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ABC Names William Burton As The New Head Of Daytime

Over the years there have been several changes to ABC Daytime, and now comes word over the last 24 hours that William Burton has been promoted to Senior VP and Head Of Daytime, Sports and Syndicated Development/Production for ABC.  Burton starts in his new role immediately.

Deadline first reported the executive level move by the network.  Burton had previously been overseeing the business operations of ABC Daytime since earlier this year as SVP Daytime following the departure of former Daytime head Rebecca Campbell.

Courtesy/ABC

Those duties have now been formalized in Burton’s expansive new role,  In terms of General Hospital, the creative aspects from the network are still being handled by ABC head of current programming, Vicki Dummer.  Burton has been behind the business operations of ABC Daytime including the daytime drama.

In addition, Burton will oversee the creation and production of syndicated programming across ABC platforms including the upcoming daytime talk show from Tamron Hall that is in development for a potential debut in the fall of 2019.

So, share your thoughts on Burton being named the new head of Daytime for ABC via the comment section below.

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I hope Mr. Burton helps rectify a wrong by at least returning One Life to Live to the schedule ( or rotating it 6 months with All My Children). No one wants to see GMA Day, and The Revolution+ The Chew replacement shows are thankfully cancelled. Start reintroducing more on GH ( like Nora last year).

Thank you Connor. You took the words out of my mouth.

Not. Going. To. Happen. Ever. Stop. Hoping.

Mr. Burton. I will never watch a talk show other than ABC’s The View. Sadly the GMA with Sara just disappoints. She was much better on The View. So please consider ONE LIFE TO LIVE v3 !!!!

Why on Earth would anyone watch The View? Nothing but hate every day!

He looks like that actor from Perfect Strangers in that photo-lol…bet he will cancel GH or replace Frank at least….

Replacing Frank would be a good thing. As long as he doesn’t replace him with someone worse. Jury’s still out on whether the replacements in the writing department were better or worse than Carlivati. Either way, it’s way past time for GH to correct the mistake it made in February 2012 and stopped trying to be some sort of OLTL/Young & the Restless hybrid cyborg show.

From Satan’s lips to the SoapGod’s ear….enough of this bizarre “Frankensoap” experiment!

“jury’s still – out – ???? on the current writers of shelley and Chris … since Carlivati ??? that’s been 3 years now. GH stinks

I think that GH is safe for at least another year. With Genie Francis returning, hopefully the ratings ( especially the 18-49 demo) will improve. GH has the best actors in daytime+ just needs strong writing.

Hmmmmm…frank? If better….maybe good. Just so he knows….lot of people stop watching if GH cancelled.

Bringing back AMC would be such a SCORE!

As much as I miss AMC and OLTL, I’d grown to really enjoy The Chew. Canceling it was a huge mistake. Now we’re stuck with another “clone” show with no purpose. At least give “The Chew” chefs a permanent segment on GM Day, and I can continue to improve my cooking skills.

Yeah…..GM day!!! Stopped a.m.s on ABC. Constant mistakes since killing the soaps. Then got into chew. Cancelled!!!??? I just wait for GH and Ellen now and no.more ABC

William Burton – should you read this – It’s simply time… to FIRE @GH Frank Valentini

his executive producer choice’ have dulled the senses… A new writing team is in order

Please,

Thank You

Yes!!

”In terms of General Hospital, the creative aspects from the network are still being handled by ABC head of current programming, Vicki Dummer. ”

You’d have ask Vicki not William Burton to get FV fired… 🙂

Couldn’t agree with you more.

Dear Mr. Burton, I don’t know if you follow Facebook or other sites, but the Chew is sadly missed. With the country the way it is , it was always nice to turn on the Chew and laugh and smile. The 1:00 replacement show is just awlful. And unfortunately for ABC I’m not the only one that thinks this.

GM a.m. is enough! CHEW

What consistently boggles my mind is the tremendous power of soap fandom that none of the networks have ever really accepted or taken to their advantage. Too much ‘talk’ on daytime (do we really need 3+ hours of GMA???). I like the idea someone suggested of rotating OLTL and AMC in six month chunks.

I’m not on the ‘fire Valentini” bandwagon and I DO definitely think that the current writing team is 10x better than Ron… but that’s also setting the bar fairly low. Don’t get me wrong. Ron started out strong (and, to be fair ended up strong) on OLTL but after awhile, all the returns of dead characters and the systematic wrecking of fan favorite characters (poor Marty Sayebrook, for example) got old, tiresome and a clear indication that he didn’t love the genre… no, he hates it. And nothing underscored that than the Fluke storyline on GH. Again, Ron’s first year on GH was amazing and some good soap (I liked the integration of OLTL characters myself. I thought it brought in some fresh energy) but then it was obvious he didn’t know what to do with AJ and then killed him off and returned Sonny to the center of the show and, again, need I say more when I say “Fluke”. That storyline caused me to drop the show for over two years.

