General Hospital
IT"S OFFICIAL: Frank Valentini and Ron Carlivati named New EP and New Head Writer at GH!
Courtesy/ABC
It has becoming official this morning, soapers, that the uber-talented duo of Frank Valentini and Ron Carlivati who led One Life to Live to be the most creative, under budget, and highest rated series in the ABC Daytime soap opera line-up are coming to General Hospital! Valentini will take over from Jill Farren Phelps as the shows executive producer, and Carlivati will assume the head writing spot, effective January 9th, 2012.
This comes on the heels of last week’s disappointing news that One Life to Live had been dropped by Prospect Park, so it would not live again online, and thus the future of Valentini and Carlivati had opened. There had been recent speculation of a move such as this by ABC to bring the team over to its only soap left in their daytime programming line-up.
ABC Daytime President Brian Frons has just released the announcement below on the hiring of Valentini and Carlivati to steer the ship in Port Charles!
© Steven Bergman
“Frank and Ron’s creativity, passion and outstanding leadership will be a welcome addition to the cast and crew, as well as viewers and longtime fans,” said Frons. “As creative leaders in the industry, I am very excited for their arrival to ‘General Hospital,’ and their dedication to the genre will certainly invigorate the daytime drama that has been part of pop culture and the TV landscape for many years.”
“I look forward to this next exciting chapter working with the wonderful cast and crew of ‘General Hospital,’” said Valentini. “This is an incredible opportunity for me to extend my passion and expertise for daytime television as I continue my relationship with DATG and become part of an extraordinary team in 2012.”
Since 2002 Valentini has served as the executive producer of ABC Daytime’s award-winning “One Life to Live,” the same year the show garnered an Emmy for Outstanding Daytime Drama. Along with his duties as executive producer, he directs, and has two consecutive wins in 2008 and 2009 as a part of the “One Life to Live” directing team. He was also nominated for a DGA Award in 2002. With over 26 years of experience with “One Life to Live,” Valentini has held many production positions throughout his career with the series, including associate director, stage manager and coordinating producer. In addition, he has served for two years on the Board of Directors for the New Group Theater Company. Valentini received his degree in Film & Television Production from the University of Buffalo. He has traveled to over 60 countries, and in 2002 he became a published photographer.
With a 15-year tenure at “One Life to Live,” Ron Carlivati served as head writer from 2007 to 2011. On behalf of the drama series, he garnered the 2008 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Daytime Drama. He was previously nominated for an Emmy in 2002, 2006 and 2009, along with two WGA Award nominations. A law school graduate of George Washington University, the self-professed fan of soap operas briefly worked as a corporate lawyer before moving to New York City in 1996 and pursuing his lifetime passion as a writer for the genre.”
So what do you think of the news of Valentini and Carlivati heading to GH? Enthusiastic? A band-aid? Thoughts? Let us know! Clearly, there is some bitter irony in all this for soap fans and those in the know. If Valentini and Carlivati are deemed so fantastic by ABC Daytime (which we all know they are), they should never have cancelled One Life in the first place. Let’s hope they are being brought into help GH and not to just close out the show, and if the numbers do go up that ABC pays attention and not turn a blind-eye!
On-Air On-Soaps can tell you that these two have a creative match made-in-soap-heaven, so hopefully they can work their magic on the ailing GH and pronto!
General Hospital
‘General Hospital’s’ Dominic Zamprogna Shares He Was ‘Happy to Hear’ of The Triangle Storyline Developing Between Dante/Elizabeth/Ric
General Hospital’s Dominic Zamprogna (Dante Falconeri) opened up about the burgeoning love triangle forming between his Port Charles alter-go, Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst) and Ric Lansing (Rick Hearst) after recently aired scenes, plus his hopes for the future of a Dante and Liz pairing, during his appearance on the Sunday, April 23 edition of the That’s Awesome podcast with Steve Burton (Jason Morgan) and Bradford Anderson (Spinelli).
