General Hospital
Charles Shaughnessy Takes Over the Role of GH’s Victor Cassadine
GH fans were in for a major surprise when on Thursday’s episode a kidnapped Liesl Obrecht (Kathleen Gati) got the shock of her life when her former lover, Victor Cassadine turned out to be alive and well and holding her hostage.
But there was another twist! DAYS favorite, Charles Shaughnessy (Shane), who previously was announced as coming to GH but in a mystery role, revealed himself to be … the new Victor Cassadine! The former Mr. Sheffield of The Nanny has stepped into the role previously played by DAYS Thaao Penghlis (Tony).
Once the cat was out of the bag, in a tweet, Shaughnessy shared: “So excited to FINALLY be able to reveal details of my latest “gig”. 37 years on, I am back in the halls of @GeneralHospital, playing with the incredible @gatitweets. Having once been a vampire on @DisneyChannel, it’s not surprising I bring #VictorCassadine back from the dead!”
Shaughnessy is referring to the time he previously played Holly Sutton’s cousin, Alistair on the ABC daytime drama series back in 1984.
General Hospital viewers recall that Liesl shot and “killed” Victor back in 2014 then played by Penghlis. In story, Victor believed he was the bio-dad of her son, Nathan West (Ryan Paevey). But a DNA test said that was not true, yet she shot him. Leaving viewers wondering who is the dad? Hmmm.
So what did you think of the shocker? Shaughnessy as NuVictor Cassadine? Comment below.
I enjoyed Charles entering the story. Maybe for the wrong reason as I said in another comment…I smiled and was half waiting for Fran (Nanny) to bring in Liesl’s dinner. Because so far I can’t see him as the baddest of the bad guys.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Charles Shaughnessy. But why couldn’t they bring back Thaao Penghlis as Victor? Wally Kurth airs on both DAYS and GH at the same time so why couldn’t Thaao too? Even though he wasn’t on the show for very long, he made a lasting impression as Victor and it’s hard to see a new actor play him.
Jimmy
You make a good point and Thaao makes a “good impression” whatever he’s on. Chas. Shaughnessy will also be on both shows but maybe Thaao held out for more money. Personally this SL bores me to death already and it’s hardly started. It was bad enough years ago watching that old goat Faisin chasing after Anna and Obrect chasing after him, now this,omg. Thanks for letting me rant Jimmy.
Wally’s a good bit younger than Thaao, and may enjoy the schedule juggling. Also, Shaughnessy is (surprisingly) on contract at GH. His role on the limited web series Beyond Salem was likely negotiated prior to GH, allowing him to do both.
It’s a bit of a jarring switch, but CS is such a fine actor, might just work out fine.
Steve,
This man is remarkable! I didn’t think too much about him when he appeared as Victor, but seeing him again as Shane on Beyond Salem, that silver fox is just looking better and better.
I totally agree,and I was ticked off when Thaao was on GH last time that he didn’t haveany scenes with Constance Towers (Helena).
Well at least maybe now Robert can confront Victor and avenge O’Reilly.
I don’t recall seeing the original Victor Cassadine so no change for me..
I do luv the Cassadines and would like to have all of them back.
Valentin was to be the one that Helena feared.
He was to be the worst of the worst.
He was pussified and turned out to be a teddy bear, shameful.
Hopefully, this Victor guy will bring on the Cassadine dark powers,
Nikolas failed as a true-blooded Cassadine, also.
Ironically, Victor was the LEAST “dark” of the original Cassadines. He thought his older brother Mikkos went way overboard in the whole “let’s try to freeze the world in the middle of August” plan, and in the end, Victor was actually working with Luke & Robert Scorpio to help bring Mikkos down. (a third brother, Tony, had already fallen victim to the deep freeze, along with his girlfriend Alexandra Quartermaine)
Victor was still sentenced to prison for his part in the Cassadine crimes though, so how he suddenly resurfaced in 2014 as the CEO of the World Security Bureau, that’s something they have never explained. Probably since that return was basically a short term plot point, needed to explain how “Jason Morgan” (actually Drew Cain) became a popsicle in his custody, and how he needed Robin Scorpio’s help to thaw out “Jason”, along with his former sister in law Helena & her son Stavros.