But back to Frank – I think that he’s probably faced a lot of budget cuts and higher ex interference and is probably one of the reasons that the show still exists… so we shouldn’t tar and feather him. Still, perhaps it’s time for a new crew to take Port Charles into new territory. Jason’s return was bungled beyond belief for one… and then there’s whatever happened in January to cause a number of storylines to come to a screeching halt and the show go off into weird and not particularly good directions (ie Nathan’s death, Laura’s sudden departure in the middle of the Mayor story, and so forth). I suspect that whatever it was that went down is the reason why a number of GH actors didn’t renew and found other work.

In any event, I’d love to know what the new guy thinks of the only ABC daytime drama left and what the long term plan is.

Unfortunately soaps are too expensive. It’s been said many times. Soaps if they come back with be a true miracle. I’ve been watching high school in the end of the 60’s & 70’s.

I guess I’ll wait and see what he does. Their are improvements to be made like more Hospital. Maybe Jason will finally go to school and be a dr!

Is related to Steve

General Hospital

Nancy Lee Grahn’s Star-Studded ALS Fundraiser Reveals “I’ll Be There” Video Featuring Soap Opera Notables

Talk about your impressive line-up! It’s a soap fans dream and for a great cause. General Hospital’s Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis Davis) is prepping her one-night only ALS fundraiser which will feature many of her friends and co-stars.

The benefit is set for May 4th in Glendale, California. Slated to participate are Genie Francis, Jane Elliot, Peter Bergman, Maurice Benard, Eileen Davidson, Thorsten Kaye, Michelle Stafford, Stephen Nichols, Rena Sofer, Jason Thompson, Kelly Monaco, Melissa Claire Egan, Maura West, Kristina Wagner, Gregory Harrison, Trevor St. John, Kate Mansi, Kirsten Storms, Cynthia Watros, and many others.

On Wednesday, Grahn took to her social media and released an “I’ll be there” video shout-out featuring, Monaco, Elliot, Bergman, Bernard, West, Harrison, St. John and more. In a touching and important moment in the new video, Michelle Strogny, who is battling ALS, is featured.

Photo: ABC

Previously, in speaking with Soap Opera Digest on the impetus of the event, Grahn recalled, “I was actually doing Zoom events during Covid and I met this woman that I just fell in love with, Michelle Strojny. At the time, Michelle had been living with ALS for four years. Now, it’s five years. She is a mom of a teenage son, she has the most wonderful husband, and she has been dealing with this [disease] for quite a while. And obviously, there isn’t a cure yet. It’s not survivable yet. But as she says, it’s not incurable. Nothing is; it’s underfunded. But anyway, I just really dug this woman. She is so grounded and filled with grace, and she spends all of her time working to raise money for the cause. We did a fundraiser for her last year and then I thought, ‘You know what? The soaps don’t ever get together to do something for charity.’ Collectively, we have this amazing community and we don’t collectively use it for a good cause, and I think it’s such an easy thing for us to do and we could potentially really make a difference.”

As GH viewers know, Gregory Harrison is playing the character of Gregory Chase, who is also battling ALS in a touching storyline that is currently playing out shedding a light on this disease.

For information on Nancy’s event, including the stars who are s scheduled to participate click here. To purchase tickets to the event click here.

Check out the video featuring Nancy’s friends and co-stars below.  Now let us know, your thought son the line-up for the benefit and helping raise awareness and funds for ALS research via the comment section.

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General Hospital

‘General Hospital’ Writer Shannon Peace Let Go, and Shares on Sprina: “One of My Only Regrets is to Not Have the Opportunity to Develop That ‘Ship’ Further”

As General Hospital’s new head writing team of Elizabeth Korte and Patrick Mulcahy gets off the ground and running, there are still changes a foot on the writing team.

Now comes word via breakdown writer Shannon Peace that she is no longer on contract with the long-running ABC soap heading into its 61st season. Peace shared a heartfelt message on her Instagram, thanking the fans, and the show for the opportunity and the importance of diversity in the writers room.

Peace began, “After almost 3 years on staff and 106 episodes penned, I am no longer on contract with General Hospital. Writing for this country’s longest running television serial drama has been an education of epic proportions; I will forever be grateful that I earned my WGA card on a daytime fixture that holds memories for so many.” (Peace pictured below with GH EP Frank Valentini and script writer, Charlotte Gibson from about ten months ago).

