News
NBC's Classic Soap THE DOCTORS To Run On Retro TV Later This Year!
Many of the fans of On-Air On-Soaps were chatting amongst themselves yesterday when we were recalling canceled iconic soap One Life to Live and how nice it would be if there was a television network that would offer re-reruns of the classic soaps!
And today, Retro TV announced that none other than the classic NBC soap opera The Doctors is getting a second life! The series which starred James Pritchett and Elizabeth Hubbard among others will begin airing old episodes of the series this fall!
The news was announced via a press release that went out today which stated: “Luken Communications is pleased to announce the addition of the classic soap opera The Doctors to Retro TV. Set in Hope Memorial Hospital in the fictional New England city of Madison, The Doctors‘ storylines revolve around the hospital’s Chief of Staff Dr. Matthew Powers (James Pritchett) and his dedicated staff. Several well-known actors and actresses passed through the halls of Hope Memorial during its run, including Academy Award nominee Alec Baldwin (30 Rock), Academy Award winner Kathy Bates (Misery), Academy Award winner Ellen Burstyn (The Exorcist), Emmy Award winner Ted Danson (Cheers), Emmy Award winner Terry O’Quinn (Lost), Brooke Shields (Suddenly Susan) and Academy Award nominee Kathleen Turner (Peggy Sue Got Married).
The Doctors ran for 19 years, spanned 5,280 episodes and won several Daytime Emmy Awards including Outstanding Drama Series (1971, 1972 and 1974), Lead Actor (James Pritchett, 1978) and Lead Actress (Elizabeth Hubbard, 1974).
Matthew Golden, Luken’s Vice President of Production, said “The Doctors is one of the greatest examples of the soap opera format in its prime, loved by critics and audiences alike. We’re thrilled to return this classic series to the air, and bring its exciting, engaging storylines back to our audience’s daily lives.” The Doctors will debut on Retro TV later this year.” To check out where Retro TV airs in your area check here!
So, will you be checking out The Doctors ? Do you hope more classic soaps find a home on cable television or the internet in the future? If so, which ones would you most like to see again? Let us know
I will because the fact is the only way we will be getting any more repeats of the soaps that still exist, is to support the ones we have now. If this get’s good ratings then the other classic Networks will take a second look. If it fails we will not see The Edge of Night or Ryan’s Hope repeated, why would a network spend money if enough people won’t watch. Soaps in the 80’s may be too expensive for a Broadcast Network to show but episodes from the 70’s and before could be, but only if people will support it. If someone say’s I’m not interested but add So and so and I will watch, then turn the lights out the game is over
I hear you @JeffyJC…Trust that those lights went off when this decision was made. As much as people want to herald the medium is as much as they want to tear it down at the same time. While this is an encouraging thing for whoever runs that company and obviously loved this soap…retro soaps can be a good way to get new viewers to look at today and old viewers to appreciate what little is left…but ahhh alack and alas the naysayers…
Except for Dark Shadows and Strange Paradise and primetimes Peyton Place there are no complete soap operas with all their episodes before 1975…networks practiced wiping…they erased tapes and reused them…soaps and gameshows from that period were thought never to be repeated…there are only a handful of episodes of most soaps before 1975 that are available…i did read The Doctors has most of its episodes and i hope its true! Someone once said Days and GH saved most of theirs but i also heared they didnt…i wouldve loved to had seen many of the soaps from the 60s to the 70s but most tapes from that era are unfortunately gone forever!!!
I know that the P&G soaps began saving theirs from 1978 with the exceptions of a few that are in collections, kinescopes, and in actor’s collections minus the commercials. I think RetroTV might be on the right track in bringing THE DOCTORS back. Plus, they always did their billboarding after the opening titles kissed to black, so editing wouldn’t be a problem.
@Jimh – All the episodes for General Hospital from the premier through mif 1969 exist in total and are on hand in the UCLA archives. Furthermore, at least one fan has most if not all of the show’s episodes from 1975 to 1978 (they’ve posted clips on Youtube). Beyond this, numerous soaps played overseas and may very well still reside in those station’s archives as did many Dr. Who episodes. These include Return to Peyton Place, Some years of Another World and Somerset and other programs as well. Finally, Bing Crosby Productions held the archives of all Bright Promise episodes as late as 1989, so it’s entirely possible they too have survived.
