GH In The News: The PC Press Club

[FilmTVGeek80]

Count me in as someone "meh" on the news. It's incredibly disappointing for me since GV isn't on Days anymore, so I felt a glimmer of hope. His Lucky was always my fave. I liked JJ's Lucky well enough during his first run, and I always knew JJ was a great actor, but I never felt any real attachment. I think the only reason I was really sad when he left was that I loved the original run of the Four Musketeers and, especially, his relationship with Nikolas. His last run further confirmed that I'm not a huge fan of his Lucky. The only upside for me is that, hopefully, they'll do Liz/Lucky instead of Jiz. However, with my luck, they'll do a triangle (which deadbeat dad to her children will she choose).

[GHScorpiosRule]

1 hour ago, ffwbe said:

JJ as Lucky is the big male character return. I kinda figured it was him when I heard that they were waiting to do the announcement via Deadline or People. It had to be someone who had a career outside of soaps. I’m a bit meh on him but the show needs more presence in that age range and Laura not having any family on the show was dumb 

I DON'T CARE! I DON'T CARE! I saw this and all I can do is:

[mariah23]

They need to have Cam come back for a little while.  He’s very protective of his mom and brothers.

[driver18]

Well, fuuuuuuggggghhhhh!!!! After what they've been doing to Finn, the bus running over so bad, yeah, I have NOT been watching. Stopped, done finished even though I've watched steadfastedly since, guess what? That guy above came back last time. Well, hell. He's one of the very few things that could drag me back to this hellscape!!!!!!

[ComeWhatMay]

The return I would have loved above all is no longer possible for the saddest possible reason. I am happy for JJ's fans and he is a quality actor. Seeing him come back after success elsewhere is a good message to the hot young ones and those who look down their noses at actors in daytime simultaneously. There is no shame in a steady check and stability, especially for actors with families who don't want to deal with the nonsense that goes on.

The serious issues with the writers and FV remain, but I am going to hope the network is on the case, especially with numbers as they are.

I will also just say that having an actor of JJ's caliber around, with his reputation and standing, can also get some improvements made by way of a scalpel rather than a hammer.

[ciarra]

Why do they keep inviting men to return to the show, when they can hire a woman and pay her half?

[Artsda]

Better return, but it's probably a year or 2 like SB. 

[JMO]

I was mesmerized by the original Liz/Lucky story.  None of the fully adult versions of Lucky affected me deeply enough for me to remember them.  Still, I've always thought that adult Liz deserved someone like young Lucky in her life.  Do some magic, show!

[lilabennet]

Even the first time around for Elizabeth and Lucky was problematic. She had just had her entire world shattered by being raped at a young age and instead of getting consistent professional help she wrapped her entire identity up in her boyfriend. I was only a pre-teen during that storyline but I remember being instinctively uncomfortable during the "permanent lock" scenes. A teenage girl permanently indebted and chained to her first boyfriend? And, of course, later that "we have a permanent lock" crap became a mantra that Lucky used to manipulate and control her. LnL2 version 1.0 wasn't sweet in hindsight. It was a blueprint for the foundation of an emotionally abusive relationship. I always thought it was ironic that Lucky's return story after the fire was about him being brainwashed, but the brainwashing that Lucky had subjected Elizabeth to stuck around far longer.

[Mirabelle]

4 hours ago, mariah23 said:

They need to have Cam come back for a little while.  He’s very protective of his mom and brothers.

I wonder if they are actually going to acknowledge Lucky as an absent parent or if they're going to go with "he's been in contact via Facetime/Skype/Zoom" and the boys visited him in Ireland. It's not a complete retcon - that's what the show did for a few years when Cam was young. 

[ByaNose]

I’ve always liked JJ. I thought he was always an exceptional actor. He’s also a great crier which I know annoys people. He & Tyler Christopher had great chemistry and it’s a shame we won’t ever be able to witness it again. I like Adam Huss as Nicholas but I don’t see him and JJ together but I wouldn’t be averse to them working together so I could get a better idea. LOL!!! Of course, JJ and Genie Francis are always magic and he specifically mentioned her in his video. I know Genie usually takes a month summer vacation so I’m curious if his return is before, during or after her break?!

