General Hospital
GH’s Charles Shaughnessy On Victor’s Villainy: “He’s Just Making Trouble for All of the Fan Favorites! He’s Just Making Their Lives Miserable”
In pretty short order, Victor Cassadine’s re-emergence in Port Charles, and now played by daytime vet, Charles Shaughnessy, has caused plenty of havoc on ABC’s General Hospital. Shaughnessy, who was much beloved as Shane Donovan on Days of our Lives, debuted on GH back in September of 2021.
You can look at the body count, or the people Victor has under his thumb, to know the impact he is making on the canvas.
In a new interview in the latest issue of Soap Opera Digest (on newsstand now), Shaughnessy weighs-in on being the treacherous Cassadine.
Charles shared: “I mean, he’s just making trouble for all of the fan favorites! He’s just making their lives miserable. He’s the guy who killed Luke Spencer. He’s the guy who put Anna in jail and tried to break up her relationship with Valentin. He’s just miserable to Holly. He’s just dreadful! But it’s such great fun, I mean, the more dreadful the better, really. He’s the villain you love to hate.”
Photo: ABC
So, how and just when Victor will get his comeuppance is on everyone’s mind in the viewing audience as well as for characters such as: Laura (Genie Francis), Valentin (James Patrick Stuart), Lucy (Lynn Herring), Holly (Emma Samms), Anna (Finola Hughes), Ava (Maura West), Selina (Lydia Look), and many more.
Victor’s evil deeds seemed to reach new heights during the Holly Sutton storyline. Now the question is, who will he go after next, given what would seem to be his quest for the necklace containing diamonds from the Ice Princess? Stay tuned.
What do you think of Charles’ portrayal of Victor? Who do you hope takes down Victor? Comment below.
Today’s episode hasn’t aired in Hell yet, but I’m curious as to what sort of drug Victor was given by Selina Wu, who got it from Holly as she was preparing her firey exit from Port Charles.
My theory is that Holly wanted to incapacitate Victor in some way that wouldn’t be fatal or even permanent, but easily reversible by antidote… and then use that antidote as leverage to get her son Ethan released from his cell in the Cassadine Island dungeon. Such negotiations would have to be done via third parties, as Holly is pretending to be comatose in the burn unit of some “undisclosed location”. Probably a coordinated effort between Robert & the unseen Frisco Jones, who would both have the entire WSB worldwide infrastructure at their disposal.
As for Charles’ version of Victor, it is a bit out of character, as the original Victor from the Ice Princess days was actually the “nice” Cassadine brother, who even turned against Mikkos in the end. Even in his 2014 & 2017 returns, he wasn’t entirely evil, though definitely manipulative of certain characters & events (i.e. using Robin to thaw out Helena & Stavros, by using a popsicle “Jason” as bait – who turned out to be not Jason in the end anyway)
This version of Victor is more like Stavros or Mikkos than the original Victor. And for all his talk about Cassadine “family unity” he hasn’t exactly been treating his son or nephew all that well, while practically ignoring Alexis’s branch of the family. (for which Alexis is probably grateful, actually.)
I’m enjoying Victor Cassadine he’s fun, evil as f*ck, but I fine w/ that, the show needs a good Villain, and while he’s had the upper hand on some of the characters, like his own son Valentine and poor Holly, it was good seeing her turn the tables on him, and its been so much fun seeing the 80’s gang, ( Robert,Holly Felicia, Lucy, Laura and Anna). I wish Holly could stick around and we need to find Lucy asap.
I gotta say: This Victor is not a treacherous Cassadine..
Helena puts him to shame, as do other Cassadines..
Its a lot of talk but no show–
It’s all about what he did that we saw him do.
Heck, I could do better than his scary show lol.
He has been a weak Cassadine..
No thrills nor chills with him..
The lackluster writers are 100% at fault..lazy ho-hum writing of a Cassadine…
He is perfect as Victor-love to hate him
Friday’s scenes, with Victor, Cyrus and Spencer interacting featured some really good acting. Kudos to the writers for giving Victor an adversary that is not going to back down. Laura is probably the person Spencer loves the most in his world. Hearing from Cyrus that Victor orchestrated the hit on Spencer’s beloved grandmother opened his eyes that Victor is not such a “Great” Uncle.
Shaughnessy’s Victor is turning out much different than Penghlis’ version. Still suave but deep down more vicious. They’ve integrated him across the canvas quite well and is reportedly well liked amongst the cast.
Not sure how long his reign of implied terror can last and there doesn’t seem to be much opportunity for redemption. That said, if Ava, Liesl and Franco can be somewhat reformed, why not Victor?
Does Port Charles ever have a good day
not for about a year now, unfortunately.
I liked him in The Nanny of course and Sean on DOOL but absolutely hate him on GH and can not wait until his role as Victor is ended, totally!
Charles does a terrific job! I hope somehow Victor kills Valentin, that whinny little baby and that sends Anna back to Robert forever! Holly is someone Robert loves but she could never be trusted. Anna hasn’t been with a real man in a long time!