Where will the episodes begin from the first episode or later in the run? My luck they just took Retro TV off of my cable and replaced it with CoziTV which I love but would love to watch The Doctors again. I will need to find someone to record them for me.
@Robert if retro tv is run locally as i suspect then buy a small tv you can put somewhere with a converter box to get your fix…and if you can find a good working vcr on ebay…more’s the joy…but you can pick up the channel if it’s broadcast locally which i’m sure it probably is…
If its true that the Doctors saved most of its episodes and werent erased like the networks had done to most of its other soaps and game shows prior to 1975, i hope they are able and will show it from what i consider its glory days: the late 60s to early 70s!!! The 1980s werent kind to this show and the storys not so good!!!
I read somewhere that The Doctors has most of its episodes…that would be great if true…i always wondered what song Marie Thomas(Lauri James) used to play and sing on the show…The Doctors from the 60s to the 70s was far better than GH…Fans used to write to this show for medical advice…hope its true that they do have the episodes from its glory years so the younger generation can see how much better and more grounded soaps use to be…its 80s storylines werent that good…i once send them a story suggestion(even though i had stopped watching around 1980) that they loved but it was too late…they wrote back the show was cancelled…
Yes…i get retro and ill be watching!!!
Wouldve loved Edge Of Night and Another World…had their early episodes hadnt been erased…wish someone had all the original scripts and recreate those lost episodes…Dark Shadows, and Strange Paradise and primetimes Peyton Place have their episodes and id love to see them on retro!!!
Britians Coronation Street and our Santa Barbara are two others on my wish list…
Jim – most of the P&G soaps saved every episode past 1978 so it is likely they might have them.
Unfortunatly, I do not get Retro in my area, not on my Time Warner Cable box. I would love to see The Doctors again.
Extra tv and converter box…it’s OTA
This network is not available in my area!!! I live in Minneapolis MN which is a larger city and we don’t have it. Comcast sucks! I would totally watch this and DVR the episodes even.
That does suck..but it’s not just your cable company it’s not available anywhere in that state…check retro tv the website and affiliates…that will tell you if you can see it.
I hope it is on at a time I can watch. I remember watching this soap
Tops on my list would be OLTL,Ryan’s Hope and Santa Barbara.
The latter two soaps have all their episodes but unfortunately OLTL does not…OLTL would be able to show episodes from the 1980s to its cancellation however if all were saved and in good shape!!!
When All My Children (in 1977) and One Life (1978) went to 1 hour Agnes Nixon insisted they save them. Agnes had the prior episodes before ABC bought it, but they were destroyed in a fire I heard. GH has the episodes from when Selmur produced it 1963-1970 but when ABC bought they did the re-using.
Tops on my list, Santa Barbara, another world, port Charles, Texas, AMC, OLTL………
If I got Retro TV in my area, I would certainly watch it or DVR it. I would love to be able to see more classic daytime serials from the golden age of the 70s and 80s, but I wonder how many of them are available. They should have all been saved on tape like Dark Shadows was.
This is great news for classic soap fans. I got hooked on Ryan’s Hope when SoapNet aired it. Good TV is good TV, no matter the era.
The only soaps with all there episodes available prior to 1975 are Dark Shadows, Strange Paradise and primetimes Peyton Place…i did read The Doctors had most of theirs and there was rumor Days and GH does too…dont know how true that is but i hope they did save theirs…unfortunately all other soaps prior to 1975 do not have all their episodes…read AMCs was destroyed in a fire…only a handful of episodes of the soaps survive from the 1950s to early 70s including a few shortlived…my dream is that there are more episodes still out there waiting to be found…even if they are on grainy kinescopes!!!
GH exists well into 1969 and some of 1970, and at least one fan has them from 1975 through 1978. Days does indeed exist in total. Also, more than a handul exist for Search for Tomorrow, Love of Life, Hawkins Falls and others. Bright Promise was held by Bing Crosby’s company at least until 1989 and probably still exists. Quite a few other episodes exist for many soaps as well.
