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Y&R's Eric Braeden Defends Daytime Drama, "They're Replacing The Soaps With Crap!"
Photo Credit: Kathy Hutchins
Leave it to The Young and the Restless’ Eric Braeden, who plays the iconic Victor Newman of Genoa City, to fire back at network suits and programming executives who over the past few years have canceled beloved daytime dramas and taken them away from its huge fan base and audience, only to replace them with game shows, cooking shows, or failed lifestyle/makeover shows. (Yes, The Revolution, we are talking about YOU!)
In a piece this weekend from The Hollywood Exclusive with noted Tinseltown columnist Marilyn Beck, she asked the Daytime Emmy winning actor how it feels being on one of the four remaining soaps, and his thoughts on the decisions made to replace them with alternative forms of programming. Braeden replied, “Not very good, to be honest. They’re replacing the soaps with bull#$@!, with crap. It’s what happens when huge corporations take over, and things are reduced to the lowest common denominator. You cannot tell me that all of a sudden, people who have been used to the novelistic form of entertainment, soap operas have suddenly lost interest. This form of serialized storytelling goes back to radio, to serialized novels. Dickens was essentially a soap opera writer. The desire to see, to be part of that has not died suddenly. I think it has died in the minds of some executives.”
Braeden is currently being seen on the big screen in the Oscar-winning Titanic as John Jacob Astor, which is currently been re-released in 3-D in honor of the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the real-life Titanic.
So, what do you think about Braeden’s remarks? Let us know in the comment section below!
He gets to the brilliant point: Suits are replacing beloved soaps with garbage all in the name of money. Huge fan bases and quality programming be damned!
I agree with that completely,They cancel our beloved soaps and want us watched the shit what they call a talk show.Shame on them.
I agree with Eric. I did watch As The World Turns, Guilding LIght until taken off. I started when they were on for 15 minutes. Have watcched Y and R since it came on tv. I have choose not to watch the stations in the afternoon for the crzp on there. I will watch the Western channel 1st. At least these people know what is a goo d show and not crap. Soap Opera Fan for 54 years.
I couldn’t have said it better myself. IMO, Eric is spot on with this thinking. Kudos to you Eric Braeden for putting it out there exactly as it is!
I also feel it could not have been said better. I enjoy my soaps and am tired of watching TV reality shows, Survivor, etc. I am tired of these shows. We live a survivor life do not really need to watch on TV. Besides I don’t call this a reality show it’s just another reality show. Survivor show should be people left on an island and left to make it on their own. Bring back the soaps.
I get your point, Edie.
While I don’t mind shows like Survivor, as I watch it myself, I would be willing to give up that show and shows like The Amazing Race and ALL the reality shows for scripted shows, especially soap operas.
Everything is just so cheap, cheap, cheap. The networks don’t want to pay writers. And when they do have something scripted, the writers want their fair share (e.g., the writers’ strike). Networks and the studios just think they can get rid of the middle man and we will just sit there like idiots and lap up whatever garbage (i.e. reality/game show) is thrown at us.
Somewhere something in this country became broken when “they” thought “we” were all interested in the likes of the Kardashians. Remember when we were inundated with Paris Hilton every day. Life would be so much better without all these so-called reality shows about so-called “celebrities” that THIS nobody cares about.
Kudos for Eric Braeden for once again telling it like it is. I wish others would become a little more outspoken on the subject and maybe that would rattle a few cages.
I no longer watch ABC for the 2 hours of “crap” they have put on…..and if they make it 3 hours with Katie, so be it I will not watch….the world will go on, but I will miss GH as I miss AMC and OLTL….but I will not be a party to the crap. ABC you had better listen
gh has been extended for 1 more year……………..
I would be wary of this so-called “extension” as there has been no official word from ABC. I think they are going to pull the rug (GH) out from under us sooner rather than later.
Don’t mess with Victor Newman! Love that he doesn’t filter himself, he says what we are all thinking!
Yep, Guiding Light replaced with a game show, ATWT replaced by a lame View knock off, and those stupid shows AMC and OLTL were replaced with.
I couldn’t agree with him more! I cried when GL was taken off. There are such talented, hard working actors and actresses who do daytime tv. What the networks should be looking at, is the crap that’s on at night!
Hopefully his comments start makng the corporation executives rethink their failed plan to change the landscape of daytime television.
