Table of contents for November 23, 2015 in ABC Soaps In Depth

“Robin and Patrick have unfinished business!” The In Depth Story: Robin’s homecoming begins when Patrick phones his ex-wife this week to fill her in on the latest Port Charles happenings. (Presumably, that Jason has unknowingly been living in town for the past year!) Even though McCullough is an incredibly busy woman these days working as a director, the daytime darling is thrilled to be back on GH! “There’s a pretty big story that’s happening with Patrick, so they wanted to involve me with that,” she tells Soaps In Depth in an exclusive interview, adding that she’s looking forward to Robin reconnecting with the family she left behind. “I feel like Robin and Patrick have some unfinished business, so it’s a nice opportunity to tie up some loose ends. And how…

Just seven months after Lachlan Buchanan joined Y&R as Jack’s son, Kyle, the young star has been taken offcontract status with the show and will now appear on a recurring basis, a spokesperson for Y&R tells In Depth. Buchanan brought Kyle back to town in February as part of the “Who Killed Austin?” story. The Australian native is the third actor to play the young adult version of the character in recent years. Time will tell if Kyle will stick around Genoa City or vacate the canvas once again.…

A whole lotta good news for GH fans: Two of the soap’s most popular vets, Finola Hughes (Anna) and Genie Francis (Laura), have renewed their contracts with ABC! “We are thrilled that Genie and Finola will continue to make GH their home for years to come,” says executive producer Frank Valentini. The busy exec later announced that Brandon Barash (Johnny) will return to Port Charles in December. Look for details in the next ABC issue!…

Just as GH finally got to the whole “Jake is Jason!” reveal that’s been a year in the making, the rumor mill began running rampant that his portrayer, Billy Miller, would be exiting the soap to star in a new series for Fox. While the Emmy winner does indeed have a role in URBAN COWBOY — a modern-day reimagining of the popular 1980 movie starring John Travolta — the series was still only a pilot presentation at press time. The network will announce in the coming weeks whether a green-light will be given for a full series order and for when (as a midseason replacement, summer series or the fall of 2016). The show is set (and was filmed in) Texas, Miller’s home state. If URBAN COWBOY does get picked…

The battle for Aver y heats up when Ava and Sonny take offthe gloves and fight dirty on Monday, November 9. And just when you think the situation can’t possibly get any uglier, it manages to do exactly that on Tuesday, November 10. Given that Sonny and Carly have been a pretty solidly united front over the past few weeks, we can’t help but wonder what causes them to butt heads on Tuesday, November 17! Carly finds herself worrying about Morgan’s future on Thursday, November 19. (And considering what he does that day, she might have good reason to fret!) And as it appears that Morgan may be more out of control than ever before on Friday, November 20, things could be looking up for Sonny when some one unexpected…

Things aren’t looking good for Abigail this week, but she has a desperate plan she hopes will buy her some time! When she tries seducing Ben on Monday, November 9, will the love he feels for her prove to be his weakness? At the same time, a newly exonerated Chad goes searching for Abby on Tuesday, November 10! Will the beautiful hostage understand the coded message she gets from her wouldbe rescuer on Wednesday, November 11? And when it looks as if her baby might be on the way, will Abigail convince Ben to take her to the hospital on Friday, November 13?…

... And 1 Thing We Could Do Without...…

THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS’ Noah may be rich and gorgeous, but he’s had terrible luck with women. And now, the sizzling romance he’s started with Marisa is facing a major obstacle in the form of her ex, Luca. Noah isn’t giving up, but could his determination to build a life with Marisa be the literal death of him? At the moment, Miles Gaston Villanueva (Luca) says that his alter ego might be arrogant enough to believe he can win his ex-wife back without resorting to any method that could earn Noah a one-way trip to the morgue. “Luca isn’t the kind of guy who backs down when he wants something, but he has a lot of money and confidence,” the actor declares with a smile. “He’s not going to…