And then Victor’s second short return, when he stuck around long enough to find out he was NOT Nathan’s father, despite what Dr. Oooblech had told him. Again, little more than a plot point to set the stage for Faison being Nathan’s daddy, and the entrance of Faison’s other son, Whiny Heiny.
Considering this latest round of Victor Cassadine looks like it will again be a plot point to tie up various loose ends (Drew/Hayden/Heiny/possibly Holly??) maybe Thaoo Penghlis didn’t want round three of being the convenient fall guy?
Satan- you have a mind of steel to remember all of that–
I have zero knowledge of Victor, or if I had seen him, I don’t recall……
The Cassadines were awesome characters. I would like all of them back-exciting….
I have a bad feeling that the writers will also pussyfy Victor……
The writers of days past had the courage to write heavy, therefore, making stories of sitting on the edge of your seat suspense……they created emotions be it hate or love they brought it home……shame they are gone..
Su; Were you watching during the early days, when Nicolas was a teen and came to town with Stefan; lived with him and Alexis? Did you see Constance Towers at her wicked-best as the “evil” Helena when she was younger and was a threat to Laura, Alexis…always trying to get Nicolas to her side, etc. Wasn’t all that before you started watching?
As for Nicolas, I don’t think many fans back in the day, OR now, wanted him to be an evil Cassadine, so he didn’t fail at being one. I don’t think he was ever intended to be evil. The Cassadines were at war with themselves: the “good ones” vs the evil ones, and Nicolas (like Alexis and Sam; they’re Cassadines, too) was never “evil.” Nicolas’s Uncle, Stefan, was criminal at times but I don’t remember as “evil…well, not diabolical like Helena, Stavros, Mikkos. Stefan loved Nicolas like a son. (I LOVED Stefan! Thought he was such a great, intriguing character! He was played by Stephen Nichols who plays Steve/Patch over on Days.)
But back to Nicolas…each time he did anything remotely criminal or not to Laura’s liking (like most recently scaring Nicolas) she feared he’ become like his Cassadine side. That was always ridiculous to me, especially this last time when he scared Spencer; I don’t think scaring his son to teach him a hard lesson was quite Helena cray cray or “evil.” The ONLY time I thought Nicolas was written as evil and therefore out of character was when he first came back and told Ava her daughter was in hell…that was truly cruel and I think the writers really missed their mark (made for a good story but not something I would see Nicolas doing).
The “evil” Cassadines are all dead: Helena, Stavros, Mikkos. I do remember, as you said, that Valentin was “described” as the most evil before they brought the character to the show (I think he was added to the family history, don’t remember ever hearing about him until James appeared in the role) but as we know that never came to fruition… Those old Cassadine days were gold…so fun. who knows what Victor will bring. I think Spencer may know he’s alive; seems coincidental that Spencer would use the name Victor when Trina first met him…
If the show was ever to revive the true evil Cassadine legacy, Spencer would be the most likely candidate. IF this was back in the day and soaps were to go on for decades, it might have been worth the investment to see Spencer evolve to the dark side. At this point, I hope not; I like Spencer too much and hope he goes up against the evil Esme. SHE (and Nelle) would have made good next-generation evil Cassadines, in my opinion….
hi Rebeca 🙂
WHOA!! Thank you for the info-
I never knew all that background,
it was a great read :)————
That was before my time- but
it sounds to have been good storytelling..
Not knowing all that————
I’ve always seen Nikolas as a grey character———–
However- no matter what Nokolas is a Cassadine .. And he is of the bad seed–lol———–
ahhh but Spencer– he seems to have the devil in him, yup..———-
With a soap; the good turn bad the bad turn good.. the redemption factor–makes for longer stories and viewer emotions..
——–
but the writers are in charge of Spenser’s outcome.——
I luv the Cassadine — they are/where the fire!———–
I want all of them back..give me some Helena excitement.
