Will a second season of Blood & Oil ever happen? Primetime drama Blood & Oil was the brainchild of producer/writers Josh Pate and Rodes Fishburne and aired its first season on ABC back in 2015. Set in the fictional oil boomtown of Rock Springs, North Dakota, the series follows conflicts that arise between various characters that have flocked and settled there to stake their claims and make their fortunes.
Much of the action centered on Don Johnson’s character Hap Briggs, a ruthless oil tycoon married to a trophy wife (Amber Valletta’s Carla) with a wayward son named Wick (Scott Michael Foster, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), who was constantly conspiring against him. Chace Crawford of Gossip Girl fame and Rebecca Rittenhouse play married couple Billy and Cody LeFever who have recently moved to Rock Springs in hopes of making a buck or two, while Delroy Lindo is Tip Harrison – a local sheriff trying to maintain law and order in the boomtown.
After a drama-packed first season, the show seemingly disappeared off the face off the earth. Will there be a second season or is Blood & Oil cancelled?
Blood & Oil Season 1 Wasn’t A Hit
After a disappointing debut with its premiere episode, Blood & Oil’s already poor ratings steadily declined within its first few weeks on air and the show never really found an audience. Critics had pretty harsh things to say about Blood & Oil too. While Don Johnson got some praise for his performance as Hap, many critics felt the show was more soap opera than drama and compared it unfavorably to similarly-themed melodrama Dallas.
Blood & Oil Seemed Doomed From The Start
Although Blood & Oil aired its first season in 2015, ABC actually bought the show’s script four years earlier in 2011. After a lengthy delay getting it to the small screen, Blood & Oil experienced a number of problems behind the scenes after it went into production.
The role of Hap’s daughter Lacey Briggs was originally given to Dear White People actress Caitlin Carver before she was replaced by Aurora Perrineau (When They See Us), who in turn was replaced by Miranda Rae Mayo. Production issues on location in Utah and a last-minute change of showrunner suggested all was not well behind the scenes too.
Blood & Order Season 2 Isn’t Happening
Just a few episodes into Blood & Order’s first season, news broke ABC had trimmed its original episode order from 13 to just 10 which is usually a death knell for a show. While ABC never issued an official statement confirming Blood & Order was cancelled, the network’s reluctance to produce more episodes made its intentions pretty clear. In other words, a second season of Blood & Order won’t be happening.