On last week’s episodes of GH, Ric has made the decision that he wanted to propose to his ex-wife, only when he showed up at Elizabeth’s front door, he misread the scenario he walked in with Liz tending to Dante’s injured leg from the softball game. From there, the legal eagle’s jealous streak is reemerging which may cause him to act out and do something unforgivable, or will he take the high road? Stay tuned.
Speaking with Steve Burton and Bradford Anderson about where Elizabeth stands in the annals of the long-running soap, Zamprogna said, “She’s up there with Steve and Maurice (Maurice Benard) as one of the most legacy-filled people on the show.”
Courtesy/ABC
HOW DANTE AND ELIZABETH CAME ABOUT
Dominic jokes it’s a far cry for where Dante and Elizabeth previously, recalling, “We had some scenes together years ago and we were both laughing. Becky’s like, ‘Well, I guess we’re not going be paired up anytime soon.’ I remember we laughed immediately after they yelled ‘cut,”‘and said to each other, ‘Well, so much for that!'”
Fast-forward to early 2025 and as Zamprogna remembered it, “Elizabeth Korte (co-head writer, GH) came up to me at the General Hospital Christmas party, and I think it was a year and a half ago and she said, ‘We’re going to have you in scenes with Elizabeth,’ My internal monologue is going, ‘I’m not with Lulu (Alexa Havins) anymore and Sam’s (Kelly Monaco) gone, so maybe they want to see if this works.’ I didn’t want to get scenes with Becky and try to find the chemistry. I just wanted to play whatever honestly was written and came across for both of us and hope it was what people liked, and I don’t know if it is … or not.”
Knowing how beloved Elizabeth is to the GH faithfuls, Zamprogna added, “She got a big fan base with Ric … and a big fan base with with Jason … and you know, you’re going to piss somebody off. But, didn’t Ric drug Elizabeth and put Carly in a panic room?”
Photo: ABC
DANTE AND ELIZABETH PAIRING COULD STIR UP STORY FOR OTHERS IN PORT CHARLES
In closing, Dominic felt that the wide-reaching tentacles of a Dante and Elizabeth relationship is something he is 100% down for. “The triangle thing; I was happy to hear it was with Ric and her, because I felt it’s important to have her the top of it as opposed to Dante, Lulu and Elizabeth.”
Zamprogna added, “When you get into relationships on a soap, things seem to fizzle out a little bit, The buildup is what’s the fun part, and the getting to know each other, and the people who are affected by this coming together. When with this case it’s going to affect: Ric, Sonny, Lulu. There’s so much more story here. To me, it’s going to be a fun story to play.”
You can check out Dominic’s visit to That’s Awesome with Steve and Bradford below.
Now weigh-in: Are you rooting for Dante and Liz, or Dante and Ric at this juncture of the story, or neither guy for Elizabeth? Let us know your thoughts and picks via the comment section.
General Hospital
GH and OLTL Alum Patrick J. Gibbons Reveals the Story Behind Writing Trina’s Song on ‘General Hospital’ (Exclusive)
At the conclusion of today’s August 21 episode of General Hospital, Trina Robinson (Tabyana Ali) sings a lullaby to baby Dez, that went into a montage to close out the episode as her father Curtis Ashford (Donnell Turner) reports to Pentonville and winds up in his jail cell.
However, in a fun fact, the song entitled, “A Lonely Heart To Give” was actually written by none other than former One Life to Live and General Hospital actor, Patrick J. Gibbons.
Daytime fans first met Gibbons as Sam Manning on One Life to Live. At the time, when he started on the soap, he was just 5-years-old. Gibbons played the part from 2010-2013 on ABC and Prospect Park’s editions of the show. Fast-forward to 2018, Gibbons shows up on General Hospital as Wyatt Hoover, the scout who seemed always be injured, but in the thick of the drama. Patrick had appeared on GH multiple times as Wyatt including: 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023.
Photo: ABC
FROM HIS GRANDMOTHER’S DEATH CAME THE INSPIRATION FOR HIS SONG
Now in 2026, General Hospital fans are getting to learn about another side of Gibbons’ talent as a songwriter and guitar player after “A Lonely Heart to Give” debuted today! Michael Fairman TV caught up with Patrick, who is now a senior at Penn State entering his final year as a finance major, to get the back-story of how his song wound up on GH!
