GH In The News: The PC Press Club

[Jaded]

53 minutes ago, Sake614 said:

Mid to late summer 

At least GH viewers won't have to wait 6 months or more to see what changes will be coming. Not that it makes this situation in regards to GH any better. 

[dubbel zout]

6 hours ago, jsbt said:

deeper nuance overall

This is what I've noticed and really enjoyed. 

[ComeWhatMay]

7 hours ago, jsbt said:

Starting with Frank Valentini. He's gotta go, otherwise nothing changes.

Is there a real chance FV could go? It feels like Mulcahey was a scapegoat and there to shield EK and CVE and buy them time. Used and discarded. Clearly SB isn’t the draw he once was and the rumors of the cut Aiden comes out to Laura scene for more of him, would indicate criminally bad judgement if true.

I’m sad it’s come to this. One of the podcasters said that Mulcahey was saving the jobs of people we wanted to see and that a very popular and beloved actress may be out this year.

The Frank Way looks to be the way off the air. 

[CeChase]

17 minutes ago, ComeWhatMay said:

Is there a real chance FV could go? It feels like Mulcahey was a scapegoat and there to shield EK and CVE and buy them time. Used and discarded. Clearly SB isn’t the draw he once was and the rumors of the cut Aiden comes out to Laura scene for more of him, would indicate criminally bad judgement if true.

I’m sad it’s come to this. One of the podcasters said that Mulcahey was saving the jobs of people we wanted to see and that a very popular and beloved actress may be out this year.

The Frank Way looks to be the way off the air. 

Yeah.  If that's Cynthia nothing would make me watch again.  I've already stopped being a regular viewer, this would make me ghost them.  General who?  But no matter who it is, from his description, there are going to be people who feel the way I would if it's Cynthia.  Nothing good will come of this. 

[Sake614]

I don’t think Cynthia qualifies as ‘very popular and beloved.’ She definitely has fans but in my mind it’s Genie and Becky and maybe KeMo. Could also be Maura. 

[CeChase]

6 minutes ago, Sake614 said:

I don’t think Cynthia qualifies as ‘very popular and beloved.’ She definitely has fans but in my mind it’s Genie and Becky and maybe KeMo. Could also be Maura. 

I am scratching my head how they would let Becky go when her SONS can drive story for the next decade.  But I did take note that while Jake was featured heavily, and they appeared to be doing a Jason/AJ the next gen, I have not seen Jake since.  Just Danny.  This would be possibly the biggest screw up they could make, so hold onto your hats, because sounds like them!

 

[dubbel zout]

1 hour ago, ComeWhatMay said:

Is there a real chance FV could go?

It seems very unlikely, given that he keeps the show on or under budget. 

[JMO]

Which character, other than Elizabeth, traces back to the Hardys?  I agree that it may be BH on the chopping block, since they’ve dropped the storylines for the boys and it looks like Finn may be headed out.  But why cut the direct line back to the origin of the show?

[Fellaway]

2 hours ago, ComeWhatMay said:

Clearly SB isn’t the draw he once was

I've been wondering about this. Was there any bump in the ratings when he came back?

[YaddaYadda]

FV is the biggest problem with the show. FoJ has nothing on FoF, that's for damn sure. 

GH has been dying slowly and agonizingly for years now. If anything, this might spell the end.

I don't even know how you put back in charge someone you weren't satisfied with or why you keep them around. 

Too bad for PM. There were good things happening with the show, so much so that I didn't have a ton to bitch about anymore.

2 hours ago, ComeWhatMay said:

Clearly SB isn’t the draw he once was.

Pretty sure he wasn't a draw last time either. 

[CeChase]

For  me, the show changed drastically when Jean Passanante and I forgot her partner's name, came on after they fired Ron.  It got so boring and that's when the GH motto "There will be NO payoffs to storylines" began.  They started that.  They turned it so boring.  And for me personally, it never recovered.  I doubt  it's wrong to assume that it's Frank puppeteering that is the biggest problem. 

