General Hospital
Adam J. Harrington Joins General Hospital as a Recast John “Jagger” Cates: What Were You First Impressions?
In a major surprise, General Hospital had brought back the character of John “Jagger” Cates, played from 1992-1994 by none other than Antonio Sabato Jr.
Now, in 2024, GH has recast the role with Adam J. Harrington in the role as FBI agent, Cates. In story, on the February 2nd episode of the ABC daytime drama series, “Jagger” showed up in Port Charles at Bobbie’s and bumped into Carly (Laura Wright).
After explaining to her that he used to work at “Kelly’s” he goes inside. While there, he meets young Leo, and the series brings up Jagger’s history in that he also has an autistic son. Later, “Jagger” speaks to Olivia (Lisa LoCicero) about how well his grown-up son is doing living on the spectrum.

Photo: ABC
Later, Cates runs into his old friend Anna Devane (Finola Hughes) when he is the FBI agent trying to bust the arms dealer who is selling WSB weapons. Anna recognizes him and says “Jagger!”. Could John be a new love interest for Anna?
Primetime fans will recognize Harrington, who has quite an impressive resume of roles on series such as: Bosch, Dexter, Queer as Folk, Smallville, the CSI frnachise Criminal Minds and Supernatural to name but a few.

Courtesy/ABC
Longtime GH fans recall that “Jagger” was the older brother to Stone Cates, who died of AIDS played by Michael Sutton.

Photo: ABC
When viewers last saw the character of Jagger back in 2008, it was on the primetime spinoff of General Hospital, GH: Night Shift where he had named his syoung on, Stone after his late brother, and moved to San Francisco with the boy after his diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder.