Two-faced Paul has been playing fast and loose as D.A., and some of his recent activities have put him on Jordan’s radar. Never one to hold her tongue, she continues to call him out each time he oversteps, and after he had Carlos cremated, we realized these two might be pretty evenly matched! Dashing Paul has his sites set on ruling Port Charles and its Mob scene. To that end, he’s already taken out most of Port Charles’ heavy hitters by gun or machination. Sonny’s in the hospital, Ava’s in his pocket, Sloane’s dead, and let’s just say Anna is not at the top of her game right now. While we’d never count Anna out, Jordan seems to be the only legitimate threat to Paul at this point. Then again,…

GENERAL HOSPITAL’s Bradford Anderson (Spinelli) and his wife, Kiera, are raising two absolutely adorable daughters, Juna, 4, and Finola, 1. Anderson wears fatherhood well, even though it has changed his life in one way that he’s still getting used to. “I don’t get nearly as much sleep,” he grins. But in other ways, being a dad has helped him to grow up. “I’ve always thought of myself as a ‘live in the moment, perpetual optimist’ kind of guy, for better or for worse. So in that sense, I’ve had to grow up a little bit and become a little bit more of a planner and come into my Virgo tendencies that I didn’t know I had,” he shares. “But now that I know I have them, boy do I really…

McCook joined Twitter earlier this year but admits he still deliberates over the kind and quantity of messages to impart. “What I still haven’t done is establish for myself a kind of sense of humor that works for me and that shows everybody who I am,” he says. “I look at [co-stars’ tweets] and think, ‘Everybody is doing so much! I need to do more!’ I’m not on there every day, but so many people are.”…

When Cornelius Smith Jr. brought a grown-up Frankie Hubbard back to Pine Valley in 2007, it was pretty clear from the get-go that the ALL MY CHILDREN character would be someone to contend with. “Frankie was a soldier,” his portrayer reminds viewers. “There’s a whole host of things — good, bad and ugly — that come with having gone to war and coming back.” High on his list of priorities was loyalty, both to his country and his family. Playing a strong-willed character like that is what prepared Smith for his current role as social activist Marcus Walker on ABC’s SCANDAL (airing Thursdays at 9 p.m. EST). “The two characters do share a sense of focus,” the actor obser ves. “But they’re perhaps different in how they see the world.”…

Tales of Anna’s heroism on GENERAL HOSPITAL date back to the ’80s. But the former superspy is falling apart these days, paying a hefty price for avenging Duke’s death. At least her pain is portrayer Finola Hughes’ gain — she’s reaping the rewards storylinewise and giving performances that have earned her this week’s Gold Star. Getting Away With Murder It started as a slow unraveling, with ghostlike Carlos sightings and guilt throwing Anna offher game. Then, Carlos was identified as Sonny’s shooter… and a dead body was identified as Carlos’. By the time Jordan called Anna in for questioning yet again, the former police commissioner seemed out of fight. She might even have confessed. But then Paul produced an autopsy that put Carlos’ shooting at only two weeks ago! Hearing…

DAYS OF OUR LIVES’ Alison Sweeney (Sami) has returned to GH — directing GH, that is. She helmed the episode set to air on Friday, November 20. She’s also been shadowing directors at Hallmark’s networks, where she’s recently executive-produced and starred in a slew of movies, like Love On The Air and the Murder She Baked films. “It’s a whole different medium than what I’m accustomed to,” she shares. “I’m hoping to learn some more about these movies before I get to direct one.” Speaking of Sweeney’s Hallmark Movies & Mysteries series, Murder She Baked — in which she stars alongside Cameron Mathison (Ryan, ALL MY CHILDREN) — the second installment, Plum Pudding Mystery, will air on Sunday, November 22, at 9 p.m. EST. ONE LIFE TO LIVE’s Barbara Niven…

Michelle Staf ford (Nina) welcomed her second child — son Jameson Jones Lee — via a surrogate on October 23. “He’s amazing and calm and handsome!” she tweeted. As luck would have it, the baby was born on a weekend at the end of a GH dark week, so she was there for his birth! (Stafford missed the 2009 birth of her daughter, Natalia, because she was on set taping and was unable to leave to get to the hospital in time.) “I’m just a little freaked out, because next week, I work a lot,” she admitted during a Periscope video chat just days before Jameson arrived. “I’m nervous that my surrogate is going to go into labor when I’m working.” According to a show rep, the Emmy winner will…

