GH: Possible Cast Cuts Looming?

[Bright Eyes]

Of those 30 people, I'd only keep 5.

[quartermainefan]

They wrote stories without Kristina for 15 years, they can so again.

[Mr. Vixen]

Thanks for list..Makes my post easier, as now I don't have to research an official list of people I would cut faster than a bad hang nail.

Contract Characters That Need to Go:

Lisa LoCicero - (MAYBE keep her on recurring, but reduce her to once every month or two appearances as Coleman's skeezy barmaid girlfriend)

Kelly Monaco- (For sure would just go..I've actually been thinking of cool exit stories for her, but that is for a different board!)

Ingo Rademacher - (Sorry Jax fans -- He has served his purpose and the character has been ruined. He really serves no purpose as more than a Carly prop, which is the last thing GH needs.)

Maurice Benard - (I know this would never happen, but they've played out every Sonny angle and he is boring. The show is General HOSPITAL, and while it's OK to have other elements, the blatant glorification of Sonny and making him the HERO of the show, makes him a MUST GO to me.)

Vanessa Marcil - (She didn't do [!@#$%^&*] for the ratings. She's expensive. She's never gonna stick around. And she is probably the reason for these cast cuts, as she is obviously insanely expensive...To me, it seems like a huge waste since they spent a [!@#$%^&*] load of money promoting her and she did NOTHING for the ratings)

Julie Marie Berman - (Poor thing Just needs to go. She is a mediocre (at BEST) actress, and the character is washed out and tired. She used to be a funky, spunky teenager. Now she is whiny, preachy, and annoying. She turned her back on her family, and is all high and mighty about it. IT has really ruined the character. And JMB isn't some powerhouse actress, so it's not like her presence is making up for the demolotion of the character.)

Bradford Anderson - (The character doesn't neeed to be around anymore. He was entertaining at most, in the beginnning. His little wannabe romance with Lulu was entertaining, and the beginnings of Spixie were cute. But he is useless, and has no storyline. He's in the same boat as Sam, IMO. Huge episode counts, but no story.)

Brandon Barash - (I like him. I think he's a good actor, and I kind of like the character of Johnny. But Olivia, I think, is going to be on the chopping block, and there's not need for him to be around. Anthony is off the show, Claudia is dead. If Olivia goes, the only tie he will have is Sonny. And everyone knows that he won't win against Sonny, so it's just a matter of time until the character is gone anyway. However, if MB were to go, I would love to see Brandon stick around and be a music teacher for poor children!)

Laura Wright - (She needs to go on recurring at the very least..She is a very large airhog, and I don't think there's a reason. This Carly ISN'T carly. This is a character named Carly that happens to be Bobbie's daughter (or so we think -- Not like they ever share a scene). If she were to go on recurring and pop back up now and then in storylines with the Quartermaine's or her MOTHER, I would like it.)

[Cheap21]

How is Kristina used to justify how Sonny treats women? If anything Kristina is used to show how horrible he does treat them. Having her around has shown the ugly side of him as she calls him out on his BS. She's been used to show that he does abuse them and treat them like crap. She hasnt been used to justify his action. No rather the opposite. She's brought attention to it and demonstrated just how terrible he can be and that he's dead wrong with it.

I cant say IDA with you, but lets be realistic, Sonny and Carly arent going anywere. Ditto for Lulu, Brenda and Jax. They are safe but I think the rest all of a shot at leaving and it would be for the best. So much of the show is built around Sonny that it would take some major restucturing to accomodate his exit. And of course Brenda, Carly and Jax are strong extensions of him. I dont think Guza would know what to do with himself and the show if he were to lose those 5 characters, so they're not going anywhere. The others though are highly expendable and he could write them out tomorrow without it having a significant impact on the show

