Table of contents for August 27, 2018 in ABC Soaps In Depth

The In Depth Story: Back in April, Charleson was unexpectedly sidelined by her pooch, Riley Rose. “I love my dog, but I didn’t that night,” she quips. “I have a brick patio and I opened the door to let her out, and she caught me. I sat down hard… and I knew I wasn’t going anywhere. The most amazing thing was that I had my purse with me and my phone fell out of it! I crawled to it and was able to call 911.” After having surgery to repair her fractured hip, the avid equestrian was told to take it easy, but that just wasn’t in her nature. “I didn’t rest,” she chuckles. “I got rid of all the [walking aids], went to physical therapy and then went to…

STATUS GH’s Billy Miller (Drew) is set to recur in Apple’s new thriller, ARE YOU SLEEPING, according to Deadline. Based on the true-crime novel by Kathleen Barber, the series follows the drama surrounding a podcast about a 20-year-old murder case. BREAKING BAD’s Aaron Paul plays the guy convicted of the killing, Oscar winner Octavia Spencer is a reporter looking to figure out whether he’s really guilty, and Miller is the husband of one of the victim’s twin daughters (Lizzy Caplan). The 10-episode series is just Miller’s latest side project since joining GH in 2014. He’s also recurred on RAY DONOVAN and SUITS, and guested on MAJOR CRIMES. There’s no official word on when ARE YOU SLEEPING will premiere. However, Apple’s new slate of shows is expected to begin streaming in…

Weddings don’t get much more fun than the December 1988 union of GH’s Sean Donely and Tiffany Hill… or should we say Elsie Mae Crumholz? They didn’t so much exchange vows as insults, but when it came time for the traditional ceremony-capping kiss, their love shone through. AMC’s Tad Martin and Dixie Cooney overcame a lot of roadblocks en route to the altar — mostly thanks to her ex, Adam Chandler. But in December of 1989, the couple finally tied the knot for the first, but certainly not the last, time. It’s only appropriate that soaps’ most famous couple had the most-watched wedding in daytime history. When GH’s Laura Baldwin became Mrs. Luke Spencer on November 17, 1981, over 30 million viewers “attended” the big event. “Da,” RH’s Mary Ryan…

1 The rescue. Jason carrying Carly out of Ferncliff made us realize we need to make better — and stronger — friends! 2 Nelle’s labor coach. “Spread those scrawny legs and push!” Obrecht shouted as her “patient” gave birth by the side of the road. 3 The nickname.  Julian dubbed Kiki’s support group the Kick-Ass Women’s Collective. 4 The name game. “For a girl, we thought Cher,” admitted Brad. “Short for Lucas’ birth mom… and, you know, Cher.” 5 The acknowledgement. “She’s been gone a while,” said Sonny regarding the absence of Kevin’s wife, Laura. ... And 1 Thing We Could Do Without... The delay. How the heck did it take everyone so long to realize that Anna wasn’t…

Fighting Weight GENERAL HOSPITAL’s Michelle Stafford hasn’t always had the body to rock Nina’s incredible wardrobe. “I’ve been as much as 190 pounds and as low as 100 pounds,” she admits. “I used to be a sugarholic. I’d have cookies and coffee all day, and then go run two miles and not eat anything else for the day. I’d go to brunches and put all the desserts in my purse. I did the ice cream diet, starch-blocker diet, Dexatrim… oh no, honey, you don’t want to know what I’ve done!” Then Stafford’s sister was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer in 2013. “She’s completely cancer-free now, but when I found out, I researched and learned sugar and all this bad stuff is just killing your body,” recounts the actress, who…

Much has been made of Summer butting heads with mama Phyllis now that she’s returned to town, but what about her relationship with her dad, Nick? “Summer has so much respect and love for her dad — she doesn’t want to disappoint him,” says King. “I think it will be really interesting to play, because she is trying to figure out who she is and be herself without upsetting him.” Not that Summer isn’t concerned about upsetting Phyllis, the Emmy winner hastens to add. “But there’s a lot less guilt with her mom, because Summer feels like anything that she does, her mom has done 10 times worse! She doesn’t feel that bad about upsetting her mom, but there is a part of her that will always be a daddy’s…