Photo: IMDb
So, what were your first impressions of Adam J.Harrington as John “Jagger” Cates? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.
Where to start? I doubt anyone had a Jagger return on their GH bingo card.
1. Why did Leo say his last name was Falconeri? Continuity error? Come on Liz Korte – Leo proudly took the Q name when Ned adopted him. I realize they might have had Leo say that since Jagger would say he knows the Quartermaines. I wonder if ERS brought the name mishap up when filming.
2. I don’t know if there’s been such a major visual change in a character since Kassie DePaiva took over the role of Blair.
3. Took me a while to realize that Anna & Jagger had met. He’s a contemporary of her daughter which could make that potential pairing awkward. If he’s staying long-term, Maxie could be a good match. Even Jordan (don’t saddle her with once a quarter Brick). If he’s short term, he and Lois could be fun.
4. Scotty’s likely to get his feathers ruffled as Jagger and Karen didn’t end too well.
I agree with your comments. As for appearance, at the very least cast an actor with dark hair and eyes. Like they’ve done with the Nicholas recasts..And really, do we need more characters? There are so many talented actors on GH that don’t get enough screen time. Use what they have!
Say it again sister! GH has the some of the best actresses in daytime but more than half of them barely get a good storyline and yet they keep bringing on more actors. I love the characters of Laura, Anna, Alexis, Ava, Diane, Liesel, Sarah, Maxie and the list goes on. Give them a storyline. These actresses are kickass,. With that said I would have liked them to bring back Antonio Sabato, Jr to reprise the roll of Jagger. The recast of Nicholas has been awful. I miss Gloria Monty and Wendy Riche.
Also wondered about the Falconari thing. Either way , Leo was nerver a Falconari but used Jerome until Ned adopted him, right?
Actually Violet, Leo did go by Falconeri originally. Olivia and Ned (with Liesl’s help) convinced Julian that Leo died in childbirth. (Leo lived offscreen with BLQ in Brooklyn).
Boy, I’m really losing it. I’ve watched this SL from the beginning and don’t remember a word you said. Thanks for the info.
I barely remember that either but either way, Julian did find out Leo was alive, got visitation, and Leo loved him. Even Olivia thought Julian was a good father to Leo. But since she wanted to raise him with Ned, and it took them forever for her to even mention that Ned adopt him, Leo did go by Olivia’s last name, not Julian’s.
I’m willing to give this actor a chance. I prefer the original actor because that’s what I’m used to, but let’s see where this goes. I’m just glad they’re honoring the character’s history and not retconning it.
My first thought – GH will need a whole lot of references to Jagger’s grey hair – since all the fans are complaining that he is a BLOND.
I didn’t watch it back then. So what your all saying is moot to me.
Antonia Sabato Jr is drop dead gorgeous , you’ll have to google him 🙂 he was a great Jagger
He WAS gorgeous. Still good-looking but not like back in the day. The recast is great-looking, too. I think he would have made a great Jax recast if he could do an accent.
A Devil has a theory on this one, and admittedly, it’s way out of left field…..
Usually when they recast a character on soaps they make an effort to have at least a slight resemblance to the previous version. There of course have been exceptions. OLTL never aired in Hell, but I have heard the “Asian Blair” story. And even on GH… there really wasn’t much of a resemblance between Greg Vaughn’s version of Lucky Spencer, and Jonathan Jacksons original.
But NuJagger not only has zero resemblance to the original, he DOES have a resemblance to an older character currently in Port Charles. With the blonde hair & pony tail, he looks very much like a younger version of Cyrus the Virus!
Is GH about to mess with 30 years of history here, and say that Jagger – and also, the late Stone Cates – are the sons of Cyrus?? This would create an improbable link between Cyrus’s backstory and Sonny’s, given how close he was to Stone. Robin Scorpio would also be linked to that story, though Hell knows if we will ever see her again. This would also make NuJagger the nephew of Laura, and this happens on the very day that she’s mourning the apparent “loss” of Spencer and crying to Kevin about how her entire family seems to be “fading away”.
Am I reading too much into this, or do y’all see what a Devil sees here?
Oh… and how exactly would Anna recognize Jagger anyway? She was “dead” when he was originally in Port Charles in the early 1990s, and he was long gone by the time she came back. I don’t even remember them crossing paths on “Night Shift 2”, though Anna did make appearances on that season, due to Robert Scorpio’s health crisis in that season.
Didn’t think of the resemblance, but now that you mentioned it. Luckily we only have another month of C&D to deal with. I don’t know if they’d mess with the Stone lineage (sacrosanct to GH history). Would Cyrus abandon 3 kids?
My first gumption was Jagger is somehow Dex’s father.
Apparently Jagger did cross paths with Anna sometime on Night Shift. But for her to be the first one in PC to recognize him? Sonny, Scotty or Lois maybe.
Dex is probably too old to be Jagger’s son. Though if you add on the appropriate number of years, give or take some mild SORASing, the recently departed “Adam” character (played by Sonny’s real life kid, Josh Benard) would have been perfect for the age Jagger’s kid Stone 2.0 would be now. Too bad they already gave Adam a father on the show. I suppose they could do a rewrite where Jagger gave his kid up for adoption, but that seems unlikely since he was probably around 5 or 6 years old when he appeared on Night Shift with the original Jagger.
Josh Benard has wrapped his stint as Adam. For the foreseeable future, the character won’t be seen. Up to Pat & Liz if they want to pursue that character further.
Dex isn’t too old; he’s in his 20s and Jagger would be about 51, 52.
Yeah, but Jagger only had one son (Stone II) and he was about 5 or 6 years old on the 2nd season of Night Shift. Dex would probably have to be in his late 20’s if we’re to believe his story of being a military combat veteran, and then working for mercenary “private contractors” for a while, before Mikey hired him.
What if Dex was adopted by his abusive family? Jagger & Karen gave him up for adoption a year after they left PC. Would make him Scotty’s grandson.
Or, more likely, Dex has no connection to anyone on the canvas.
Unless he has more than one son, he acted like he only had one when he told Olivia that ” his grown son” was also on the Spectrum as Leo which he was so good with. Hope he doesn’t turn out to be a bad guy.
I think the writers blew the whole arms storyline with John Brennan and decided to wrap it up. Albeit sloppy, by having John a.k.a. Jagger show up with his hatred of Sonny and a cover of being an FBI agent he could have numerous ways of getting around any security anyone has. I don’t believe Dex is his son, and I certainly don’t buy brick and his suspicions of Dex. I definitely don’t believe Jason was the shooter because number one he never misses and number two. He certainly wouldn’t miss two targets in that small an area. Either way it looks like GH is about to destroy yet. Another legacy character.
You also forgot about Jacob Young who also doesn’t look like either of the other portrayers. I think you’re reading WAY too much into it. GH simply has no interest in bringing back crazy Sabato Jr and went with the actor they thought was best. The character hasn’t been seen for 30 years on the daytime version. Who cares if he looks different.
Recasts who look nothing like the original are sadly not uncommon. But recasts who look a lot like another character on the show, that’s probably significant.
As for Jacob Young… yeah, I’m trying to forget all about him. Didn’t care for that bad interpretation of Lucky at all. Greg’s version of Lucky was almost entirely a different character from the original, but at least he played that character well. He also took over the character of Eric Brady so well that nobody even thinks about Jensen Ackles anymore (not that he cares, he’s done alright for himself… kept a show going for 15 years before the Warner/Discovery implosion killed the entire network that show was on)
I personally didn’t much care for Jacob Young’s interpretation of anyone.
I care!!! Bring Antonio back!!
What I think has nothing to do with the story and everything to do with Frank Valentini wanting to stick it to Sabato. When Ingo was ranting about being let go, and saying he was going to appeal the judge’s decision in his lawsuit, Sabato tweeted to Ingo that “Frank what’s-his-name” should be fired. So, lol, I’m thinking Frank went in the complete opposite direction to “erase” any previous thoughts of Sabata as Jagger and let this recast make the part his own… Just a thought…
Hopefully he is a short-tern return.
There’s really not much story for an FBI agent in PC—the police already do too little!
And I agree—he looks waaay too different from the original! It’s like they hired the guy and pulled a name from a hat of past characters and gave it to him. At least it was a man’s name!
How about the hired a guy with good looks charisma and perhaps the best actor that was up for the role….its been so long since the character has been on screen it may be very easy to adapt to him…..the Cyrus thing is way out in left field I would say….and FBI to add to the mix why not!!
Hiring an actor/producer/writer of this stature brings prestige and respect to daytime rather than hiring out of the same old “Soap” acting pool. I don’t know how they got a guy with such a resume.
So glad they did not rehire the talentless Trump supporting Sabato Junior!!
We have literally been BEGGING for Serena Baldwin to come back. No one asked for Jagger.
I think Serena Baldwin is wise to stay away, considering Scotty has had three “long lost children” come to town, and all three of them left in body bags. The first of those three being Karen Wexler, of course. Who was with the original Jagger Cates.
Too bad Antonio wasn’t playing the role again.. but will to give Adam Harrington a chance.
i love him
I remember I had a crush on Jagger(Antonio Sabato jr) he was it for me, but that was back then and now, well lets just say my crush is over but to the recasting since I no longer have a crush it really doesn’t matter to me, still I would of like to have seen Antonio again, but I guess just like Ingo Rademacher their political views is not very popular with disney owned ABC. so fat chance of Antonio or Ingo ever appearing on GH again.
Boy, Satan and OG are driving me crazy. I never knew Jagger or Stone but Cyrus being their dad is plausible. At this point if they say he fathered Steve Hardy, I’d probably believe it. I still think he was Austin’s father, with everything he claimed to have done for him. Why does his own mother hate him so much, does she know that maybe he’s abandoned her grandchildren, certainly not because he’s a criminal and only allows the one that brings her Hummingbird Cake to visit her? Oye, too much!
Violet – with comments like this – I appreciate you even more! Got a chuckle with the Steve Hardy comment.
Double chuckle! Sometimes I wish posts would state the year they started watching GH… It would help to understand some comments that make no sense or are just plain bizarre.
Brian, I realized after I posted that I’d goofed, saying ” fathered Steve Hardy”, with Steve being the elder and long dead, if that’s what you are referring to and of course it “made no sense and was bizarre” so excuse my senior moment, of which I have many, being over 90, my only excuse, and I started watching GH when they started, sorry don’t know the year.
Jagger? Seriously?? In order for a character with some GH history to be
believable,he/ she at,the very least, should have the same coloring…hair and eyes…this guy is the anti-Jagger. Sorry, but at least with the Lucky replacements they had the coloring…I mean how weird would it be for Billy Warlock cast as Lucky….or Vanessa Marcil cast as Carly… not even close. I just find it annoying that the writers have no regard for the original Jagger and all us diehard, longtime viewers
Well, since you brought it up, Warlock was nothing like Sean Kanan. And, Laura Wright shares little in common with the other 3 Carly’s
I wasn’t a fan of Billy Warlock’s A.J. and at least all the Carly’s had similar coloring…..but the contrast between Antonio Sabato Jr and Adam Harrington is glaring. Sorry, not even close. My other issue with Adam Harrington is he reminds me too much of the creepy murder on Criminal Minds, Season 8 Ep 22….it’s been years, but the minute I saw him he gave me an unsettled feeling and then it him me…he was a creepy creepy guy on Criminal Minds. He is obviously a good actor because I remembered that episode after all this time.
Good acting can make up for a lot so we’ll give him a little time.
The added benefit is the character has been off the canvas for decades. It’s the immediate recasts that are usually more jarring. As good as he was on SB and DAYS, Jed Allan never fit as Edward Quartermaine. Longtime ABC viewers will chuckle when mentioning “the real Greenlee” campaign when Rebecca Budig returned to the role.
Jed Allan as Edward had to be the worst casting ever. He was too tall, he had a full head of curly hair, and he was the same age as Alan & Tracy, who were supposed to be his children. Not to mention that whole ridiculous thing where he had the hots for crazy Heather Webber.
Thank Hell that mess didn’t last long. I didn’t think John Ingle was really a good fit as Mickey Horton on Days either, so it was better for everybody when he went back to GH.
I adored Jed Allan on SB, never saw him in role of E.Q. and to me Rebecca was the “real Michelle Bauer” on GL which was probably before your time.
Thank you sister!!! I just wrote two reviews of my own on here saying the same thing with anger!! This new jagger is NOT JAGGER. Not his looks, his acting nor his anything! No sexiness no nothing!!! The show is boring enough these days!!!! Bring sexy Antonio back as Jagger!!! Long time fan here. This-is a disgrace to us older fans. And they can bring back the original Lucky too.., just never again Greg Vaughn or that last guy…Jonathan Jackson needs to come back now.
Would love to see Jonathan Jackson, Vanessa Marcil and Nathan Parsons come back. I also dislike the Molly and Kristina recast. Nothing against the actress playing Kristina because i liked her on days.
Don’t like the new jagger Antonio Sabato is the only one who can play Jagger.
Agree. Exactly. I’m boycotting this dude until he’s gone and Antonio is back.
He looks nothing like the Jagger character . Blonde hair ? Bad recast
I know Antonio Sabato, Jr. but never saw him as Jagger but this guy is an arrogant jerk and if they plan on putting he and Anna together , would be a big mistake, rather have Valentin.
It would really be awkward for Anna to be with a guy who went to high school with her daughter, Robin.
General Hospital
GENERAL HOSPITAL Preview: Serena Sets Her Sights on Michael; Jason’s Emotional Exit from the Mob

