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‘General Hospital’ Executive Producer Frank Valentini on the Decision to Cast John Oliver as ‘Z’

By Michael Fairman

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Photo: ABC and JPI

If you’re still reeling from yesterday’s General Hospital, just wait until today’s Friday, July 3 episode and the second of a three-part appearance by Last Week Tonight host, John Oliver in his role as the head of the WSB named “Z.”

Oliver made a grand and delicious soapy entrance when after massive gunfire broke out between the WSB, Cullum (Andrew Hawkes), Josslyn (Eden McCoy) and Cassius (Ryan Paevey), he lands in a helicopter no less with two armed guards and surveys the situation, killing one man, walking over a dead Cullum ,and seemingly going to assist a wounded Josslyn, but is he?

The casting of Oliver as the much-talked about character of “Z” was all about perfect timing, once General Hospital’s Emmy Award-winning executive producer, Frank Valentini, heard of Oliver’s desire to appear on a soap after catching ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith in his recurring role as Brick.

Photo: ABC

Z HAS LANDED

It was back on the March 8 episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver that the comic and host did a hilarious send-up of letting the soap world know he would be up for an appearance with a few demands, some of which included familiar soap tropes.

Valentini spoke with TV Insider on how this all came together once he heard about Oliver’s desire to be on a soap. “My reaction was, ‘Let’s go for it,’The funny thing is, I always watch his show but I was a little behind, so I didn’t see that episode (in March) and a lot of people from my staff sent me the link,” explained Frank. “When I watched it, I said, ‘Oh, we gotta go for this,’ and everybody was very excited. The timing worked out perfectly because we needed somebody to be Z, the head of the WSB.”

In fact, once they determined Oliver would play Z, he wanted a major introduction for the character. “Well, when the writers wrote Z’s entrance, they wrote it that he came in a big black town car. And I said, ‘No, no, no,’ and they said, ‘Why? What’s wrong with that?’ And I said, ‘There’s nothing wrong with that, but we’re going to take it up a notch because it’s John Oliver. We’re going to have Z enter in a helicopter.’ So, he made his entrance in a helicopter.”

According to Valentini, Oliver was all-in during his time on GH,  “He was very curious about who was who and who did what. On day one, he only had one line. The next day, he had 20 pages, and he was amazing. He remembered every line, did a great job, and it was a lot of fun to have him on the set.”

Photo: ABC

JOSSLYN’S INTERACTION WITH Z

In a preview of what’s to come now that Z has touched down on Spoon Island, Valentini teased, “He tries to get information out of Josslyn, and we see how committed and tough she is and what a good WSB agent she is. She makes a deal with him to give him what he wants, and she gets something she wants, which is very personal.”

Then, Valentini revealed, “Z is keeping a huge secret that affects a lot of people in the town. And then he interacts with another character, who’s already in a couple, and openly flirts with her.” In addition, look for Z to get slapped, as the EP explained that was one of John’s short list of demands was to get a patented soap slap!

MORE GUEST STARS TO COME

In even more juicy news, Frank shared that there is yet another special guest star coming to GH, “We’re having another special guest who’s a big fan of the show at the end of the year.” Who could it be? Stay tuned.

Watch John Oliver’s General Hospital teaser video below, where he tells a tale of wanting to have soap twin and more.

Now let us know, was making John Oliver “Z” inspired casting? What bombshells await as “Z” hits the ground and looks to have run-ins with Josslyn, Carly and more? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

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John Oliver’s had three wishes. To be given a goofy name, to shoot somebody and to be given the classic soap opera slap. He’s already been granted the first 2 wishes. I’m afraid the slap is going to come from Carly and most likely she will be the woman with whom he flirts because, well, Carly. She is the Song of the Sirens all rolled up into one obnoxious package. No mortal man can resist her- not even the formidable Z.

Knowing how Carly reacts to things, she’s probably going to slap him when she finds out that Joss got shot. Not that it was his fault, of course,. But an angry mom has gotta blame somebody, and Cullum is no longer available. (For which my dragons are very happy, of course)

Or there’s also the possible that Z tells Carly that Val is going to the Indonesian black site, where he can be Jason’s cellmater and she will never see either one of them again, which would definitely be worthy of a slap.

We know, of course that Jason is coming home in another week or so, but Z might not yet be aware of the facts regarding the incident on the docks when he talks to Carly, so he might still assume Jason is guilty, regardless of the fact that Cullum was a piece of dragonshit (now literally so)

Previews feature Carly asking Z in her usual angry voice,” Are you trying to hit on me?” So I ask Frank, “Are you trying to torture me?”

