General Hospital
RATINGS: GH hits new lows, while OLTL holds strong again at #3!
The ratings are out for the week of May 30th-June 3rd, and it was an abysmal week for General Hospital! The only ABC soap that will remain in the ABC Daytime line-up come 2012, hit rock bottom of all the soaps and landed in 6th place. Several things are most concerning for this legacy soap with the ratings stats: 1) It hit a new all time low in total viewers 2) It hit new lows in key female demographic age groups.
Obviously, the powers-that-be at GH and ABC have felt for awhile that the show was needing somewhat of a creative redirect and thus named Garin Wolf to head write the show, and are bringing in to the fold just announced OLTL headwriter, Ron Carlivati come next year. On the converse, the canceled OLTL remains again firmly at number #3, and has been consistently performing well, even through the decision of its axing from the ABC Daytime lineup.
So this begs the question that soapers have been pondering, did ABC cancel the wrong soap? And, coudn’t the network have allowed just one soap to be canceled ( if there had to be one) to see if one of their new reality shows would fly instead of decimating the line-up?
Check out the numbers courtesy of Soap Opera Network and the total viewership ratings after the jump!
Ratings Report for the Week of May 30 – June 3, 2011
(Compared to Last Week/Compared to Last Year)
Total Viewers
1. Y&R 4,696,000 (+49,000/-276,000)
2. B&B 2,778,000 (-54,000/-202,000)
3. OLTL 2,456,000 (-44,000/+68,000)
4. AMC 2,344,000 (-59,000/-15,000)
5. DAYS 2,340,000 (-1,000/-210,000)
6. GH 2,252,000 (-196,000/-160,000) <—- new low *
General Hospital
Adam Huss Makes Another Return to General Hospital as Nikolas Cassadine
Nikolas Cassadine will be back on your screens next week but now via Pentonville. That means, that actor Adam Huss is back for a visit for all-new episodes of General Hospital.
In story, Ava (Maura West) comes to visit her ex in the slammer. So, just what does Ava want now? She clearly has been working an agenda on Sonny (Maurice Benard). Is she working with Valentin (James Patrick Stuart)? What will she tell Nikiolas? stay tuned.
Meanwhile, once news of Huss’ return broke earlier on Friday via Soap Opera Digest, he also announced his return on his Instagram expressing, “For all those who’ve been asking, cat’s out of the bag;) Thank you to all my #Nikolas #GH fans for your unwavering support. I don’t take it for granted for a second! (Even when I can’t answer 😊) #generalhospital”
Photo: ABC
Huss took over the role of Nikolas back in January of 2023, after Marcus Coloma left the soap opera. Previous to that, Huss filed in for Coloma in September of 2021 and November of 2022. Fast-forward to January of 2024, Nikolas gave Ace to Laura and Kevin to raise, while he eventually turned himself into the police for kidnapping Esme and keeping her hostage while she was pregnant and Wyndemere.
Photo: ABC
The return of Huss comes on the heels of multiple reports that his on-screen son, Nicholas Chavez is not returning to the show as Spencer Cassadine, while in story Spencer is believed to have drowned int the Seine River after falling off a boat in France, when drugged by Esme.
So, looking forward to seeing Adam Huss back as Nikolas? Do you think GH will eventually have him more full-time? Comment below.
General Hospital
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Sonny and Jason Trade Threats on Each Other
The love affair that once was mobster Sonny (Maurice Benard) and hit man Jason (Steve Burton), and having each others back, is now apparently over! On the Thursday April 25th episode of General Hospital, an increasingly paranoid Sonny is confronted by Jason.
Jason wants to talk to Sonny about a “family matter”, but Sonny says they aren’t family now because he’s working with the Feds. Sonny goes on to say how he cannot trust Carly (Laura Wright) or Jason and he knows about Jason buying back the Metro Court for Carly from Nina (Cynthia Watros).
When the conversation turns to Josslyn (Eden McCoy) and Dex (Evan Hofer), Jason informs Sonny that Kristina (Kate Mansi) knows Sonny ordered a hit. Jason is worried about Dex’s safety. He tells Sonny that if he does something to Dex, Kristina will figure out that he is responsible.
Courtesy/ABC
Sonny goes on to say how much he loves his kids and how he will protect them. He then tears into Jason for abandoning his sons, Danny and Jake, for two years and how he has no right to stand there to tell him what to do.