[Bringonthedrama]

10 hours ago, ffwbe said:

JJ as Lucky is the big male character return. I kinda figured it was him when I heard that they were waiting to do the announcement via Deadline or People. It had to be someone who had a career outside of soaps.

Yes, I saw his announcement on Instagram.🤩 I'm thrilled - the best news I could get about GH aside from John J. York/Mac beating cancer and returning!!! I felt cheated in 2015, because he barely had any screen time with Genie Francis or Becky Herbst.

I am hopeful that this will mean more storylines involving Elizabeth and her teenage sons along with Laura, Lucky and Jason. They, rather than the various Sonny and Carly off-spring, should be the leads. I remember when Laura mentioned "Uncle Lucky" to Lulu's son Rocco while they were worried about Dante when he got shot during Jason's return.  I was so shocked that Laura was allowed to acknowledge Lucky/her motherhood years. There have been mentions of Laura having so little family, and Elizabeth told Laura they would always be family and she and Aiden would be happy to provide support in Laura and Kevin raising Ace. This makes me wonder if the show has been planning/trying to get JJ back for a while.

[dubbel zout]

8 hours ago, Bringonthedrama said:

This makes me wonder if the show has been planning/trying to get JJ back for a while.

I feel like getting JJ to return is always in the back of Frank's mind. It's a matter of story and how he's feeling about extending an offer. And, of course, if JJ is willing to return. It's a two-way street.

[Asp Burger]

No ambivalence or disappointment here. I'm as thrilled about Jackson's return as I was in 2009. I will hope the storyline is worthy of him this time. His acting was everything it could have been, but when I think about his last run, all I've got is the sordid Lucky/Liz/Nik triangle, the ugly "rutting like farm animals" scene, the Jake hit-and-run, Siobhan, The Balkan, Ireland, the pill under the couch, "The Darkness," etc. None of it a happy memory. I did think he made a surprisingly convincing police officer, more than many other GH actors have.

JJ is the only Lucky who's really made sense to me, made me think he was Luke and Laura's offspring for reasons other than "because Show says so." He's a hard character to recast. Not impossible, maybe, but they focused on the wrong things both times.

[KittenPokerCheater]

So Finn is gone?  I wonder if this means that they will write off Violet too.

[Bringonthedrama]

6 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

I feel like getting JJ to return is always in the back of Frank's mind. It's a matter of story 

Hmmm.... I thought the recent Aiden recast was very abrupt, but now I think it's because of storyline purposes in preparation for JJ's return. The first thing I noticed is that actor Tristan Riggs looks more like young Herbst and Jackson.

[CeChase]

Even tho I'm not the world's biggest Lucky fan, dare I hope this means a pivot away from Carly and Sonny and the whole Benson clan?  I know Jason will be involved in this story, via Liz, but if it's not about that other clan, that's fine.  Imagine if they get OG Cam back for this.  I  mean it could lead to some good stuff.  

Edit to add, they NEED to frontburner Trina again as well.  Something that i have been expecting since the news of Monsters hit has begun.  It's something only a terminally online person like me would notice.  But NAC is very close to blowing up on Instagram with the Monsters role.  He would only return IMHO to escort Taby off if she doesn't renew and they don't recast.  Give Trina story, bring OG Cam back with this Lucky return, and let's see if we can't revive these ratings. 

Edited June 26 by CeChase

[Bringonthedrama]

22 minutes ago, KittenPokerCheater said:

So Finn is gone?  I wonder if this means that they will write off Violet too.

It's interesting timing that ME is saying farewell to the audience on the same day as the announcement of JJ's return.  I assume this means that Finn goes to jail for some reason instead of 90-day rehab. I doubt Violet will be written off. There is storyline in BLQ and Chase becoming her permanent guardians with the love and support of Tracy and family, Elizabeth and her kids, and Alexis. 

[CeChase]

10 minutes ago, Bringonthedrama said:

It's interesting timing that ME is saying farewell to the audience on the same day as the announcement of JJ's return.  I assume this means that Finn goes to jail for some reason instead of 90-day rehab. I doubt Violet will be written off. There is storyline in BLQ and Chase becoming her permanent guardians with the love and support of Tracy and family, Elizabeth and her kids, and Alexis. 

