General Hospital
General Hospital’s Genie Francis Delivers The ‘Power Performance of the Week’
Sometimes in daytime when it rains it pours and viewers can be treated to a plethora of performances all in one week. Such was the case this past week which saw brilliant work from: General Hospital’s Genie Francis (Laura) and Maura West (Ava), and The Bold and the Beautiful’s Matthew Atkinson (Thomas).
However, there is something to be said when television and soap opera icon, Genie Francis, is given the ball and material worthy of her talents. It’s not every week, or every month that the character of Laura is front and center – but from the looks of the story that GH is weaving they are doing a deep-dive into Laura’s childhood and teenage years which was fraught with drama – a foreshadow that there is more exciting story to tell with Francis.
Last week’s Monday November 30th, and Tuesday December 1st episodes brought with it the emotional fallout, and farewell for the character of Lulu and her portrayer Emme Rylan who was written-off the show. The vehicle to do so was the bomb that Julian (William deVry) planted at the Floating Rib on the orders of Cyrus Renault (Jeff Kober). The injuries she sustained in the blast wind up putting her in a coma and having to enter a long-term care facility away from Port Charles.
When Tracy (Jane Elliot) arrives in Port Charles to be there for Laura during Thanksgiving, the hug alone at the hospital between these two characters was enough to bring out the hankies. Tracy considers Lulu a daughter to her. Lulu’s father, Luke, is MIA, so Laura has to carry the burden, make strong impactful decisions and act fast to save her daughter’s life, and do the right thing no matter how difficult this will be for her as a mother.
Throughout the two episodes we watch Laura’s grief and her resolve. When she learns that a bomb has caused the explosion at the Floating Rib and that Cyrus may have been behind it, she is livid, a mama-bear who will get her daughter justice. But lo and behold, who should have the guts to walk up to Laura and offer his apologies and concern for Lulu … Cyrus! In the hospital, Laura wallops the drug lord right in the face vowing that no one will stop her from taking him off the earth after she gets the evidence that he was the mastermind behind the bombing,
Courtesy/ABC
Laura also had the horrific task of telling Lulu’s best friend, Maxie (Kirsten Storms), that they are going to move Lulu to a long-term care facility and that she needs to say her goodbyes. One by one people go to Lulu’s bedside including: Dante (Dominic Zamprogna), Tracy, and Nikolas (Marcus Coloma).
When it is Laura’s turn (as the care facility has come to take Lulu away), she cries by her bedside begging Lulu to come back to everyone that loves her. In a heartbreaking moment, Laura tells a despondent Lulu that she has rejoiced every day since she was born and she knows that her daughter is a fighter and will never just give up and will come through this.
As Lulu’s loved ones gather in the hospital corridor to watch as Lulu is transported to the facility, Laura watches grief-stricken. As the elevator closes she breaks down in front of Kevin (Jon Linstrom) emotionally- spent and devastated.
In all of these scenes, Genie Francis was magnificent and broke viewers’ hearts right along with Laura’s. So with that said, Michael Fairman TV names Francis’ work, The Power Performance of the Week.
What did you think of Genie’s performances? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.
As always Genie was awesome. Im still mad she was let go a few years back. Laura and family should be the center of the show, not Sonny and Company
It would be nice if Luke (Tony Geary) were to go on Zoom and talk to Lula. Luke could tell Lulu how much he loves her and how he wishes that he could be standing beside her.
I know that Tony Geary has decided that Luke and Laura are over and done with as a couple. But Luke would not even have to see or talk to Laura if that’s what Tony Geary wants.
I stopped watching when they ridiculously fired her. Started back when she came back. Will stay as long as she does.
Genie delivered a gut wrenching performance. She reached deep down in herself and externalized it for the camera. She is hand’s down the best crier on daytime. Genie hasn’t just mastered the skill of releasing the tear ducts, she’s mastered the art of expressing emotional anguish through facial expressions to accompany those tears. Finola Hughes is also an expert (and quite copious)crier but she doesn’t have the ability to trigger my tears the way Genie does. It was also wonderful to see Tracy,who is always a sight for sore eyes.
On another note, Maxie’s reaction upon hearing the grave and sad news about her best friend’s state, shed nary a year. She scrunched up her face in an effort to emote, but overall, her reaction was disappointing and lackluster. Moreover, the next day Maxie is happily chattering away with Anna about her wedding with that guy who sucks the oxygen out of the room just from entering it. Despite everything she’s been through, Maxie continually comes off as a superfluous and shallow character.
Give Genie the Emmy now for her Oscar worthy performance.
great
Yes, oh, yes, Harry! Give Genie that Emmy.
They are all great actors it brought tears too my eyes also the scenes
Genie Francis proves again there is no better actress in daytime to take a story and then bring it home, proper. Hats off to Ms. Francis … DAYTIME DIVA !!
Seems like Laura is going to be involved in major storylines for a while, since it’s starting to look like her ancient backstory (Gordon Gray & David Hamilton) is somehow tied to Cyrus the Virus and that sleazy Colonel Sanders wannabe lawyer both of whom might end up being Laura’s half brothers.
