General Hospital
Exec Prod Frank Valentini On GH’s Return with New Episodes: “There is a Bang and a Surprise and a Twist”
Monday, General Hospital will finally be airing a new episode – the first in months due to COVID-19 – which had previously shut down production of the show. Now with safety protocols in place, GH will become the first ABC network show back on TV with original installments.
GH’s executive producer, Frank Valentini spoke to ABC 7 Los Angeles’ entertainment guru George Pennacchio on the legacy soap opera’s return and picking up the story where things left off.
Valentini offered up for Monday’s episode: “The very first few seconds of the show, I think, will blow a lot of the audience’s mind because there’s a big surprise that we inserted in.”
Meanwhile, viewers know that their is a major custody case going on for Wiley/Jonah, and that Mike’s (Max Gail) battle with Alzheimer’s could wrap in the coming months if the story continues as it had before the shut down.
However, Valentini shared that fans have some very exciting things to look forward to on GH: “There is a bang and a surprise and a twist and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
In addition, Pennacchio reports that the GH Nurses’ Ball will return sometime in August, which usually airs in May, but didn’t, because of COVID-19 this past spring.
As to how GH will handle the love scenes, the kisses, and the intimate moments between characters which are a staple of the genre during the health crisis, Frank expressed:”Physical intimacy is limited. We’re going to leave a lot more to the imagination.”
So, what surprises do you think are in store as previewed by Valentini when GH returns with new episodes? Comment below.
Well, assuming there’s no time jump due to the missing months, and they pick up where they left off, then I sure as Hell hope the “big surprise” isn’t anything to do with Psycho Nelle being Nina’s daughter……
We know Dante’s coming back, but I doubt we will see him on Monday. While it’s logical to assume he might come back due to Mike’s rapidly declining health, he might just have a “work-related” reason to turn up in Port Charles, and my guess that it will have something to do with Cyrus the Virus. Maybe Dante knows what the real deal is between Cyrus and “cousin” Brando. In any case, let’s hope Dante sticks around for a while.
As far as the Nurses Ball, I think they should skip it this year. You can’t have “live acts” (most are lip-synced, but fake live anyway) in a crowded hotel ballroom in the current mortal reality. What are they gonna do, have all the acts perform remotely via Zoom (Like Stephen Colbert has been doing with the musical performances on his show during the pandemic)
Pretty sure Dominic Zamprogna is back full-time.
OK, a Devil can admit when he missed a call… They actually DID bring Dante back first thing. Literally the first scene.
Though Frank’s own words were they “inserted” this in, so my interpretation is that this was not part of the original script for today’s show, and we probably won’t be seeing Dante full time for a while. This is much like the way we saw a 5 second appearance of Ian Buchanan on GH literally the same day he left Days, but he didn’t have any further appearances on the show for a few months… and then even those turned out to be Faison in a stupid mask.
So let’s hope they don’t repeat that stupidity… and that Dante is actually Dante when he sets foot in Port Charles.
We can only hope!
Of course we left off in the court room! I hope Nina sees the other half of her necklace!!!! In Nelles hand !!!
Heeey Satan 🙂
I have nothing, as to where GH left off.
000hhh Mike (luvs Mike) was near death.. perhaps a miracle, that would be good..
I gotta tell;
I did not miss Y&R ad GH as I had thought I would..
I got busy with other things and moved on..(different viewing routine)
But– I am looking forward to seeing, both, again.
And– WHOA! you have a great recall/memory- to be able to go back in time.
((it’s like I haven’t clue lol I’ll need a refresher course ..
I am sad that none of the soaps seem to have done a time jump… however, am looking forward to General Hospital‘s return!
I REALLY don’t want Nelle to be Nina’s daughter. A bang? Someone gets shot???
Nurse’s Ball, well, I hope they spend one episode on it, the 3 day episodes tend to be boring. And, did I say I REALLY don’t want Nelle to be Nina’s daughter? 🙂
The Surprise… could Kristian Alfonso be joining GH??? Wishful thinking. Or, could Greg Vaughn be returning as Lucky?