This week on all-new episodes of General Hospital, new and old motivations come into play with dangerous consequences. According to the just released GH video spoilers video for the week of August 3-7, a bailiff calls out, “All rise!”
Now it’s Isaiah (Sawandi Wilson) vs. Curtis (Donnell Turner), as the surgeon is suing the owner of the Savoy for assault that ruined is ability to operate. At the end of the day, which of these men has enough evidence against the other? Portia (Brook Kerr) is by Isaiah’s side, while Jordan (Tanisha Harper) is with Curtis.
Next, Lucy (Lynn Herring) has a plan to get the controlling shares of Deception away from Michael (Rory Gibson). She wants her daughter, Serena (Kelly Kruger) to seduce Michael. She tells her, “Pick out your most seductive suit.” Soon, we see Serena in her bathing suit at the Metro Court face to face with Michael.
Later, there is a small baggie containing three blue pills. Nina (Cynthia Watros) ask Willow (Katelyn MacMullen), “What did you do?” We also see Michael asking the same thing of Jacinda (Paige Herschell). Leading into this week, viewers know that Willow doesn’t want the former escort anywhere near her children, Amelia and Wiley. Is this how she stops her, or is Jacinda up to old tricks and wants to frame Willow? Remember when Jacindsa drugged Drew (Cameron Mathison)? Stay tuned.
Finally, in the pick-up from last Friday’s cliffhanger, an emotional Jason (Steve Burton) continues to tell Sonny (Maurice Benard) that he cannot work for him anymore. Sonny ask, “So that’s it? You’re Out?” We fade to black.
Take a look at the official GH spoilers for the week below.
MONDAY, AUGUST 3
Jason makes a sacrifice for Danny. Elizabeth becomes privy to a secret. Carly is touched. Valentin has a warning for Nina. Josslyn cautions Brennan.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 4
Brook Lynn and Chase celebrate a milestone. Trina gets an earful. Carly’s plan backfires. Curtis is skeptical. Michael is anxious about his family’s’ future.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5
Sonny wants answers. Ava is struck with inspiration. Curtis’ trial begins. Brook Lynn wrestles with a big decision. Lucy and Serena scheme.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 6
Sonny makes a stunning announcement. Serena makes her move. Willow faces a new threat. Isaiah takes the stand. Lucy questions Laura.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 7
Josslyn is taken aback. Ava courts a new ally. Jordan and Anna catch up. Isaiah vents to Lucas and Elizabeth. Michael questions Jacinda.
Check out the latest ABC promo for General Hospital entitled, “What Did You Do?” below.
Now weigh-in: Do you think GH is about to pair Serena with Michael? Is it curtains for Jacinda? Can anyone stop Willow once and for all, or make her pay for her crimes? What will Jason do without Sonny and the mob? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.
General Hospital
‘General Hospital’ Fan Club Weekend 2026 (Photos)