I loved Alec on this soap, I remember it’s the first time I saw him, how cool! I hope they show more!!
Retro is not available in NYC! 🙁
That is wonderful news— hopefully it will be successful and other classic soaps may find new life— right now I would love to watch repeats of old soaps — it would be a refreshing change to watch a show penned and produced by soap pioneers, to be reminded on how it is really done. And to find a cable network willing to include a soap in their line up is also nice to see. Good luck Retro TV and I’m sure many old fans of the Doctors will love you for doing this.
Unfortunately, there arent many episodes of soaps available prior to 1975…only a handful of episodes from the 1950s to early 1970s are avaiable…i wouldve loved to see Another World again from the 1960s to the 1970s when Steve, Alice and Rachel were involved in daytimes best ever love triangle…two gothic soaps Dark Shadows and Strange Paradise managed to save most of their episodes as had primetimes Peyton Place…i did read online The Doctors does have most of its episodes which is great especially since most soaps prior to 1975 erased and reused its tapes thinking theyd never be shown again and to save money…
Never heard of it, but I’d take a look. Good to know there are cable tv stations that still see soap reruns as viable.
You never heard of the soap or the network?
The soap. I get Retro TV.
There was a time when The Doctors was hotter than GH…especially in the early 1970s…it went downhill by the 1980s but still would be great to see again!!!
Absolutely! I would love to see classics and old episodes of my fav -GH!”Classic 80’s episodes of ‘Days’ on tv would be amazing!!!
Very exciting news! I’ve watched some of their episodes on YouTube and they are fantastic! I’m hoping I get this channel on my t.v.
If they show the episodes from the 1960s to early 70s(i read they are available) they are a lot better than what youve seen on utubw
Not on in my area! 🙁 Hope more stations pick it up! Oh do I miss Soapnet!!!
I would love to be able to watch this, but the channel is not in our state at all! Peyton Place, Return to Peyton Place, All My Children and One Life To Live, The Best of Everything….Seeing all of these and more from the beginning would be amazing!
Perhaps, as well as the Retro channel, they could also be shown online, at
no fee so everyone has at least access to them in some way.
Cheers
Except for primetimes Peyton Place(dont know about Return) but all those others you mention are not available from the begining…most of their early episodes were erased and the tapes reused to save money…back then tptb never thought soaps other than daytimes Strange Paradise and Dark Shadows would be rerun and or wanted to be seen again…thats ashame being soaps were far better back then than they are today…
Oscar Schmoscar. Elizabeth Hubbard!!!!!
Still recall watching Kathleen Turner and Kim Zimmer’s Nola’s sthe tir the pot, Meg Mundy as Monster-in law Mona and very young Alec Baldwin as Billy. Not a show I watched daily but still a high quality vintage soap.
I read someplace else that rebroadcast episodes will begin with 1967, which is odd as I thought most tapes were “wiped” and reused from that era. I did enjoy “The Doctors” in its heydey (it got really bad circa mid-1970s). Elizabeth Hubbard, Gerald Gordon, Sally Gracie, Peter Burnell, and Carolee Campbell were my favorites from this period. Alas, once Jacquie Courtney was fired from “Another World,” our viewing habits changed and NBC was dropped in our household like a hot potato. Before that, it was the NBC daytime lineup all the way: Days of Our Lives, The Doctors, Another World, and Somerset (and Bright Promise/Return to Peyton Place/How to Survive a Marriage, when they aired).
The Doctors survived because it had a different sponser…most others were sponsered by P&G which erased and reused their tapes to save money…im glad at least most of The Doctors survived…we were big on the NBC soaps too and hated when Jacquie Courtney, George Reinholt and Virgina Dwyor(»spelling…she played Mary Mathews, Alices mom) were fired but we continued to watch…hated when they killed off John Randolph…didnt care too much for the show in the 1980s or when a gorilla fell in love with Cass…daytimes dumbest plot ever…AW deserved its cancellation!!!