[Bringonthedrama]

2 hours ago, ComeWhatMay said:

the rumors of the cut Aiden comes out to Laura scene for more of him, would indicate criminally bad judgement if true

Please explain. I understand that Aiden has been abruptly re-cast at a time when Elizabeth is worried that he's getting bullied (again). I wish the David actor could be brought back to play Aiden again. I really liked him!

[ComeWhatMay]

4 minutes ago, Bringonthedrama said:

Please explain. I understand that Aiden has been abruptly re-cast at a time when Elizabeth is worried that he's getting bullied (again). I wish the David actor could be brought back to play Aiden again. I really liked him!

A podcaster said Aiden coming out to Laura was shot and did not air in favor of more Jason. I believe it. I think the ALS event NLG organized was illuminating for people there based on bits and pieces I read that people were willing to post.

I wonder if the young actor chose to depart after his scene with a literal legend was cut? 

57 minutes ago, Fellaway said:

I've been wondering about this. Was there any bump in the ratings when he came back?

SB did bring in some people (but it was a small bump), and they quickly departed or those who did not want him back left and the losses have continued to mount. If what the podcaster said was true that EK had final approval of what PM wanted to do, PM never had a chance and these losses are not on him. Whether ABC/Disney is smart enough to figure that out (and the real optics problems with the current regime and their running of the show) remains a question of survival for a 61-year-old institution that helped me navigate the summer of 1996.

[Lugal]

So, to sum up:

[Sake614]

12 minutes ago, Lugal said:

So, to sum up:

Pretty much yeah. 🥲

[ciarra]

GH stage party.  Backstage pics.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/gallery/general-hospital/the-general-hospital-stage-dedication-party-see-the-pics

[paisley]

What podcast ?

What about Lane  Davies?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cleo]

Man how long did PM last? I only loosely follow the news bc I don't watch current GH, but the news about PM and LD had me at least considering checking it out. But I guess not lol.

So weird, and yes unprofessional, it really makes the BTS look like a shit show.

Ah well. I will continue with my YouTube watch of old eps. Lucy just entered the scene. I think she's up to something heh.

Edited May 18 by cleo

[30 Helens]

I'm feeling a bit like Charlie Brown right now. TPTB dangles a football in front of me, promising that this time it's the real deal. And as I run towards it, grinning like an idiot because everything I wanted is actually happening, they yank that football away and I land flat on my back. Dejected and feeling like a blockhead for believing them once again.

You were a lovely fantasy football, Patrick Mulcahey.  I wish we could have played with you awhile longer.

[ComeWhatMay]

What awaits us this week? BTS should not have more drama and intrigue than the show, at least not publicly, so it gives a sense of how jacked the situation is. Hopefully someone above FV and NV takes an interest in managing the situation. 

[DanaK]

Rena Sofer (Lois) has remarried her ex-husband Sanford Booksaver, with whom she shares a daughter

https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/general-hospitals-rena-sofer-remarries/?taid=664b678663b61f0001607273&utm_campaign=true_anthem_soapoperadigest&utm_content=manual&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

Edited May 20 by DanaK

[Auntie Velvet]

I forgot to screenshot this, but Tristan Rogers tweeted last week: "SEEN: TR @ GH,"   

LOL, he's still a cutie. Looks like maybe some Scorpio brothers scenes may be coming our way?

[Sake614]

So soap Twitter is all atwitter about the BTS nonsense at GH. According to some, PM’s hiring was at the behest of ABC execs and Frank was livid. Never wanted PM in the first place. If that were true, why would those execs allow Frank to fire PM? If anything, they should have fired Frank. So yeah, not really buying that one. But honestly it takes a lot to unite all the different fan factions and this move has certainly done that. 

[ComeWhatMay]

1 hour ago, Sake614 said:

If that were true, why would those execs allow Frank to fire PM?

Good question. One of the podcasters intimated verbally that PM may have actually quit and quickly changed topics. Whatever the case, they need to clean this mess up stat. It’s embarrassing for the show and all affiliated with it.