Back in April, Alexander Bruszt was named the winner of the DAYS OF OUR LIVES’ Search For A Star casting hunt in Australia. Finally, the Sydney native has made his debut in the role of Fynn, a rugged doctor who arrives in Salem from Down Under to do his residency under the tutelage of Daniel. The actor, who began taping his DAYS storyline back in May, is no stranger to daytime dramas, having appeared on the popular Aussie soap HOME AND AWAY. Bruszt scored a 13-week minimum contract, but there’s been no official word from the soap if that was extended. “I could have only dreamed of a role like this,” he says, “and I am looking forward to this opportunity to work with such an incredibly talented cast and…

A beautiful moment between Ridge and Caroline at their ultrasound appointment turns awkward on Monday, November 9, thanks to an unwelcome interruption. Brooke caves to pressure from Liam on Tuesday, November 10, and spills the beans to him about Ridge’s vasectomy. He, in turn, tells Caroline what he knows so far on Wednesday, November 11, putting her in a panic about the secret she’s been trying to keep under wraps. Nicole awaits word of her pregnancy test on Thursday, November 12, and Steffy tries to play peacemaker between her father and brother on Friday, November 13.…

With Billy Miller having stepped into Jake’s shoes over a year ago, it’s not surprising that GENERAL HOSPITAL fans have been impatient for the truth to come out about his real identity. And at long last, as evidenced by the In Depth Cover Story on page 24, viewers are fi-nally getting their wish. And while some may have hoped that when Jean Passanante and Shelly Altman replaced Ron Carlivati, the headwriters would immediately have someone spill the beans in their first episode, they decided to make the most of the situation by teasing us at every turn. There was a groggy Sonny “mistaking” Jake for Jason and of course the re-enactment of Sam and Jason’s wedding. They even had Sam and Spinelli — irony alert! — working with (and occasionally,…

As far as we can tell, Dillon’s movie has two cast members and is being shot on a single set… so how the heck did he burn through his budget so quickly? And while we get that he wanted to finish filming his flick on the Haunted Star, we, on behalf of the project’s future audience, were practically begging him to find a secondary location if only for a change of scenery! • Someone needs to get Little Jake into therapy, pronto. YOU WIN SOME... GH’s Sonny decided to take a stand against his paralysis… YOU LOSE SOME... … only to fall out of his wheelchair and be forced to recognize the seriousness of the situation! Even if he weren’t exhibiting some bad behavior, you’d think the fact that he…

“Julian and Sonny genuinely like each other, but they’re forced not to like each other,” deVry says. But perhaps there’s hope for the pair down the line! “Going forward, there might be an opportunity for them to find each other as friends again,” he muses. “Maurice [Benard, Sonny] and I would enjoy that. I think the fans would enjoy it, too! I don’t think there’s a lot of bromance situations on daytime. It’s a great opportunity for two individuals to be like the best of friends and find common interest. There’s a whole potential gold mine there. ”…

Through the years, it sort of became an “event episode” whenever Anthony Geary (ex-Luke) and Maurice Benard (Sonny) shared a scene. You know, two icons going toe-to-toe, doing what they do best. As much of a treat as it was for viewers, it was even more of a gift for the actors, who have a genuine respect and affection for one another. One of the last people who Luke said good-bye to on his final day in Port Charles was Sonny, and in a way, it was just what their portrayers needed. “I know what I played, and I believe Tony played the same thing, which was, ‘I love you, man. And I’m gonna miss you,’” Benard reflects, getting a little choked up. “So it was deeper than the way…

FYIFYIFYI Born And Raised: Visalia, CA. Role Model: “Benedict Cumberbatch is a huge inspiration for me,” reveals Villanueva. “He has a Shakespearean background and does such great character work.” Parental Support: Villanueva initially studied exercise science before being bitten by the acting bug. “I called home and was like, ‘Hey, Mom, I’m changing my major. I’m going to be an actor.’ There was silence on the other end!” he recalls with a laugh. “But once they got over the shock, they were unbelievable. My parents have been so enthusiastic!” Growing up in Visalia, CA, near Fresno, THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS’ Miles Gaston Villanueva (Luca) was into sports, not soaps. “I was always the entertainer in my family, but my brothers and I were athletes,” he shares. “I never thought…

