General Hospital
GH's Finola Hughes On Soaps Resurrgence, Anna & Duke, A Kimberly Return?
Photo Credit: Kathy Hutchins
One of the big questions on all of fans minds is will the the unbelievably talented (she is an actress and a director to boot, now!) land a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress when the nominations for the 40th annual Daytime Emmys are announced tomorrow morning on Good Morning America, for her role as Anna Devane! If her reel, and what we know, are any indication, she should be a lock for a spot!
In a brand new interview with Soap Opera Uncensored’s Nelson Branco, she has been named “Sexiest Woman Alive 2013”. The GH star fields some questions on: acting against a latex mask during the Faison/Duke story and reveal, what she thinks of the renaissance of the soap opera, the returns of AMC and OLTL, and if a return from her on-screen daughter, Kimberly McCullough (Robin) might be imminent. Here are a few excerpts:
Finola on acting in the scenes with Duke then aka Faison: “I had a lot of help from Frank Valentini (EP, GH). He was on the set all the time. And, obviously, a lot of help with the acting because Ian helped. I never think about the audience when I play a scene, Frank does. But when I was having to get close to Faison, I kept thinking, ‘The audience is going to be freaking out.’ So, I was like, ‘How am I going to show the fans that Anna is feeling weird or is trying to overcome something? How can I walk that narrow line, so that people can think, ‘ew, be careful,’ and, on the other hand, ‘It’s Anna… she’ll save herself. As an actor, you can never be subjected to yourself. You can’t stand and watch yourself — or none of it will work. I had to find this place in me that gave myself a little warning bell like, ‘Don’t go too far or you’ll lose the audience. Pull back a bit, but let them know that you’re on their side, so I didn’t lose all street cred.’ Sometimes it got gnarly and, sometimes, I thought I saved myself and, sometimes, I had to jump in with both feet. What worked, worked, and what didn’t, didn’t. ”
Finola on the state of soaps, when everyone was saying they were dying: “I didn’t believe it was over to begin with. I felt the apparent collapse of the soaps was wrong. I didn’t feel it was necessary. I felt it was mismanagement. They took a few wrong turns. Perhaps they weren’t grasping the audience as well as they could, but that didn’t mean they were over. What’s so amazing about soaps is the fact that it can be reinvented. It’s like Madonna. Just when people are ready to write her off, she reinvents herself and becomes more relevant and successful. As a human being, you should be able to do that; and certainly, if you’re a creative endeavor, like a soap, you should be able to shake things up. That’s certainly what they did with NIGHT SHIFT. It was a total reinvention of the craft. I thought it was very well done. And I’m not sure why that whole idea got dropped.”
Finola on if she thinks Kimberly McCullough will return as Robin soon to play out the story: “I don’t know. We’ll see what she’ll do. I have no idea. I have the sense that she wants to bite her teeth in fully when it comes to her directing career. It’s been hard because she was on GH when I was gone; (and vice versa). We’ve wanted to work together for so long. We keep missing each other. It’s such a gift to work with her.”
Finola on the returns of One Life to Live and All My Children: “I think it’s fantastic. I’m glad all those people have jobs again. There’s still lots of story to tell. I hope they shoot it differently and tell story in a new way. They’re inventing something really cool.”
So what do you think of Finola being named, “Sexiest Woman Alive 2013”? Do you think the Anna should stay with Duke? Do you want Kimberly back to play scenes with Finola? Do you think Finola will land a Daytime Emmy nomination tomorrow? Let us know!
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.
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.”
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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Sonny (Maurice Benard) and Ava’s (Maura West) daughter Avery looks quite different, starting on today’s November 9 episode of General Hospital. That’s because GH has made Avery into a full-blown teenager and the role is now being played by actress Alya Bullington.
In her debut, the Tennessee native was thrown into the deep soap waters with Daytime Emmy winners, Maurice Benard and Eden McCoy (Josslyn). Bullington weighed-in to TV Insider about her first scene which featured Avery overhearing a fight between Sonny and Josslyn.
She explained “It was something I have never done before, I did not have a lot of experience with the screaming and the crying stuff, but I got my first script, and I was like, ‘OK, this is a huge opportunity to learn so much about how that stuff works and to become this character that I have never even tried playing before.’”
Photo: ABC
THE TEENAGED VERSION OF AVERY WILL HAVE A LOT TO CONTEND WITH
Speaking of working with McCoy, Bullington shared, “She’s incredible. I remember her just laughing and making jokes on set, and then the minute that they started taping, she just locked in and she cried immediately, and my first thought was, ‘I want to be able to do that.’
The soap opera newcomer added, “I think she just inspired me so much because she is so great and she can just lock into whatever character she wants to in the moment.”
The character of Avery was born back in 2014, but as recently as the October 8 episode of General Hospital, the character was suddenly referred to as a teenager. This is the second young female character in recent months to be aged up following the casting of Kayden Brenna Tokarski as Scout Cain.
As for her take on Avery and what’s ahead, Alya said,“She’s emotional, and she’s curious, and she’s a really fun person to play because so much stuff is happening in her life. I think she’s kind of confused about what’s happening and what to believe.”
So, what do you think about General Hospital making Avery a teenager? Are you excited to see the conflict between Sonny, Ava and Avery now that they have aged up the character? Share your thoughts and welcome Alya to GH via the comment section below.
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Katie Kicks Bill to the Curb … for Now
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She deserves an Emmy! She’s incredibly talented. She convinces me in EVERY SCENE she is in!