—be well 🙂
Just to clarify, Helena’s daughter IS in Hell. But she has air-conditioning, because she’s not nearly the sinner the rest of her family is. I also don’t invite her & Helena to the same parties… or if I do, I hide all the sharp objects!!
Hast the heat gotten to you? Nicolas told Ava that Kiki’s daughter was in hell…did you mistake that for Helena’s? Had to look up Helen’s daughter because I forgot she even had a daughter…she was on just for that story arc. Remember? She was the woman in white who Nicolas fell for…turned out Helena had locked her away at one point, brainwashed her to kill Lucky? In the end Helena killed her…
Yeah, I read that earlier post too fast, on an uncaffeinated Devil brain. The memory is the first thing to go after a few thousand years.
Kiki has AC too, for all of the same reasons. She and Helena’s daughter have something else in common, and that’s the fact that neither one should have ever been written into existence. The first Kiki was just a legal fiction to rename an annoying little twit who never belonged on GH in the first place. The second version wasn’t so bad in and of herself, but she got stuck in Ava’s bubble, and it could only end badly for her because of that.
Ava started to show some signs of humanity when she was in that Russian hospital, and eventually helped Jason escape from there, not having any idea who he was. Back in Port Charles though, she pretty much reverted to form… at least until the new Nikolas showed up. And she’s been good with Trina too, surprisingly enough.
I’m glad to see that it wasn’t the heat that got to you but other than that, I beg to differ. Ava is/was a fantastic character after we got past that horrific time when she framed AJ. AJ will always be one of my favs so I hated her for that. And I blame Sonny more for killing him. But I digress…
I hated Kiki but for different reasons. It’s BECAUSE I loved/love Ava so much that I couldn’t stomach Kiki. Like the rest of the town who forgives Snarly for everything and turns their backs on their own parents while kissing the arses of Sonny and Carly, Kiki KNEW that Sonny wanted to kill Ava and that Carly hated her guts; they were her mother’s mortal enemies. And while it was true that Ava switched out Morgan’s pills, she wasn’t responsible for, nor did she want, Morgan’s death. She actually was trying to steer Kiki away from Morgan for her own good. She wanted her to date Dillon, who she thought could give her a better life. And Kiki had no leg to stand on; she AND Morgan switched “Mikey’s” pills when he had custody of Avery. My point being…she sided with the Snarlys and helped them keep Avery from Ava. Ava practically had to beg her to let her hold Avery if Kiki was taking her to the park. And later, she took Griffin from Ava within seconds of Ava “breaking up with Griffin.” And why did she break up with Griffin? For the umpteenth time Kiki had found comfort in Griffin’s arms, this time in her bra.
So, Kiki having a room in your basement apartment would be okay by me. But it tortured Ava; and it was way out of character for Nicolas to hurt someone like that.
Satan,
If anyone would know it would be you. Wasn’t Helena’s daughter the girl in white that Holly’s son fell in love with and tried to rescue from Windemere but Helena found her and ultimately shot and killed her?
I’ll tell you what happened to Victor Cassadine, Ron Carlivati happened, yep yep, the same guy who made Alexandria Devane a cartoon villain on GH, when in fact she was a heroine on AMC, one who helped Anna get back on her feet, yet the GH Alex was turn into the stereotypical cartoon characters that Ron was so infamous for at GH.
Ron was dismissed as head writer in 2015. Alex was reintroduced to GH in 2017. Jean & Shelley (and later Chris) were writing at that time.
Not Ron’s biggest fan – but on this one he’s not to blame.
Certainly true of the first Victor return in 2014. And ReRon’s take on Stavros was a complete cartoonish embarrassment.
AMC never really aired in Hell, so I’ll have to take your word on the Alex Devane stuff.
I don’t remember Victor working with Luke and Robert against Mikkos. Robert disliked Victor as I recall because his men killed O’Reilly.