If Jeffrey Vincent Parise (ex-Carlos, GENERAL HOSPITAL) had his druthers, he wouldn’t have chosen to be remembered as the man who killed Duke Lavery. “I loved Carlos’ loyalty to Julian,” he says, “and his never-ending dedication to loving Sabrina.” While it came as no surprise that his tale would reach its conclusion, the performer was indeed sad that it happened so soon. “Part of my disappointment about Carlos’ [storyline] ending was that I thought that there was a lot more that could have been explored. He was just sort of ramping up to possibly even start his own Mob family,” Parise muses. “But then, once I got over the shock, I looked back at my run and was incredibly pleased. I feel like I’ve done some of my best work…

FYIFYIFYI For Starters: Shriner made his daytime debut on GH in 1977. West kicked offher soap career on ATWT in 1995. (Those are their “baby photos” on the right.) Must-Sea TV Stars: Though Shriner’s a bachelor and West is a married mother of five, they have something in common — “We’re both boat owners,” Shriner says. Solid Gold: Shriner is a four-time Daytime Emmy nominee. West is a three-time winner (twice for ATWT, once for GH). When GENERAL HOSPITAL paired Scotty and Ava as cour troom adversaries, sparks flew. And not just any old kind of sparks, either — the kind that start fouralarm fires and turn singletons into supercouples. Perhaps that’s because the schemers are so wellmatched. Or maybe it’s because their legendary portrayers, Kin Shriner and Maura West,…

For Part 2 of our exclusive interview with DAYS’ executive producer, pick up the next ABC issue of Soaps In Depth, on sale Monday, November 23!…

There’s nothing GENERAL HOSPITAL’s Maurice Benard (Sonny) likes more than a party, and this time, he had a good cause: daughter Cailey’s 21st birthday! The actor has thrown a handful of big shindigs at the different houses he’s lived in over the years. And it’s a good thing he and his wife, Paula, are great hosts, because when they throw a party — not often enough — they tend to gather quite a crowd. Several years ago, the Benard family moved a couple of hours outside of Los Angeles, making it more difficult for friends to just drop in, so this party was planned well in advance. Many of the star’s GH co-stars — past and present — kept their schedules clear for the weekend, wanting to celebrate Cailey, whom…

INFORMED Sabrina’s pregnancy news spread through the families. REVEALED Paul admitted to pulling offa body swap to “protect” Anna. Dillon played his and Valerie’s confessions for everyone at the Haunted Star. RECONSTRUCTED Spinelli’s high-tech software revealed to Carly that Jake is Jason! HIT ROCK BOTTOM Drunk and jealous Kiki got behind the wheel and caused an accident. SIDETRACKED A drunk driver pushed Carly offthe road before she could tell “Jake” who he is! GOT UNDER WAY Jake and Liz’ wedding began. KISSED Paul and Ava shared an unexpected liplock. DENIED Sabrina turned down Michael’s marriage proposal. BONDED Baby time brought Julian closer to both Alexis and Olivia. CRASHED Hayden finagled an invitation to Jake and Liz’s wedding.…

The In Depth Story: The Emmy winner plays Bobby G. Monroe, “a defense attorney whose specialty is taking on cases that could potentially be death penalty cases,” he tells Soaps In Depth. Watch for the legal eagle to defend the character Slider, who is awaiting trial for the killing of Alice Herrera. Bobby will do everything he can for his client. Legally, that is. “Unlike Kevin, Bobby has a very clear moral compass and has very black-and-white ideas of what’s right and wrong,” shares Rikaart. “He’s very passionate, and this has been fun to play!” Rikaart filmed two of his MAJOR CRIMES episodes during a week that Y&R was dark, and communication between the two series took care of the rest in terms of scheduling. “Everyone has been remarkable and…