YES to all of the above questions! And for sure when KMc is ready, I hope she’ll come back. That entire story is what brought me back to watch GH in the first place and when they didn’t show it for months (until August) I sort of gave up hope on the show. They need to keep that story moving with or without her. I’m obviously a big Devane/Lavery/Scorpio/Drake fan. My fam needs story
She’s the best, I’m glad she’s back full time, and hope she gets nominated for the Emmy .
She is awesome and a fave!!! I wish all good things for her! She is a beautiful and sexy lady! GH has a number of sexy ladies. She is so talented and we are so lucky to have her back and I hope she stays for a very long time. I would hope she gets the Emmy nom and hopefully the win! She deserves it! I really want her to get back with Robert but… if she has awhile with a great relationship with Duke… I am all for it! Of course I love seeing her work with KM and would love her back anytime they can make it happen! I would love to see more of her with Tracy and Emma… actually more of Anna with everyone is best!!! Keep up the great work Finola… we are so lucky to have you on GH!!!
yeah, she’s my fave GH actress, and I love her chemistry with Tristan Rogers & Kimberly McCullough.
I don’t think Anna&Duke are nearly as interesting without Robert in the mix. He really needs to return.
A Scorpio/Drake/Lavery/Faison adventure would be awesome!
Im with everything you said!
I will be rooting for her to win the emmy.Love her with Kimberly always have. I am liking Duke now, but I wouldn rather she be with Tristan R. I really wish Kimberly the very best in what she wants to do with her life..I am very happy that we at least have Anna.
I do not like Anna & Duke together..
That couple is overwhelming boring..
It’s grandma and grandpa dull ..
Still absolutely thrilled to have Duke and Anna back together! They are one of the best pairings that GH has ever had. Smart, sweet, strong, and so so SEXY. I do hope that Robert comes back (with Holly along!) and they all have a fantastic story finding Robin. Scenes with Emma and all 4 of her grandparents, as well as her parents, would be great! I don’t care for Robert and Anna together romantically (so I hope Cartini don’t go there, lol), but I do enjoy them as friends and working together. I’d really like to be seeing more Anna and Duke than we’ve been getting, but I’m happy to have them at all after so many years, so I’m being patient.
Finola is just awesome – soaps are like Madonna, LMAO!
Emmy is certainly in the horizon for Ms Hughes, and well deserved as she’s shown me in each and every scene she’s been in. Finola certainly has perfected her craft beautifully over the years she’s even made kissing a rubber mask believable! I have to be honest but I really miss Anna with Luke and wish that had not ended so abruptly. Tony and Finola have such great chemisty and work wonderfully off one another there is so much more story to tell there. I hope RC revisits them real soon. As for Kimberly of course I’d love for her to return as Robin but not if it means giving up her dream. I want her to soar and succeed as a women director, not very many of them out there.
She can take the emmy home now, because it will be hers in a few short weeks anyhow. Anna’s true love has always been Duke. The fact that their characters are so opposite is such a good combo. Robert has always fallen into that best friend category. Besides, Anna and Robert had their chance both before, during and after Duke and they’re still not together today.
Anna Devane is not my favorite character on GH, but I do admit that Hughes is a great actress and I enjoy her scenes.
I am always enthralled went she is on. Finola brings such depth to her scenes that I cannot ignore her. I wish her the best of luck with the nomination. She is truly deserving.
With Robin returning soon will this break-up Sabrina and Dr. Drake?
Spoiler says K.M. will film 40 episodes this summer to air on gh in sept. to nov.? Spoiler hinted Maura West only temp and will be killed off? Any truth ot someone just guessing?
Finola rocks and I really enjoy watching her….I wished they would bring Robert back because I absolutely love how Tristan Rogers and Finola Hughes plays off each other.
She is the coolest most beautiful natural woman. I just love her and having her back on GH has made the world of difference. Thanks GH.
I am definitely rooting for Finola to get an Emmy nom and win, specially since her first win she wasn’t on hand to receive it!
And she looks as good as she did in the 80s even if the big hair is gone LOL!
As for Kimberly, we need Robin back long enough to give closure on Robin’s enprisonment. This story has dragged on now over a year and it is unfair to GH and Robin fans to be left hanging for months on end, aching for this story to end and for Robin to be reunited with her husband, child and the rest of her family and all her friends who adore her. If at the end it means Scrubs fades to the backburner or off completely, I can handle that-but dammit Robin and Scrubs deserve their reunion and happy ending. To leave it hanging this way is an injustice to us loyal fans who have stuck it out all this time!
I am enjoying GH still a lot-love the blossoming romance of AJ and Elizabeth, adjusting pretty well to NuLulu and looking forward to many new faces or old ones returning. I have been a loyal GH fan for 30 years now and plan to keep watching. But Robin is my all time fav GH character and for me to fully enjoy GH I need to see this horrible story ended and resolved!
Jenny
Finola is a classy lady and an amazing actress. So pleased she was on the pre-nomination Emmy list but am shocked and disappointed she was not short-listed this week. I believe she would have won for lead actress. She certainly deserves it.
Not a fan of Duke with Anna this go around. I’d much rather see Anna with someone new which includes an exciting new storyline.
I’d love to see Kimberly back if she can fit it into her schedule! Anna and Robin are one of the very best mother/daughter duos. Love them together!
As far as an Emmy nomination, I was absolutely stunned Finola was not nominated!!! In fact, I still can’t believe it! Unbelieveable!