Frank does incredible things with a low budget, he has to be the best EP of all time.

I am in awe of what they pull off on General Hospital!!! Head and shoulders above every other daytime soap, and quite frankly, not sure why ABC can’t pop in an evening episode every once in a while. I know the show does great on Hulu. Frank Valentini truly impresses me, as do the people who work for him…the writers, directors, actors, etc. The show rarely disappoints. And the introduction of John Oliver onto the show….brilliant. Hopefully once this arc concludes, they can encourage Z to return from time to time. I really love GH.

I loved yesterday so much

Thank you for sending him off to never never land. I know it’s just a show but I cheered when the s.o.b.got shot.

Michael, John Oliver would make a great interview on your platform.

Or maybe Mr. Fairman could guest on John’s show.

I Thought Z was great ! Thought he looked real cool
Loved the landing in the helicopter !

General Hospital

‘General Hospital’ Alum Colin Cassidy to Appear in Ryan Murphy’s ‘The Shards’

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Ryan Murphy‘s anticipated new series The Shards, based on Bret Easton Ellis‘ prep school thriller novel, will premiere August 5 on FX and Hulu, as well as Disney+ and a very familiar face is set to appear within the series, when General Hospital alum, Colin Cassidy (ex-Aiden Webber, formerly known as Aiden Spencer) took to his Instagram to reveal the exciting news.

Colin shared, “I’m super excited to share that I will be appearing in Ryan Murphy’s The Shards premiering August 5th on FX, Hulu and Disney+!  I will appear in episode 5 as Rohmer, a fun lovin’ party animal with a secret! I had a blast working on this project and I can’t wait for you all to see it!”

Cassidy played the role of Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst) and Lucky Spencer’s (Jonathan Jackson) son on the ABC soap opera on and off from 2024-2025.

Colin Cassidy, Jonathan Jackson

Courtesy/ABC

The character was written off the canvas to explain Lucky’s sudden decision to travel abroad and leave Port Charles in June of 2025, Aiden went with his dad to get to know him better. During his run on GH, one of Colin’s most memorable scenes occurred when Aiden came out to Lucky after his father had been away for over a decade.

WHAT IS ‘THE SHARDS’ ALL ABOUT?

As for the The Shards, it’s a dark coming-of-age tale with semi-autobiographical facets for Ellis. Set in Los Angeles in 1981, the story follows a 17-year-old version of Ellis during his final year at the elite Buckley prep school. Upending the character’s world is the arrival of a mysterious new student, Robert Mallory, whose unsettling presence coincides with the activities of a serial killer known as The Trawler.

According to the official loglines: “Igby Rigney stars as Bret, an aspiring writer and keenly observant teenager whose reality begins to unravel with the arrival of a mysterious and magnetic new student, Robert Mallory (Homer Gere, the son of motion picture star, Richard Gere), Transferring in just before his senior year, Robert’s appearance coincides with the growing terror of The Trawler, a serial killer targeting teenagers across the city.

Alongside Bret is his elite social circle, which includes Susan Reynolds (Kaia Gerber), Debbie Schaffer (Hayes Warner) and Thom Wright (Graham Campbell), a glamorous and deeply entangled group drawn into a life of wealth, beauty, parties and excess. The promise of their youth is contrasted with the dark and cynical world of the adults surrounding them: Terry Schaffer (Wes Bentley), Liz Schaffer (Evan Rachel Wood) and Steven Reinhardt (Jordan Roth).

You can check out the 2nd official trailer for The Shards below,

So, are you looking forward to seeing Colin Cassidy in The Shards? Do you hope that General Hospital brings Aiden back to the canvas with or without his father, Lucky? Let us know via the comment section.

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General Hospital

GENERAL HOSPITAL: Jason Tries to Help Rocco Move On; Nina Makes Last Ditch Effort to Silence Drew

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Steve Burton, Finn Carr

The Friday, July 24 episode ended with quite the cliffhanger with Nina Reeves (Cynthia Watros), pushing a wheelchair-bound Drew Cain (Cameron Mathison) into the lake surrounding the Quartermaine boathouse.

Previously, Nina received a call from Willow (Katelyn MacMullen) telling her that she received very bad news from Jack Brennan (Chris McKenna).

The WSB Port Charles Bureau Chief called the congresswoman to inform her that the black box containing the leverage he has over Drew has gone missing. Saying he owed Nina, Jack was willing to provide a plane out of town for her and her children, Wiley and Amelia, with passports for new identifies, but they must leave tonight.