On ONE LIFE TO LIVE, David A. Gregory’s Ford left quite an impression when he was killed by a falling chandelier near the end of the show’s network run. Grateful for that, the actor left happy; however, he’s missed being part of the community of OLTL actors ever since. That’s why the actor/writer invited a few friends — John Wesley Shipp (Eddie), Florencia Lozano (Téa) and Eddie Alderson (Matthew) — to participate in POWDER BURNS, his award-winning, seven-episode audio drama about a newly blind sheriff. (Find it at www.powderburnswest.com and iTunes.) “It deals with social and ethical issues that are plaguing America today,” Gregory offers, “but in the guise of a classic radio Western.” His Next Soap! Having enjoyed reconnecting with those castmates, the actor leapt at an invitation from…

Xander may have a thing for his fellow intern, Emma, at Forrester Creations, but romances like theirs can be tricky, as evidenced by these other young lovers’ storylines! Rick & Amber When Brooke’s son began dating the young lady his mom hired to babysit him, we knew it couldn’t end well. Sure enough, Rick’s romance with would-be designer Amber made him a father before he was even legally old enough to drink! Oliver & Hope Oliver’s employment as a music supervisor at Forrester went from “dream job” to nightmare when, at his girlfriend Hope’s graduation party, he accidentally had sex with her masked mother (who was then married to his boss!). Dylan & Jessica Forrester niece Jessica fell hard for an older aspiring designer at Forrester named Dylan, but the…

feeling stuck? In a rut? Tired of doing the same-old, same-old? Perhaps you can take a little inspiration from these GENERAL HOSPITAL characters past and present. Though when they were introduced to Port Charles, they had in mind clear career goals, all it took was their reaching individual crossroads for them to change their minds — and the career goals that they had in ’em. No matter how outlandish the job switch, no matter how ill-prepared for their new positions they might have seemed, they nevertheless pursued their new occupations with vigor. And their success stories speak for themselves. Consider… Jason Morgan Once upon a time, this Mob enforcer was such a straight arrow that he won archery tournaments for which he hadn’t even signed up. He intended to follow…

With her husband, Scott, currently touring again with his band, Blue County, the world has been opening up for Missy, too. “I was able to go with him when they went to Spain, Switzerland and France because DAYS happened to be dark that week,” she shares. “But when he was in England recently, I couldn’t go because we were [in production on] our Christmas and New Year’s shows.”The couple keep in touch when there’s physical distance between them, even when she’s just working in Los Angeles and he’s at home in Tennessee. But they’re rarely apart for very long. “I’m usually home every weekend,” she confides. However, this November, the Reeves clan will be doing things differently. “Scott’s going to Norway, Austria and I think Germany, so I’m hoping to…

THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL Hope giddily showed off her engagement ring to Brooke, though another gift — this one from Steffy — only managed to upset Liam. Bill and Liam were both left deeply affected after the latter stopped by for a visit. Steffy, meanwhile, shared her pain with Ridge and threw herself into her work, announcing that she would be modeling for the Bedroom line. Hope worried about Emma and Xander when Thorne revealed he’d hired Zoe to model. The young women continued to butt heads, with Emma even asking Hope to fire her rival. Zoe then tattled to Xander that Emma wasn’t as sweet as he thought she was, and Maya urged the young man to get a handle on the whole messy situation! It’s a new…

ALL MY CHILDREN’s Susan Lucci (Erica) is adding “executive producer” to her resumé thanks to a development deal with Hallmark Movies & Mysteries for a flick based on the novel Charley’s Web. Lucci will also headline the film, which follows a columnist who uncovers the truth behind local crimes. And this fall, Cameron Mathison (Ryan) makes his guest-host gig at the network’s HOME & FAMILY lifestyle show a permanent job when he officially taps in as Debbie Matenopoulos’ co-host. Pick up the next ABC issue of In Depth, on sale Monday, August 27, for our chat with Mathison all about his new position!…

IN Look for Kristina to return to the GH canvas any day now. “I’m so excited I can finally tell people that I am back!” tweeted portrayer Lexi Ainsworth, who last appeared on the soap in October 2017. At the time, Sonny and Alexis’ daughter quit college to move across the country with girlfriend Parker. But there’s been no word as to whether Ashley Jones will also be returning to GH. In other news, Donna Mills is set to reprise her role of Nina’s mother, Madeline, according to Entertainment Weekly. The villainess was last seen in September 2015, when she was carted off to prison for Silas’ murder. Look for the KNOTS LANDING icon’s GH arc to kick off this month.…

