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Kelly Monaco Celebrates 20 Years on GH and Sam’s Evolution: “All the Pieces Don’t Fit Perfectly Yet, But It’s Certainly Not Broken Anymore!”

By Michael Fairman

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Photo: ABC

Sunday, October 1st will mark the 20th anniversary of Kelly Monaco’s debut on General Hospital as Sam McCall.  And as the story goes, when Kelly finished her run on Port Charles as Livvie Locke (2000-2003), and the show had been canceled, the three major networks were all interested in her to join their soaps.

In the end, GH won out and fans of the ABC daytime drama series have been the lucky ones to have Monaco join the A-list cast of the iconic soap. Throughout Sam’s journey in Port Charles, viewers have seen quite the character growth. Sam started on the show as a con and hustler, and bloomed into a bonafide heroine and a private investigator.

Kelly shared with Soap Opera Digest in their latest issue, how she viewed the Sam of old, to the Sam of today: “Sam came on to the canvas only having herself and her brother, always taking care of someone, and never being taken care of.  I think the biggest evolution for her is starting from being a really lonely, scared woman and becoming a woman who is still really independent, but is protected by family and friends and love and relationships and loyalty, and she never had that before.”

Photo: JPI

In a very poetic way, Monaco added on her character’s development: “She came in bent and broken, and I feel like there’s a lot of her that’s still broken, but she’s constantly sort of putting the Rubik’s Cube together. All the pieces don’t fit perfectly, yet, but it’s certainly not broken anymore.”

Throughout Sam’s two decades in Port Charles she has been in love, suffered terrible lost, found family members, had children, and has been involved in some of the most dangerous and criminal cases involving many a villain as she tried to help bring them to justice.

Photo: ABC

Currently, Sam is involved in a romance with Dante Falconeri (Dominic Zamprogna).  Viewers wonder if Lulu ever wakes up out of her coma, would that spell trouble for their relationship, and in turn, give Kelly some great meaty story to work with?

Now, in the comment section below, share your congrats to Kelly for her 20-year-run on GH. Then let us know, what has been your favorite Sam story over the years?

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Kelly is gorgeous and a wonderful actress and sometimes I don’t think she gets the credit she deserves. Congratulations on 20 years you are truly a Daytime icon.

I agree with you. She is talented and very pretty. Kelly has changed her character into a very strong woman? I wish they would show her kids more often then we could see the mothering side of Sam. We think she needs more story as Kelly has great talents. My husband was amazed at her dancing skills.

Sam has been my favorite GH female character since day one. Love how her relationship with Jason evolved and always maintained. Kelly plays her beautifully.

Congratulations Kelly You’ve Done It Well !!!

Congratulations

Sam has become more likable the past few years. Being out of Jason’s orbit and onscreen less has reinvigorated the character. Some of Kelly’s best work was when Sam’s brother Danny died. The cat scratch fever and giving birth to Scout with her jeans on were memorable for different reasons.

I love Kelly’s acting she has had me as a fan from day one! I really enjoyed her kicking butts to show she can handle what ever they are throwing her way! She can be funny at times and serious when need be. She has plenty of talent just wish she was in more of the story lines, she has a lot to offer and I for one know she can handle it! And she can dance very well too! Congratulations Kelly, job well done

Congratulations Kelly!
Thank you for entertaining us for 20 years and here’s to many more!!❤️

Was running old GH shows on a streaming the other day. The show where Brenda meets Sam and she tries to explain to Brenda how Jason and Sam ended up together. It was hilarious. Those old shows are the best and I am thankful to whoever stashed them for us.

GH and ABC are losing a goldmine by not replaying all of them in better condition on ABC or Hulu. Some of those old shows with the cast is so young are the best TV out there.

The residuals they’d have to pay the actors who are no longer on the show and any of the “under 5” day players makes rerunning those shows on broadcast or streaming cost prohibitive.

Thank you Kelly for entertaining us for 20 years! Here’s to many more years with you coming into our homes! Have enjoyed you since Baywatch and Livie!!❤️

Kelly’s work as a daytime actor has been a joy to watch. Sam has been so multifaceted and enjoyable to watch. Watching her with her family of “Davis women”, reminds us of OLTL ” Cramer women” or “Buchanan women”, soap families of strong women ĵoined at the heart. There is something special about her work with Steve Burton, they sizzled even in a blizzard! However, that is nowhere the roaring flames that she and Michael Easton created as Livvie and Caleb. Many of us would wish the GH would create their own “Bobby & Pam” dream and bring Caleb and Livvie alive again, even in a dream for a fleeting moment. Congratulations Kelly!!