So they get rid of Laura’s REAL family, and attach her to those two scumbags? Yeah, that makes sense…. though I’m still thinking that the only logical reason to send Lulu to veggieland for a while is that she can eventually wake up feeling like her old (JMB) self again.
It appears that GH is setting things up to reveal that Cyrus is her father! What a brilliant and creative twist albeit with some revisionist history.
Cyrus is nowhere near old enough to be Laura’s father. I don’t remember Gordon Gray (if indeed he was ever actually seen on GH) but if he was Leslie Webber’s “mentor” when she was a young doctor, and Leslie herself would probably be in her 80s by now, then Gordon Gray would probably be 100 or so if he were still alive. Cyrus may be a few years older than Laura, but it’s probably within a decade. Definitely not old enough to be her father. But he might have some bizzare mental fixation on her, somehow blaming Laura (who wasn’t even born yet) for his father having an affair with Leslie back in the day.
True—-but, such reality makes no difference to the PTB—-eg: Sam and Julian.
Nonetheless, I do agree with your reasoning.
Well they have pretty much spilled the beans now officially on all this. Martin admitted that he and Cyrus are brothers and that Florence Gray is their mother, meaning that Gordon Gray is their father (as well as Laura’s bio-dad)
So now the only question is does Martin have the same ill will toward his half-sister that Cyrus does…. or could it be that he’s not even aware of the connection? Though I would find it hard to believe that an attorney who seems to have his ways of finding information, wouldn’t want to know why his brother is so obsessed with Laura (and other people in Port Charles)
Again, I could not have “examined” and explained this plot better—-Cyrus may have a score to settle with Laura? Did she inadvertently do something in her past to hurt Elizabeth in any way? Is this the mystery ? What has Laura done to the dragon that is Cyrus, to elicit so much “fire”?
Also, I missed a couple of eps and I have yet to catch up—-thus, does Cyrus have something on Martin? Is he blackmailing his own brother? —not that Cyrus would have any such reverence for a sibling, unless he is a partner in crime—yet, I get the feeling Cyrus doesn’t kneel for anyone nor does he hold fealty for anyone either.
Will Martin be Laura’s savior at the opportune time?
She left it all out there and in doing so torn my heart out. Ms. Francis is a Master Class.
What is the relationship between Laura and Tracey?
Tracy was stepmother to Lulu when Tracy married Luke (Laura’s previous husband). While the two did not always get along, Laura’s been extremely grateful to Tracy for being there for Lulu when Laura was in Shadybrook all those years.
Thank you Steve
She was great as always and you know what she is one of the few actresses’s on daytime that has the guts to not have perfect makeup on ! Thank you Genie because it has always driven me nuts when you are in a crisis sorry you don’t have on lip gloss ! Kudos Genie !
Wow, the writers gave her some great material and she delivered one of the most emotional scenes on daytime this fan has seen in a long time! Well deserved, her and Maura West killed their scenes this week. It was actually a great week for daytime drama on GH and BB.
All I can say is phenomenal acting. I am not surprised she showed up and showed out!
She does what she does best, cry!
She was brilliant. Deserves an award for that performance
I love Genie so much. She really is the center/heart of the show. I’m very excited that they are making her part of a big story. She deserves it!
I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to see Genie collect her second Emmy next year for these scenes.
The writers haven’t always given her the most compelling material in recent years, but when they do, she always knocks it out of the park like few others ever have in daytime. She’s one of the all-time soap icons for a reason.
Dominic Zamprogna was also heartbreaking in his scenes saying goodbye to Lulu, Kirsten Storms, James Patrick Stuart, Jane Elliot, everyone brought it.
The bombing of The Floating Rib and the aftermath was some of the finest storytelling and emotional scenes that GH has done in years. Kudos to the cast, directors, producers, writers, everyone involved.
Always the best, Genie—-one of a kind magnificent!!!!!! You killed it!! A million times kudos.
I am hoping for Cyrus to conclude his run lickety-split– I saw Jeff Kober on an old episode (2004) of “Law And Order: SVU”,…..always the bad guy. He’ s a phenomenal actor, despite his obnoxious characterizations ….He has that annoying attitude which makes me want to punch his smug face—So, if any actor can draw such antipathy from me? Well, hats off.
At first glance I thought he was Steve Tyler.
Laura has been a long time character favorite of mine since the beginning of her being on GH. Genie Francis puts so much emotion into her character Laura you can’t help but feel her emotions. I’ve always said if Laura cries I cry!!!. Such a fantastic actress. Love Laura!! Love Genie Francis❤️❤️❤️
Yeah it was alright.
Genie Francis is one of the best actresses that really can portray her emotions as if the scene she is playing is frightfully and terribly real-life! She makes everyone cry even the camera men! God Bless your acting abilities! I have been watching since Luke and Laura,and have always cried when you have a loss.
You know Tony Geary is a great performer,but I think Someone was mad a Genie because Tony won 8 Emmy’s and Genie only has one Emmy. This woman is a great actress, why did she not win a lot of Emmy’s as well? She was cheated, why? Someone did not like her,she is too talented!