Gibbons explained he wrote the song in honor of his grandmother who passed away a few years ago with whom he was, very, very close with. “Randomly, my grandmother had a downfall and passed away during the second semester of my sophomore year. I was in my dorm a lot and I was just playing with my guitar. And at the time, I was really into finger-style playing. I wrote the lyric and music to it (with a little help from my guitar teacher Lou), and my mom showed the rough demo to Frank Valentini (EP, General Hospital). He’s like an uncle to me. Frank loved it so much he said, “Finish that up. I want to hear the whole thing, and I want it on the show.”
MAKING MUSIC FOR GENERAL HOSPITAL
Gibbons and his parents took the next steps! “So now, all we needed was a female voice, because I thought that would fit the song well,” Patrick shared. “At the golf club we go to my parents were at a dinner. They liked the singer that was performing and spoke to her about the song, and she says she would like to bring it to her ‘boss’ who ended up being Eric Bazilian of the Hooters fame!” (Bazilian also wrote the smash hit song “One of Us” for Joan Osborne).
Next, “We went in the studio and recorded it and the song came together and it was beautiful. We loved it. They loved it at General Hospital and now they’re putting it the show and they are coming in with a piano, instead of a guitar. Paul Glass, the GH musical director, has been keeping us updated over the last six months of how it was coming along, and when it would air, and how GH put their own arrangement to it. I can’t wait to see and hear what they did with it.”
Photo: JPI
PATRICK’S ONE LIFE TO LIVE FAMILY
Everyone knows that the One Life to Live extended family share a very tight bond, and Patrick said he does stay in touch with a few of his former One Life to Live co-stars, especially those from the Manning family! “I stayed in touch with Kassie DePaiva (ex-Blair) and sent her little videos here and there. She was like my second mom for five years. We keep in contact with Kristen Alderson (ex-Starr) over X the most, and she can’t believe how big I’ve gotten. Like, none of them can! (laughs). I also loved working with Roger Howarth (ex-Todd) and Trevor St. John (ex-Todd and Victor Jr.), and to me since I was so young, they were just my friends, ‘Roger and Trevor,’ not Todd Manning or Victor Jr.”
It was a trip to California and a visit to Port Charles that ultimately led to Gibbons second soap role of Wyatt Hoover. Patrick explains, “In 2016, Frank Valentini invited us out to Los Angeles to visit the set of General Hospital. I think he heard me say, ‘This is so much fun. I miss being on the set.’ He goes, ‘You should come out. I’ll bring you on the show. We can make you a character.'”
A few years later, Patrick’s dream became a reality! “Then, by the summer of 2018, I was playing Wyatt, the scout, and shared scenes with Wes Ramsey (Peter August), and the best was when I shared a scene with Roger Howarth and Michael Easton (ex-John, OLTL and ex-Silas, Finn et al, GH), it was like chemistry from the old days.”
Photo: PGibbons
IT’S ALL IN THE NUMBERS
As to his future aspirations, it’s a career in the finance game that has piqued Gibbons’ real-life interest. But never say never to a return to acting. Patrick explained, “I’ve always enjoyed numbers. And on top of that, one of the biggest parts of finance is being personable and outgoing.”
He continued, “That’s one of the greatest skills I developed growing up. I really love the markets. I’m super interested. I’m never going to close the door to acting. I’m always open to that because I just love it so much. It’s such a great art.”
Take note! If there are any investment bankers or private equity folks among the GH faithful looking for a young analyst next year, Patrick’s DMs are open. You can find him on X at @PatrickJGibbons.”
So, what did you think of the song sung by Trina on today’s GH that was written by Patrick J. Gibbons? Did you enjoy Patrick’s performances as One Life’s Sam and GH’s Wyatt? Would you like to see him back on GH at some point? Let us know via the comment section.