Photo: SPeaceIG

Shannon added “Even more importantly, as the sole Black breakdown writer (and only POC in the writers room) during my tenure, I pushed for vital interactions and discussions that prioritized inclusion, visibility, and representation”

The writer pointed to the example of vital interaction when in story, “Stella and Portia’s frank July 2022 conversation about the role race played in Esme’s framing of Trina is just one example of the impact I’m gratified to have had.”

Acknowledging former GH co-head writers was also part of Peace’s farewell expressing, “Appreciation to my former bosses, Chris Van Etten and Dan O’Connor – not only taking a chance on me, but for valuing my opinion and championing my voice.”

Courtesy/ABC

Many GH fans know that Peace was key to the development of the love story between Trina Robinson and Spencer Cassadine as played by Tabyana Ali and Nicholas Chavez. Shannon gave a special shout-out to ‘Sprina’ fans, “I also want to thank fans who were supportive of my work, especially the recognition of my love for ‘Sprina’. One of my only regrets is not having to develop that ‘ship’ further.”

She concludes her statement with,”In the aftermath of a historic writer’s strike that shed new light on the troubling ways writers are regarded in daytime, my sincere hope is that General Hospital recommits to valuing staff writer efforts and input, with a more intentional focus on diverse viewpoints — and thrives for another 60 years.”

Accompanying her post, Shannon added, “Thank you all for the love and support these last few years. I hope GH fans get all they hope for and more!”

So, what do you think about GH not renewing Shannon’s contract? Will there be more continued changes afoot? What do you think is the future of ‘Sprina’ anyway at this point as viewers wait to see if Nicholas Chavez officially returns to the show?  Comment below.

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General Hospital

GENERAL HOSPITAL: Jason Learns Britt Died and Tells Anna He Has Been Working For Cates Since November 2021

On the Tuesday, March 26th of General Hospital, Anna (Finola Hughes) and the viewers learn about where Jason (Steve Burton) has been for over two and half years. However, Jason gets some news of his own.

Anna is visiting Jason at the PCPD interrogation room. She asks him if he shot Dante (Dominic Zamprogna), which he flatly denies. Anna believes him, but she tells Jason it doesn’t matter, because video footage shows him on the roof at the time of the shooting

When talk turns to Jason not willing to speak without his lawyer present, Anna can’t grasp why Jason would instead spend an hour alone talking with John Cates (Adam J. Harrington).

Photo: ABC

It is then that Anna brings up that John went by “Jagger” and that the two of them knew each other in high school. Jason doesn’t recall much of his time in high school following his brain injury, but then he gets furious realizing John knew about “Jason’s” past. That is when Jason slams the table and tells Anna, “I’ve been working for John Cates since November 2021.”

Next, Jason explains further that he has been working as an informant for the FBI. Anna wants to know how this came about and he tells her that after the tunnel collapsed, and he couldn’t make it to Britt (Kelly Thiebaud)… all of a sudden he sees Anna’s face drop.  Anna is the first person to tell him that Britt died and was murdered. She tells Jason the killer is in custody, but he continues to be shocked, overwhelmed with tears welling up in his eyes. Realizing he has to pivot to save his life, Jason continues telling Anna how he wound up working with John.

Jason explains that after the tunnel collapse in Greece, FBI agents grabbed him and placed him under arrest and took him to Quantico where he met John. At Quantico, John played a recording of RICO violations and offered Jason a deal if he agreed to be an informant against Pikeman, the illegal arms dealer.

Anna hears from Jason that he thinks Pikeman is selling illegal arms to anyone flagged by the NSA but has ties to the WSB which they needed a civilian to infiltrate their organization as a military soldier, a mercenary.

Jason tells Anna he was a part of the team brought into eliminate Sonny (Maurice Benard). Every time an attempt was made on Sonny’s life over the last two years, a different team was sent to do the job. Anna gets furious when she learns that John told Jason his job was to kill Sonny and she was with John at the warehouse that night. Jason ensured the sniper missed Sonny and left the rifle behind. However, they were supposed to meet an extraction team. Before he was shot, Dante saw it was Jason on the roof and when he turned around with his hands over his head, Dante was shot by the other guy. Jason says if Dante dies, he’ll be charged with capital murder and then will be useless to the FBI.

Photo: ABC

Meanwhile, John visits Bobbie’s and runs into Carly (Laura Wright). She learns Jason is in custody and is going to head to the PCPD. Before she does, Carly has some words with Cates when she learns not only does John have a vendetta against Sonny, but Jason too.  Carly tells John he should recuse himself from the case.

So, what did you think about the moment when Jason learned Britt died? What do you think of Jason’s return storyline thus far and what we learned about Jagger/Jason and more? Comment below. But first, check out a moment from today’s GH with Jason and Anna.

 

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