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General Hospital Villains: Constance Towers and James Franco To Star In Hulu's Miniseries 11.22.63!

By Michael Fairman

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Courtesy/ABC

Courtesy/ABC

Helena and the original Franco together in an online series?  That’s the word today from TV Insider.   The General Hospital baddies will play key roles in the upcoming Hulu original miniseries 11.22.63.  

The show is set to bow next month on Monday, February 15th.  It was a very specific and important date that was chosen for the premiere being that it is President’s Day due to the theme of the show.

In 11.22.63,  James Franco plays Jake Epping, a present-day English teacher who ends up traveling through a time portal that takes him back to the early 1960s. There he tries to stop the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.  As for Towers, her role is being kept under wraps as to not spoil a delicious plot twist in the miniseries.

TV Insider spoke with Towers to ask her thoughts on if she would have liked to have teamed up with James Franco for some villainy in Port Charles, and if she thinks the “dead” Helena is not dead at all!  Here are some excerpts:

Courtesy/L.A.Times

Constance on working with James Franco in 11.22.63 and not having worked with him on GH:  “What fun that would have been! (Laughs) Leave it to Stephen King to bring us together! All my scenes in 11.22.63 are with James, so it was wonderful to finally connect. Even though GH never wrote a story for our characters, James knew we had the soap in common and he right away asked me, “What is Helena doing now?” And of course I had to say, “She’s dead. Again!” (Laughs)

Constance on how Helena was “killed off” this most recent time and the reactions from the characters:  “You’d think there’d be at least one, ‘Ding dong, the witch is dead!’ A parade. Something. (Laughs) So maybe that’s a hint she’ll be back. There certainly are so many unanswered questions, like how Helena took Jason’s memory away, and what happened to little Jake during all those missing years. Nikolas is going to need help and she knows all about ELQ business. And Helena did put a curse on Sam, which they could really have some fun with. And they’ve never really dealt with the fact that Helena did an O.J. and slashed the throat of Alexis’s mother. So I do hope she’ll be back. (Laughs) That’s one of the few things I have in common with Helena. For both of us, hope springs eternal!”

So, what did you think of Constance Tower’s thoughts on the future of Helena Cassadine?  Does she have some unfinished business to take care of?  Do you think the original Franco mixing it up with Helena would have been fun to see?  And what do you think of James Franco and Constance together in 11.22.63? Will you be checking it out? Comment below!

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Helena’s death was so anti-climatic, I figure it was either that look alike she hired years back, or it meant she really didn’t die. Who else will torture Sam with the “curse”! ha!

LOL

it was such a hoot… when Helena… told Sam off… that she was nothing but a guttersnipe!

ROFL

yeah, Helena… come back and exact revenge on the dull Sam…

I’m still reeling… with Sam new years eve “Aladdin pants” what color was it… a light shade of purple? woah! I think I can tolerate her painted on skin tight jeans! which ! doesn’t do much for her … at all

Can i come…i want to go back to the 1960s when soaps were thriving and i lived on a tree-lined dirt street in a once nice middle class neighborhood with nice neighbors and many relatives living within blocks of each other and three small mom and pop grocery markets within walking distances. Those were the days.

Jimh – Gosh how right you are! I grew up in a similar neighborhood, in a similar time. What I wouldn’t give for those days – and that soap schedule of the early 70s. One summer, from 9am til 4pm…I watched soap after soap after soap – I started out with Love of Life in the morning and ended with the Edge of Night in late afternoon. Crazy, yes, but looking back, it was fun too. I believe the 69-70 season was the banner year for soaps as 19 of them were on the air. Oh, and BTW, I think Helena is alive.

I watched that way too starting with Love Of Life and ending with Edge or Dark Shadows…my mom had her favorites but i was always sampling all the soaps…didnt watch all faithfully but tuned in to watch certain stories…i really could of used a remote back then and how i wish they had invented the vcr a decade earlier.

My friend, I thought they’d never end!

the soaps or the 60s?

Awwww, my Timmm. Have you ever thought of writing a song with those words? LOL. ‘Nite…sleep tight….

You are slippin Jimmy! “Those were the Days ” by Mary Hopkin 1968.

I got that song stuck in my head …also “All In The Family” had a completely different opening theme song with that title. Not totally slippin after all…lol

Yeah that was a great time! Just ask any African-American, woman, or homosexual who was treated worse than a second class citizen. I’m sure they long for those “simpler times” too. As far as your neighborhood stores goes, how often do you shop at Wal-Mart? Or online? That’s why you have no more mom and pop stores anymore.