I’ll always remember Charles Shaughnessy as Mr. Sheffield on The Nanny, so when I heard he was being cast as the new Victor Cassadine, I was skeptical. On paper, I don’t see him being a fit for the role. It’s really a shame that Thaao Penghlis couldn’t reprise the role. But I don’t know if he was asked or even available with the new Days project he’s working on.
So we move forward. Charles is a wonderful actor, and if anyone can pull this off, he certainly can. I’ll be interested to see what they have planned.
I just wonder what explanation they have for Victor being alive. The last time we saw him he had been shot in the chest, and was laying on the floor dying as the Crighton Clark facility blew up. I know it’s soaps, and anyone can come back from the dead, and we accept that as part of the deal. But they’re really gonna need to dig into the script bag for an explanation for this one, lol.
How about the explanation of Peter still being alive after BOTH a doctor and a nurse, two highly trained medical professionals who have been in the field for decades, pronounced Peter dead and locked him in a freezer? Soap deaths don’t mean anything anymore.
The show has gone quite a bit overboard with RFD storylines recently:
Peter
Drew
Victor
Could also count Sonny as even though viewers know he’s alive, 99% of Port Charles thinks he’s dead.
Just as long as Morgan remains dead, I can accept all of the above.
Steve,
I could stand that punk Morgan come back than for instance Nell or Peter when TPTB finally decide enough is enough.
We know Morgan isn’t dead, for the same reason we knew Drew wasn’t dead. No body, no death. This also should have applied to Sonny, obviously. Seems ridiculous that everybody jumped to conclusions and wrote him off as “dead” so soon. Or for that matter, that Jax dismissed the fact that he saw Sonny in Tricky Dick Nixon Falls as some sort of “hallucination” – from a minor flesh wound in his shoulder??? (months later, he finally seems to realize that wasn’t a hallucination after all, because of Sonny’s Magic Pasta Sauce making appearances in Port Charles)
Victor was shot and in a burning building, so that looks bad on the surface… but hey, he’s a Cassadine, and they aren’t easy to kill.
Whiny Heiny was dead. He was literally in Hell! I’ll be eternally damned if I know how he escaped.
But back to Morgan…. we’ll definitely see him eventually. But I’m guessing that’s going to be a while down the road. Sonny & Drew’s returns are going to stir up the canvas enough for the immediate future. And yeah, Nelle’s still out there somewhere too. Don’t be surprised if she and Morgan come back together. If Morgan can go BiPolar just like his dad, maybe he can get amnesia just like his dad too? And Nelle might not know who her mom actually is, but that doesn’t mean she wouldn’t act just like Nina… and manipulate an amnesiac Morgan for her own purposes.
I’d love to see Julian and AJ return from the dead; I wouldn’t care how they explained it. As for the others? Then, too, I usually enjoy it. Part of the soapy genre where anything can happen. There are some characters who are alive who I don’t want to see back; like Hayden. Or others I’d like to see gone, like Phyllis, Stella and Gladys. Sigh…
Julian told me he’s happy in Hell. Why? Because his crazy sisters aren’t here (yet).
Ava? Crazy? Naaaa; 😉 Still love her. Will DeVry is over on Twitter, though, and I think he’d like to see Julian return from the dead. He said he’d never come back to the show, yet he watches it and gives commentary. THAT’s dedication! I have no idea what the writers were smoking when they had the ingenious, not, idea to kill Julian off. But, hey, we got Phyllis and Gladys! How much more must-see TV can it get than that! Sigh.
I miss sexy Will, rebecca1. Huge mistake icing Julian Jerome. And don’t get me started on Gladys! What is the POINT of that character except to stir the pot at every opportunity and be as irritating as sandpaper on a wound? I liked Phyllis at first but now it seems like she just enables selfish behavior from “Mike” and, especially, Nina. And don’t forget the fabulous T. J., “mysterious” Austin, disastrous recasts of Drew and Spencer, evil Esme (Kiki’s twin?), and that ridiculous Novak family. It’s like watching a really bad ripoff of THE GODFATHER.