Real Talk: If FV and EK interfered with PM’s ability to do the job he was hired to do, he has nothing to lose and really anyone in a position to needs to speak up for those who cannot here. 

[JMO]

3 hours ago, Auntie Velvet said:

I forgot to screenshot this, but Tristan Rogers tweeted last week: "SEEN: TR @ GH,"   

LOL, he's still a cutie. Looks like maybe some Scorpio brothers scenes may be coming our way?

So relieved to see this.  I was worried about Tristan, since there’s such a  Robert-sized hole in this Pikeman story.  

[CeChase]

I don't think we know whether Patrick was fired, or whether he quit.  No one has reported the actual details.  I don't know who those people on twitter are, or whether they have sources or not.  But I do know what I see.   There was not a plan to hire Patrick out of retirement, and fire him a few months later, or make him so miserable that he quit.  I know Alley gave an interview to Fairman letting the cat out of the bag that Chris was still there, and someone told Fairman to  take down that interview, and he did.  I know they lied to the soap press about Chris and Dan being fired, and that they were hiding that Chris was still there.  

I know that neither Patrick nor Liz gave any interviews, and that is unusual and I believe shows that there was tension.  I thought that before the announcement that Patrick was gone, which just makes me think it was a lot more than tension.  And no one from the GH or ABC has addressed ANY of this.  

Eventually, we will know, because there will be more exits and change ups.  It's obvious at this point that they aren't going to willingly tell us anything, so we just have to watch what happens. 

Edited May 21 by CeChase

[CeChase]

Uh oh.  Maybe those tweeters do know something.  James Patrick Stuart tweeted a picture of an exit sign and the sign said "Talent" with an arrow to the off ramp.  That doesn't seem good.    Maybe he just saw it while driving, and it's a coincidence?  I don't know. 

Edited May 21 by CeChase

[DanaK]

Unsurprisingly, Gregory Harrison has exited GH

https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/gregory-harrison-exits-general-hospital/

[jsbt]

21 hours ago, Sake614 said:

If that were true, why would those execs allow Frank to fire PM? If anything, they should have fired Frank. So yeah, not really buying that one.

The story I heard (which may be wrong) is that Mulcahey allegedly quit. He is not known to suffer interference. He has a long history of that and of not keeping his mouth shut if challenged.

And the reason FV remains is because he keeps the show under budget and the network has no real investment in changing GH or fixing it systemically, so they don't care who the EP is. But yes, it was obvious PM was forced on FV, who lost the pet writers and the creative setup he has controlled for close to a decade.

19 hours ago, ComeWhatMay said:

anyone in a position to needs to speak up for those who cannot here. 

The actors don't want to lose their jobs or end up on twice every month like Becky Herbst. They're not going to talk about it. Maybe NLG if she gets drunk on Twitter again some night.

Edited May 21 by jsbt

[Desperado]

The current stories have a lot more impact than anything I’ve seen on the show in years. I’m sorry we’re going to lose this and no longer feel invested in anything on screen because the clock is ticking until the reset to same old.

I feel cheated.

Totally here for all the BTS gossip though.

[ffwbe]

Cute interview. I remember hearing that they didn’t get along but that doesn’t seem to be the case, at least not anymore

[ComeWhatMay]

17 minutes ago, jsbt said:

The actors don't want to lose their jobs or end up on twice every month like Becky Herbst. They're not going to talk about it. Maybe NLG if she gets drunk on Twitter again some night.

Oh, I get that... I wasn't looking for any of the actors to speak up. Jobs are tough enough to get in the business as it is and FV has long struck me as one to hold a serious grudge. I also think he knows more people than one might think he does and can hurt you in ways you don't think at first that he can.

10 minutes ago, Desperado said:

The current stories have a lot more impact than anything I’ve seen on the show in years. I’m sorry we’re going to lose this and no longer feel invested in anything on screen because the clock is ticking until the reset to same old.

I feel cheated.

Totally here for all the BTS gossip though.

Same. Such a shame.