General Hospital
‘General Hospital’ Alum Chad Duell Admits That He Didn’t Expect the Role of Michael Corinthos to be Recast, and Would Consider Working on Another Soap (Exclusive)
Chad Duell, the Daytime Emmy-winning actor, who stepped away from the pivotal role of Michael Corinthos on General Hospital, opened up about: his previous decision to leave the series after nearly 15 years, where’s he’s at now after time away from the demands of a daytime soap opera, and took a stroll down memory lane with some of Michael’s most-acclaimed storyline during his run, during a livestream chat on August 19 on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel.
Viewers last saw Duell on-screen as Michael in January of 2025, and with his successor in the role, Rory Gibson making his debut at the GH Nurses’ Ball in episodes that aired later in May. It was clear that during the conversation, Chad was a bit surprised that the GH brass decided to recast him when he thought he was just taking some much needed time off.
Burn-out of the daily grind of being on a soap was definitely a part of Chad’s decision to take a break. Duell explained “People know when you’re doing something for so long or your character is kind of in the same place for so long or doing the same stuff over and over again, you do get a a little burnt out, you get a little stiff, stale, a little stiff at times. I didn’t want that to be any sort of lasting impression. I have 15 years of a body of work of I’ve done on that show, which is fantastic.”
Photo: ABC
WHILE CHAD WAS AWAY GH RECAST MICHAEL CORINTHOS WITH RORY GIBSON
Chad shared, his mindset when leaving GH was, “I’m taking some time away, we’ll see what happens.” Then he added, “Obviously, they decided to go in a different direction with Michael when I was gone. I didn’t think they were going to bring somebody back in my place. But you know, it’s the business. You never know what can happen.”
Duell also shared he has not watched a single episode of General Hospital since he left the series, but now feels he reenergized following the loss of his father and stepping away from the GH, “I’m in a place now mentally, where I’m ready to sink my teeth into it again.”
Courtesy/ABC
Even though he is no longer Michael on GH, Chad was very happy with his final storyline where Michael was set on fire when a bomb exploded at Sonny’s (Maurice Benard) penthouse. “It was fun to put him in a dangerous situation, because I was wanting Michael to be in something scary instead of trying to be a hero character or just things happening around him, but to be the center point of tragedy happening to him. (I always saw) Michael as the heart of the (Corinthos) family.”
When Michael was badly burned the show chose not burn his face, which normally a soap does when they are recasting role and switching actors. Chad weighed-in, “They didn’t burn my face because I told Frank Valentini (EP, GH) I’m willing to come back. It was just a little bit of a break. So, I assumed that if they would have burned my face, they could have brought somebody back looking different than me… if that’s what their plan was.”
Courtesy/ABC
MEMORABLE MICHAEL STORYLINES
One of Chad’s most memorable performances was the in the storyline of Michael’s rape while he was sentenced to prison in 2010 and the confession of it in 2011. “It was so well-written and I was very nervous,” recalled Chad. “When I get really nervous about something, it ends up being really good when I do it, because it just means I care a lot about it”
“I have to put a lot of effort and work into it, and I really want it to be good. I was working with Dominic Zamprogna (Dante) and Steve Burton (Jason) a lot during those scenes, and Laura Wright (Carly). It was great working with Steve and Dominic, especially, during that storyline.
A NEW SOAP ROLE FOR CHAD?
As to a future soap opera role, Chad is open to the idea and would love to jump back in to a juicy role, “I know people over at The Bold and the Beautiful, and The Young and the Restless. They know that if they’re interested, I would love to come in for a screen test or something, and they can see what I’m doing.”
Meanwhile, Chad has been busy putting out new music under the moniker Duelly and during the interview he explains how he creates his EDM tracks and much more. You can stream his latest single, Static in the Quiet Room on Spotify, Apple Music and You Tube Music.
You can check out the full conversation with Chad Duell below.
Now let us know: what show would you like to see Chad cast on down the line? BTG, DAYS, B&B, Y&R, or a new role on GH? What did you think of his thoughts on the casting switch while he was away in the role of Michael? What was your favorite Michael storyline during Chad’s 15-year run on the ABC soap opera? Let us know via the comment section.