Well, Victor Cassadine has been heading the WSB for years now (how and why that happened, we still don’t know) so that’s familiar territory for Charles, who was playing ISA superspy Shane Donovan since the early 1980s. And of course, since he knows Thaao Penghlis from working with him on Days all of those years, it’s not much of a stretch to think he might have consulted with him on how to play the role of Victor Cassadine?
As far as explanations….. fugeddabout it….. you should know by now that Cassadines are really hard to kill. A simple gun shot in a burning building?? That’s nothing. Especially when you have much lesser characters who fell down a flight of stairs, broke their neck, were pronounced dead by a doctor and a nurse, locked in a freezer and are somehow up walking around anyway.
I love this actor and am looking forward to seeing him play Victor Cassadine. I hope they make him a grey character like Valentine and not pure evil.
General Hospital
Kelly Sullivan Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’s’ Maura West Recalling When Ava Shot Connie (Exclusive)

It was just over 13 years ago on General Hospital when Ava Jerome (Maura West) shot and killed Kate Howard/Connie Falconeri (Kelly Sullivan) in an effort to keep her quiet from revealing that Derek Wells was actually Ava’s back-from-the-dead brother, Julian Jerome (William deVry). It’s a crime that somehow Ava never has quite paid for either.
The episode back aired on August 13, 2013 and viewers had to say goodbye to Kelly Sullivan who played Kate and her alter, Connie. In the story, just before she died, Kate/Connie scrawled the letters AJ in her own blood, initially making the PCPD and Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) think that it was AJ Quatermaine (Sean Kanan) who did the deed.
Now, Sullivan recalled sharing scenes with the three-time Daytime Emmy-winning West, during a live conversation on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel. Kelly was the special guest talking about her recent return to the soaps in her new role as The Bold and the Beautiful’s Darcy Dylan.

Photo: JPI
FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF MAURA WEST
Speaking of her final GH scenes and working with Maura West, Sullivan gave her then GH co-star major props. “If you’re going to be shot by somebody (on the soaps), you want to be shot by Maura West, c’mon!”
Maura West debuted back in May 2013 as Ava, and Sullivan remembered when the As the World Turns favorite began on GH. “I remember when Maura West first arrived at GH. She walked in with this cute little bob (hairdo) and she’s just delicious,” shared Sullivan.
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE
Kelly revealed more about Maura, adding “I think she’s amazing! I remember right before I left the show, someone suggested, and I would still love to do this with her, if she ever want to, but someone suggested that they wanted to direct the stage play A Streetcar Named Desire with Maura and I, where I would play Stella and she would play Blanche! Wouldn’t that be great?”
Speaking of the Ava/Connie showdown scenes, Sullivan expressed, “On television and on General Hospital specifically, Maura West is able to play a character who does the most horrendous things and you still care about her and that’s the mark of a really great actor. In other words, you’re able to be liked in the midst of the most horrendous things, and as a performer not shying away from that, and to just have the courage to do what’s on the page (in the script).”

Photo: JPI
KELLY SULLIVAN PARTING THOUGHTS AS SHE LEFT GENERAL HOSPITAL
Kelly also shared her sentiments when she walked off the set of General Hospital after her run back in August of 2013. “I really was honored. Every day I would go to work and I would say a little prayer, which is I want to do justice for my character, explained Kelly. “It’s between me and my character. I get to walk this path with her and to leave the show on that note, which is, I left every out there. I just gave it my all and again what an honor it was to play Kate/Connie.”
You can catch the full conversation with Kelly where she talks about her time on General Hospital, The Young and the Restless where she played Sage Warner and now The Bold and the Beautiful below.
So, do you remember the Ava and Connie scenes where Ava shot and killed her? What did you think of Kelly Sullivan’s sentiments about Maura West? Share your thoughts via the comment section. But first, watch the reveal where Ava recalls murdering Connie below!
General Hospital
Steve Burton Reportedly Signs Three-Year Contract with ‘General Hospital’

The question of will Steve Burton (Jason Morgan) stay awhile at General Hospital after his recent extended hiatus from the show earlier this year, has reportedly been answered.