WOW! Blast from the past. I wish I had Retro TV, but like TVGN, etc. Charter cable does not provide us with the ability to have this channel. Not surprising they have not added a new channel in years. When SOAPNet went off the air we just ended up with one less channel. ..sorry Disney/ABC 😉
Will someone out there PLEASE post the episodes to YouTube?
All my children!
This is great news for soap fans. I’d suggest they should pick up Edge of Night as well – I’ve seen a few episodes on YouTube and it is excellent.
Id like to see Edge again too…wouldve loved to see episodes from its early days but unfortunately few episodes prior to 1975 survive!!!
One Life To Live and All My Children.
Is it true that there is a period of time when ABC reused video tape and as a result many episode have been lost ?
Can any one shed some light on this ?
I found that it’s true for DAYS as was the case for most before the late 70’s. I wonder who the dumb asses were that thought that was a good idea?! It was a system they called wiping. They wiped them out of existence.
I just did a search…soap opera wiping…wikipedia says All of DAYS episodes were saved!
I don’t know about your ABC soap though.
All the 2 Sony Soaps Days of Our Lives and The Young and the Restless exist. Soapnet even showed the first 2 episodes of Days, which are on Youtube.
I would loveto see Days early years again…the Bill Bell/Pat Falken Smith years was my favorite Days era!!!
Love it! Looking forward to classic daytime drama. Hopefully they will add more soaps to their line up.
I probably would, but Retro doesn’t seem to be available in my area. Watch that show for many years. At one time, it was written in weekly arcs. There was a main story that had a beginning (Monday), middle, and end (Friday) in episodes stretching over one or two weeks. Stories of the staff were integrated and ongoing. Matt and Maggie were the golden couple. Nick and Althea were so combustible. Still vividly recall one scene where Elizabeth Hubbard was at her very best. Althea–the role she played–had been diagnosed with a tumor on the optic nerve. Nick, of course, was the only surgeon who could possibly save her. Before being wheeled into surgery (which could very well have proved fatal), Althea calls all of her loved ones into the hospital room–daughter Penny, Matt, Maggie, and Nick–and bravely says “goodbye” to each, and makes them say goodbye also, as they might not have the chance later. Just the kind of strong, grounded, and real performance Ms. Hubbard became better known for on As the World Turns.
I remember when Maggies daughter Greta was bit by a rapid rabbit and became a bad seed child…also when Greta pushed someone down a flight of stairs and that person died!!!
I definitely remember the bad seed storyline, barely the staircase push. In the former, the hospital lab was conducting some experiments on a virus, and Mike (Greta’s half-brother) was lax one day and let an uninfected rabbit make contact with an infected one. He then gave the former rabbit to Greta for a pet; it bit her and infected her (hence the “bad seed” behavior). Mike was so wracked with guilt, that he began experimenting on himself to find her a cure. Needless to say, after much drama, the day was saved and Greta grew up to marry (not happily) Billy Aldrich–played by Alec Baldwin.
I believe it was Maggies cousin who was staying with them and got in a struggle with Greta…(cant recall all the details what really happen but im pretty certain it did…i watched 12 soaps around that time…also my late mother and me always wondered what song Nurse Lauri James used to play and sing…she was described as a fine singer who had difficulty performing in public and decided to become a nurse…she and Dr. Hank Iverson(Palmer Deane) were the 1st African American couple on this show…im excited to see all that again!!!
I will tune in!
This is excellent news, bring on more! God bless these legendary shows that will never be again…maybe in new ways, but the “retro” is a groove in the classic mode unto itself!
SWEET! Bring on the classic soaps!
I am…. SO…. bummed
I would love to watch an old serial… from the beginning
this just smarts
I do not get this station / nor do I get TVLAND
oye…. to feel the days of ole…. again
simmer
yearn
delight
captivate’ing stuff
As The World Turns
I would have watched this
especially when I saw the name: Elizabeth Hubbard…. Lucinda Walsh of Oakdale
The local affiliate in Boston switched from Retro to Cozi TV about a year ago may be a bit longer. So currently Retro not available in the Boston market. Hope that changes.