Its great to hear how excited Constance is about possibly returning to GH because of all the storyline possibilities. Four different angles she rattled off just in the interview. I hope she brings Stephan with her! As for the other half, not a fan of FRANCO in any way shape or form, GH or THE man!

Yes I Think they would be great Together Love James Franco and Helena

The original Franco, James Franco was awesome!
He created a great and very unusual character, the kind all spaps need ..

J&S should be tar & feathered and run out on a rail !
Killing-off and not reviving the Queen of mean. And presenting Helena lying weak and fading with tubs up her nose is a slapable offense, and then she drinks poisoned tea..GMAFB!
SHAME on J&S! that was soap sacrilegious!

Helena is a very needed character, she holds all the answers to the secrets that need to be known to move onward.
J&S need to get their lame act together and handle all the many dangling go-nowhere stories.

I do not have Hulu and do not want it, but I can get passwords from various people to watch.
Constance and James together is a dream pairing..

Oh, WOW! I knew she wasn’t dead!…..LOL.

You and me both, CeeCeeGirl!!!! (And Thank God!) GH is simply not the same without the icy, elegant presence of Miss Constance Towers…..Long live Helena!!!! Having said that, I do so hope that 2016 is treating you and yours well….thus far. I’ve been meaning to send you a little reply here and there, but whenever you’ve made comment on the threads of interest, there have been no no direct links for you. This was the perfect opportunity. Later, mia amica!

Having read the book 11/22/63, I am pretty sure I can guess the character that Constance is playing….. all I can say is, the book was a truly great read – great vacation book! And CT is a great pick for the casting I am envisioning!

She needs to be writing for GH. She hit on some details that need to be addressed.

cool

The delightful Constance Towers is just that delightful. Congrats to her on her new project with James, however, as much I’m not a fan of characters continuously returning from the dead, I’ll gladly welcome a Helena return, Constance is right, there are so my unanswered questions, and it would be great fun to see what this “curse” does to Sam and watch that play out. I think GH and Constance need to decide if/when Helena really dies, and just do that. But, definitely into seeing a “return” of Helena, she’s got things to do with Spencer, too. And, with Laura back, so much fun to be had. Constance definitely deserves some Daytime Emmy love, special guest-star, anything! She’s that good, and she’s still working it till the cows come home! I love that about Constance. Good for her. GH, get Helena back to Port Charles, STAT!!!

Constance, – clearly – NEEDS to come back!

and yes, selfishly… it’s all to help out Nicholas…. retain control of ELQ

I don’t know… about the writing… as of late… what with Jason… suing… Nicholas… to regain his shares.. and BAM! that’s the end of the big mystery of ELQ

Jason is that quick of a hero! he’s already it a.. going all gung ho… wanting legalese for shared custody of lil’ Jake

is this a signal that there may not be a reunion with Liz?

back to Nicholas… his attempt at blackmailing Jason… with regard to his accident. just a sham !

this is rivetingly good stuff… for NIcholas and Jason to play out …. the GH writers need to figure out ways to up the ante… and give Nicholas some power. why give ELQ back to the Q’s….

They don’t seem to want to write for Traci… Michael is back to being a Corinthos’ and Ned is MIA… and it seems most want Jason to be a doctor. Dillon is better off with Maxie and Nina.

we need Helena back in Port Charles to help her grandson… and to tell Nicholas to stop being a patsy and think with his real head… I want Hayden to profess her true love and alliance with the love of her life… Nicholas

James Franco is a brilliant, talented actor, albeit a tad eccentric… out of the box. Love his filmwork…including his portrayal of James Dean, his role in Spiderman, Harvey Milk’s lover in MILK…and countless other characters in his diversified body of work. His lunacy on GH was mesmerizing madness…a tad like Batman’s Joker with a gorgeous face!

Constance Towers is Helena to me. I’m not familiar with any of her other work…but she’s crazy, diabolical fun on GH. Loved her early stuff with Alexis, Luke, Stefan, Nicolas, Laura. The Cassadines, including Helena, worked better as an evil empire. Sad how theey killed them all off. Pointless…

I’d love to see Helena back but if she returns I really feel they need to ressurrect more of the clan. She doesn’t even have Luke anymore to play out their game of seductive destruction.