Yeah I don't know how they're going to handle his exit.  I really don't buy for one second Finn abandoning or  leaving his daughter for good.  It's incredibly out of character and not believable.  I think they should have Violet go with him, he gets clean, he gets a great new job, and they both leave. Other than his death, that's the only believable exit for me.  But I know they want to keep Violet and they may not want to kill Finn off so soon after Gregory.  So I kind of expect this out of character exit, yeah.  I don't like it though. 

[jsbt]

He could get beamed up by Casey the Alien for all I care.

Still, this is Frank's House so I'll only believe he's really gone when it's been a year.

[Cheyanne11]

Oh, just saw ME's goodbye.  I wouldn't be shocked if Finn goes to rehab and they figure out the rest later.  Also wouldn't shock me if it was something more dramatic, like he drives drunk and kills himself. 

Happy to hear JJ is coming back because I think he's an exceptional actor and the only Lucky I acknowledge.  Really jazzed to see his scenes with Genie.

[ffwbe]

2 hours ago, Asp Burger said:

JJ is the only Lucky who's really made sense to me, made me think he was Luke and Laura's offspring for reasons other than "because Show says so." He's a hard character to recast. Not impossible, maybe, but they focused on the wrong things both times.

Same here. I think GV was done dirty by the show but at the same time, he wasn’t playing Lucky. Nothing about his version was anything like Lucky or made sense for the character. It was one of the worst recasts the show has attempted because they didn’t even try 

[jsbt]

Per TV Line, ME's final airdate is tomorrow (the 27th).

I'm pretty embittered about Jonathan returning just in time for Patrick Mulcahey, who wrote wonderful material for him BITD, to get pushed out and quit. I also think PM wrote a fair amount of the pretty solid Gregory/Tracy, Gregory's death and Finn downward spiral material earlier on, as Finn's catalyzing event (accidentally taking a drink at a social function) is right out of something Mulcahey did at GL. But oh well.

10 minutes ago, ffwbe said:

Same here. I think GV was done dirty by the show but at the same time, he wasn’t playing Lucky.

I think GV worked very hard at the show, and he portrayed a very sincere young person. I thought he was much better than Jacob Young. I understand why people grew fond of him; I did too to a point, and he had chemistry with Becky and Kelly Monaco. But I never really bought him as the same Lucky. It was a profoundly different character. Lucky was a C-player without Jonathan in the role, one Guza had no respect for or interest in. That wasn't GV's fault, but it was the difference between a star and just another male lead. And when JJ returned that was put into stark relief once more, and that was when I decided there would be no point in recasting the character ever again (though I was prepared to bend on that recently had Jonathan not agreed to return).

[dubbel zout]

13 minutes ago, ffwbe said:

I think GV was done dirty by the show but at the same time, he wasn’t playing Lucky.

This why a lot of us called him Larry.

[standbyme]

21 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

I DON'T CARE! I DON'T CARE! I saw this and all I can do is:

I'm half this and half annoyed because now I have to watch the show again. 

But seriously, JJ as Lucky? Always always a dream come true.  JJ and Becky? JJ and Genie Francis?? Amazing. 

[ciarra]

2 hours ago, jsbt said:

He could get beamed up by Casey the Alien for all I care.

As long as he's holding Violet's hand.

At least Michael Easton looked like he showered and washed his hair.  I'm looking at you, JJ. 

Edited June 26 by ciarra

[tessabq]

I hope Finn doesn't die in a drunk driving accident simply because Violet will think it's her fault for not being home to take care of him. I don't care for her, but no child should bear that burden. I'm speaking as a child of an alcoholic.

[Maelstrom]

3 hours ago, KittenPokerCheater said:

So Finn is gone?  I wonder if this means that they will write off Violet too.

Damn! We all saw the writing on the wall but this still hurts. UO I guess, but I've always liked ME back from his Port Charles days. I am sorry to see him go, and I'm sorry these idiot writers flushed his character down the crapper on his way out. Wishing him the best in his future creative endeavors.

2 hours ago, Bringonthedrama said:

It's interesting timing that ME is saying farewell to the audience on the same day as the announcement of JJ's return.

I've been wondering who ME's salary would be going to, and I suppose this is my answer. Just like RoHo was clearly let go to pay for SB. Another UO but I have no interest in watching JJ again - I liked him as young Lucky but I'd much rather see a new actor in the role.