The latest comings and goings — and how they will change your shows! The In Depth Story: Before Soaps In Depth broke the news in our last issue that, according to our sources, Thompson would not be renewing his contract with the soap, GH had posted a casting call for a sexy, dynamic and charismatic actor in Thompson’s age range to play a “bonafide leading man” in a contract role. But is the soap actually casting a new character? Perhaps, since the show widened their search to include authentic British and Australian actors. Then again, the amended casting notice could be a red herring. While we hear that GH is looking to beef up the hospital staff, sources also report that there are still plans to recast rogue-turned-family man Patrick.…

With Anna on the verge of losing her mind over Carlos’ murder, GH has called in a specialist to take over her case from Kevin: Anthony Montgomery debuted on November 6 as Dr. Andre Maddox. Fans of STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE might recognize the hot new doc as Ensign Travis Mayweather from the UPN series. Montgomery also had runs on SINGLE LADIES and POPULAR — and played the guy with whom GH’s Ethan caught wife Maya in bed back in 2011! So what does the arrival of this new shrink mean for Kevin and his portrayer, Jon Lindstrom? According to a show rep, Lindstrom, who is on recurring status, popped in for a few days, but there’s no official word on when he’ll be back.…

Dylan is fed up with being kept apart from Sharon, and he decides to stand up to Dr. Anderson on Monday, November 9. Some folks begin to question Billy’s motives on Tuesday, November 10. Are they right to be suspicious? Victor is on the receiving end of an unexpected offer on Wednesday, November 11, but is it one he should accept? And does it have something to do with the lifeline he throws Adam on Thursday, November 12? And on Friday, November 13, soap vet Jensen Buchanan hits the screen as Elsie Moxley. What brings the character to Genoa City?…

THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL’s Ridge can’t forgive Thomas for sleeping with a not-so-sober Caroline during the one hot minute that the veteran designer and his now-wife were on the outs. But perhaps this irate father ought to look back on his own personal histor y before drawing the line. Notes Thomas’ portrayer, Pierson Fodé, “There was a situation [in the past] where Ridge hooked up with Brooke when she [was under the influence of pills] and didn’t remember. So in this case, Thomas was literally following in his dad’s footsteps!” Fodé adds that though Thomas’ “seduction” of Caroline could be deemed in poor taste — or worse — his alter ego never set out to sleep with his dad’s woman or take advantage of her susceptible state. (Even Caroline…

… or was Ned’s recent one-day return to GH sort of a mixed blessing? On the one hand, we were thrilled to see his portrayer, Wally Kurth, who is currently busy playing Justin on DAYS OF OUR LIVES. Sure, the writers easily could have addressed the Ned/Olivia break-up via a one-way phone call or by having her explain to Dante what had happened offscreen. But we’re big believers that whenever possibly, soaps should show us, not tell us. On the other hand, there’s the little problem that his reason for dumping Liv — not being able to live with her lie about Leo — was negated two days later! We sort of assume the show is going to cause trouble for uber-popular Julian and Alexis by having him spend more…

Enough Already! I’m so sick of the mob stories. It seems that every character must be tied to the crime world in some way. It’s so frustrating! The show finally took the story in a different direction by pitting Michael against Sonny, but, as always, nothing really happened and Sonny is once again in Michael’s good graces. It’s time to find new stories! JamJen via E-mail Till Death!? The Sonny/Carly love story. I’ve seen it so many times. Their love and promises, we all know it’ll never last… Well, not this time! Maurice Benard (Sonny) and Laura Wright (Carly) are such fine actors! And you can tell they love each other as friends, in real life. It shines through. They have got me truly believing, just like their characters do,…

Despite having worked in daytime for years, Rick Hearst (Ric) can still be caught offguard by plot developments… like when Madeline put the moves on his alter ego! “First of all, it was Donna Mills!” Hearst says of Madeline’s iconic portrayer. “When you have to be intimate with somebody on camera, there’s a sort of introduction. There may be physical boundaries because you don’t know what issues people have. Ideally, it happens over time. With Donna, I gotta tell ya, none of that. She grabbed a hold of me in rehearsal and… sweat. Beading,” he says, pointing to his face. “No joke. You can ask anybody. I was literally giggling.” But it wasn’t what viewers saw in the episode that made Hearst jumpy, but what they didn’t see! “Madeline was…