Jason warns Sonny again to leave Dex alone or he’ll personally stop him. Sonny snaps at Jason, countering, “You’ll die trying!” And at that point, Jason walks out and Sonny slams the door behind him.
What do you think about this split in the longstanding relationship of Jason and Sonny? Do you like Jason and Sonny at odds? Will Kristina be the person to ultimately figure out what is happening to Sonny, or it might it be Nina, who knows Ava (Maura West) is up to no good? Share your thoughts in the comment section, but first watch this clip from part of the Sonny/Jason scenes below.
Breaking News
REPORT: Nicholas Chavez Not Returning to General Hospital
For those who were holding out hope that Daytime Emmy winner and fan favorite, Nicholas Chavez would be returning to General Hospital after filming his leading role in Ryan Murphy’s Monsters anthology, it looks like those hopes have been dashed.
According to a report from TV Line, although unconfirmed from General Hospital or a representative for Chavez, the actor will not reprise his role as Spencer Cassadine on the long-running ABC soap opera and continue the love story of Sprina opposite Tabyana Ali (Trina, GH).
Chavez was cast as Lyle Menendez over the the summer of 2023 for the second season of Murphy’s limited Monsters series on Netflix. In the upcoming season, the series will focus on the the case of Lyle and Erik Menendez, the two well-to-do Beverly Hills brothers accused of murdering their parents in 1989.
Photo: ABC
After word from Chavez casting was revealed, GH fans were concerned over the fate of the Sprina story, a spokesperson for GH shared, “We support Nicholas’ endeavors and look forward to having him return to General Hospital once this project is wrapped.”
In story, the series “killed off” Spencer when he went overboard with Esme to the steely waters below after being injected with a drug, thanks to Esme and falling into the Seine River in France. However, his body was never recovered, and believed to have drowned or washed away. Thus, leaving an opening for Spencer to return in the form of Chavez or be recast down the line.
Photo: ABC
TV Line shared that ‘multiple sources’ are confirming that Chavez is not returning to the ABC soap opera, which is what many had suspected might be the case once he left for this major starring role in a Ryan Murphy project. Chavez has been relatively quiet on social media for months.
Photo: ABC
The Michael Fairman Channel spoke with Nicholas Chavez for a virtual interview when he first joined the show in 2021, and spoke to him right after when he won the Daytime Emmy in 2022 – you can see those below.
No word yet on when Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story will debut on Netflix, but it is assumed later this year.
So, what do you think about the news of Nicholas Chavez not returning to his role as Spencer Cassadine on General Hospital? Comment below.
Marla Adams, The Young and the Restless’ Dina Mergeron, Dies at 85
Adam Huss Makes Another Return to General Hospital as Nikolas Cassadine
Arianne Zucker Reveals Her Last Days of our Lives Airdate
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Sonny and Jason Trade Threats on Each Other
Y&R’s Allison Lanier Lands Her First Daytime Emmy Nomination and Shares “Being a Recast Can Be Daunting”
Ellen Travolta Makes Another Return to General Hospital
REPORT: Nicholas Chavez Not Returning to General Hospital
Kristian Alfonso Returns to Days of our Lives for Tribute to The Late Bill Hayes
Wally Kurth Talks on His DAYS Daytime Emmy Nomination, His Emotional Scenes, and Remembering John Aniston
Y&R’s Eric Braeden Pays Tribute to Former On-Screen Wife, Meg Bennett: “She Was Such a Bright and Gentle Lady”
Marla Adams, The Young and the Restless’ Dina Mergeron, Dies at 85
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Sonny and Jason Trade Threats on Each Other
REPORT: Nicholas Chavez Not Returning to General Hospital
Cameron Mathison Previews New Game Show ‘Beat The Bridge’ (Promo)
Y&R’s Michelle Stafford Talks on Her Lead Actress Daytime Emmy Nomination, Allison Lanier, and ‘Pacific Palisades’ with Finola Hughes
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OLTL is the only show up from last year…..the rest are declining. The ratings are still not great, but it shows where there is at least interest. I am loving the tale of the 2 Todds. I can’t wait to see how it plays out. Also, the Clint/Matthew storyline is giving Hillary B Smith some great material. I’m so happy the show is going to go out stronger than ever, but it will make it all the harder to take. Congrats to RC for getting hired at GH. OLTL is the best show in daytime and finally someone is recognizing that.
whose rc?