[racked]

Well damn. I never expected this to happen again, and against my better judgment I am excited.  JJ’s Lucky will always be my favorite soap character and I will always be excited and hopeful that they’ll do him justice. Even if I should know better by now. 

I want them to actually address his being a deadbeat dad. Who also missed his father’s (and aunt’s) funeral. I wonder if Luke won’t stay dead now. I wish they’d bring Cam back to properly deal with Lucky’s absence. I know JJ and Becky will still have amazing chemistry but I’m not sure how they make a proper romance out of this. And I’m with @jsbt in wishing Mulcahey were writing it! 

[Asp Burger]

1 hour ago, jsbt said:

I never really bought him as the same Lucky. It was a profoundly different character. Lucky was a C-player without Jonathan in the role, one Guza had no respect for or interest in. That wasn't GV's fault, but it was the difference between a star and just another male lead. And when JJ returned that was put into stark relief once more

Besides Guza, the difference in Tony Geary was remarkable. Geary didn't do a thing to hide his happiness at having JJ back. I remember him with GV, on the occasions they were even in the same scene, acting detached, if not a little embarrassed. The writing rationale that it was all about Luke disapproving of Lucky becoming a cop didn't hold up, because it's not as though JJ's Lucky left the police force and started going on capers with Dad in which they did funny accents together. It was clearly all about the actor. 

1 hour ago, dubbel zout said:

This why a lot of us called him Larry.

"Neil" was another of his fan nicknames. Jacob Young's version of the character had been "Carl."

[jsbt]

21 minutes ago, Asp Burger said:

The writing rationale that it was all about Luke disapproving of Lucky becoming a cop didn't hold up, because it's not as though JJ's Lucky left the police force and started going on capers with Dad in which they did funny accents together. It was clearly all about the actor. 

The thing is I had never bought Lucky becoming a cop with the recasts, and I also felt it was OOC. But to my surprise Jonathan made it work tremendously well when he came back, or so I thought; he and Dominic Zamprogna fit together like a glove. Lucky and Dante were the second coming of Luke and Scorpio, they could've run the show for years to come as roguish hero cops. But the show squandered that opportunity.

I'm not sure Lucky will still be in law enforcement when he returns - I think there was some talk of him in the WSB at one point - but I wouldn't mind it. He can still walk on the wild side with the undercover stuff, like Jonathan did in his last stint, but be a decent man doing better for his community and his family than his father. Which is who Lucky is. Or was. Lucky used to be a devoted father to all of Liz's kids and unfortunately that's been very damaged by his absence. But I'd still defend his parenting over Jason's anyday.

Ron Carlivati's band-aid on this in 2015 when JJ returned for Luke's exit was to drop one of his typical little random plot lures into the show for use at a later date that never happened - he had it implied in story and scripts that Lucky was staying away from his family because of trauma related to his Cassadine brainwashing, that he was afraid for them and was wrestling with that 'darkness', etc. JJ and Tony Geary reworked all his bad scripts and rewrote them themselves to make those scenes much better, but that was what it amounted to. I wonder if they'll touch on that at all to explain some of Lucky's absences since.

[lilabennet]

The only thing I want out of Lucky's return is full acknowledgment that he abused Elizabeth. No glossing over it, no blaming it on drugs or brainwashing. He abused her. Full stop.

[jsbt]

Nah. I think Lucky said some vile things to Elizabeth when the affair with Nikolas came out. I also think he was a real shitty husband at times, particularly in the GV years when he was fucking Maxie for a fix. Do I think he was ever some controlling abuser? No. I think that's a minority viewpoint at best and it's not one I subscribe to. They're both deeply flawed people. And I say that as someone who was not especially into Lucky and Liz together in their heyday.

Edited June 26 by jsbt

[Pingaponga]

So is Lucky going to be the reason Mac was away with Frisco for so long? Mac was kind of vague about the reason for his absence.

[KittenPokerCheater]

Do we know the airdate for JJ/Lucky's return?

[Mirabelle]

8 hours ago, CeChase said:

Even tho I'm not the world's biggest Lucky fan, dare I hope this means a pivot away from Carly and Sonny and the whole Benson clan?  I know Jason will be involved in this story, via Liz, but if it's not about that other clan, that's fine.  Imagine if they get OG Cam back for this.  I  mean it could lead to some good stuff.  

