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Jack Wagner and Kristina Wagner To Appear In Cast Of Second Season Of Hallmark's "When Calls The Heart"

By Michael Fairman

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Photo Credit: HutchinsPhoto.com

Photo Credit: HutchinsPhoto.com

Kristina Wagner and Jack Wagner (Felicia and Ex-Frisco, General Hospital) are now set to appear in the Hallmark Channel’s upcoming season of When Calls The Heart, it was announced yesterday at the TCA Winter Press Tour by the cable outlet!

When Calls The Heart is a series that is set in a 19th century mining town and stars Lori Loughlin, former star of Full House, Summerland and daytime remember her from Edge of Night!

As for Kristina Wagner, she will join the series in the third episode this season.  However, as to what she will play has not been released at this time.

However, Jack Wagner who debuted in the first season returns as Mountie Bill Avery, a forensic investigator who is hiding something from his past that could jeopardize his romantic future with Abigail Stanton (Lori Loughlin).

Photo Credit: HutchinsPhoto.com

Michelle Vicary, Executive Vice President, Programming, Crown Media Family Networks said, “Our amazing fans have proven their loyalty and devotion to the endearing characters and riveting stories of  When Calls the Heart with remarkable ratings and outstanding social media engagement throughout season one.  We promise more great stories, great romance and great drama in the second season of this beloved, original series.”

The new season of When Calls The Heart premieres Saturday January 4th at 9:00 PM, ET/PT on Hallmark Channel.
Lots of soap favorites are heading to Hallmark Channel! What do you think of Wagner and Wagner being in the cast of When Calls The Heart?  Weigh-in below!
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I think it’s great. Jack and Kristina are a rating goldmine that General Hospital missed out on. WCTH will a big following for these two.

The Hallmark Channel?

Yawn. Wake me when it’s over.

Well, it seems to me only fans of the actors of Hallmark shows are the ones who watch the channel. The content on the channel is pretty cheesy.

Jess..sometimes “cheesy’s” a nice and relaxing way to drop out of the real world once in a while, especially now..but not everyday.

Right. I like your “not everyday” take on reality. There are people who drop out of reality with their interests and never return. If I had cable I would watch, but only because Kristina Wagner joined and I have always liked Lori Loughlin and her work. I hope it gets picked up for another season.

I love it. It is a great show. Going to be nice to see Kristina in something totally different then Felicia. I saw Jack in the episodes last year and he was great. Very happy that HallMark channel sees a good thing. Alot of Jack and Kristina fans will watch. Also very happy that they are both foing to be regulars #hearties

I have liked her since the get go on General Hospital. I am glad she is starring in something other than GH, however I wish it was on something else and Jack Wagner was not associated. I always thought she would do great in primetime as a love interest for Danno on CBS’s Hawaii 5-0. Pretty weird huh? I know some people would be appalled at the mention of that but hey, why not?

I loved GH when F&F were portrayed by JW/ KW so brilliantly! I had returned to GH for the return of Frisco Jones in 2013 but was so disappointed by the terrible writing exit. So yes, I’m going to finding what channel is the Hallmark and watch my favorite duo/ they are just magical together, even if there characters won’t be together, I can’t way to see them on same show together. I’m thrilled for Kristina bc I feel the lack of s/ l for her character on GH had left so many fans disappointed and we can catch her on a new show! Good luck to them!

I can’t wait to see this series. They are some of my favorite actors.

I’m with you. Love to see them together again.

Agree – Love them together.

I loved them both on GH. Can’t wait for this series with both of them. Wish they could be back together in real life…..cute couple!

I have never heard of it, and I’m glad this was posted. I love all of the actors and can’t wait to watch!

I love this show and I am a big fan of General Hospital so this is wonderful news. can’t wait for April. 🙂

I LOVE Hallmark. Good move by the cabler to sign these fan faves.

Some of the best news I’ve seen in a long time. I am not a “Heartie,” but Jack&Kristina together anywhere is enough for me. I’ll be watching.

I will watch anything with Jack Wagner and having Kristina there too now is an even better bonus. Is she staying at recurring status on GH?

This is the best news starting out a brand new year. Jack and Kristina are multitalented actors. They will add wonderful drama and humor on WCTH. I am a “Heartie”,and Jack and Kristina fan, so I will be happy to watch Season 2.

I am very excited about Kristina and Jack working on the same show together. I never really heard of WCTH till Jack came on the last 2 episodes of S1. I will definitely tune in she will make a great addition to the show. I switched to Dish Network just to get the Hallmark Channel because I did not have it with ATT U verse. I bet Kristina will come on as the secret in Bill’s past.

I love them together. There was a spark and chemistry mixed with danger and adventure when they were Felicia and Frisco that GH has really missed over the years. It was still there during their last reunion on GH, even though it was cut short in such an abrupt, unsatisfying way.