Great analysis, Alyson! And great idea for that dream…

I am thrilled that Kelly is getting so much love here, as I have found her to be a joy to watch since day 1. She is a talented, beautiful actress. For my money, she should have been declared the winner on DWTS. Not the first time they got it wrong… Congratulations, Kelly!

Congratulations Kelly!! And the best and only one for Sam is Jason. Period. Writers messed everything up after the big reveal of Jason being alive and not bringing them back together permanently. They need to get Steve back and make it happen. Cause Sam is just not legitimately Sam without Jason.

They did try bringing them back together. The vibe just wasn’t there between Steve and Kelly when he returned. Even Luke and Laura didn’t last – Jason and Sam had a good run, but it reached its expiration date.

I think Sam and Dante belong together. It would ruin the beautiful love story if Lulu came back. I think they should write that Lulu passed away in her coma. She’s been in a coma too long and there hasn’t been any news of her.

Violet went to visit her mother this summer and Lulu’s been mentioned a few times since. The coma is just a means to keep the character active until the writers decide there’s enough story to bring her back.

With Britt (screen), Epiphany and soon Bobbie passing, the audience won’t be subjected to another long term character passing.

Meant to say Charlotte visited her mother. Violet doesn’t know where Hayden is and never mentions her. They’ll need to circle back to that eventually.

When they had the Jeff Webber stand-in a few months back, did he even mention his supposed other daughter even once? Seems to me they’re trying to “disappear” Hayden from memory. The existence of Violet makes that problematic, obviously.

Of course it was silly to give Liz another sister in the first place… they should have brought Sarah Webber back instead.

Apparently Rebecca Budig was so disenchanted with the way she was abruptly dismissed twice, that she’s sworn off returning again. Didn’t like her character at first, but I grew to appreciate her toward the end of her first run.

Sarah was surprisingly mentioned when Finn went behind Elizabeth’s back before Jeff returned. Is Steven Lars (a dull character despite his birth parents) still languishing in prison for the organ harvesting issue? And now a whole summer went by without Cam returning home for a visit.

Hi KELLY MONACO! You are one of the MOST TALENTED BEAUTIFUL daytime actresses!! I LOVE the romance with DOMINIC ZAMPROGA’s character DANTE FALCONERI, but I want to see more scenes with you two together!! SAMANTHA MCCALL is a GREAT character & I can not believe anyone else can play her to the perfection that you do! I also LOVED you with STEVE BURTON as JASON MORGAN & MICHAEL EASTON as JOHN MCBAIN!! You have had 3 GORGEOUS TALENTED actors to play across!! Lucky you!! HAPPY 20th ANNIVERSARY on GH & here’s to 20 more!! GOD BLESS YOU & YOUR FAMILY, have a very BLESSED day & always STAY SAFE!! I LOVE YOU!! I have been a GH fan since 1968, when I I was 9 years old!! I am 64 now.

Congratulations! Been watching GH since I was a kid and I’m 42 now. So, proud of Kelly. She went to Northampton Community College which is only a few blocks from my house. Love her I’ve never met her but I am super proud.

Congrats kelly On October 1st it’s a Special Day for you Happy 20 Years On General Hospital and it’s my Birthday you are a Beautiful Awesome Person And Actress looking forward seeing many more years On General Hospital Congrats you go girl Kelly

I love the Sam character and how Kelly plays her. Sam is flawed, but unlike some, she owns it. She is kindhearted, despite having many reasons to harden her heart. She is a great friend even though GH has often left her practically friendless. She is truly resilient, the bounce-back queen. She’s tough, yet vulnerable. Kelly does so much with the very little screen time given to her. Well done, Kelly. Thank you for persevering!

I love how GH kept Sam in the Sonny circle. She came on pregnant with Sonny’s baby. Was married to Sonny’s best friend Jason. Had a baby with Jason and his twin brother Drew and now in love with Sonny’s oldest son Dante. Isn’t that weird?

Congratulations Kelly!!!!!!!!!!