‘General Hospital’s’ Dominic Zamprogna Shares He Was ‘Happy to Hear’ of The Triangle Storyline Developing Between Dante/Elizabeth/Ric
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL Preview: Kelly Sullivan Debuts as Dylan’s Mom; Suspicion is Raised About Carter and Steffy
‘Beyond the Gates’ Star Mike Manning Lands Role in Indie Horror Feature ‘Deify’
GH and OLTL Alum Patrick J. Gibbons Reveals the Story Behind Writing Trina’s Song on ‘General Hospital’ (Exclusive)
‘Guiding Light’s’ Grant Aleksander Shares Heartfelt Remembrance of TV Daughter, Hayden Panettiere On What Would Have Been Her 37th Birthday
‘General Hospital’s’ Maurice Benard Talks: New ‘Sonny’ Storyline, His Contract, and Three Characters He Would Want to See Back in Port Charles
How John Oliver’s ‘Days of Our Lives’ Guest Star Turn as ‘Devlin St. John’ Came to an End
John Oliver Recaps His ‘Days of Our Lives’ and ‘General Hospital’ Soap Opera Experience on ‘Last Week Tonight’
‘Veronica & Julian’ Feature Starring ‘Days of Our Lives’ Alums Nadia Bjorlin and Kyler Pettis Releases Key Art and More (Exclusive)
‘General Hospital’ Alum Bryan Craig Cast in ‘The Weapon’
‘Guiding Light’s’ Grant Aleksander Shares Heartfelt Remembrance of TV Daughter, Hayden Panettiere On What Would Have Been Her 37th Birthday
‘General Hospital’ Alum Chad Duell Admits That He Didn’t Expect the Role of Michael Corinthos to be Recast, and Would Consider Working on Another Soap (Exclusive)
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Ric’s History of Jealousy Where Elizabeth is Concerned Has Come Back Around
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Steffy and Carter Get Lame Excuses From Their Spouses, and Try to Shake Off Their Night Together
‘Veronica & Julian’ Feature Starring ‘Days of Our Lives’ Alums Nadia Bjorlin and Kyler Pettis Releases Key Art and More (Exclusive)
-
General Hospital1 week ago‘General Hospital’s’ Maurice Benard Talks: New ‘Sonny’ Storyline, His Contract, and Three Characters He Would Want to See Back in Port Charles
-
Days Of Our Lives1 week agoHow John Oliver’s ‘Days of Our Lives’ Guest Star Turn as ‘Devlin St. John’ Came to an End
-
Breaking News6 days agoJohn Oliver Recaps His ‘Days of Our Lives’ and ‘General Hospital’ Soap Opera Experience on ‘Last Week Tonight’
-
Days Of Our Lives5 days ago‘Veronica & Julian’ Feature Starring ‘Days of Our Lives’ Alums Nadia Bjorlin and Kyler Pettis Releases Key Art and More (Exclusive)
-
General Hospital5 days ago‘General Hospital’ Alum Bryan Craig Cast in ‘The Weapon’
-
Breaking News1 week agoHayden Panettiere, ‘Guiding Light’ and ‘Nashville’ Alum, Dead at 36
-
Recaps1 week agoTHE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS: Sharon, Nick and Marie Struggle in Aftermath of a Relapse; Jade Harlow Shares She’s ‘Really Proud’ and ‘Grateful’ to ‘Show How Addiction Can Touch Anyone’ (Exclusive)
-
News1 week agoB&B’s Don Diamont Recalls His Soap Start on ‘Days of Our Lives’ and Confrontation with Exec Prod Al Rabin (Exclusive ‘Soapy’ Preview)
Hmmm.. i dropped GH about 10 years back when it back so mob oriented.. but if ABC has so much faith the both these two men, why couldn’t it be OLTL that was carried on? Will I go back to GH once OLTL is over? I really don’t know… I value Frank and Ron’s talent… but still have a BIG hate on for ABC for cancelling One Life To Live !
i agree 100% . But then again we know abc disney is ruled by lies and liars.. i dont think i will ever forgive them for cancelling OLTL. As for frons.. he isnt the head of the snake but the bastard is/was a fang in its head. Its all bull.. I want my soaps.