TMZ via court documents obtained in Burton’s ongoing legal battle with his ex-wife Sheree Gustin, shared that Steve actually inked a new three year deal with the ABC soap opera back in June.
That is significant because it was June when Burton returned back to work as Jason. In addition, the court filing confirmed that Burton had already moved back to California from Tennessee.

Photo: ABC
STEVE’S HIATUS AND HIS RETURN TO PORT CHARLES
GH fans will recall, it was back in February of 2026, that Burton announced via his Instagram that he was stepping away from his role of Jason Morgan for short break and pointed to wanting to spend quality time with his new wife, Michelle Lundstrom Burton with whom he tied the knot back on May 17, 2025.
Steve expressed at that time, “I’m newly married and looking forward to spending some quality time with my family.” It was back on March 25 that viewers saw Jason carted away by the WSB after taking the fall for Rocco Falconeri (Finn Carr) who shot then WSB Director Ross Cullum (Andrew Hawkes).
Burton returned to work on June 1, and due to General Hospital taping roughly six weeks ahead of air, made his on-screen comeback on the July 13 episode.
GOING FOR GOLD AT THE UPCOMING DAYTIME EMMYS
Then, Steve and his enduring fans got an extra special treat on the same day, when it was revealed on Extra that he was nominated for the upcoming 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Daytime Drama Series category.
Steve previously won in the Supporting Actor category for his work as General Hospital’s Jason in 1998 and as The Young and the Restless’ Dylan McAvoy in 2018.
Now with Jason and Britt’s (Kelly Thiebaud) relationship seemingly hitting the skids, plus Jason’s commitment to staying out of mob life to focus on being present for his son Danny Morgan (Asher Antonyzyn), what does the future hold for the fan favorite character? Stay tuned.
So, happy to hear that Steve Burton signed a new three year deal with General Hospital? Knowing that, what storyline would you like to see Jason get involved and with who? Share your thoughts and theories via the comment section.
General Hospital
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Jason and Britt Reach an Impasse; Is This the End of Their Relationship?

On the Friday, September 11 episode of General Hospital, Jason (Steve Burton) and Britt’s (Kelly Thiebaud) relationship becomes strained to potentially the point of no return.
Things take a turn when an unglued Britt having been traumatized by almost being killed by Anna Devane (Finola Hughes) asks Jason to back her up with the PCPD when she reports Anna for attempted murder.
However, Jason told Britt, he can’t. Jason shares that he does not believe Anna would have gone through with shooting her. Therefore, Britt was not in any real imminent danger. Britt is flabbergasted and hurt that Jason is refusing to tell the police what he actually witnessed for himself on Mount Emerson.

Courtesy/ABC
BRITT WANTS BACK UP FROM JASON
Jason counters that he can’t believe that Britt would want Anna punished. or sent to prison, or a mental facility after the trauma she endured while being locked up and mentally tortured while at Wyndemere.
He asks Britt, “How could you even say that you want her locked up or prosecuted for what she did when you knew she was being held prisoner and you did nothing to save her?” Britt is stunned by Jason’s response.
Coming up, official General Hospital spoilers share that on the upcoming Monday, September 14 episode, Jason confides in Carly (Laura Wright), while Britt is stung. In the video preview that aired at the end of the Friday, September 11 episode for this coming Monday, Britt says to Jason, “You don’t believe me. Do you?”
General Hospital head scribes, Chris Van Etten and Elizabeth Korte previously teased in their fall preview of the soap, “Britt and Jason have come a long way and fought a lot of enemies to be together. But the most stubborn obstacle to their happiness isn’t without, it’s within. Decisions Britt made to stay alive while under Cullum’s thumb will come back to haunt her and may prove too difficult for this unlikely couple to survive.”
So, what do you think will happen? Will Jason and Britt break-up over Britt’s lies and Jason’s unwillingness to report Anna’s crime against her? Do you want Jason and Britt to go their separate ways? If they do, will Britt become romantically involved with Dr. Tristan Roberts (Dean Geyer) ? If so, who do you pair Jason with? Anyone? Weigh-in via the comment section.
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