These executives are truly out of touch to what the public wants.
I couldn’t have said it better. If ABC keeps up its philosophy of low budget, low quality shows, they’ll soon be running infomercials all day. If only they’d smarten and and turn around what they did to AMC and OLTL and give them the rebirths the loyal viewers of those soaps are still asking for…then I’d put my ABC boycott to rest. I watch nothing on ABC except for GH. Are their any mourners for the forthcoming cancellation of The Revolution? I think not…
Exactly what we all have been saying and yes it the large corporation executives that have no idea what we want to watch. What has happened and will continue until someone gets a clue, it has eroded daytime. I will never watch ABC again except GH. Not one network cares about its established viewers.
he is right on the money we love our soaps and tape them so we dont miss them i’m so sick of reality tv give me my soaps any day over that crap
Dayitme TV will never be the same without any soaps. You can only have so many game, cooking, or talk shows. How boring to have way too many of them.
Amen! He took the words right out of my mouth! I’ve been saying that for over a year now! i can’t even stand the crap on in the evenings too much reality crap!
Rock on EB!!!!!
Well Mr. Braeden I ask this one question concerning Y&R when was the last time you had a GOOD storyline on your soap? Answer 2005 Cassie’s death! No, the soap opera decade is not over with but your writers and producers are going to make it that way, you put some pressure on MAB & the gang with the thought of cancellation & they start writing good story and all my friends will be back in droves I have never liked talk shows or game shows but this drivel that you are calling story telling is awful I keep thinking someone over there will start getting down to business but no we would rather blame a suit for your problems tell MAB to do her job !
Unfortunately, those suits (Sony for ex) have a large say in what is written and what is broadcast, so it’s not all the writers fault…Could we stand to have some new (GOOD) ones? Yes, but to put them blame solely on them is completely unfair…Not to mention it is a matter of tastes…There was a time when I didn’t watch at all, and couldn’t stand to, and that was BEFORE MAB…While I see flaws, I still watch, and not out of habit
abbie you took the words right out of my mouth – soap writers can only write what “the suits” allow them to write…………
I totally agree with your comment
Totally agree with Eric, hope Y & R will survive. Love the show and have been watching for 30 years.
Good for him ! I very much agree with Eric ……..so sad to have seen these soups to end !
THANK YOU !,ERIC
Does this mean that The Talk is crap? If my memory is correct, Braeden did appeared on this show.
several y&r actors have appeared on the talk & both shows are owned & run by the same people – they use actors/stars from other cbs shows to make a guest appearance to bring the ratings up on the talk and yes basically the talk is crap………………
I agree 100%. Television is HORRIBLE now. Everything is reality-based. It’s a real shame.
More actors should come forward but I guess they are afraid for their jobs and don’t want to go against their network.
Braeden made NO mention of the obvious poor writing on his show as reason for the decline. I don’t think that was an oversight. My guess is that the other actors you reference are not the only ones “afraid for their jobs.”
I agree 100%. I cannot believe we are losing our soaps for MORE talk shows. The problem is TPTB are not listening to the people that actually watch Daytime TV. They take these polls, but they leave out all the people that work all day and DVR/record their soaps and/or watch them later on soapnet. I assure you I do not miss a day of Y&R or Days of our Lives. If we lose the soaps, I assure you I will NOT be recording the crap they replace it with! Thank you, Mr. Braeden for speaking up! Believe me, many of your fans agree with you and support you all the way!
Thank you Eric for a defending the soaps…The crap the put on tv is terrible I hate reality tv shows. I still miss OLTL so much and want it back.
Thank you ERic for speaking up about how you really feel and maybe someone will listen to him and do the right thin and bring back the soaps.
agree completely!! i have blocks of time that i used to watch amc and oltl and now nothing on then so i started watching B&B AND Y&R ,AND GH AGAIN
We have to support the soaps. If a storyline is not working, write the execs of the shows and complain. PLEASE don’t stop watching, because that is the death sentence. I applaud Mr. Braeden, because he always speaks his mind. If soaps are dead, there wouldn’t be a resurgence of the night time soaps.