[jsbt]

20 minutes ago, Desperado said:

The current stories have a lot more impact than anything I’ve seen on the show in years. I’m sorry we’re going to lose this and no longer feel invested in anything on screen because the clock is ticking until the reset to same old.

I feel cheated.

I need to catch up after a lot of stress last week IRL but I'm staying through LD's appearance as it appears it was one of the few material changes PM got to deliver onscreen. And judging by the interview just posted it was meant to be possibly the beginning of something more, which makes me sad. I may linger a bit as long as Mulcahey's name is there, but I haven't decided. It just feels depressing.

I feel very cheated too. I have no intention of returning to the show full-time again unless Frank is gone or at least drastically reduced in power (a la JFP when Bob Guza returned in 2002), and now I don't think that's ever going to happen.

1 minute ago, ComeWhatMay said:

FV has long struck me as one to hold a serious grudge.

From what I've seen he certainly can. Or he'll dump that kind of drama if it's about the bottom line, like the old drama he used to have with Steve Burton. It varies wildly.

Edited May 21 by jsbt

[CeChase]

36 minutes ago, jsbt said:

The story I heard (which may be wrong) is that Mulcahey allegedly quit. He is not known to suffer interference. He has a long history of that and of not keeping his mouth shut if challenged.

And the reason FV remains is because he keeps the show under budget and the network has no real investment in changing GH or fixing it systemically, so they don't care who the EP is. But yes, it was obvious PM was forced on FV, who lost the pet writers and the creative setup he has controlled for close to a decade.

The actors don't want to lose their jobs or end up on twice every month like Becky Herbst. They're not going to talk about it. Maybe NLG if she gets drunk on Twitter again some night.

Speaking of Becky, I've believed for a while now that they hate her because they failed in firing her.  I saw someone say she should be heading up a murder-mystery series on Hallmark, and I want that.  I really want it.  I wish Becky would RUN. 

[PatsyandEddie]

44 minutes ago, DanaK said:

Unsurprisingly, Gregory Harrison has exited GH

https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/gregory-harrison-exits-general-hospital/

I will certainly miss GH. Gregory was a dignified, intelligent and handsome older man. The interactions he had with different characters felt very real and natural , whether it was Alexis, Tracey or Violet. His loss leaves a giant hole. 
 

Today was very emotional and hit home with me personally. 
ME put forth a superb performance IMO. 

[ffwbe]

23 minutes ago, ComeWhatMay said:

Oh, I get that... I wasn't looking for any of the actors to speak up. Jobs are tough enough to get in the business as it is and FV has long struck me as one to hold a serious grudge. I also think he knows more people than one might think he does and can hurt you in ways you don't think at first that he can.

I think we’d only hear from an exiting actor who has little to no intention in returning to soaps in the future. Vinessa Antoine’s interview a few years back was pretty enlightening on how things worked there. 

[dubbel zout]

After reading about the BTS turmoil, I'm puzzled why PM was hired in the first place if FV wasn't on board, and why PM accepted if he didn't take kindly to interference and it doesn't seem unknown that FV has a firm hand on all aspects of the show. 

The outcome seemed inevitable if very depressing, given how PM has already improved the show.

[ComeWhatMay]

1 minute ago, ffwbe said:

I think we’d only hear from an exiting actor who has little to no intention in returning to soaps in the future. Vinessa Antoine’s interview a few years back was pretty enlightening on how things worked there. 

Yes, and sometimes life has other plans for people and things can come back around.

As far as I am concerned, it's up to PM who can just go back to retirement or off to work with MVJ or whoever from the network had enough pull and cared enough to get him there in the first place. Especially the latter... PM isn't wrong to just wash his hands and carry on, but I always hope those in a position to help other people will rather than just walk away.

[jsbt]

1 hour ago, dubbel zout said:

After reading about the BTS turmoil, I'm puzzled why PM was hired in the first place if FV wasn't on board, and why PM accepted if he didn't take kindly to interference and it doesn't seem unknown that FV has a firm hand on all aspects of the show. 

I strongly suspect it was the network, and that FV waited it out and hamstrung the effort til he could get an outcome he desired.

