laura Wright where they talked about the upcoming scenes.  McKenna expressed, “This has been coming for such a long time.” He also previews, “Brennan comes at her pretty aggressively.”

THREE’S COMPANY

Wright added, “Carly didn’t expect Brennan to walk into her bedroom! He doesn’t have a key. It’s late at night. She thinks she and Valentin are in the clear. She sees that he’s so angry and so worried about being cheated on… but not that he’s sorry for lying to her face or because her daughter is in danger because of him!”

As to how Jack will handle the situation from here and finding out that Carly is with Valentin, McKenna confirms, to expect, “heartbreak and absolute rage and humiliation” from Jack. He’s thinking, ‘This can’t be real. This can’t have happened. I can’t be this stupid. I can’t have been this blind.’ And as to Jack’s current state of mind, coming into the situation, “Jack is drunk and a little unhinged and the audience finally gets a glimpse of what’s going on underneath that rigid exterior.”

Needless to say, the fallout will be huge, and McKenna is proud of the trios work in the scenes, sharing that Laura Wright was a fantastic as ever, and that GH’s executive producer, Frank Valentini was on the set the entire time with Laura, James and him, making this story point play out to its full effect.

So, are you excited to see how what goes down between Brennan, Carly and Valentin and the fallout? Do you think this will cement Carly and Valentin as a couple, or will Carly regret what she’s done to Jack? Weigh-in on how you hope this all plays out via the comment section below.

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Days Of Our Lives

‘Brilliant Minds’ Officially Canceled After 2 Seasons at NBC; DAYS Alum Al Calderon, OLTL Alum Teddy Sears and Zachary Quinto Among the Cast

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After languishing on the bubble for months, on Friday, NBC handed down the decision and canceled the medical drama Brilliant Minds after two seasons.

Brilliant Minds stars Zachary Quinto as neurology physician Oliver Wolf, who’s character and the series is inspired by the life and books of neurologist. Oliver Sacks. The series focuses on the medical mysteries of the mind, as Wolf a larger-than-life neurologist and his team of interns explore the last great frontier, the human mind, while grappling with their own relationships and mental health.

The final six episodes of what will now be the end of its second and final season were already set to air beginning on May 27, after being pulled off the network schedule in February as viewership saw a steep decline. Brilliant Minds second season became the lowest-rated drama on linear TV viewing, which didn’t bode well fo a network renewal, although it had its hard core fan base.

Photo: NBC

There are some exceptional notables in the cast along with the talented Quinto that includes Days of Our Lives alum, Al Calderon (ex-Javi Hernandez) who joined the series in its second season as Nurse Nico Silva, and One Life to Live alum, Teddy Sears (ex-Chad Bennett) who plays Wolf’s love interest and fellow physician, Dr. Josh Nichols.

The rest of the talented cast includes: Tamberla Perry, Ashleigh LaThrop, Alex MacNicoll, Aury Krebs, Spence Moore II, Donna Murphy, John Clarence Stewart, and Brian Altemus.

In an ironic twist of fate on Thursday, April 30, Days of Our Lives finally revealed the actor who was Al Calderon’s successor in the role of Javi, when they announced that actor Jacob Martinez had now stepped into the role. Since DAYS tapes ten months ahead of streaming new episode, Calderon left in the spring of 2025, but will be seen in the part for the final part this month, and then on June 20, Martinez debuts as Salem’s new Javi.

Taking to his Instagram with a sorrowful and heartfelt post on the Brilliant Minds cancellation was Teddy Sears who wrote, “Thank you, Brilliant Minds. I got the call today and I didn’t want to hear, but I knew that it would come, You have to be a particular vintage to quote Don Henley from memory, but that’s the line that came to mind earlier today after I got off the phone with our inimitable showrunner Michael Grassi who delivered the news that NBC has cancelled the series”.