Hmmm. I wonder if this is why the plug was pulled on OLTL? I dunno….it’s all suspect at this point. Frons is now commenting on the “genre.” It’ll be gone in a year. Maybe these guys can one out of three a respectable ending.
Not exactly. It was previously announced before the PP deal that FV (tentatively) and RC (definitely) would head to GH. When RC announced that he would join with PP, he thanked JFP for “releasing” him from his contract with GH. What I’m wondering is if this is why Garin Wolf’s storytelling has gotten so erratic after such a promising start. I thought I was strange that they would hire one show’s head writer, just when they’ve promoted another one to head. I considered that they might make them co-heads, but I guess Garin was just interim. I think they both have their strengths.
Can someone please tell me why the HELL ABC canceled OLTL?! You put the two men in charge of OLTL in charge of GH and we’re supposed to be happy? ABC, go F@$# yourself!!! I’m done with your damn network!
And on another note, this is a plan put forth by ABC to piss off soap fans, so that they take out their frustrations on GH, and not watch, in sheer protest for the bitter irony of placing the two heads of OLTL in charge of GH….They are probably hoping that soap fans will turn their backs on GH and not watch…therefore making it much easier for them to slide Katie Couric’s show into the daytime lineup. I HATE ABC!!! AND I TRULY HATE BRIAN FRONS!!!!
You said it beautifully. Frons should be dipped in cheese sauce, feathered in cheetos, and ridden out of town on a stripper pole. And the mob should be led by Erika Slezak, Robin Strasser, and Susan Lucci – with the rest of the cast of OLTL and AMC backing them up. The man is so lethally untalented and immoral.
I have never watched GH with any regularity, and I haven’t watched at all since it became the Sonny and Jason “Aren’t mob psychos just so HOT” hour. But, with Frank V. and Ron C. at the show, I will tune in, at least when their stuff starts airing, just to see if they can do anything to salvage the horror I hear the show has become.
But frankly, it makes my head spin like Linda Blair’s in The Exorcist to even attempt to understand the reasoning that would justify cancelling OLTL, which is consistently excellent – and recognizable, while keeping GH which has been as badly damaged as AMC ended up being.
And, as you say so well, and I echo, I HATE ABC!!! AND I TRULY HATE BRIAN FRONS!!!!
Agree with every word. What the hell are they doing? GH cannot hold a candle to OLTL, I am just frustrated beyond words & have been since April 14. Mark my words, Frons will announce the cancellation of GH just in time for their 49th anniversary in April to make room for Katie! Why even bother to sign Ron & Frank up over there? Damn it.
I have been a watcher of both OLTL and GH. As much as I am disapointed to see OLTL be cancelled, I can’t say I am happy about the new addition to GH. Although it sounds like GH is not too popoular around here, it is a great show and I have no desire for it to change anytime soon.
I know how you feel Mary. If you are happy with your show you don’t want it to change. But even thought OLTL is my favorite I certainly do not want to lose GH! I just don’t care for some of the storylines and some of the characters are just too predictable. They lost a lost when they killed off most of the Quartermaines. A healthier mix would have been the Qs, the hospital and the mob. All tied in together.
lost a lot-oops
As a 16 year loyal GH fan, I think this is wonderful news. It’s been a frustrating time to be a viewer of the show, to say the least.
I had high hopes that things would get better when Garin Wolf took over for Bob Guza as head writer, but if anything, Wolf has made things worse. The show has been almost unbearable to watch in recent months.
And I’ve never a big fan of Jill Farren Phelps. Under her watch, GH became a poor man’s version of The Sopranos, while iconic families like The Quartermaines were slowly destroyed, and beloved fan favorites were moved to the backburner, so new characters could be shoved down our throat. The show wasn’t all bad during her tenure, but we were definitely long overdue for a change.
I’ve been hearing a lot of great things about what Frank Valentini and Ron Carlivati have been doing on OLTL, so I’m excited to see what they can do with GH. Perhaps even incorporating some OLTL characters into the mix on GH, which I think would be a great idea, and a nice way to freshen up the show. As well as reinvigorating some of the misused and underused characters on GH.