It seems that ABC has cut of it’s nose to spite it’s face as the old saying goes–OLTL is doing very well and for a good reason someone there knows how to write and how to integrate a cast.
If TPTB at Gh can’t tell that what they are doing right now–pushing the mob and Michael 24/7 –isn’t working then they will continue to see those types of ratings. I’ll withhold a total judgment until I see how GW writes the current cast if he continues shoving the mob in our face the ratings will stay the same–it is boring and repetitive. Sonny, jm, carly, michael–all non-starters currently and they brought that lovely 1.6 in the last batch of ratings. Get over them they aren’t working.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Brian Frons used these ratings as a reason to dump GH too!
These ratings just further prove that ABC made the right decision in dumping Guza.
I wonder how much the Casey Anthony trial is affecting GH’s ratings? Some stations are bumping GH til the wee hours of the morning, and airing the trial when GH shoud be on in the afternoon.
I’m not surprised by the low ratings, the story lines are horrible, same old crap. Why in the heck would michael want to be part of the mob when he has seen the results it causes? He’s not a freakin tough guy! Pairing him with an older woman was also a big mistake, it didn’t make him seem more mature to me. Now they are doing the same thing with Kristina and pairing her with Ethan, that just screams disgust! she’s a good actress but there’s zero chemistry because she looks like she 12 years old.
I disagree about Kristina and Ethan. They remind me of Luke and Laura of many years ago.
Um, lets not forget luke raped laura many years ago and now she’s in a mental institution.
I agree. GH is giving off a pedophile vibe that I find truly disgusting. K looks like a tarted up prepubescent glomming on to her oldest brother’s OLDEST friend. It’s ICKY. They creep me out in the worst way not to mention they have no chemistry at all. It makes Ethan creepy rather than sexy or hot. I tune out the show if I know that they are on it. Michael and the stripper leave me with a similar feeling. They remind me of the news stories about the teachers having ‘relations’ with their students. I keep waiting to see Chris Hansen from Dateline. It’s one of the reasons that I’ve tuned out.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I think ABC did indeed cancel the wrong show. One Life to Live is superior to GH in almost every way. OLTL can be over the top sometimes, but it is pure soapy melodramatic fun. Also, it is character based, so I buy into the sometimes outrageous stories. The characters and their plots collide in such a way that mixes everyone and everything up, no matter how old or what color; and character interactions and reactions are, for the most part, based in history and have a broader context. With GH, everything seems so plot driven and mob-hero-centric. I even feel like they killed off Jake and had a subsequent transplant story just for the sake of it. Meanwhile, One Life to Live looks like it is going in a similar direction of sacrificing one character to give Clint a new heart, BUT this story makes sense as there has been a well-constructed cross-layering of plots to build up to this point, so it is more believable, and I actually care about every character involved (even Clint). Just look at the stories going on with both shows right now, and the clear quality winner is One Life to Live. GH just doesn’t have it anymore. My suggestion: when Ron Carlivati takes over GH, Franco should kill off every character; meanwhile, a natural disaster in Llanview will force everyone in Llanview to relocate to Port Charles, and we can continue enjoying the best cast and most enjoyable characters on daytime.
Why are fans fighting each other? We should support ALL three soaps to the bitter end.
You do have a point, Brooke, but it’s just so hard to know we have to say goodbye to OLTL come next January. I may tune back in to GH once Ron Carlivati is writing for it.
I’m not fighting with other fans. I’m a fan of One Life to Live, so I watch and support One Life to Live. That’s because I watch and support television programming that I personally deem quality entertainment, and I vote with my remote and my cable box. I simply do not like GH, and I feel that I have given that show too much of my valuable time, hoping that it would improve, so I tuned out. Therefore, I’m not going to support GH or ABC after OLTL goes off the air. It would literally take the producers turning GH into One Life to LIve in virtually every way before I would even entertain the idea of tuning in again. That is my freedom, and that is my choice, as an American with my own personal, individual tastes.