They may have spent the summer of 1980 searching for the Left-Handed Boy, but what GH’s Luke Spencer and Laura Baldwin found along the way was the greatest love story in daytime history! All of Llanview was shocked when in 1979, dissatisfied OLTL housewife Karen Wolek admitted on the witness stand that she’d been supplementing her pin money by turning tricks… right under the nose of her hapless hubby, Larry! AMC’s Erica Kane got more than she bargained for when she became engaged to former NFL star Tom Cudahy in hopes of making her real target, Nick Davis, see green: She got Tom as the third in her long line of husbands — and a honeymoon on St. Croix to boot. Given that they were on a show called LOVING,…

Only a couple of weeks after ringing in 2005, AMC’s Ruth Warrick (Phoebe) died of complications from pneumonia at age 88. In 2010, James Mitchell (Palmer, AMC) passed away following a bout with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease that had been complicated by pneumonia. At age 91, Anna Lee (Lila, GH) died in 2004 only a week before she was to have received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Daytime Emmys. David Lewis, who originated the role of ornery Quartermaine patriarch Edward, died in 2000 following a long illness. Agnes Nixon, the visionary creator of AMC, OLTL and LOVING, was felled at age 93 in 2016 by, according to the New York Times , pneumonia resulting from Parkinson’s disease. Nancy Addison Altman (Jillian, RH) was only 56 when…

General Hospital In Depth asked... Do you think it’s time for Sam and Jason to remarry? Many readers are ready for a full-on Jasam reunion! Still, there are more than enough Drew fans out there ready to throw a wrench in things! Reader Reaction: 65% YEAH, IT IS 35% NO WAY! This issue’s question... Do you think Brad will come clean about Wylie? TOP 5 GH COUPLES 1 Liz Webber & Franco Baldwin 2 Carly & Sonny Corinthos 3 Laura & Kevin Collins 4 Sam McCall & Drew Cain 5 Alexis Davis & Julian Jerome TOP 5 ACTORS  (as voted by Soaps In Depth readers) 1 Last Issue: 1 Maurice Benard (Sonny, GH) 2 Last Issue: 3 Roger Howarth (Franco GH) 3 Last Issue: 4 Jon Lindstrom (Kevin GH) 4…

GENERAL HOSPITAL’s Wes Ramsey was kind enough to share a dozen of his favorite things with Soaps In Depth. In addition to his adoration for girlfriend Laura Wright (Carly), one thing’s clear — the hunk who gives Peter his edge is as much an artist as a patron of the arts. 1. LAUGHTER “My mom tells me I was a very serious child. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve found a balance. Because I’m a Libra, I want to find the other sides in life and lighten up, take time to smell the roses… and laugh at them!” says Ramsey. “I think that’s why Laura and I are so good for each other. We are actively in a state of entertaining each other all the time.” 2. CLASSICAL MUSIC “I’ve loved…

GENERAL HOSPITAL’s Nurses Ball took a lot of work, but that didn’t keep the cast and crew from having a blast putting it together! “The highlight was definitely the quality of the numbers and how they fit each character… and also the quality of the time I spent with everyone,” raves Lynn Herring (Lucy). “For some reason, those five days were just about all the people there — and they weren’t all on their phones the whole time. It was awesome! “Some years, I’ve looked out, and all heads are down,” she adds. “No one’s socializing. This year, people did a bit of checking, but they really got into having conversations. For me, catching up with old friends and getting to know newer people was a genuine pleasure. Kin Shriner…

From ABC, People and Four M Studios comes a new documentary (airing at 9 p.m. EST on Wednesday, August 22, and Thursday, August 23) that uses photographs, archival footage and insider interviews to reflect on the mystique of the modern British monarchy. “It starts with the first biracial American divorcée marrying into the royal family that is only the royal family because King Edward VIII wasn’t allowed to marry a divorced American,” Wallis Simpson back in 1936, previews executive producer Maura Mandt. “There’s a lot of irony in how we got here.” Long Live The Queen! Since claiming the crown in 1952, Queen Elizabeth II has been a beacon of stability and, at 92, has now lived longer than any of her predecessors on the throne. But instead of being…

