Common Sense Media Review
By Emily Ashby
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Greed, manipulation, sex make for decent prime-time soap.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Blood & Oil
What's the Story?
BLOOD & OIL follows Billy (Chace Crawford) and Cody (Rebecca Rittenhouse) LeFever, newlyweds who leave their working-class hometown to have a go at a small business in Rock Springs, North Dakota, bustling after a recent oil strike. But when their original plans don't work out, they're forced to throw caution to the wind and go all in on a risky business endeavor with local tycoon Hap Briggs (Don Johnson), who's fighting his own battles with his crooked son, Wick (Scott Michael Foster). It's trial by fire as the LeFevers try to keep their heads above water in this boom-or-bust climate that threatens their marriage as well as their bottom line.
Is It Any Good?
This series has all the expected markings of a prime-time soap -- money, greed, sex, family squabbles, thinly veiled villains -- and the knack for taking itself more seriously than it should. It's impossible to watch without drawing comparisons to the granddaddy of all fracking dramas, Dallas (and its modern incarnation), but with the exception of Johnson's mesmerizing performance as the cunning Hap, it falls short of such a gold-standard mark.
Blood & Oil is inspired by the story of a real-life North Dakota boomtown, which will give it a slight edge for viewers who like a tangible dose of truth with their fiction. Some of the characters are particularly charming, including the wide-eyed greenhorns Billy and Cody, and there's plenty of tantalizing drama in play. The bottom line? This show isn't destined for awards, but it's a fairly benign guilty pleasure, and its setting makes for some stunning scenery.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about which characters, if any, are to be admired. Do any of them make their money honestly? Is it possible to be an honest businessman (or woman) in an environment like this one? Where do you draw the line between good business and good values?
Who are the bad guys in this story? Does that definition change as the show evolves? Does it change your impression of business in the real world? Is it easy to imagine business is as cutthroat as this show implies?
Teens: Are you a risk taker? Could you go all in on a make-or-break business venture the way many of these characters do?
TV Details
- Premiere date : September 27, 2015
- Cast : Chace Crawford , Don Johnson , Rebecca Rittenhouse
- Network : ABC
- Genre : Drama
- Topics : Adventures
- TV rating :
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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