I think she and James will probably create magic in their new venture. (They would gave been hilarious together on GH.) Definitely good casting…will check it out.

I’m glad that Towers’ comment pointed out that this is based on a book by Stephen King of the same name.

The article glaringly fails to mention that point. I’m no journalist but having a show based on recent best seller by King seems like a fact that would be mentioned initially in the article. I’ve read the book and immediately thought this show must be based on it. Just as quickly, I noticed that this was not mentioned until we get Towers’ quote. Even then, it isn’t explained. A reader of the article who was completely unaware of the King book would logically wonder why is Towers mentioning him??

One of my after Christmas reads was going to be this Stephen King book…finally. Love the whole premise of it.

For me, King’s books have been hit or miss for two decades. Some are good; some are a waste of time. This one was good. You’ll enjoy it.

Also, if the series follows the book’s plot, it is pretty clear who Towers will be playing.

I cant wait it going to be very interesting to see them work together I Love them both yea. Till then

General Hospital

‘General Hospital’s’ Cynthia Watros Honors Former ‘Titus’ Co-Star Stacy Keach Following His Passing

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Stacy Keach and Cynthia Watros

General Hospital star Cynthia Watros, who can currently be seen in on the ABC soap opera in the role of Nina Reeves, has had a enduring career in television. That included her time on the 2000-2002 Fox sitcom, Titus.

In Titus, Watros starred along with Stacy Keach as Erin Fitzpatrick and Ken Titus, respectively. After the November 10th news that Keach had passed away at 85 while living in Poland, Cynthia took to her Instagram on Thursday, November 12 to pay tribute to the great actor.

Watros expressed, “My first prime time show was along side Stacy. I loved him instantly. What an amazing talent and man.❤️”

Photo: ABC

In Titus, Stacy played stand up comedian Christopher Titus’ heavy-drinking, chain-smoking, five-times-divorced father who frequently pulled cruel pranks and tried to toughen his kids up. Cynthia played by Christopher’s level-headed, big-hearted girlfriend trying to build a normal life with him. In fact, Cynthia’s role on the sitcom was first series regular role after her Daytime Emmy run of Annie Dutton on Guiding Light which ran from 1994-1998.

STACY KEACH’S WIFE ON HIS PASSING

Keach’s wife, Malgosia shared the news of the actor’s death publicly in a statement with PEOPLE. Malgosia expressed, that Stacy had, “a long and difficult battle with a serious heart condition and heart failure.”

She added, “Stacy peacefully departed this world. He fought for so long, with extraordinary courage, determination and strength. He was a true warrior, facing his illness with the same remarkable spirit and resilience that defined his life.”

Małgosia continued, “Stacy was not only a legendary actor, admired and loved by audiences the world over, but also my beloved husband, my companion and the heart of our family. His passing leaves an immeasurable emptiness in our lives. But his extraordinary spirit, his unforgettable voice and the love he gave so generously will remain with us forever.”

Now, let us know do you remember when Cynthia made her sitcom debut in Titus? Share your thoughts via the comment section on Cynthia’s many TV roles and the passing of Stacy Keach in the comment section. But first, check out the very first episode of Titus with Cynthia Watros below!

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Beyond the Gates

RATINGS: ‘Beyond the Gates’ Inches Closer to ‘General Hospital’ in Total Viewers

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Beyond the Gates and General Hospital

The latest ratings are out for the week of October 26-30, 2026 and the big takeaways include: that CBS daytime’s Beyond the Gates was separated by only 23,000 viewers behind third place (of the soaps) General Hospital! For the last several weeks, Beyond the Gates has been closing the gap on this year’s winner for Outstanding Daytime Drama Series, and continuing to best GH in the key demos.

According to the latest Nielsen ratings breakdown from Soap Opera Network, the final week of October brought Beyond the Gates 1.790 million on average tuning-in and the show set a season high in total viewers. Meanwhile, General Hospital hit a new season low! The long-running ABC soap had 1.813 million for the week, and once again the series did not go over the 2 million mark.

Meanwhile, in the key Women 18-49 demo, Beyond the Gates was firmly ahead of GH with a rating share of 0.21, while General Hospital had 0.17 rating share.Then, in the key Women 25-54 demo, Beyond the Gates was once again ahead of the ABC soap with a ratings share for that demo at 0.30 while GH came in with 0.26.