Edit to add, they NEED to frontburner Trina again as well.  Something that i have been expecting since the news of Monsters hit has begun.  It's something only a terminally online person like me would notice.  But NAC is very close to blowing up on Instagram with the Monsters role.  He would only return IMHO to escort Taby off if she doesn't renew and they don't recast.  Give Trina story, bring OG Cam back with this Lucky return, and let's see if we can't revive these ratings. 

By OG Cam do you mean Will Lipton? He's filming a show for Amazon this summer but I hope there's enough time in his schedule to swing by Port Charles. 

[FilmTVGeek80]

5 hours ago, Asp Burger said:

Besides Guza, the difference in Tony Geary was remarkable. Geary didn't do a thing to hide his happiness at having JJ back. I remember him with GV, on the occasions they were even in the same scene, acting detached, if not a little embarrassed. The writing rationale that it was all about Luke disapproving of Lucky becoming a cop didn't hold up, because it's not as though JJ's Lucky left the police force and started going on capers with Dad in which they did funny accents together. It was clearly all about the actor. 

If he did that, it’s pretty gross, especially hanging an actor out to dry who was simply  doing his job. I’m not sure if that was actually happening or just projection from people who didn’t like the other Luckys. I think I recall Geary doing a fan event (or maybe multiple ones) with all three actors who played Lucky. 

 

3 hours ago, jsbt said:

Nah. I think Lucky said some vile things to Elizabeth when the affair with Nikolas came out. I also think he was a real shitty husband at times, particularly in the GV years when he was fucking Maxie for a fix. Do I think he was ever some controlling abuser? No. I think that's a minority viewpoint at best and it's not one I subscribe to. They're both deeply flawed people. And I say that as someone who was not especially into Lucky and Liz together in their heyday.

The only time I recall him being abusive was when Liz was trying to leave (I think this was after she caught him and Maxie together in their bed.) He held her too tightly and maybe even shook her a little, but that was it. 

[CeChase]

45 minutes ago, Mirabelle said:

By OG Cam do you mean Will Lipton? He's filming a show for Amazon this summer but I hope there's enough time in his schedule to swing by Port Charles. 

Yes, Will.  If they have to recast, then do it.  I want Cam back onscreen. But I really want Will back if they can work that out

Edited June 27 by CeChase

[Bringonthedrama]

5 hours ago, jsbt said:

Lucky used to be a devoted father to all of Liz's kids and unfortunately that's been very damaged by his absence. But I'd still defend his parenting over Jason's anyday.

Ron Carlivati's band-aid on this in 2015 when JJ returned for Luke's exit was to drop one of his typical little random plot lures into the show for use at a later date that never happened - he had it implied in story and scripts that Lucky was staying away from his family because of trauma related to his Cassadine brainwashing, that he was afraid for them and was wrestling with that 'darkness', etc. JJ and Tony Geary reworked all his bad scripts and rewrote them themselves to make those scenes much better, but that was what it amounted to. I wonder if they'll touch on that at all to explain some of Lucky's absences since.

The problem is the writing to explain Lucky's absence has ranged from inconsistent to zero, i.e. like he never even existed in Cam's life. Yes, when JJ was there briefly in 2015 it was implied that he'd been having on-going mental health issues. He said he was only a few vague memories to Cam and spent a few minutes with JD's Aiden. Then a couple years later when Franco returned to the family as his "true self" at Christmastime, out of nowhere Elizabeth said that Lucky invited Aiden to spend the holidays in Ireland and Cam encouraged him to go see "his dad." The implication was that Cam and Jake had nothing to do with Lucky. Then not long before MC joined the show in the role of Nikolas, in a scene involving Laura, there was a mention of Lucky working with orphans in Africa. I think she has said once or twice how much the charity work means to him. Which made me react like, okay if he's well enough mentally to work with fragile parent-less children abroad, isn't he well enough to have on-going visits with Aiden and Aiden's two elder brothers whom he once told Luke are "my sons!"

[graight]

Does anyone think they will send Finn/ME off to rehab for 90 days and bring him back as someone else?  By that I mean a recast.  I can't think what would keep him from coming back to his daughter unless he has some fatal accident at Skyview (or whatever it's called).   I think they are keeping Violet.  