Just as long as it doesn’t become OLTL 2.0, which I know some people would love. But I think there can be a happy medium somewhere, a show that GH fans past and present, as well as OLTL fans, can enjoy.
And in turn, we can get the ratings up to where ABC will have no choice but to keep GH on the air for many years to come. That’s the most important thing.
I agree w/ everything you said, i couldn’t of said it better.
“[If] we can get the ratings up to where ABC will have no choice but to keep GH on the air.” The ratings for OLTL have been better than GH’s consistently for some time. Did that save OLTL? No, because ratings don’t matter–profits do. The most highly rated show still has to make money. Similarly, a show can be so cheap to produce that it will generate decent revenue regardless of the ratings, which is why The Chew and The Revolution exist. Please begin to prepare your emotions now. GH will be dumped and canceled regardless of how well FV and RC do. Katie’s show is already in the affiliates’ GH slot for this fall. It’s a done deal. It’s business.
I can’t imagine why FV and RC would want to work for Disney/ABC after what happened to OLTL. Nothing like doing your best and being rewarded with cancellation. They must be getting paid plenty.
I think these two guys just love the genre, they want to see soaps survive.
There is hope in Port Charles this holiday season. I would gladly fully embrace this show (which was a family favortie and remained so for decades!) if it could dispense with the overreaching mob-related storylines. Such talented actors but such depressing drama. Reach back to the hospital roots and give us core families we can cheer and can love. Bring back — not from the dead, please — legacy characters, even in new actor bodies. Let us see generations and life-affirming moments. Thank you!
You are in for a treat, then, with Ron & Frank. OLTL is the best, “family tie” oriented show there is. Almost every character is related to Viki in some way. She is the true heart of the show & they’ve done an outstanding job over the years keeping the core of the show-mixing up the Lords/Buchanans/Cramers-to have very rich, wonderful relationships. Think of Starr & Jack & who all they are related to. Today Natalie, Liam & Shane had sweet family scenes & I love any day that features Llanfair. I love that set & Dorian’s house too.
I would caution–strongly–against anyone’s holding out much hope that Valentini and Carlivati will be allowed to do much to change GH’s mob and violence focus, any more than Garin Wolf has been allowed to. It’s been the Sonny and Jason shoot-em-up hour for so long now that any shift in focus would threaten to alienate the viewers who actually like the show in its current state–and let’s face it, they are by far the largest group among those who are still watching, because others (like me) gave up long ago. It’s a tough dilemma for anyone coming into the job of EP or headwriter: how do you fix a totally broken show without alienating the one significant audience segment that is still there (i.e., the ones who don’t think it’s broken and like it just as it is). I’ll be interested to see what V & C can do, but I can’t see that they would be allowed to make the kind of changes that need to be made when Maurice Benard (Sonny) and especially Steve Burton (Jason) are the biggest stars of the show. If they can figure out some way of keeping Sonny and Jason front and center, not tampering too much with their characters, but getting them out of the mob and the stories away from all of the associated violence and misogyny, they’ll be golden. I’m just not sure it’s possible.
Maybe there’s still hope for GH after all.
Look out The Chew and The Revolution. Your slot could very well belong to GH in September 2012 (though I wouldn’t hold my breath too much for that).
On the OTHER hand…..let’s say the duo fixes GH and then THAT”S the one PP will pick up in six months. Could be worse. At least there’s one left for now. Doesn’t change how I feel about Frons and Oprah. No OWN, No ABC Daytime. Nope.
Forget about PP. It’s not adequately staffed, managed, or financed to handle GH and never will be after the public fiasco with AMC and OLTL.
You know what’s also been a part of the daytime landscape for many years, Frons? ONE LIFE TO LIVE AND ALL MY CHILDREN.
Idiot.
As talented as FV and RC are, they won’t be able to save GH. Even if they improve its content (which frankly won’t be difficult considering the utter drek that they’ve had on this show for 10 years now) if OLTL’s cancellation proved anything, it’s that quality doesn’t mean diddly. The writing is on the wall and TPTB are just hoping to use FV and his budget tightening charms to save a few bucks before they cancel GH for good.