Photo: CBS

MORE BY THE NUMBERS

In addition and comparatively, Beyond the Gates +22,000 viewers week-to-week, and had the largest gains in viewership year-to-year in daytime TV with +267,000 from this in 2025.. However, General Hospital seems to be going in reverse. The show was down -56,000 viewers week-over-week and down -22,000 year-over-year .

BEYOND THE GATES

Let’s take a look at some of the storylines that had people tuning-in to Beyond the Gates during the ratings week:

Hayley (Marquita Goings) attempted a massive shocker regarding her pregnancy and tried to use it to extract money from Bill Hamilton (Timon Kyle Durrett). Although, Bill saw right through her game, he demanded a paternity test, and made it clear he has no intention of raising the child—planning instead to pay her off to take the baby and leave. Meanwhile, Hayley confided her plan to her cousin Randy (Maurice P. Kerry).

Jacob Hawthorne (Jibre Hordges) and Naomi Hamilton (Arielle Prepetit) clashed over Jacob’s ongoing investigation into The Impaler, causing significant strain in their marriage. At the same time, Smitty (Mike Manning) considered taking matters into his own hands—including potentially heading to Mexico for evidence—while Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon) worried about what comes next.

Photo: ABC

GENERAL HOSPITAL

Over at General Hospital for the ratings period, the story served up included:

Carly (Laura Wright) and Valentin (James Patrick Stuart) teamed up to investigate what really happened to Jack Brennan (Chris McKenna). Later, Danny (Asher Antonyzyn) leads them to Jack’s dead body.

Jude (Wil Traval) dropped a bombshell claim to Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn); that he is Phoebe’s father, while Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) and Chase (Josh Swickard) signed their divorce papers.

Then, Danny caught Rocco (Finn Carr) and Scout (Kayden Brenna Tokarski) sharing a kiss, plus the shocking return of Heather Webber (Alley Mills) capped the week.

Now the questions become; without having much promotional synergy in the ABC day-part to draw more eyeballs it is not helping but hurting General Hospital. It seems Beyond the Gates is also a  benefactor of a one-two-three punch of CBS soaps (Y&R, B&B and BTG) and promotion.

However, that still doesn’t take away the fact that Beyond the Gates is close to besting GH in all ratings category as they go head-to-head in some markets across the country.

So, are you excited to see Beyond the Gates climb in the ratings? Are you concerned for General Hospital? Do you think they can stave off Beyond the Gates in total viewers or will the upstart soap overtake them in the next ratings report? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

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General Hospital

Antonio Sabáto Jr. Breaks Silence on His Son’s Arrest for Fatal Hit-and-Run

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Antonio Sabato Jr.

Antonio Sabáto Jr., the former Jagger Cates of General Hospital and GH: Night Shift, and the former Dante Damiano of The Bold and the Beautiful has issued his first public statement since the incident involving his son, Jack’s arrest in Alaska for a fatal hit-and-run.

Jack is the son of Sabáto Jr. and Oscar-nominated actress Virginia Madsen, and according to court documents obtained by KTUU  Jack, was allegedly driving a white Chevy Tahoe when he hit and killed Carl Simmonds, 42, near an intersection in Anchorage around 5:35 a.m. on Monday, November 9.

The reports indicated that Jack fled the scene — but later decided to called the cops to say he hit “something” that “suddenly appeared in the road” while he was “doing late-night DoorDashing.”

Jack Sabato

Photo: NBC

Now, Antonio has taken to his Instagram breaking his silence on the situation, sharing, “At this time, my family and I are navigating an extremely sensitive and deeply personal matter.”

He added, “As a father, my love for my children remains unconditional, and my priority is the well-being of my family. We ask that the public and members of the media honor our privacy during this difficult time and keep us all in your thoughts and prayers.”

The soap alum concluded, “I also wish to extend my heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of the gentleman who tragically lost his life. My thoughts and prayers are with them as well. We sincerely appreciate your compassion, understanding, and respect for the privacy of everyone affected.”

Jack Sabáto was arraigned in court on Tuesday, November 10 with bail set at $5,000, and a no-driving order and the potential of $5,000 penalty fees if he fails to attend future court appearances.

Antonio is the father to Jack, 34, daughter, Mina Sabato, 24 and son, Antonio Sabáto III, 15.

This is a developing story. You can check out Antonio’s official statement below.

So, let us know your thoughts on this tragic hit-and-run, which claimed the life of another man, and Antonio’s statement, via the comment section below.

 

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A post shared by Antonio Sabato Jr (@antoniosabatojr)

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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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