Although Luca didn’t air until September, Villanueva got a taste of what being on a soap was like when he attended Y&R’s fan event in August. “It was unbelievable!” he declares. “I can’t believe how generous and curious the fans were! The energy was palpable!” In fact, the hunk chatted with fans for three hours during the autograph session. “I think at first a few fans were like, ‘Who’s that guy over there?’” he recounts with a laugh. “But people came over, and I did my first autograph. It was a trip! And to hear people from Texas, South Carolina, New York, Sweden — it was just incredible that these people were coming from all over the world to be part of this event. It was a pleasure and an…

FYIFYIFYI Birthday: June 20. Hometown: Ventura, CA. Piano Man: Being a pianist may have saved McCook’s life. After being drafted during the Vietnam War, he ended up getting a position in the Army Band, which kept him Stateside. The Impossible Dream: McCook considers Don Quixote in Man Of La Mancha to be one of his favorite musical roles. Frank Sinatra may have had a few regrets in life, but THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL’s John Mc-Cook (Eric)? Not so much. At least not when it comes to the career he’s carved out for himself. There are no former roles he looks at as “the one that got away,” for example. “Because I never turned down anything! Never once,” he says with a chuckle. That “I’ll tr y anything” mentality started…

Deidre Hall (Marlena) What do you remember about your first day at DAYS? “I was actually brought on to bridge two characters. I was brought in for a few months to carry the Mickey Horton case load and then be gone. It’s been about 40 years now. I had no idea. You can’t even begin to imagine, because things are usually so fleeting in show business… I think there is [still] an important place for soaps. I think there are people who are shut-ins or isolated who think of us as their family. Come holidays and special birthdays, we are so important to those folks. I think it’s a critical show. I don’t imagine we could ever, ever lose that.” To what do you attribute the show’s longevity? “I think…

New showrunners Alexi Hawley and Terence Paul Winter have employed an age-old soap opera plot device to spice things up this season on CASTLE: They’ve broken newlyweds Richard Castle and Kate Beckett up! Sure, the duo still love each other, but in order to keep her husband safe while seeking justice for the murders of people close to her in the past, Beckett’s had to push pause on their relationship. Meanwhile, the casework continues to pile up in the 12th precinct, and as the new captain, she’ll have to multi-task. But can she really keep crime novelist/newly licensed private eye Castle at arm’s length while doing so? Not if he can help it! Hawley and Winter share the scoop on the fun episodes — and the recognizable faces — coming…

Q What’s the nicest compliment anyone has ever paid you? Jason Thompson (Patrick, GH) “One that comes to mind right offthe bat was when a former girlfriend — and this was before GENERAL HOSPITAL, so I had 25 cents in my pocket — told me I was the richest man she had ever met. It obviously had nothing to do with money, because I had nothing at the time. That always stuck with me.” Tyler Christopher (Nikolas, GH) “[Actress] Lynn Collins told me I was a very relaxed actor after one of our scenes in a pilot.” Gina Tognoni (Phyllis, Y&R) “That I have confi-dence in God. That is something that means a lot to me, and it’s true!” Robert Scott Wilson (Ben, DAYS) “Kassie DePaiva (Eve) knows that I…

THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL Nicole made a decision about being Rick and Maya’s surrogate. Wyatt and Spencer were shocked when Ivy took Thomas’ side. Ridge and Caroline hoped to keep Thomas in the dark about her baby’s paternity. Apprehension and anxiety surround a family as they await an answer. THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS Hilary was found, but believed she was still married to Neil! After Ian set a fire at the Halloween gala that threatened everyone’s lives, Adam left the villain to die… but Patty saved him! Adam receives an offer he might not be able to refuse. But from whom does it come? DAYS OF OUR LIVES Salem celebrated its Bicentennial Gala. Bo raced to get home to Hope, who fought for her life after having married…