Oh Laura, what have you gotten yourself into this time? I think you should resign as Mayor and get together with Curtis as partners.
What has she gotten herself into? A “family reunion” that she never saw coming!!
General Hospital
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Carly Fears Escalating Tensions Between Sonny and Josslyn: ‘I’ve Already Lost One Kid Because of That Man. I Won’t Lose Another’
On the Thursday, November 12 episode of General Hospital, as battles line are drawn by Carly’s (Laura Wright) ex-husband, Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) and her daughter, Josslyn Jacks (Eden McCoy), she realizes things are about to get a whole lot worse, and she expressed her fears to Valentin Cassadine (James Patrick Stuart).
After Sonny came to see Carly to get her daughter to back off of him; especially when Josslyn lit into him in front of nuAvery (Ayla Bullington), Carly is terrified that Sonny could retaliate against Josslyn. Realizing, Josslyn is in danger, Carly won’t sit by and let anything happen to her. She tells Valentin, “I’ve already lost one kid because of that man. I won’t lose another.”
Viewers won’t soon forget the devastation Carly felt when Morgan (Bryan Craig) died in a car bomb explosion back in 2016 because of Sonny’s dealings in the mob in a complex story involving Julian (William deVry) and Olivia Jerome (Tonja Walker).
Courtesy/ABC
SONNY IS READY FOR WAR
Meanwhile in the aftermath of his visit with Carly, Sonny told his brother Ric what went down when Josslyn disrespected him in front of his own daughter and hurt Avery. Since Josslyn already make it known that she no longer considers herself part of Sonny’s family, he’s decided to treat her accordingly.
Sonnys first step in payback is to take away her support system at JJE by approaching Hudson Parker (Troy Lennon Appel) again, but this time in a much less-friendly way.
Ric points out that this would go against every move Sonny made as a legitimate businessman in Port Charles and would mean he’s back in the mob? Sonny doubles down, saying Josslyn changed the game when she involved Avery. While he showed concern of how bad Carly would feel over all this year, he said he is ready to finish what Josslyn started.
At the Metro Court, Ava (Maura West) is listening to Avery explain what happened between Sonny and Josslyn and how much she hates Josslyn right now, which Ava seems to be OK with.
WILL JOSSLYN’S WORLD BLOW UP ON HER?
Speaking of Josslyn, she is on the pier still after her talk with Hudson and still crying over her confrontation with Sonny and Avery overhearing it, and what she told her sister. Lucas comes across her at the pier while out for his run.
Explaining how badly she feels for what she said about Sonny to Avery, Lucas says that eventually Avery will discover the truth about Sonny. He explains to Josslyn that even though Avery hates her now, she will come to realize that what she said about her father was the truth, and that Josslyn was not lying to her at all.
So, what do you think about Sonny ready to play dirty to take down Josslyn? How will Carly ensure her daughter does not wind up dead? Who do you think is in the right here? Is Josslyn’s vendetta against Sonny justified, at the cost of the relationships with her family? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.
General Hospital
‘General Hospital’s’ Cynthia Watros Honors Former ‘Titus’ Co-Star Stacy Keach Following His Passing
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!
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.
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Carly Fears Escalating Tensions Between Sonny and Josslyn: ‘I’ve Already Lost One Kid Because of That Man. I Won’t Lose Another’
‘General Hospital’s’ Cynthia Watros Honors Former ‘Titus’ Co-Star Stacy Keach Following His Passing
‘Beyond the Gates’ Emmy Winner Ambyr Michelle Wants to Compete on ‘Dancing with the Stars’: ‘Pick Me’ (Exclusive)
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Katie Kicks Bill to the Curb … for Now
RATINGS: ‘Beyond the Gates’ Inches Closer to ‘General Hospital’ in Total Viewers
Y&R’s New Head Writers Share Vision for Genoa City: Contemporary Homage to Bill Bell, Mixing Heightened Escapism and Grounded Reality
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS Preview: Episodes From New Co-Head Writers, Jamey Giddens and Dan O’Connor, Begin to Air
‘General Hospital’ Casts Ayla Bullington as the New Avery Jerome-Corinthos
‘Days of our Lives’ Kyle Pryor Debuts as Dominic Marino and Says of Alleged TV Mom, “Deidre Hall is the Absolute OG, Amazing” (Exclusive)
‘Days of our Lives’ Celebrates 61st Anniversary: EP Ken Corday Teases New Character’s Arrival in Spring 2027
‘General Hospital’s’ Cynthia Watros Honors Former ‘Titus’ Co-Star Stacy Keach Following His Passing
‘Beyond the Gates’ Emmy Winner Ambyr Michelle Wants to Compete on ‘Dancing with the Stars’: ‘Pick Me’ (Exclusive)
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Katie Kicks Bill to the Curb … for Now
B&B’s Sydney Bullock Weighs In on Future of Dylan and Will: ‘I Think She Can Hold on to Him for Awhile’ (Exclusive)
‘Days of our Lives’ Veteran James Reynolds Reveals Parkinson’s Diagnosis
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