I agree with you,I have hated the mob stories on general hospital and for years I kept watching ,never missing a day because I want to support the soaps.If a fan leaves because of stupid reasons that will kill the soaps and that we dont want to happen we only have 4 left,those crap, talk,news and food shows are taking over ,I will never watch those shows I love the soaps thats the real daytime programming not katie couric ,the chew ,the revolution ,OOps thats gone.Now we have to boycott the other dopy talk news shows that will be taking over.
I can’t resist: Y&R story telling! Victor involved with women half his age can anyone say PERVERT! Phyllis writing for the National Inquirer having sex on desks,dumpters,walls mooning over a man 8 to 10 years younger looks it. Daisy & Chelsea both getting pregnant by drunken men still trying to figure how that happens. Cane rewritten back story how many times? Neil no chemistry with either Harmony or Sophia. Chloe & Kevin who cares. Ricky the demon seed has not been on camera with his father Paul in how long. This is bull/s & crap at its finest and the suits aren’t writing and I beleive you Mr. Braeden are making how much off this drivel?
Sounds like a typical soap opera to me…These complaints always miss me b/c soaps have ALWAYS written these kinds of storylines…Not sure why everyone acts like it is something new…You want to complain about storytelling, talk about the ridiculous Phyllis and her father and how that was poorly written storyline, or this wholde Shadam mess…An old man marrying a woman half his age is nothing new (In soap or real life)…Sometimes I think the execs don’t take the fas seriously because of these kinds of complaints,and I don’t blame them
thank you abbie – i could not have said it better myself!!
And Kay for every one of those plot points that you dislike you have to know that there is someone out there that just loves it. It is the way it is. There is some nut on a message board that just LOVES the weakest characters (Heather as played by Eden Regel for example) and then there are those that have all but started a petition to bring “Sam” back. People like what they like. I happen to agree with you on most of your points, though. There is an awful lot of bed hopping going around and not a lot of dating and getting to know you first.
By the way, Daisy drugged Daniel, he was not drunk. 🙂 And from what I have heard, I don’t think Eric Braeden particularly cared for the younger women partners (i.e., Sharon, Sabrina), but he only has so much say.
I love Eric Braeden, he has ALWAYS spoken his mind! He’s right on the money this time too. I couldn’t have said it better myself!
What is sad to me is all the garbage that they are writing for YR and BB. I don’t know why E.B. can’t understand why they are yanking the soaps off the air when they keep repeating the old used plots day in and day out. No one but a select few get camera time, while others wait in the wings. I am not impress by EB(Victor), who’s character has never respected women or children or his family, nor the women who let him. No one respects marriage, and all of this bed hopping is stupid. I see why all of the kids are so screwed up,
I agree 100% with Mr. Braeden…..
Right On!! You tell em Eric!! Kudos….
Eric is exactly right – Soaps are far more entertaining than crap, like The Chew. Those TV executives need to wake up and give the people what they want, like more soaps!
i could not agree more with Mr. Braeden! They are decimating daytime tv with all kinds of crap. we lost three iconic soap operas amc and oltl and atwt because of shows like “the talk” “the Chew” “the revolution” all of them dont hold a candle to ANY of the three soaps that we lost on daytime tv. They are cheaply produced garbage! I hope the remaining soaps survive and these daytime tv executives realize that if we wanted to watch that kind of garbage we have at least 10 other stations to do so on other cable channels specifically geared toward those topics. i hope abc, cbs and nbc listen to the outcry of fans and actors, producers, writers and everyone who loves daytime dramas that we wont stop fighting to keep our soaps on the air.
Funny that Braeden seems to trash the networks for their decision to cancel soaps but he never hints that a significant problem is the unoriginal craptastic writing that is commonplace on many soaps for the past decade.
His own show is a prime example of the inexusable decline in the quality of the soap writing today. I’ve watched Y&R since before Victor ever appeared. I can’t how far this once great show has fallen in its writing.
the remaining four soaps left are experiencing the same thing BUT we all have to understand the writers do not have the final say in what actually airs the network executives do & that is the problem
Right on Eric! I’m with you and back your speaking your mind!
Right on! Thank you, Eric Braeden, for saying what so many of us want to say. Of course people still want serialized drama.
i love eric braeden as victor newman. like victor says listen to me all right you punk. eric speaks his mind and knows what he is talking about. i am so happy that the revolution finally got cancelled. but they picked up the chew for a second season. i have finally accepted that one life to live is not coming back. lets face it and fight for our remainder soap operas.