GH biggest problem was Bob Guza jr, and now he’s gone, He was simply allowed to live in this bubble he created for far to long, he was completely oblivious to how bad he had turned GH into. I also feel like Jill phelps bares the other half of the blame along w/ BRIAN FRONS. You take them out of the equation and put anyone w/ common sense and GH can completely be saved. First of all if you put GH 40 PLUS year history next to any other soap, theres simply no comparison. I hate that both amc and oltl got cancelled, i believe abc will live to regret that, but honestly not to be mean, no network executive on any network would have picked amc or oltl over gh. Just look at GH rich history, 10 emmy as best show, more then any other soap, its record breaking luke and laura wedding (30 million)that no other show has broken. its much duplicated bj and maxie heart transplant story, duplicated but not even close to equaled, its outstanding cast, and yes other shows have great cast too, but still, its bittersweet that oltl is doing good now yet in the long run i don’t feel it can beat GH at anything, sorry but thats the truth, it will never match
gh rich history, its record emmy’s or its PORTFOLIO. So, heres what i’m hoping, i’m hoping that mr. carlivati doesn’t turned gh to cartoonish, or to soapoperish, what made gh stand out from other soaps to begin with was that it didn’ have that awful organ piano like music like YR does, or overkill on plots like oltl, example, how many people from the same family can one hospital admitt, natalie,clint, and mathew. and yet barely any family members visit, or every ford brother taking turns being naked, can you say cheeeeeeeese, and now two todds, and not one crazy, jessa, or two, moma vicki an their alter egos, but 3 with marty. and i could go on but then that would be overkill on my part.
OLTL zannieness is a big part of its appeal.
The various comments on this soap board just show that GH either cancelled the wrong soap or cancelled one too many soaps. It’s interesting how people see things so differently, which goes to show you that different people enjoy different things and different kinds of entertainment, because our brains are wired so differently, and THAT is OKAY! 🙂 The people who vote on Emmy winners obviously felt 10 times that GH’s singular good episode submissions each year entitled that show to its Emmy wins. I personally feel Y&R and OLTL were robbed many times, due to stunt episodes submitted by GH. I think most people understand the Emmy process to be a joke, but I digress. It is a shame this is happening, and I empathize with those stalwart GH fans who want their show saved. Hopefully, Ron Carlivati can make something of that show again, and it can be saved for a couple or few more years. I just won’t be watching.
OLTL is a great soap. If I catch any of the three soaps it’s OLTL. OLTL has excellent actors and great storylines.
Yes they canceled the wrong soap GH sucks in my book…
GH is absolutely horrible but it looks good…delve deeper in the story you will see misogyny personified…personally I’ve pretty much dumped this show. I’m willing to try it again under the new head writer hopefully he will be “allowed to do his job” without interference from the meddlers…clearly the vision that Guza (along with Frons he is as much to blame) is EPIC fail.
I tune in sparingly how can you have a storyline where in a previous eppy Diane said point blank that Morgan’s adoption went through; Jax application was not denied then because (I guess Ingo is leaving) they backtracked yesterday. Because its a soap is no longer an excuse for sloppy storytelling. How can you have a father lose one son he totally ignored and gave away who was recently killed be the so heavily involved in the story (the mother should have been driving it but oh.well) and to compound the horribleness have him on the screen all giddy about having another baby and the storyline runs at the same time? What kind of mess is this? They change “what has already taken place) to accommodate an agenda weekly its a whole website dedicated to sloppy storytelling.
Meanwhile, Oprah Winfrey Network crashes and burns. Ratings not great? Can’t get more than 300,000 viewers in prime time? People have had enough of reality shows about people and their problems and that’s all OWN offers. OWN should have picked up One Life to Live and it would have at least 2 million viewers for one hour. Viewers of OWN are complaining about repeats. With OLTL everyday there is a new episode–that’s what keeps people watching and coming back. It’s been working and making money for over 40 years. I would subscribe to OWN if it had OLTL, but it doesn’t and I won’t.
Yes they did indeed cancel the wrong soap. GH has absolutely abysmal writing and has been that way for many years with the focus being on characters who haven’t even been on canvas half the time of the people they’ve replaced. I haven’t enjoyed Sonny or Jason since they were involved in storylines with Robin, and Carly can just go die any day now.
She sucks in every way imaginable (the character, not Laura Wright who is the only factor making Carly bearable.) GH is notorious for completely eradicating its history in order to fit in with the writer/EPs vision of what the show should be now, even if it means directly contradicting itself and things we’ve come to accept as truth over the years. OLTL while there have been times over the years where they beat a subject to death and drag out storylines too long, I love the fact that they respect the history and showcase it when it would have impact. If I have something to do that means missing one of my soaps that day I always go with skipping GH. I wouldn’t dream of missing OLTL right now!