Out of the roster, I think the most expendable are

Anthony Geary as Luke Spencer

John J. York as Mac Scorpio

Nancy Lee Grahn as Alexis Davis

Rebecca Herbst as Elizabeth Webber

Tyler Christopher as Nikolas Cassadine

Kelly Monaco as Sam McCall

Jane Elliot as Tracy Quartermaine

John Ingle as Edward Quartermaine

Bradford Anderson as Damien Spinelli

Sonya Eddy as Epiphany Johnson

Brandon Barash as Johnny Zacchara

Jason Cook as Matt Hunter

Nathan Parsons as Ethan Lovett

Lisa LoCicero as Olivia Falconeri

Brianna Brown as Lisa Niles

Scott Reeves as Steve Webber

Thats alot but these characters either are barely used or seem to have outlived their usefulness. I dont think it would be a major surprise if we hear that any of this bunch were dropped. Rebecca, Tyler and Anthony...its obvious Guza doesnt know what to do with them and I think the only reason they are kept around is bc of their longevity/seniority. I dont get the fascination with Geary considering he leaves for vacation every few months which makes it difficult to write around him, not to mention that his stories have been constant rehashes for the past several years. The character of Elizabeth is a joke now. There is like no plan with her and she is a mess. She could easily be written out. Ditto for Nikolas, who's only strong tie seems to be via Lucky. He's failed as the patriarch of the Cassadine family (which he shouldnt be considering he is still young) and it doesnt help that they barely associate Alexis and her clan as part of that family anymore. I love Lisa but I feel she will either go to Ferncliff or a morgue within a few months

[DRW50]

That Kristina basically forgave and accepted him after the car bombing, and she bought into the line about how that's just his attempt to show love and that he's hurting and misunderstood and is a good father. If a daughter can believe that then they might think viewers are more likely to believe it.

[Cheap21]

Kristina's relationship has been rocky from the beginning and continues to be. As of 2 days ago, she hates Sonny. She didnt "accept" him after the car bombing. He cut her off. He cancelled her credit cards and took her car away. He also got Alexis to ground her. She was making nice bc she was put on punishment and like a typical teenager, she realzied she was fighting a losing battle, especially if she wanted the luxuries that she loved back. Part of their agreement was that she was to stop disrepsecting Sonny and would agree to have lunch and/or dinner with him when he requested it. She also realized that her action nearly got Johnny killed, so she agreed to drop her anger and stay out of their business to try and maintain some semblance of peace. She was pretty much forced and bribe to treat Sonny differently bc he demanded it, not that she wanted to on her own. And like I said, as of this week, she's back to hating and talking bad about him. She says she wants to love him bc he's her father but she cant accept or get over how he is and how he treats people. She never forgave him and instead has been masking her feelings about him bc she has some deep underlying issues of anger and resentment regarding him that has not been properly dealt with. The show never used her to get the audience to accept his behaviour. Maybe from Sonny's perspective, but from her? Nope, she is one of the few that is used to show the ugly side of him

[Mr. Vixen]

Oh, I know that Sonny, Carly, Lulu, Brenda, etc. aren't going anywhere. I was just saying who I personally think is expendable, and who I would like to see cut.

Sadly, your list is more realistic. But I don't think Rebecca Herbst, Tony Geary, Jane Elliott and maybe even John York, will be cut. Rebecca, as far as I've seen, is a fan favorite. And I don't think Guza will EVER cut Tony...I've always got the feeling that he thought getting rid of Luke would kill the show. For some reason, he didn't get the memo after the huge ratings drops of Stuart Damon, Natalia Livingston, and even Lindze Letherman's exits. Jane is safe because she's connected to Luke, and even Lulu. Plus Brook is on the show, and has been involved in a few stories now, so it seems she miiiight be around for a while. Not that Tracy and Brook ever interact, but they could be very fun in a storyline. John York is probably safe because I think they like to use him in little parts when it comes to Maxie's latest sluthood, or Robin's drama. I think at the most, I could see him going to recurring.

Tyler Christopher is a very tough one for me. On one hand, I think he is completely expendable and I'm ready for him to go. But on the other hand, I think that there is so much that could be done. I'm liking his stuff with Brook. He has mad chemistry with NLG. I like him with Liz, and he is shaping up to be a great father. I think he could go either way, and if they continue to do what they've been doing with him, he could easily be put on recurring.

I think Sonya Eddy is safe. She is very capable if they GAVE her a story other than snarking at people. But aside from that, I think they're always going to want to have at least one "token" black on contract. So unless Annie Ilonzeh gets put on contract, I think Sonya is safe.