General Hospital Fan Club Weekend brought out many of your favorites to the four day event; with the main cast gathering on Saturday, August 1. Fans near and far attended the weekend held this year at the Burbank Marriott Hotel. Whether it be the main cast event or the smaller more intimate events featuring two or three cast members a great time was had by all.
Some of the cast participating in the main cast event included: Cyrus Hobbi (Yuri), Gary James Fuller (James), Bradford Anderson (Spinelli), Viron Weaver (Wiley), Paige Herschell (Jacinda), Chris McKenna (Brennan), Josh Kelly (Cody), Kayden Brenna Tokarsi (Scout), Cassandra James (Terry), Laura Wright (Carly), Dominic Zamprogna (Dante), Carolyn Hennesy (Diane), Rick Hearst (Ric), Adrian Anchondo (ex-Marco), and Chloe Lanier (ex-Nelle).
In addition to, Van Hansis (Lucas), Cameron Mathison (Drew), Ryan Paevey (ex-Cassius), Easton Rocket Sweda (Leo), Maurice Benard (Sonny), Kristen Vaganos (Molly), Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis), Kate Mansi (ex-Kristina), Rebecca Herbst (Elizabeth), Cynthia Watros (Nina), Kristina Wagner (Felicia) and more.
Take a look at some of the snaps from the main event arrivals below:

Photo: HutchinsPhoroi
GH’s Rick Hearst with on-screen daughter, Kristen Vaganos, plus Nancy Lee Grahn, and Kate Mansi.

Photo: HutchinsPhoto
GH’s Maurice Benard on-hand to meet the fans.

Photo: HutchinsPhoto.com
Jack Brennan in the house … Chris McKenna.

Photo: HutchinsPhoto
Adrian Anchondo, Van Hansis and Anchondo’s boyfriend, Days of Our Lives, Colton Little.

Photo: HutchinsPhoto
GH’s Josh Kelly and his gal, the former Nelle Benson of Port Charles, Chloe Lanier.

Photo: HutchinsPhoto
Who is James’ father? Not Cassius or Spinelli, actually. Actors Gary James Fuller, Ryan Paevey and Bradford Anderson!

Photo: HutchinsPhoto
One of General Hospital’s newest cast members, Kayden Brenna Tokarski attends her first GHFCW event.
Check out some more arrival images featuring: Laura Wright (Carly), Cassandra James (Terry), Carolyn Hennesy (Diane) and more in the gallery below.
Michael Fairman TV will be adding more images to this post in the day ahead.
So, were you glad to see so many of your GH favorites attending this year’s General Hospital Fan Club Weekend? Let us know via the comment section.
General Hospital
Vincent Pastore of ‘Sopranos’ Fame and ‘General Hospital’s’ Maximus Giambetti Dies at 80

Vincent Pastore, best known for his memorable role as Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero on HBO’s The Sopranos has passed away.
The veteran actor was found dead on August 1st in his home in the Bronx, New York. Pastore was 80-years-old. The cause of death is yet to be determined.
As well as his role on The Sopranos, many soap fans will recall he played multiple smaller roles on the beloved One Life to Live from 1995 and 2004. However, in 2008, he landed the short-term role as Maximus Giambetti on General Hospital.

PASTORE WANTED TO BE ON GENERAL HOSPITAL
Maximus was the mobster father of Sonny Corinthos’ (Maurice Benard) bodyguards: Max (Derk Cheetwood) and Milo (Drew Cheetwood)
According to Soap Opera Digest, Pastore told Soaps In Depth back in 2009, after appearing in a SOAPnet promotional campaign as a celebrity fan of General Hospital: “‘I’d love to be on the show. So they called up GH’s casting director (Mark Teschner) and Bobby (Robert Guza Jr. ex-head writer, GH) and they wrote me in!”
Pastore was a huge General Hospital fan from way back, who at one point told producers that he would watch the ABC soap opera while working in bars and nightclubs in the 70s and 80s.
Throughout his decades long career, Pastore appeared in films including: Goodfellas, Carlito’s Way and Men of Respect, The Jerky Boys: The Movie and the 1996 HBO TV movie Gotti.
In TV, besides The Sopranos, Pastore’s credits included: Law & Order, The Practice, Son of the Beach, Queens Supreme, Hawaii Five-0, Wu-Tang: An American Saga, plus the miniseries The Last Don II. Most recently, Vincent was a series regular on Gravesend and guest starred on Yellowjackets.
Pastore is survived by his daughter, Renee, son-in-law and granddaughter.
Share your remembrances and condolences for Vincent Pastore on his memorable role on ‘The Sopranos’ and his time on ‘General Hospital’ via the comment section below.
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