I don’t get retro TV either. Hopefully someone will post the episodes on You Tube.
The channel is in my city but Comcast doesn’t carry it. I will call the station to find out how I can watch it. I would love to watch. I would love to see repeats AMC! I will find a way to watch The Doctors.
I will watch,never saw it on its original run ,,i wonder what time it will air,they should run it in the afternoon, i still miss oltl and amc,,,,,,,,i would love to se these and edge of night also/
I’ll give it a try.
I thought I got this channel, but just checked their site and it doesn’t look like it airs near me. I thought it was a free channel. Maybe it changed.
The Doctors, Days, and Another World were great soap in the early to mid 70’s. That was NBC’s best years in the ratings as well. The ratings reflected what was being told on screen because there were as many as 16 soaps to pick from.
I’m not sure this airs in Dallas, but I’ll watch if it does.
I’d watch ANY of the classic soap material from the 70’s especially the CBS lineup with Edge of Night, Search For Tomorrow, Secret Storm, ATWT, Guiding Light, Where the Heart Is , Love Is a Many Splendored Thing, Love of Life and of course YR.
I love old episodes of Dallas.
I look forward to seeing this show once again. I wonder how much I’ll remember.
What a cool idea and what fun it would be to watch the old “stories.” I wonder if I get Retro where I am. I sure hope so! Going to check it out!
I can’t wait to see this classic soap again and will watch every day. I am a collector of Vintage Soap Opera episodes and found hundreds of them from the 50’s 60’s 70’s 80’s.
Would love to see Another World again…
This is fantastic and exciting news. Wonder if there is any chance of getting The Edge of Night or Love of Life back?
I did not start watching The Doctors until 1975, but I have heard much raving about Nick and Althea from the early 1970s and am looking forward to seeing that story.
As others have noted, TD’s later years (it was cancelled in 1982, and I would say that there were very few bright spots in the last five years) were not kind to it. It was the first show I remember being consciously aware was being negatively affected by TPTB games: it was the first instance I remember of the revolving door of head writers and executive producers, which we’re all so used to now; back in the mid-70s when I started watching soaps, things were much more stable. Not TD; I could probably name 10 different headwriters or headwriting teams in the show’s last five years if I sat down to think about it. There weren’t quite as many executive producers, but they still changed frequently. And the show really suffered.
But I’ve always heard very good things about the 60s and the first half of the 70s, and I’m really looking forward to seeing this if it’s on in my area. (If not, I’ll be majorly bummed.)
Echo what most everyone has said… I’m glad they are doing this and hope it leads to more soaps being re-aired! I don’t have a Retro-TV channel in my area so even a converter box won’t do me any good. But, I will tweet and help get the word out for those who do.
I miss seeing reruns of Ryan’s Hope on the now defunct SOAPNet. I’ve always thought that show– if done correctly, could be turned into a good prime time soap (since the networks have no interest in bringing back more soaps to daytime. Any old soap– ATWT, GL, Santa Barbra– would be great to see. Hope other channels like this follow suit.
I watched near the soap’s end. It was the first time I’d seen Kim Zimmer, and she was obviously destined for bigger things. It was also the first time I saw Alec Baldwin. The soap ended badly. Very badly. Still, I would love to see the early episodes and also when Doug Marland wrote the soap in the 70s, reviving the show and gaining critical acclaim before being lured away to GH. I loved Liz Hubbard on ATWT and saw her briefly on TD. I would watch the soap and even DVR it, but Retro is not available in my area.
Despite the show being on for nearly 20 years, there will probably only be a limited number of episodes that RetroTV can air. Networks did not start saving their taped episodes until the late 70’s. ‘The Doctors’ ended in 1982.
I read somewhere that The Doctors retained all of their episodes. The reason retro tv is starting with year 1967 is because that is where the show began being broadcast in color.
MORE! MORE! We want MORE! I hope they add other classic soap operas to the line up like ANOTHER WORLD! It would also be cool to see some retro episodes of Days of Our Lives from the mid 80’s and Santa Barbara! Lets write to them soap fans and ask them to add MORE!