Nina and Drew

Courtesy/ABC

Willow tells her mother she can join them if she wants to, but it’s up to her since she has a life in Port Charles, but she has to go and get ready and to let her know. Suddenly, Chase (Josh Swickard) shows up at Willow’s office telling her he has to take her down to the PCPD.

DREW PUSHED INTO THE WATER IN A WHEELCHAIR

After her call with Willow, Nina becomes desperate, so she unlocks the wheels of Drew’s wheelchair in horror, when suddenly Drew speaks (as had been in the ABC promo for GH released on Monday), “What’s wrong, Nina? Get some bad news?” A shocked Nina replied, “Bad for me. Worse for you.” Suddenly, she pushes Drew’s wheelchair with Drew in it into the lake.

Meanwhile, the heart of the episode was brought by Steve Burton and Finn Carr who finally had the scenes where Jason and Rocco talk about what happened the night on the pier, when Rocco shot Cullum and Jason took the blame and was carted off by the WSB for several months.

Jason attempted to ease Rocco’s guilt telling him he is indebted to him for saving his life and Britt’s. When Rocco questioned if Jason would do the same thing all over again knowing how much it cost him, he told Rocco, that they both have to find a way to move on with their lives. Jason tells Rocco its best for him to try to let this all go. Can Rocco? Can Jason?

BRITT IS A COMMON THREAD OF JASON AND ROCCO

Rocco becomes emotional when talking to Jason about going on the run with Britt (Kelly Thiebaud), and how scared he was for her due to her “illness” with symptoms of Huntington’s.

Later, Jason comes to General Hospital and runs right into Britt, who is all smiles when she lays eyes on Jason. However, with Jason seemingly looking for a fresh start and a new outlook, is there any future for Britt and Jason after all that has happened? Stay tuned for the Monday, July 27 episode for some answers/

Now below, and in case you missed it, check out the scenes between Jason and Rocco from today’s GH.

Then let us know, what did you think of the performances of Steve Burton and Finn Carr? Do you think Nina just made everything 10,000 times worse, and Drew will be swimming around in no time in the water revealing he is A-OK much to the chagrin of Willow and Nina? Share your thoughts and theories via the comment section.

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‘General Hospital’ Writes Maxie Jones and Her Family Off The Show

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Kirsten Storms

The answer to what General Hospital fans have been speculating about for months has come to a conclusion, for now.

On the Thursday, July 23 episode of the ABC daytime drama series it was revealed in story that Maxie Jones (Kirsten Storms), along with her man, Spinelli (Bradford Anderson) and her three children, Georgie (Lily Fisher), Bailey (Miley and Riley Plonski) and James (Gary James Fuller) are headed to Australia to live after Spinelli received a job offer he couldn’t refuse.

However, the message of the status of Maxie and her clan, came from none other than Cody (Josh Kelly) during a conversation where he explained that they were all packing up to head to the land down under the following night and they were just “itching to get out of Port Charles.” In addition, Maxie has divested her shares of Deception Cosmetics and sold them to Michael Corinthos (Rory Gibson).

Kirsten Storms

Photo: ABC

IS THERE A FUTURE FOR MAXIE TO RETURN?

All of this paves the way for the series to deal with the longer absence of Kirsten Storms who is back in Tennessee and not having her figure into any immediate storyline.

While the family uprooting themselves to Australia certainly doesn’t look like any return in the near future would be likely, the series can always decide down the line and take their time of what to do with Maxie, if Kirsten Storms, should never return to the role or they would decide to recast, if needed.

This does complete Maxie’s story for now. It was back in February of 2026, that Maxie came out of her coma and was reunited with her family and saw her believed-to-be husband, Nathan West (Ryan Paevey) back from the dead, who later proved to be Cassius Faison. Storms comeback lasted about a month and by March she was no longer on the series.

It was back last month in June that Storms took to Instagram to share that “As for what is in my future, where GH is concerned…. Given what’s been going on, I can’t say I will feel comfortable heading back to Los Angeles and returning to work.”

All of this stems from her reported break-ins to her apartment, the hacking of her devices all occurring in Tennessee, coupled by the restraining order served to her by her ex-husband Brandon Barash (ex-Johnny, GH and ex-Stefan/Jake, Days).

So, how do you feel about General Hospital writing out Maxie Jones with a sudden move to Australia, taking Spinelli and the kids all seemingly off the canvas? Do you like the way this leaves a door open for Maxie to visit or return to Port Charles one day?

Do you think the series should honor the work Kirsten Storms did in the role and not recast, or should they recast down the line? Let us know via the comment section.

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Jonathan Bennett joins the cast of GH as Joe Fitzpatrick. Catch the latest promo! Leave a comment.Leave A Comment

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