I agree with you completely!
wow someone who actually is not afraid to speak up how he really feels that is awesome i agree 100% all these big suits as he calls them make the decision to put on all these crappy shows and then expect us to watch them like brian frons had said that we will watch anything we will not watch these replacement shows at all after many years of watching these soap operas we were used to quality tv programing maybe some day we will see it again
I would like to take the word corporations out of the arguement. There is too much corporation bashing. Within these corporations they have creative people… people who are in the business of creating programming… these are the idiots that somehow think we want and need this crap. Yes… any business be it a small or a large corporation needs to make money to succeed… but it’s how they make money that is being addressed. There are people who think the soaps address family and family types values that they would rather replace them with shows telling you what to eat and how to think. This is coming from a mindset that doesn’t want that type of programming to prevail and it isn’t all about money and there are suits who are accountants who care about money and there are suits who are programming people who are more about the reality, lifestyle crap and not wanting to see the soaps that their families have watched for years prevail for a multtude of reasons that we may not understand. It’s too easy to say that we are loosing our soaps because of those big corporations!
I would like to add to what I started. I think the model has to change. If ABC for instance had more Frank Valentini’s who knew how to take a budget and work with it we would get more soaps. Look at Crystal Chappell and Venice… I am guessing Venice doesn’t begin to cost what the Chew costs. We could get these types of creative project managers that believe in the genre after their management believe in the genre and give them the time slot and the budgets to bring something on. The person who developed the Chew wasn’t just about the money… it was the management that said develop something that isn’t a soap and here’s your budget. They could have easily said develop a soap and here’s your budget… FV or CC could do it. We need more of that change in the model. Oh and maybe they have to make them outside of LA or NYC and maybe they have to use non-union or what ever… we see with all of the web soaps it could be done. Then they need to deal with the ratings model and realize that in 2012 we who watch soaps will watch them whenever we can and on whatever type of media we can and that has to be dealt with fairly and effectively.
My soaps are something that I have watched everyday for years. Can’t say that about any primetimes shows. In fact, I was thinking about this the other day. Some shows I have started to watch and then after a couple years or so, stopped watching them or even the same season they are not must-see TV. I don’t feel that way about my soaps. I don’t know why they are not getting the ratings they should or why networks want to cut them and replace them with garbage.
I agree, there was no reason in the world they had to cancel One Life to Live, it was a stupid move on ABC’s part and now they are suffering the consequences. I will not watch ABC daytime anymore until OLTL has been put back on and that garbage the Chew and Revolution are History.
Also not how ABC is trying to quiet the soap fans down by importing some of the OLTL cast on to General Hospital. Dosen’t work for me, its good to see some of the OLTL cast on GH and working but its not the same as being on their own soap. BRING BACK ONE LIFE TO LIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think that Eric Braedon is not just a great actor, but a brilliant man. He has hit the head of the nail dead on. The executives are thinking with their wallets and not with the Fans wishes. Ultimately it is a catch 22…..Soaps are (supposedly) to expensive to make, but they aren’t going to be making any money with the cheaper shows because you need an audience; they don’t have one. We have either moved on except for the the 3:00 GH slot on ABC. Or planning our stradgedy for the next network that decides we don’t want one of the four left. Their daytime programming is going to echo it will be so empty. Remember we are boycotting the Chew and Katie when it comes on also. We have one a small victory the renewing of GH was certainly not winning the war.
Braeden’s comments ring true to me. Still, I do wish the storytelling on our soaps was better. I do not believe our plots are as good as they once were or could be. Rough seas do calm at some point,and I would not be surprised to see a resurgence in soap operas down the line. Everything old is new again.
I feel strong agree from Eic Braeden and Maurice Bernard are both right about they can’t take anymore to heard CBS,NBC and our favorite ABC who been good boys or girls this year to keep GH on the air forever. I do love GH over 31 years. Eric’s right.. CBS or NBC might take it away from Bulls**t to put bad stuff like talk show/cooking show/doctor in the house show and other. I means that’s bunch of crXp. I didn’t like it at all. GH got one more year to stay on the air until 50th Anniversary.. One more thing(my favorite motto from Columbo) don’t watch GMA in the afternoon this summer to make sure block your digital cable(Charter Comm. or whatever u got there) to block Chew and GMA in The Afternoon in July 2012.