Q: Which co-star do you text most often? John J. York (Mac, GH) “Lately, it’s probably Kristina Wagner (Felicia). We end up going somewhere like the Daytime Emmys at the same time, or we’re coordinating our schedules for the show: ‘Are you in on this day?’That’s pretty much it.” Olivia Rose Keegan (Claire, DAYS) “I still text Kyler [Pettis, ex-Theo] a lot. But currently, I also text Victoria [Konefal, Ciara] and Lucas [Adams, Tripp] frequently, so it’s probably a tie. Lucas will text me for his ‘family’ dinners, and I’ll text Victoria for parties at my house. We hang out a lot.” Kin Shriner (Scotty, GH) “Lynn Herring (Lucy), on a daily basis. We’ve been friends for over 30 years and we always have something to talk about. She’s interested…

Fans of GH’s Donnell Turner and Vernee Watson were thrilled to hear Curtis and Stella’s portrayers were doing a-okay — and also learned to be wary of getting their “news” via social media! As a rumor that Turner was on life support fighting for his life spread quickly last month, a Twitter account claiming to belong to Watson announced that she’d been let go from the soap! “They say you haven’t made it in Hollywood unless there’s been an absurd rumor about you — Mama, I think I made it!” Turner tells In Depth. “But the timing was good, because it was right before GH Fan Club Weekend, so the fans got to see that I’m alive and kicking.” As for Watson, the fake account was suspended by Twitter. “If…

IN It’s the good news that GENERAL HOSPITAL fans have been waiting for all year long: Genie Francis is at last returning to the ABC soap as Laura. According to TV Insider, the Emmy-winning daytime icon will be back on the set to resume taping in September. And if there’s one person who’s as happy about this development as viewers are, it could only be the sudser’s indefatigable executive producer, Frank Valentini. “I’m really excited for Genie to be rejoining the cast,” he told the Web site, “and we have an amazing story for her.” Francis has been off GH since January, when Laura — only recently having tied the knot with Jon Lindstrom’s Kevin — headed to Europe to care for her young grandson, Spencer, after he broke both…

Any true ABC soap fan will remember that back in the late 1970s, the network began advertising its daytime lineup with commercials touting Love In The Afternoon. The spots became such a hit that we’ll bet, now that we’ve reminded you of them, most of you have that ultra-romantic melody stuck in your heads all over again! But of course, the reason the spots were so successful was mainly because they ran during what is widely considered to have been ABC Daytime’s Golden Age, a decade-long stretch during which every couple was hotter than the last; every story, more shocking; every show, more beloved. At the time, and for the longest time, the Alphabet Network’s schedule — RYAN’S HOPE (and later, LOVING), ALL MY CHILDREN, ONE LIFE TO LIVE, GENERAL…

As fashionable as AMC’s Erica always was, Susan Lucci released a new line of activewear through QVC this spring. But don’t think for a second that she’s given up acting. Retirement, the DEVIOUS MAIDS alumna recently told In Depth , “is not a word in my vocabulary!” Which will come as good news to her legions of fans. The Emmy winner remains touched, she added, by how much AMC and Erica are loved even all these years later. “It’s very gratifying to hear that.” RH has been off the air for decades, but Ilene Kristen still manages to keep scheme queen Delia Coleridge alive and kicking by playing her occasionally on GH opposite daughter Ava. After making a name for himself as AMC good guy Cliff —…

Feeling down and out or just out of sorts? Fear not, for Soaps In Depth has the solution to your problem — no matter what it might be — courtesy of GENERAL HOSPITAL’s Elizabeth. Here are the 10 maxims by which she lives her best life — and you can, too. PUT YOUR FAMILY FIRST. Sure, Liz has never informed on sometime lover Jason. But she did at least make the difficult decision to walk away from the hit man in order to ensure that their son wouldn’t wind up as collateral damage of his criminal career. JUST BECAUSE YOU DON’T GO LOOKING FOR FIGHTS DOESN’T MEAN YOU HAVE TO BACK DOWN FROM THEM, EITHER. Despite her reputation as the nicest young woman in Port Charles, Liz isn’t afraid to…

two years ago, THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS’ Summer opted to leave Genoa City after the trauma of having fiancé Luca hold her hostage. While she was exploring Europe, her portrayer, Hunter King, was involved in another kind of exploration — learning to tickle the audience’s funny bone with her role as Clementine on the CBS sitcom LIFE IN PIECES. Now that her primetime series is waiting for its midseason time slot, King has returned to Y&R, although her character’s free-spirited and feisty transformation has raised more than a few eyebrows! “I definitely wanted to keep things fun with her,” King says with a smile. “Summer is coming back new and exciting and grownup. I just wanted her to be playful and not take herself so seriously, which I felt…

