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

By Michael Fairman

Published

2 months ago

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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.

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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)

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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?”

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

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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.

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I loved yesterday so much

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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.

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

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

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

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General Hospital

‘General Hospital’s’ Braedyn Bruner Reveals Her Daytime Emmy-Nominated Scenes and How Emma is Getting Her ‘Edge’ Back

Published

20 hours ago

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September 6, 2026

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Braedyn Bruner

The 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards are now just a little over a month and a half away, and General Hospital’s Braedyn Bruner picked up her first nomination for her performances as Emma Drake.

Braedyn received a nod in the Outstanding Emerging Talent in a Daytime Drama Series category along with: Al Calderon (ex-Javi, DAYS) Alice Halsey (ex-Rachel, DAYS) Giovanni Mazza (Gio, GH) Ambyr Michelle (Eva, BTG) and Arielle Prepetit (Naomi, BTG).  The winner will be announced in a ceremony held on October 30 in Hollywood, California.

Now, for the first time, Bruner spoke about what she chose to put on her nominated reel that landed her a chance to go for gold. The 25-year-old actress discussed it when she appeared on an all-new episode of the That’s Awesome with Steve Burton (Jason, GH) and Bradford Anderson (Spinelli, GH), that dropped this Sunday, September 6.

In speaking of her nominated work, Bruner shared how she went about approaching submitting her reel, which was a conglomeration of scenes from the eligibility year and her first on GH. “The first two scenes on my reel are with Anna (Finola Hughes). The first one is in her office after she arrests Emma at the Quartermaine crypt,” explained Braedyn to her GH co-stars. “I felt like, for me as an actor, that was the first time I understood this character really well. I felt like I had become her in some sort of way, and the things that she stands for and she is willing to fight for.”

Photo: ABC

Bruner continued, “I also love doing scenes with Finola Hughes. The second scene is with Anna also, sort of a similar setting, but a different time of the year, but it was a scene about what Emma stands for, and how much she wants to be like her grandmother, and how influential and important she is to her. I also had included scenes with Gio as well from the post-Nurses’ Ball fallout. We had a lot of wonderful things that I got to choose from.”

Reflecting on now being on the legendary ABC soap opera for a year and a half, Braedyn told Steve and Bradford, “It’s so crazy looking back on where I started, to where I am now, and I think, I’m so grateful for this job. All I ever wanted to do is to tell stories, and even just saying that I have an Emmy nomination is crazy, because that just feels like a great bonus and such an honor. So, that’s really, really cool.”

Since coming to GH, Braedyn said she felt support all along the way behind the scenes. “I love the relationships that I formed on this show,” she shared. “I always tell people that when they ask me what is it like working on General Hospital, I just always say that I’ve truly never been on a set where every person that you encounter is a joy to be around, helpful and kind and supportive. and wants you to succeed.”

Photo: ABC

As for what’s ahead for Emma, viewers know that music executive Simon (Grady Eldridge) has been asking Emma’s boyfriend Gio and her friend and his musical partner, Trina Robinson (Tabyana Ali) to play up a “relationship” when they are on stage performing to help sell them as a recording and performing duo, which may cause problems for Emma in the very near future.

“I love that she’s (Emma) getting her edge back,” confirmed Bruner. “I feel like there had been a period where I was just being really cordial and kind. And that’s fun, but I missed the kind of attitude that she had when she came on the show as this animal rights activist and fighting for justice. I missed that. So, I’ve been really enjoying what we are shooting now. ”

You can check out Braedyn’s guest appearance on the That’s Awesome podcast below.

Now let us know, what do you think about Braedyn’s choices for her Emmy scenes that landed her an Emerging Talent nomination? Do you want Emma to have her edge back? Do you think that Gio and Trina might actually wind up together and Emma will be the one left out in the cold? Stay tuned and weigh-in via the comment section.

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General Hospital

RATINGS: ‘General Hospital’ and ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’ Only Soaps to Gain Total Viewers Week-Over-Week

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2 days ago

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September 5, 2026

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The latest ratings are out for the week of August 17- 21, 2026. Two daytime dramas showed an uptick in total viewers week-over-week, while two did not, and General Hospital moved back into 3rd place over Beyond the Gates in the key women’s 18-49 ratings share, and tied with the CBS soap for 3rd place for the key women’s 25-54 ratings share.

According to Soap Opera Network via data supplied via Nielsen’s Live+Same Day, Big Date +Panel model, CBS’s The Bold and the Beautiful showed the most gains in total viewers adding +12,000 and bringing its year-over-year tally to +262,000. For the week of August 17, B&B had an average audience of 2,688,000 tuning-in.

The central story focused on Steffy Forrester (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) and Carter Walton (Lawrence Saint-Victor) bonding over their crumbling marriages while eachwas on drunken bender, they slept together. Meanwhile, Finn (Tanner Novlan) rushed back to Los Angeles from Monaco to salvage his relationship with his wife, and Daphne (Murielle Hilaire) turned around and headed back from the airport to reconcile with Carter after walking out on their marriage.

GENERAL HOSPITAL

Over at General Hospital, the ABC soap opera added +8,000 total viewers for the week with an average of 1,856,000 tuning-in from August 17 to 21. The series is still under the 2 million mark for the last few consecutive weeks. Year-over-year at this time, GH is -35,000 off the pace from 2025.

In story, there was drama across Port Charles with shifting alliances, explosive confrontations, and shocking revelations including: Jason (Steve Burton) quitting the mob and informing Britt (Kelly Thiebaud), Ric (Rick Hearst) getting jealous of Dante (Dominic Zamprogna) and Elizabeth’s (Rebecca Herbst) closeness, and Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) and Tracy (Jane Elliot) finding out Willow (Katelyn MacMullen) moved back into the Quartermaine gatehouse.