Does anyone else thing that THE CHEW is the worst name for a show ever? Every time I hear it I envision someone trying to eat something really big like a piece of cube steak or something. It’s almost like nails on a chalkboard to me.
Anyway, I just wonder how long it will take until Hollywood, which is very close to running out of new ideas, is going to realize that they need to bring back the soaps. You know it is going to happen SOME day. First it will start with one network and then they will all want to do it. I am in my 30s. Will it happen before my time is up? I wonder. In any event, if ABC ends up canceling GH and CBS cancels Y&R when it is up for renewal then I will be done with both networks indefinitely. If they cannot offer me, a stay-at-home mom of two little ones, something on MY time during the day, then I am sure as heck not going to watch any of their garbage at night when they really want me to.
And I am really getting tired of hearing people say that ABC decided to RENEW General Hospital. They own it so they did not renew it. They just decided not to cancel it just yet. The language is very different. Don’t celebrate – it is premature! Keep fighting!
Leave it to Mr. Braeden to tell it like it is. Long live the soaps!
The main point I was trying to make is no one ever takes resposibility for their job and wants to start pointing fingers it is news to me that the executives tell the writers what to write but maybe you guys know something I do not know and I never meant to imply that Eric Braeden liked the stories with the younger gals I was just making a point why I think Y&R is hurting in the ratings. MAB has ruined a lot of the characters on this show especially the women Sharon,Phyllis,Ashley are nothing like they were as created by Bill Bell .And everybody has to agree that the way they did Maura West was awful and I do blame MAB for that.She was too young for the part and she MAB dam well knew it.
Actually everything I read said Maura West was too OLD for the part. That is why they gave her that short hair cut to make her look younger. I, however, am biased because I am the same age as Maura. Ha! Ha! In any event. I agree they ruined her. What a waste of a great talent. Maura and the character of Diane deserved so much better.
It is TRUE that the attorneys have a lot of say in how things are played out. I worked for one of the studios that owns a certain daytime drama and saw many files to support this, unfortunately. They also have a lot of say in the talent.
While I do not loathe everything that is playing out on Y&R these days as some good things have come out of it, I am very ready for some new blood to come in and shake things up. I agree that it would be nice to see Maria Arena Bell replaced.
Yes, I also know Daniel was drugged and now we find out Billy was drunk.. So my question is this. Did they also slip them Viagra so they could have sex and have a baby! Or has something changed I do not know about that you just look at them and get pregnant! I think you know what I am getting at now we have Jack having sex but I thought he was paralyzed from the waist down you see where I am coming from I do know it is a soap opera but come on! I thought they canceled Passions. Enough said I will just say this if they would bring back Kay Alden & Jack Smith who worked closely with Bill Bell I think you would see a big turnaround.
We knew Billy was drunk back when Melissa Claire Egan first came on screen back in the fall, I think it was. He admitted to Victoria that he was drunk. He mistook Chelsea for Victoria, kind of. But it was just revealed that Billy was drugged by her friends. I am still not convinced it is Billy’s biological baby to begin with because Victor had access to his DNA via Delia’s bone marrow transplant.
Yeah, the whole logistics does not make sense and then there is Jack who is paralyzed from the waist down with Nikki. I’m not even going to get into that one. 🙂
I’m afraid, Kay, that they want us to believe the impossible. Did you happen to see Jack and Genevieve’s marriage license last week? Jack was listed as 46 and Genevieve was listed as 33! And then they talk about Sorasing Summer and Fen. Unbelievable!
I missed the ages on the certificate. Gen is 33??? First of all, yeah right. Look at GF. Shes no 33 year old. Secondly, that must make Kane about 10 years old at the most then!! LOL!
I think what Kay is trying to say is that if a man is too drunk to know with whom he is having sex or even that he had it at all, then more than likely the certain part of the male anatomy that needs to function for the act isn’t working. Medical fact.
Mr. Braeden is spot on with his comment. I live on the east coast, and you can’t convince me that replacing Guiding Light with ‘Let’s Make A Deal’ was a deal breaker decision when it comes to daytime programming, OMG! I would bet CBS lost a lot of viewers.
I agree. I also strongly believe corporate America is destroying all we hold dear.
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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