Q. In a recent article, you indicated that GENERAL HOSPITAL’s Emily had a romantic relationship with Sonny. I’ve watched for over 40 years, and I don’t recall them having that kind of relationship. Could you refresh my memory? Dor B. via E-mail A: Do you remember when Jason forced Sonny out of the business back in 2006? That was all about Sonny’s romance with Jason’s adoptive sister. At first, Sonny and Emily were just friends and confidantes. They didn’t even recognize the love building between them until Carly and Jason became fixated on keeping them apart. For a time, Sonny tried to keep his distance out of respect for her and his friendship with her brother — but not even a threat from Stone Cold could stop this pair from…

If THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL’s Adain Bradley wanted to prove to the soap’s powers that be that he was a phenomenal actor, he accomplished that (and then some) in the process of landing the role of Maya’s cousin earlier this spring. It was only after several auditions and callbacks with the show that he revealed one very significant facet about himself, one they never suspected: namely, that he’s British! “Xander was supposed to be a fully American role,” he explains, “but at the end of my penultimate audition, I dropped my [American] accent.” Needless to say, casting director Christy Dooley was floored by the surprise — and executive producer and headwriter Bradley Bell was inspired! “I suppose he saw that I could do both [accents] and he thought, ‘Oh,…

… or is it time for GH to start moving Drew into a new romance? At the moment, he has every reason to believe that he and Sam are over. Sure, that could change down the line, but until it does, Drew needs to begin exploring his options. (Hey, what better way to make an ex jealous than by showing her what she’s missing, right?) For a while, we wanted to see Drew and Kim reunite in order to give Oscar the family he’s long dreamed of. But she’s so cute with Julian, we’re now thinking that maybe Drew needs to spend more time getting to know Margaux. Their “meet cute” was exactly that, and it left us wanting to see more of them… not to mention get to know…

DAYS OF OUR LIVES’ Jennifer has been hitched five times, so it’s hard to believe she’d ever want to walk down the aisle again, let alone with anyone other than Jack Deveraux, the man who left a serious stamp on her heart. However, the happiness that she and Eric have found together gave them both a new vision for the future. “At first, I think their relationship was a ticking time bomb because they weren’t completely over their addictions or their last loves,” Jennifer’s portrayer, Melissa Reeves, observes. “But I think it turned out to be a good thing as time went on and they healed. Then they were so compatible.” If You Love Someone, Set Them Free… Sadly, happiness is often fleeting for Jennifer, and thanks to Eve revealing…

There was a time when GENERAL HOSPITAL’s Brad was so conniving, it was hard to imagine him ever earning anything but our scorn. Times change, however… so much so that Brad’s recent trauma earned him our sympathy and Shen our Gold Star! And Baby Makes Three The look on Brad’s face when first he saw the child he and Lucas were adopting was the very definition of joyous. Gently, lovingly, he picked up the baby and introduced himself. “Hi there,” he said softly. “I’m Brad. I mean, you’ll call me Dad. Or Brad. Dad. I am not picky.” If there was anything missing from the moment, it was Lucas, who was being detained by an hours-long surgery. And so it was up to Brad to take the newly-named Wylie home…

A-O-“Kaye” Considering he now plays a fashion designer on THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL, Thorsten Kaye (Ridge; Zach, ALL MY CHILDREN) has a fashion game that’s “on fleek” as the kids would say. He looks particularly dashing in the sharp black suit! No Frills While these two gowns worn by GENERAL HOSPITAL’s Kelly Monaco (Sam) feature a similar cut, the majority of our informal voters preferred the streamlined simplicity of the dress on the right. Bright Nights It takes a certain sense of daring to don bright yellow on a red carpet, but these ABC ladies and alums took a real shine to this shout-out hue. Shining Star…