Photo: JPI

THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS

As for the top-rated The Young and the Restless, they remained the most-watched soap opera of all losing -14,000 for the week, but still up +90,000 year-over-year and averaging 3,027,000 viewers for the ratings week.

The Y&R drama centered around stories including; Billy Abbott (Jason Thompson) causing chaos by declaring that Chancellor Industries belongs to the Abbotts, while the aftermath of Nick (Joshua Morrow) and Marie (Jade Harlow) night together in a seedy hotel which landed them both in rehab continues to haunt Nick.

Beyond the Gates

Photo: CBS

BEYOND THE GATES

Finally at Beyond the Gates, the newest soap in the line-up lost only -1,000 in total audience for the week, with 1,647,000 tuning in and the series is considerably up year-over-year with +132,000.

Beyond the Gates featured a series of showdowns and explosive secrets coming to light including: Vernon Dupree (Clifton Davis) confronting a hospitalized Bill Hamilton (Timon Kyle Durrett) about his intentions toward Dani (Karla Mosley), while Andre’s (Sean Freeman) dark past with Heather Armstrong (Ashley Jones) came to light.

So, what do you think of the latest ratings picture and performance of your favorite soap? Which daytime drama from broadcast television is piquing your interest the most? Which is not? Let us know via the comment section.

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General Hospital

GENERAL HOSPITAL: Chase Gets to The Bottom of Brook Lynn’s Lies; But is Jordan Truly the Person Responsible for Her Own Car Crash?

Published

2 days ago

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September 4, 2026

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The marriage of Chase (Josh Swickard) and Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) just took a nosedive on the Friday, September 4 episode of General Hospital, while Trina (Tabyana Ali) got an earful,  Anna (Finola Hughes) lured Britt (Kelly Thiebaud) into a trap in the middle of nowhere, and oh, yes! Scout (Kayden Brenna Tokarksi) and Rocco (Finn Carr) shared their first kiss.

Here’s the takeaways from Cliffhanger Friday.  First, as the Quartermaines host a Labor Day weekend party, Chase’s suspicions about Brook Lynn being the other driver in Jordan’s (Tanisha Harper) car accident grew while cutting limes with Emma (Braedyn Bruner) in the kitchen. There, Emma mentioned that Brook actually arrived late to Charlie’s Pub and missed the first song of the night during Trina and Gio’s (Giovanni Mazza) performance.

Now loaded for bear, Chase sees Lucy Coe (Lynn Herring) in the Quartermaine foray, and asks to speak with her in the kitchen, privately. Having put two and two together (for once! Chase can’t seem to do that where Willow’s concerned) he tells Lucy, he knows she lied in her statement to the police pointing the finger at Willow for the car accident and demanded the truth!

Courtesy/ABC

ROUTE 91

Meanwhile, Jordan is also present at the party, and Tracy (Jane Elliot) and Michael (Rory Gibson) tell her that they want her to keep a close eye on Drew (Cameron Mathison) while working at Aurora Media. Inside the living room, Lucy is making a hasty exit from the party after spilling the beans to Chase. Next, a pissed off Chase pulls Brook Lynn into the kitchen.

Then, he tells his wife his theory of what happened the night Jordan got in a car crash. Chase says Brook Lynn’s car was on Route 91 at the same time of Curtis (Donnell Turner) and Jordan’s car crash. However, Chase thinks she is covering for someone in the family. Brook Lynn promises to talk to him more about this later when they are alone, but it’s too late. Outside on the terrace, Trina heard the whole thing!

Now in the living room, and getting ready to hear Gio and Trina do a performance from their set at the club earlier in the week, Chase and Brook Lynn look upset. Trina comes into the room looking very angry and demands to know the truth from Brook Lynn! She wants to know if she was the driver of the other car who left her dad and Jordan at the side of the road.

Courtesy/ABC

ARE WE OUT OF THE WOODS?

Meanwhile, Anna who is off her rocker, has lured Britt (who stupidly went to meet her) out in the middle of the woods. Jason (Steve Burton) got wind of where Britt is, when Sonny (Maurice Benard) informed he sold some land to Anna. Jason is trying to get a hold of Britt fearing she is walking into a trap, but she is not answering her phone.

When Britt finally catches up with Anna, she asks her why did they have to meet in the middle of the boondocks? Suddenly, Anna pulls out a gun and replies, “So no one can hear you scream.” We fade to black.

Scout and Rocco

courtesy/ABC

FIRST KISS

As one thing has lead to another, Scout and Rocco have found themselves leaning on each other and developing feelings for one another. In story, Rocco and Scout picked up Outback and went to the boathouse for one last swim before the summer comes to an end.

While they swam, Outback ran off and wound up back where he was earlier, in the wood,s trying to dig up Jack! Back at the boathouse following their swim, Scout and Rocco have a heart-to-heart, where Scout admits she feels the only person who truly understands her through all the turmoil she has gone through with her dad and brother is Rocco. The two share a kiss.

Now below, check out the scene between Chase and Lucy where he demands she amends her statement to the police as Brook Lynn becomes the chief suspect in running Jordan and Curtis off the road causing their car crash.

Weigh-in: When all is said and done, isn’t Jordan the person who is responsible for her own crash, by taking her eyes off the road to kiss her ex-husband, Curtis Ashford? Do you think Brook Lynn’s cover-up will send Chase running in the direction of Willow and the two will hit the sheets? Glad to see Scout and Rocco share a lip-lock? Share your thoughts and theories 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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