[dubbel zout]

The outcome still seems predictable, which is why the whole thing mystifies me.

[30 Helens]

I just wish none of it had never happened. I had almost forgotten how good the show could be until it was, and once the goodness is snatched away the crappiness will seem even crappier.  

I don't feel cheated so much as laughed at by a cartoon villain.

[Grinaldi]

11 minutes ago, 30 Helens said:

I just wish none of it had never happened. I had almost forgotten how good the show could be until it was, and once the goodness is snatched away the crappiness will seem even crappier.  

I don't feel cheated so much as laughed at by a cartoon villain

This is basiically my feeling as well. I feel like a chump. And clearly TPTB don't care about my demo. There is no art in daytime anymore, just a perpetual motion machine of safe stories that won't piss any one off (except those of us who remember what it was like when Agnes Nixon or Claire Labine or even Bill Bell were writing stories.) They are not interested in serving quality so I will take my business elsewhere or write my own fan fiction.

[dubbel zout]

9 hours ago, Grinaldi said:

And clearly TPTB don't care about my demo.

I think the only demo they care about is the one that's the loudest.

[Asp Burger]

On 5/17/2024 at 10:47 AM, CeChase said:

For  me, the show changed drastically when Jean Passanante and I forgot her partner's name, came on after they fired Ron.  It got so boring and that's when the GH motto "There will be NO payoffs to storylines" began.  They started that.  They turned it so boring.  And for me personally, it never recovered. 

Agreed. I've seen the work of all the writing regimes going back to the '90s. The show was never worse than it was under the Altman/Passanante team.

NLG, whom I've always liked onscreen and usually offscreen, was such a cheerleader for them. I could understand it if she had just been happy about their hiring/promotion on the grounds that they were both women, and then she saw the stories they wrote and reconsidered her opinion, but she was even praising them for the dopey breastfeeding story pitting Alexis and Olivia against Mayor Shari Belafonte.

On 5/21/2024 at 5:04 PM, ffwbe said:

I think we’d only hear from an exiting actor who has little to no intention in returning to soaps in the future. Vinessa Antoine’s interview a few years back was pretty enlightening on how things worked there. 

Their inability to spell Antoine's name correctly on the cake at her farewell party was enlightening in itself.  

The BTS drama has led to a lot of speculation, here and elsewhere. I know no more than anyone else knows, but maybe it can be boiled down to this: Mulcahey was doing bold things in his brief time as co-head writer, and daytime hasn't been a place for boldness for many years.

People like Valentini think they're bold. Their idea of boldness is introducing Terry Randolph and having her appear about a half dozen times per year, or interrupting The Carly Show for a few scenes of Jordan and Stella talking about bringing up boys in a world of police brutality. Mulcahey was—somewhat abruptly/clumsily, perhaps—having the characters challenge some long-held assumptions, and letting viewers sit with that and figure out how they felt about it.

I'm sorry he won't be able to see his ideas to fruition. I'm expecting another big shift in tone and content very soon.

[jsbt]

On 5/24/2024 at 3:06 AM, Asp Burger said:

Agreed. I've seen the work of all the writing regimes going back to the '90s. The show was never worse than it was under the Altman/Passanante team.

I knew it would happen. Passanante's AMC was if not the worst then at least the most consistently bad/boring soap I've ever watched, and her ATWT was equally bad.

JP was renowned in the industry as a brilliant breakdown or even possibly scriptwriter - I remember Rebecca Budig crediting her for a great deal of the material for Leo and Greenlee on AMC - but HW was not her bag. I knew when she came to GH exactly what would happen, and it did so I stopped watching very, very quickly.

[jsbt]

Johnny Wactor (Brando Corbin) has been killed in a robbery gone wrong.

 

[YaddaYadda]

That's just horrible. What the actual fuck.

Edited May 26 by YaddaYadda

[Sake614]

I have no words. 💔

[Melgaypet]

Jesus. What the fuck? That's awful.

[sashabear21]

So terrible, my husband just showed me the news article and said, “Don’t you watch this show? Do you know this actor?”