Photo: NBC

Sears continued, “To say that I feel sad to be moving on from these stories, this character, and this cast and crew just doesn’t paint the entire picture. I’m sad, sure. But I’m also deeply grateful that I got hired to play this part, so proud of the stories we told, and the other actors I got to play alongside. I’m excited to see what comes next, what adventures await, and terrified to be without a professional home. A quick and heartfelt thank you to everyone, all over the globe, who found us and found themselves in us, in our characters and in our stories. We wouldn’t have been able to tell them without you. And we still have 6 fresh episodes yet to air, and I do hope you tune in enjoy the remainder of the series. They’re the best we’ve done.”

As he wrapped up his sentiments, Sears signed off with, “The more I know, the less I understand. All the things I figured out I have to learn again. I’ve been trying to get down to the heart of the matter. But everything changes…Thank you, Brilliant Minds.”

Calderon took to his Instagram story and simply shared, “Thank You, Brilliant Minds.”

The medical drama was created and executive produced by Michael Grassi alongside Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, Leigh London Redman, Lee Toland Krieger, DeMane Davis, Jasmine Russ, Henrik Bastin, Jonathan Cavendish, Andy Serkis and Shefali Malhoutra.

So, what do you think of NBC’s decision to cancel Brilliant Minds after two seasons? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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General Hospital

‘General Hospital’s’ Jonathan Bennett Receives 3 ‘Critics Choice Real TV Awards’ Nominations for Hallmark Series, ‘Finding Mr. Christmas’

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Many things are coming up roses for Jonathan Bennett! On the heels of the news that he is set to debut this month in the role of Joe Fitzpatrick on General Hospital, who is rumored to be a new love interest for Lucas Jones (Van Hansis), comes the news that Bennett’s reality series, Finding Mr. Christmas has received 3 nomination for the Critics Choice Real TV Awards.

Bennett’s Hallmark Channel series finds itself in tough competition alongside fellow nominees: RuPaul’s Drag Race (MTV), Squid Game: The Challenge (Netflix), Survivor 50 (CBS), Top Chef (Bravo) and The Traitors (Peacock). In addition, Jonathan himself is nominated for Best Show Host and the series participants as the Best Ensemble Cast in an Unscripted Series.

The Critics Choice Association (CCA) revealed the nominees for the eighth annual Critics Choice Real TV Awards on Thursday, which recognize excellence in nonfiction, unscripted and reality programming across broadcast, cable and streaming platforms. Winners will be announced online at CriticsChoice.com on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at 9:00am PT/12:00pm ET.

Photo: Hallmark

Taking to his Instagram to celebrate the nominations, GH’s Bennett, enthused, “3 Critic Choice Nominations! I’m so proud of the FINDING MR CHRISTMAS and to be in the company of all the legends in all these categories is so surreal! Congrats to Hallmark Channel and to our nominated cast and nominated show and everyone who made this magical show possible. This is crazy! This gives FMC 6 Critics Choice nominations in 2 years. Not bad for a little show on Hallmark Channel. What are your thoughts on our show?” Jumping first into the comment thread was one of his new GH co-stars, Dominic Zamprogna (Dante) who expressed, “Yeah buddy!!!🔥🔥”

In the series, Bennett, the host and co-creator spends eight weeks guiding 10 aspiring actors through a series of “festive face-offs” and acting challenges alongside actors like soap opera notables, Hunter King (ex-Summer, Y&R) and Alison Sweeney (Sami, DAYS). Along the way, they develop their skills and a bond with one another. The show, which is available on Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Plus, highlights LGBTQ+ representation with openly gay contestants vying to be the next Hallmark star.

It should be noted that Traitors received the most Critics Choice Real TV Award nominations with 6 nods, followed by Dancing with the Stars with 4.

Bennett is very familiar to daytime fans having started his career as JR Chandler on All My Children in 2000-2001, before landing the part of Aaron Samuels in the motion picture, Mean Girls in 2004 starring Lindsay Lohan, which would become his breakout performance.

You can check out the full list of Critics Choice Real TV Award nominations here.

So, excited for Jonathan Bennett’s General Hospital debut this month? Have you ever watched Finding Mr. Christmas on Hallmark? Let us know via the comment section below.

 

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