Super Couple back in the 80s and in my eyes have remained the same. Their chemistry has always been amazing.Jack & Kristina Wagner’s accomplishments
in film, production , theatre ,music, charity just wonderful . Thumbs up Hallmark & Congratulations Jack and Kristina 🙂 All The Best to ..
When Calls The Heart

I enjoy any program featuring Jack Wagner, but I find it interesting that some 30 years after the initial phenomenon of “Frisco and Felicia” he still has to carry KW for her to be involved in any viable project. Without him by her side, she is just so diminished, despite all efforts to find another romantic, dramatic niche for her on GH. (Having said that, I am sincerely hoping that the idiotic mayoral contest storyline does not go in Felicia’s favor….of all the women in Port Charles, she is one of the last I would choose to run the PTA, let alone the entire city!!!!) Also, I love Wagner’s character in his current “WCTH” pairing with Abigail played by Lori Laughlin….they are such a perfect couple! Don’t want to see that courtship ruined….Kristina must be playing Avery’s ex! Talk about art imitating life!!!!!

While they’re at it, how about getting Lori’s former Edge of Night co-star Charles Flohe/Grant as a guest star???? Loved his Preacher and her Jody together….And if that’s not possible, well then, there’s always John Stamos from Loughlin’s “Full House” days to consider….

I want to encourage anyone who hasn’t to purchase the prize-winning documentary that Kristina Wagner conceived of and brought to fruition with her brother, Joe Crump (they financed this project themselves). Children of Internment is a significant historically driven/historically accurate work that is also beautifully filmed and edited. Watching this made me understand that her talents and gifts are varied and need to be shared on a grander scale. I hope she’s able to fit more movie-making into whatever else it is she chooses to do.

sidebar: I am a bit baffled by how much touting of the “Bill/Abigail” pairing I see based on two episodes and about 10 minutes total of screen time from last season. People see what they want to see, but if ever claims of “chemistry” were greatly exaggerated, these are.

I am so excited about this news. I haven’t watched WCTH before, but since I’m a FriscoandFelicia fan since I was 10, I will now. Plus, I love Jack and Kristina together, so to have the opportunity to see them work together again is awesome. The fact that it’s 30 years after they debuted at FriscoandFelicia, and fans are so excited about them being on WCTH together, speaks to the timelessness of their pairing. They were magic together as FnF and that chemistry hadn’t missed a beat when they reunited on GH in 2013. As for Kristina, I’m excited to see her play another character other than Felicia. She is accomplished professionally as an award winning documentary filmmaker, so she doesn’t need anyone to “carry” her in viable projects. The fact is Jack and Kristina carry each other beautifully in scenes. Congrats to them, and I look forward to seeing Jack and Kristina on the show.

@JoAnna….I was actually referring to television projects, and I was certainly not discounting the laudable documentary activities of KW. What I meant is that unlike say, Genie Francis, who escaped the fabled “(Luke and) Laura” ingénue stereotype to go on to rack up countless acting credits in both primetime series and assorted soap opera roles, Wagner was primarily left languishing as GH’s Felicia, and no matter who she was paired with after her ex, it lacked the magic of her original coupling with Frisco. There was Colton Shore, Mac, and even a very ill-fated dalliance with Luke. None has ever really, truly worked, hence, it seems to me without Jack’s considerably charismatic coattails, she is not deemed desirable as a stand-alone commodity. As for those touting his Bill Avery with Loughlin’s character, I think it’s simply something that people want to see more of based upon the fact they look so good together…..Despite her many years in the business, Lori is still such a beauty!!!! It’s quite hard to believe it was 30 years ago that she was Jody on Edge of Night!!!!

I am soooo thrilled to hear the news of Jack and Kristina, I love them together!

Hooray!! I always loved Frisco and Felicia. I watched them everyday on General Hospital. I’m so glad they’re back in the filming together!! They are phenomenal!! The ratings will go through the ceiling again!!

Hi All…I found this story on an older MF page. Just wanted to add that I am now watching a rerun of the ‘When Calls the Heart’ series, originally on Hallmark 2016. It’s on in my market at 7am every morning as part of my cable package. No streaming. It’s great seeing the episodes with Kristina (Felicia) and Jack Wagner (Frisco) as part of the cast. And if you watch, it a little to close to home since recent events in their lives. Wish they were back on GH together. They represented the best in soaps…romance humor, and adventure in great locations.

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‘General Hospital’s’ Dominic Zamprogna Shares He Was ‘Happy to Hear’ of The Triangle Storyline Developing Between Dante/Elizabeth/Ric

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Dominic Zamprogna

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?”

Dom and Liz

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.

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GH and OLTL Alum Patrick J. Gibbons Reveals the Story Behind Writing Trina’s Song on ‘General Hospital’ (Exclusive)

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Patrick J. Gibbons

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.

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‘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)

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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.”

Chad Duell

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.

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