F U ABC daytime.
I agree with every letter you wrote.
Frank Valentini and Ron Carvalati are the best thing to happen to GH since Luke & Laura saved them from cancelation 25 years ago. Their first order of business should be to dump the way overrated Maurice Benard.
its not going to happen, believe me any show would be happy to have a maurice benard on their show. Your obviously not a fan, but you can’t deny the guy his charm, talent and appeal, you don’t have to be a fan, but don’t expect any producer w/ any common sense to fire Maurice,it’s not going to happen, so Mike, dream on, lol.
I haven’t been a fan of the way they’ve written the Sonny Corinthos character for a while now. But anyone that doesn’t recognize that Maurice Benard is a great actor clearly doesn’t know what they’re talking about.
This is great news for GH creatively, but it doesn’t solve the one overriding problem. Frank and Ron can’t give GH the one thing it needs, a timeslot.
Great news but I kinda agree that if these two are so great why not just keep OLTL instead?!
I love GH and I am hoping it will be great for the show! I just don’t want to see my faves leave. I am happy for them because they have jobs and they get to stay in the medium they love.
This is bittersweet news for me. I am a long time fan of GH, and am very happy to see Frank and Ron at the helm, incorporating their true talents into the storylines of GH. If you combine their creativity with the talented actors that will bring F & R’s stories to life, I can only see it getting better. I hope this means a promising long future for GH!!!!! I will definitely be watching. On the other hand, I am also a long time fan of OLTL, and saw Frank and Ron’s talents come to life with the stars of this great show, and I am very sad to see it end, and honestly almost still don’t believe it. Of course I want GH to make it and survive this terrible change of programming on ABC Daytime, but it is just too bad that we have to lose the superior OLTL and AMC too!!!! MAYBE Frank and Ron will bring some of our Llanview favorites over to GH’s Port Charles!!!!!
I have and always will be a loyal Y&R fan, but I have to admitt that 3 – 4 times over the last few years have been drawn into OLTL. The writing is some of the best in daytime television and the stories are exciting and relevant. The social topics alone are worth the watch. I have tried to watch GH and just can’t seem to get with it. I will certainly tune in for these 2 very big talents as they take over GH. I still feel ABC has handled things very poorly and in bad taste. BF should be the next to recieve a pink slip, his arrogance alone is nauseating. Best of luck to GH cast and crew with this newest venture.
What Frank and Ron do best is honor a shows history. As an avid fan of OLTL, I am sad to see my favorite soap of all time end. When I was younger, I was also a huge GH fan. If FV and RC have been brought to help end GH with dignity and honor its history for soap fans, they will. I am sure they will try to lure back the fabulous jaclyn zeman as bobbi, Kirsten M. as Felicia, Tristian Rogers as Robert to name a few beloved characters that are missed. I just feel GH fate has already been sealed and will leave the airwaves in sept. I wish them and the cast of GH the best.
Once again, thank you FV and RC for giving us OLTL fans the best year of our beloved show.
I am just heartsick about the demise of OLTL and AMC. Yes, I do many things, DO have a life, so to speak, but these people have been a part of my family for so many years. Millions agree, and it is just making me sick. GH has not been this good for a couple of years, has bored me out of my mind for these last couple of years, and I can hardly stand it, that the other two shows will not be seen anywhere, ever again. Sickening!
You hit the nail on the head! Agree with every word. I wake up during the night sick at the thought of no more OLTL. I too, have a “life” as you said-and have always been proud to say my soaps have been a huge, very enjoyable part of it since I can remember! What is a day without soaps? If you are like me, you get a down feeling at 3 p.m. central on Fridays, because darn it tomorrow is Saturday, no soaps! But Soapnet & DVRs, etc. changed all that-I love watching soaps anytime, day or night. They are my constant, my comfort. Imagine if pro football or baseball was fixing to go off the air forever! We love our soaps like people love their ball games! But who gets screwed in this world? Soap lovers. Agree, sickening.
WHAT were they THINKING?!!?