This is the greatest news!! Though I never watched this particular soap, I promise I will not miss an episode. I love the genre. I’ve adopted Days of our Lives now that All My Children is off the air. It would be fun to see the early episodes. I watched General Hospital from 1963 (I was 8 years old) until the early 1990s. Those early years would be fun to see as well. It is always interesting to see famous actors and actresses who started out in those days on soaps. My wish list would also include Peyton Place. Only the first season is out on DVDs.
Guiding Light , One life to live ,Ryans Hope
I would love to see Ryan’s Hope, All My Children and early episodes of General Hospital, but because all of these shows build upon each episode, don’t jump around show them from the beginning! I don’t care if they are in black and white, I care about the stories, which is why most people get hooked on these programs. I also love watching the fashions and the popular culture things that pop up when you watch old shows. I really hope that these old shows will fill the void that has been left by the lack of support that the networks have for the soap genre.
In some of the early shows of the Doctors .when the cast members went into the Elevator you saw the lights in the background go up and down just like the Trubolift on Star Trek .On the Doctors the elevator ride was a slow one/
Since I do not get Retro at this time any way I can see a sence of this?
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
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.”
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.
General Hospital
‘General Hospital’s’ Jonathan Bennett Receives 3 ‘Critics Choice Real TV Awards’ Nominations for Hallmark Series, ‘Finding Mr. Christmas’
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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General Hospital
‘General Hospital’s’ Kelly Thiebaud on Britt and Cassius Sibling Drama, But Who Will Ultimately Blow His Cover?
On the April 30 episode of General Hospital, Britt (Kelly Thiebaud) had some choice words and warning for her brother Cassius Faison (Ryan Paevey) who has been masquerading as his twin, the very dead, Nathan West.
As the story has unfolded, viewers learned that Britt knew all along that when “Nathan” showed up in Port Charles seemingly resurrected with a missing 7 years of his life unexplained, that Cassius was taking his place.
Now in developments on today’s GH, Josslyn Jacks (Eden McCoy) is figuring out that this guy pretending to be Nathan is someone else, and Cassius learns from Britt, that Joss is not just a ditzy sorority girl as he claimed, but a WSB agent! The moment stuns Cassius. Are the walls about to close in on him and his charade?
Courtesy/ABC
Daytime Emmy winner, Kelly Thiebaud spoke to Soap Opera Digest, about the story point and getting the opportunity this time back at GH to work with Ryan Paevey, when she hadn’t had the chance to before.
BROTHERLY LOVE?
Thiebaud expressed on sharing scenes with Ryan Paevey, “It’s just been so wonderful to have him back and to actually work with him! When he first came onto the show (as Nathan at the end of 2013) I was kind of heading out — it was right towards the end of my contract, so we didn’t actually work together a ton. It’s been really refreshing and so much fun to really spend time together and get to know each other and work together. I think we have really great on-camera chemistry and banter with each other. I really enjoy working with him.”
With the stakes at an all-time, Thiebaud explained how she views her on-screen alter-ego’s involvement with her more hot-to-temper sibling and why Britt revealed the truth about Josslyn to him. “People finding out about Cassius would expose what she’s involved in and what she agreed to do,” explains Kelly “And now Josslyn is digging around, and she’s connected to Carly (Laura Wright) to Jason (Steve Burton) and that whole dynamic! It’s messy!”
BRITT’S MURKY FUTURE
Britt has currently also reached her breaking point with Jason being carted away by the WSB, Rocco (Finn Carr), the child she gave birth to, shooting Cullum (Andrew Hawkes) to protect her and Jason, Marco (Adrian Anchondo) being killed after trying to help her, and Cullum holding over her head getting her Huntington’s disease medication to control her symptoms, while blackmailing her into finishing the research on her father, Cesar Faison’s, final project. Thiebaud summed it up best for Britt right now, sharing, “It’s been a really tough time for her.”
So, who do you think will be the person to blow Cassius’ cover? Will it be Britt herself? Josslyn? Liesl? Brennan? Nina? Lulu? Rocco, Maxie, Cullum or someone else? Let us know your pick in the comment section.
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