[pinkandsparkly13]

Oh I don't care about Lucky anymore, or his writing, or anyone who played him. Lol

[tessaray]

21 minutes ago, graight said:

Does anyone think they will send Finn/ME off to rehab for 90 days and bring him back as someone else?  By that I mean a recast.  I can't think what would keep him from coming back to his daughter unless he has some fatal accident at Skyview (or whatever it's called).   I think they are keeping Violet.  

I can't see a recast happening with Lucky returning. Violet will just join the long list of GH kids abandoned by their parent(s) and raised by others.  

[30 Helens]

If they're keeping Violet (and please god no we don't deserve that whyyyyy), maybe this means Hayden will be making a return. Maybe not with Rebecca Budig since it's been so long, but a recast? Because Monica's Stable of Orphans has to be at capacity by now. And Liz needs someone to talk to about Lucky.

I'm surprised I'm not happier about a JJ return, because I did like his version of Lucky. He's certainly the best actor to play the role. (Greg Vaughn wasn't bad, but he was playing a different character-- much like when Tamara Braun took over the role of Carly from Sarah Brown. Actor appreciation may depend on which version of the character you prefer. And the less said about Yelly, the better.) So I don't know why I'm not excited about this. Maybe because I know they'll screw it up? 

But hey, if it draws focus away from Jason and Sonny, I'm all for it. And it does make me wonder if Tony Geary may actually show up one day. I think JJ was once a never-again, too, right?

[GHScorpiosRule]

3 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

And it does make me wonder if Tony Geary may actually show up one day. I think JJ was once a never-again, too, right?

Considering the Deadline article stated it was going to be a "long" run, I think maybe JJ made sure to get the deal he wanted, like Genie did when she came this last time. JJ left after the Jake debacle after only one year because he wasn't happy with the material. Constantly crying, etc., and Guzasshole fucked up his return. He came back in 2015 for Geary because of their relationship, I believe.

I'm just excited to see him with Genie, Becky, Tristan, John J., and Dominic.

Jonathan Jackson is the ONLY Lucky as far as I'm concerned.

[Auntie Velvet]

Wow wow wow -- I'm so excited about JJ! I feel very maternal about him, since I was watching him from his introduction (and since his "parents'" introduction!)

It's also just nice, given all of the real-life cast tragedies, to see a vet returning. Heck, I'm even softer on SBu for that reason. But speaking of Jason, it IS a little bit of a bummer that he is getting the deadbeat dad reckoning SL since that is an obvious one for Lucky to face.

But that minor quibble aside, it's great!!

[dubbel zout]

It just occurred to me that the two big OLTL hires, RoHo and ME, were axed to make room in the budget for the returns of SBu and JJ. Frank giveth and he taketh away.

[Mirabelle]

I wonder if a higher up called the shots on JJ's return. 

[mostlylurking]

On 6/25/2024 at 2:07 PM, ffwbe said:

JJ as Lucky is the big male character return.

Ok this is legitimately big.  I’m stoked.  I was a huge Liz and Lucky fan girl.  I know that was 20+ years ago and I don’t care.  I’d love to see them together again and see all the flashbacks, even though they’re stingy with those now for some reason.  Hell, maybe even a Jason/Liz/Lucky triangle.  No one has any original ideas anymore (just look at what’s coming out in the movies 🙄) I wouldn’t be mad if they gave this a try.

[tessaray]

I'm still a bit shocked by the JJ announcement, tbh. And maybe a little confused about what they could do with him. I only see old friends chemistry with RH/SBu, so a triangle seems like a stretch. Are there any old friends or rivals still around? With Chase, Dante, Mac and Dex we have plenty of cops.

Don't get me wrong. I'm thrilled but Tracy is the only longterm character they've done well by. 🤞

[dubbel zout]

18 minutes ago, tessaray said:

Tracy is the only longterm character they've done well by.

That's mostly because JE is such a pro and a force of nature. Even with dreadful material—which she had for months after she started—she could wring out something watchable. Tracy's story became actually interesting (to me, at least) when they put her in Gregory's orbit, though she and Finn have always had a really nice relationship. But that was undercooked.