Timmm…I like Charles as Victor, too. And would like to see real-man :))) Robert and Anna together again. But no Victor killing Valentin, they have their moments. While no one gets close to Helena and Stavros, gotta hang on to the family we have left. With the weakest link being Nicholas. But let Ava deal with him.
You bring up up good point Rose, Nicholas is way weaker than Valentin! And, I don’t like the actor who plays Nicholas.
Victor is not the villanous type and he sucks (pardon my language) at the role. —too superficial and artificial—especially with that British accent. He’s supposed to be Greek? I don’t know all the other past actors who played the role—did they all have an English accent?
I still think Rory is a bad, little guy working as Victor’s elf/minion. I think his mission is to get rid of Trina, especially now that Spense is ‘home’.
I hope we get to see more of Cyrus—absolutely love his acting, albeit he has me in a quandary—I can’t exacrly decide how seriously he should be taken. Is this redemption and connection to God a great put-on? Nevertheless, I truly enjoy his scenes.
There’s only been one other Victor Cassadine and that was Thaao Penghlis (a.k.a. Tony & Andre DiMera from Days of Our Lives). And his accent was Australian, not English. Though at least he’s actually of Greek descent.
As far as Cyrus’s “redemption” goes, I’m not buying it for a second. I still expect to see him here in Hell eventually. I do think he’s at least somewhat sincere in looking out for Spencer while he’s in prison, but it’s probably not entirely out of just being a “good uncle”. Most likely he’s trying to score “brownie points” with Laura by keeping her grandson safe.
I still say Rory is a family member of one of Sonny’s mob rivals (probably the Alcazars) planted in the PCPD. Don’t think he’s on Victor’s payroll… he’s already got the deputy mayor and that assistant prosecutor who was still trying to convict Trina of the sex tape thing even after all the real evidence said otherwise. How many moles can one guy have within the local government??
Thank you, Satan—I’d rather have Thaao (any day)!than Mistah Sheffield—I just can’t adjust my eyes to see Shaughnessy in any other role.
I like your theory concerning Rory—either way; he’s a baddie—and this Trina? Ugh!! I cringe. The girl completely shuts me down. She does not have the IT factor nor any allure.
Aside—remember discussing Esme’s genitrice? I did mention Heather–I think we both did —an obvious assumption considering their time spent in the loony-bin.
Celia, I LOVE Cyrus’ scenes, especially with Spencer. Between him and “Mistah Sheffield”, I’ll take the pony-tailed evangelist any day. He’s a breath of fresh air. Particularly since Y&R has become, fatally, “The Diane Jenkins Pity Party and No-Variety Hour.” I knew she’d ruin the show months ago and now we’re just awaiting the post-mortem. Jeremy Stark? Puhhhllleeze! There’s more danger in a cotton ball. Certainly more charm, too.
I’m with you, Soaphound—Cyrus is that type of character who has a weird “je ne sais quoi” quality—can’t put my finger on it—albeit his past “ways”, he grew on me. Mistah Sheffield is as scary as Sonny–NOT!!
I like nuHeather, too—Her scene with Ryan was a riot—I was cracking up!!
Yeah–you said it—Diane!! Ughhhh!! More fool Jack—how dumb can one older dude get? What happened to, “Once bitten twice shy”??????
These shenanigans are “much ado about nothing”. Jeremy Shark ( oops –Stark) can join the Victor/Sonny Cosa Nostra saga of “The Three Stooges)—I remember this actor from “Passions”, where he played a cop.
What’s with all the attention and sensationalism surrounding Diane? Are TPTB trying to make a martyr out of her? St. Diane —Soon enough she’ll be canonized like so many of them–Eg: Elizabeth (GH) ,Ava (GH) and Phyllis (Y&R)— love all three—and Carly (GH)!whom I will never love–LOL.
Oh Celia, if I have to watch the normally reliable Peter Bergman make that confused / infatuated face over Diane one more time, I’ll have to start rescheduling my lunch breaks. How stupid can one man BE? Oh, how about that howler scene last week when a particularly pouty Kyle “threatens” Jeremy Stark with that ‘leave my mommy alone’ screed…. I was so embarrassed for poor Michael M. trying to act so tough, with his scruffy little beardlet trying to grow in. What an unintended laughfest! I know Kyle’s defense of Diane is more excusable than Jack’s but it still makes me wince.
Yeah, Soaphound–Jack is acting like an adolescent jack@$$. From what I heard, Jack has not always been a great role model–He was a spoiled, entitled, mean brat.
Didn’t he sleep with Jill, his step-mommy? —what about when he left a passed-out Victor on his office floor? —and so on and so forth—Jack is another example of an oxymoron personified—-lots of them around!! LOL.
And, oh, yeah—Kyle is so intimidating. He really showed Stark. So there!!
Then, there’s Sally–oy vey!! And Nick–double oy vey!! The love road to nowhereland.
“When will they ever learn? Oh, When will they ever learn?”
Charles Shaughnessy is brilliant in this show.
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.
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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
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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
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‘General Hospital’s’ Cynthia Watros Honors Former ‘Titus’ Co-Star Stacy Keach Following His Passing
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