I, too, think it is Dante coming back, they’ve had plenty of time to make a deal with the actor. A Twist… I don’t have a clue… guess we’ve got one more day to wait and see. And… #NELLEISNOTNINASDAUGHTER
as much as I like Nelle shenanigans’ – which end up more oft a spoiled brat tantrum – and she’s given a let… till the next big write up. which has actually run it’s course… she’ll NEVER get to Carly
she seems more dismal than any thing… AND we don’t want that for Nina , do we? I watched her with Jax… and Nina has it going… but it’s Jason Patrick Stuart sensuals that she clearly dreams about. I certainly would be… hotted out! to that extent … Nina and Valentin… end all be all PERIOD. bringing in Nelle? I don’t see it. Valentin would never put up with her..even if he could use her. Besides Charlotte would see right thru her…and may put her lights out any way.
It looks like the show is picking up right were they left off, from what I could see from the preview the show wasn’t missing a beat. I’m being biassed here but GH is vastly more surperior then BB. I saw the show first week and it was cringe inducing to say the least, I mean the weird close up scenes of the characters face, it looked like bad soap opera 101, the plots are pretty silly and I was so glad I’m a GH fan instead because watching BB almost gave me a seizure. sorry but that’s my opinion and I’m not even going to give DOOL or YR a try. Welcome back GH. I’ve missed you.
I actually enjoyed the first week of B&B’s return. Aside from Flo not being able to untie a bunch of stockings (?) Or whatever fabric was used to tie her to a radiator. That was straight eye rolling comedy. Brad Bell seems to have put the brakes on and turned around a bit. We’ll see how it goes.
As someone who watches all current American daytime soaps, and grew up watching CBS soaps, I can absolutely tell you that General Hospital is vastly superior to The Bold and the Beautiful for a myriad of reasons.
A bang? Maybe Julian shoots Nelle!
If only!
Leaving the same Executive Producer in charge for too long tends to give them a big ego and a who cares what you think attitude. I wish the same British standards were employed for our soaps. An Executive Producer is switched out every three years. It makes for better and different viewing.
Here’s the flip side of that: you get people in who have no sense of a particular show or its history and often are more interested in making their mark than on ensuring continuity or keeping long-time viewers happy. I am guessing that in the UK, you might be able to count on the people above the executive producer to insist on attention to those kinds of things; you’d be hard pressed to find a TV executive at any of the networks/sponsors who really understands the individual soaps–or soaps in general–well enough to ensure that the people hired would be the right persons for the job. Even the various people I can think of who have been “VP for Daytime” or whatever equivalent at ABC, CBS, and NBC through the years have not seemed to me to “get” the soaps, why people watch them, what viewers expect, how Soap A is different from Soap B is different from Soap C, etc.
I am sooo excited to see new episodes back on the air! Hoping everyone involved with producing the shows stays safe and that we get to see great story coming our way again!
Hope Kelly is getting better. hate to have LH take over the role Steve and Kelly is the only thing I watch !!!!
Yawn. That “band and surprise” was about as shocking as the Cheetoh tweetig something stupid
Once GH knew they were going to be on indefinite hiatus, they took the material that had already been filmed and extended each and everyone of these storylines by filling in with all of the (fun to see) flashbacks to extend the new material to the point of many cliffhangers that we are now all enjoying with the return of the new episodes. The kiss between Ned and Olivia, the Court scene, and the sad final days of Mike’s struggle with Alzheimer’s. I actually think that it was a pretty brilliant plan, as we continue to go through all of this unknown and unfamiliar time in our lives. I just hope that the cast, crew, and everyone involved with the production of these new episodes remain safe and healthy, for having the new episodes and continuing storylines has been a special treat, especially since I’m running out of Netflix binging options. Stay safe everyone!
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!
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.
Kelly Sullivan Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’s’ Maura West Recalling When Ava Shot Connie (Exclusive)
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