Sam is The Great character I loved Kelly Monaco as Livvie on Port Charles. Some of her greatest scenes were done when she was with Drew Billy Miller. I am forever team DreAm. There was a montage on YouTube of their scenes together it made me cry.

Sam is a great character. I loved her as Livvieb on Port Charles. I was team lDreAm all the way.My favorite scenes were when she was with Drew Billy Miller. They posted a montage of their scenes together on YouTube it made me cry.

I am shocked but elated on the great chemistry that Sam and Dante share. They appear to enjoy working with each other and seem like a real couple in love!

Congratulations, Kelly. You are an amazing actress n very beautiful. 20 years ago by fast. You are loved.

She has been my favorite female Character from the beginning. Congratulations Kelly Monaco! JASAM FAN FOREVER.

She’s great with Dante never liked her with brain dead Jason

General Hospital

GENERAL HOSPITAL: Will Ava Tie the Knot With Drew?

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Ava

On the Friday, November 13 episode of General Hospital, Drew (Cameron Mathison) convinces Ava (Maura West) they need to get married, to each other! Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) hopes to get the DNA results on Jude (Will Traval) she has waited for, and Elizabeth (Rebecca Herbst) and Dante (Dominic Zamprogna) secretly co-conspire to find out who in Port Charles had the infamous tick!

Here’s what went down: Drew explained to Ava that they needed to get hitched ASAP, that way, they couldn’t be forced to testify against each other in the Jack Brennan case. After initially being kind of sick of the thought of marrying Drew, he made her change her mind, by throwing out the fact that if she lands in jail Sonny (Maurice Benard) will have Avery (Ayla Bullington) all to himself.

Next, Ava heads to GH to ask Lucas (Van Hansis) to be her witness in marrying Drew. Lucas has already figured out the reason Ava is marrying Drew because it has something to do with Brennan’s death. Explaining she hates the idea of getting married to Drew, she has run out of other options. Lucas agrees to help her, but firmly tells Ava nobody would believe it was a real marriage anyway.

Ava and Drew

Photo: ABC

CAN MOLLY AND JOE STOP THE WEDDING?

At the same time, Drew asked Martin (Michael E. Knight) for a post-nuptial agreement. Martin was not happy to hear that Drew was going to marry Ava, warning that prison was a better option than tying himself to a woman like Ave Jerome.

Eventually Ava, Lucas, Drew, and Martin gathered at the city clerk’s office. Lucas comes up with a way to derail or stall the nuptials by saying that they need to wait for Scout (Kayden Brenna Tokarski) and Avery to show up, as they should be a part of this, too.

Lucas may have saved the day, because Molly (Kristen Vaganos) and Joe (Jonathan Bennett) went to Drew’s office to serve him his warrant, but found the office door open. Next, Joe found a sticky note on Drew’s folder that revealed Drew had obtained a marriage license. A light bulb goes off in his head and he realized Ava and Drew are getting married, so he and Molly rush off to City Hall to try and stop it.

Brook Lynn

Photo: ABC

IS JUDE THE TRUE BABY DADDY?

Elsewhere, after receiving a text message that the DNA results are in at the hospital, Brook Lynn ends her discussion over Jude and baby Phoebe with Gio (Giovanni Mazza) and runs out of the Quartermaines.

Once Brook Lynn gets off the elevator at GH, she sees Jude and Britt  Kelly Thiebaud) looking might close. She quickly heads back towards the elevator sight unseen and was clearly shaken by what she saw. Earlier at the doctors and nurses hub, Elizabeth helped Dante by confirming by an ear gesture they had worked out; that the patient with the tick was Ava Jerome.

You can check out the scenes where Lucas gets a visit from Ava and he learns she wants him to be her witness in marrying Drew at City Hall.

Now weigh-in: do you think Ava and Drew will tie the knot before Joe and Molly make it to City Hall? What do you think the DNA results will show once Brook Lynn gets her hands on them? Have they been tampered with? Let us know your thoughts via 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’

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General Hospital

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).

Avery

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.

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‘General Hospital’s’ Cynthia Watros Honors Former ‘Titus’ Co-Star Stacy Keach Following His Passing

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Stacy Keach and Cynthia Watros

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!

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Jonathan Bennett joins the cast of GH as Joe Fitzpatrick. Catch the latest promo! Leave a comment.Leave A Comment

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