[JaneAusten]

The only reason Geary is still on GH is because he wants to be and prestige. I am positive that's how GH/Guza see it. He's an icon on that show they won't axe him. Should he go? Heck yeah.

As far as Rebecca Herbst, so what she's a fan favorite. Lots of them have left/gotten axed. Look at Genie Francis. But she's not going anywhere. She's got Jason and Lucky's kids as hers and they found Nikolas to saddle her character with now. Which is why he's not going anywhere either.

Rather than cut the lower paid actors, they should cut a couple of higher salaried people. I love Kelly Monaco but once she and Lucky were done(not JJ) and they plastered her back with Steve, the character died. I suspect she'll be kept around because Jason needs a love interest and she's convenient.

I do think contracts and money won't be what they were but most will stay around because where else are they going to go.

[dragonflies]

It's not like Jason can't be paired up with anyone else but Sam, so yeah I can see KMo going, but I doubt she will cause I agree that it's "convenient" to keep Sam with Jason even thought it ruins her character

[DRW50]

Much of the show is from Sonny's perspective. If he feels she accepts him more now, then a lot of viewers will feel the same way unless she is virulently opposed to him, which she no longer is. Between that and having her do stupid things like "date" Johnny to make viewers pity Sonny, and turning her abuse story into a story about Sonny's pain, they feel they can use her over and over for Sonny's benefit.

[reallyhateskateonlost]

I'm sure all the characters that I like to see go away for ever will be the ones they keep.

[quartermainefan]

I would hate to see him go. For starters he is the best actor on the show I think. For all the hollow talk over the years about how GH has the most talented cast in daytime, the cast is doesn't seem to be exceptionally talented and very few of them (Geary, Jane Elliot, Ron Hale, John Ingle) are noteworthy in any way or have the ability to rise above the material. The show is better when Luke is on I think. As for prestige, well, this is a reason not to axe him. Every actor on the GH cast seems to be laughed at come Emmy time. No one can get awards except for Geary and JMB in a fake category. Why should he go?

[Sylph]

I'm on the Fire Geary! bandwagon. And never hire Genie Francis again.

[Cheap21]

Geary is an expensive waste of money. Highly overrated and Luke hasnt been relevant to the show in years. Sadly keeping him around is the only way they can keep Tracy semi-relevant bc for whatever reason they dont deem her fit to handle a storyline on her own. They could remove Geary tomorrow and absolutely nothing would change on the show. His character's role is very trivial at this point and his exit would not have a significant impact at all

[Mr. Vixen]

Geary could be far more relevant if they used him. If Genie Francis came back, I would love to see a modernized triangle between Scotty/Laura/Luke. Since he has been in France with her, it's safe to assume they're together. Of course that would drive Luke nuts, and would make him question whether he was in love with Tracy or Laura.

Laura would stick by Scotty, thinking Luke has moved on, and admitting she has feelings for him. But Scott would know that Laura is secretly yearning for Luke. He could team up with Tracy to keep Laura and Luke away from each other. But Bobbie and Scott will grow closer as friends, and she will redevelop her old romantic feelings for him. Obviously, she won't tell Scott how she feels, but will pretend to be working with Tracy and Scott, but will secretly double cross them to push Laura back to Luke.

Bobbie would start snooping around in Scott's past, and find out that Scott was planning on destroying Lulu, still angry for her killing his son. Bobbie would anonymously give this information to Laura, who would be heartbroken and fall into Luke's arms and break things off with Scotty. Of course, Bobbie would be a shoulder to cry on for the heartbroken Scott. They would begin exploring a romantic relationship.

Tracy, vengeful and angry, realizes Bobbie is suspicous, and digs up the truth. She reveals everything in front of a crowd at General Hospital. Bobbie is humiliated, and Scott ends things with her on the spot. Laura contemplates whether or not this changes things between her and Scott. Luke has now fallen fully in love with Laura again, and fights for her. Bobbie and Laura have serious catfights over this, juuust like the old days.

So many characters COULD be relevant, if only anyone WROTE for them...