GH: Actor announces exit

[titan1978]

I am not cheering anyone who seems like a nice person losing their job. However, this is a long overdue course correction. Once they lost the original OLTL characters due to PP, they should have stopped, or negotiated with PP, or just waited to see what happened.

Who knows if any of those characters would have been successful if cast with different performers. Instead we had a decade + of them trying to make it work. It never worked, and the further away from GH Frank got the more the ratings eroded.

I feel like a long national nightmare has finally come to a close.

[janea4old]

Okay so he recorded that goodbye video on his final taping day, and he held onto it. Then he posted it on June 26, which he expected to be his final airdate.  However there was an insert/filler episode that moved his final airdate to June 27.

Edited June 26, 2024 by janea4old

[Khan]

Believe me, @Vee, I know how you feel.

Haters are gonna hate, but I'm convinced that the only reason why Finn, Drew, Nina and even Ava "work" even a little bit now is due to PM's influence.

[Vee]

I agree in general, but Ava has always been pretty fluid and has outlasted many terrible stories. What I'm disappointed by is how they seem to now be shutting down the whole angle of Ava as the schemer in Sonny's home, which seems like a 180 from Mulcahey's story - Sonny has immediately kicked her out. Am I glad Sonny has come to his senses about Ava overall as opposed to their ridiculous civility and friendliness over the last several years and is now regularly citing Connie's murder to her face? Absolutely. But I also quite liked what PM was doing with it by making Ava the spider in his lair, ruining him. I suspect the plan was for Ava and Valentin to link up with what they knew about each other's schemes, and work together.

[DRW50]

I actually think the current material is good soap - a grieving son losing his sobriety and struggling to accept help, causing trauma to his daughter, and we see how his friends and family have to cope. It's certainly more suited to Michael Easton than most of what he's been given.

The problem is we know that won't last, and so much else done with the character and actor has been a waste of time.

I also don't believe Michael Easton is gone for good, but if he is, I'm glad he was so gracious, similar to Roger Howarth last year. That's more than I can say for a number of soap actors, including one or two from this very show.

And yes, I agree that this story is a glimpse of the best Mulcahey could have brought to the show, more than all the mire that gets attention (Pikeman, Joss, Sonny and so on). 

I wonder how much longer Chase will be around. I've seen some fans say if he goes Brook Lyn will be fiery and fun again. Good luck with that.

Edited June 26, 2024 by DRW50

[Vee]

I think the stuff prior to Gregory's death (with him and Tracy, with the wedding, with the final hours with him and Finn, etc.) was all quite good. And I think the immediate aftermath when Finn found him, etc. was also very good, and a lot of his collapse is decent. I think after the first week or so of June you can really tell the show is being pulled back towards factory settings. There's still stuff that shines through, like the recently-created friendship between Tracy and Stella, and Stella sharing with Tracy her story of her lost love, but the move back towards poor suffering Sonny and his struggle with his love for Jason and Carly is very clear. I'm just grateful the Drew/Nina/Willow stuff seems to still be in play for now. But once Mulcahey's name is gone (or once his mark seems totally lost) so am I, at least until Jonathan Jackson shows up. I will be back to watch his return, though I don't have high hopes for the story. It will be the first time he and Genie have had any extended solo material since the '90s, and that's reason enough to watch.

I truthfully don't think ME will be back again. I think the third time is the charm for both him and Roger, and I think ABC has had enough of indulging Frank on OLTL stars - that's why they had the knives out for Roger and allegedly pushed him to ice both Franco and Austin (in addition to needing money for Steve Burton). But yes, I will still be waiting a year or more to be sure lol.

[DRW50]

I'm always more invested in commenting on here about GH than watching so I probably won't be keeping up much either - I can definitely see where they are reverting to norm, especially with Sonny. As they can't get rid of Sonny, maybe reverting to norm isn't the worst for him because it just makes characters look worse to say he's horrible and then enable him, but either way, it's not worth watching.

I think Roger is definitely gone, and I think killing off his character (just for the sake of it, seemingly - has that story had any movement?) was an indication of that finality, but Michael I'm not as sure of. Still, we're at an exit point now so I will just say good luck to him and hope that's it.

[Vee]

Nope. I assume Valentin's organization did it, but I'd like it if it was Ava herself. I truly don't think the show remembers or cares.

[DRW50]

Thanks. If that was during the strike they are probably even less inclined to go back.

[Taoboi]

Well, well, well...wishes for some do come true.

 

I do like Michael Easton as a person, but the whole 'leaving-coming-back-as-a-new-character' did the characters he played no favors. Love him as Caleb. Liked him as John here and there. And as I've been saying in the GH Thread, the Finn's Spiral storyline has been surprisingly enjoyable to watch, and it's been great to give ME something to dig into. 

 

And so soon, too? A tale with a beginning, middle, AND end? Good to see PM getting us something out of his exit. 

 

 

[Contessa Donatella]

If it is true - and I think it is - that it was Korte who wanted Patrick, I am grateful for that, and give a tip of the hat to her. Also, if it is true - and again I think it is - that they had to beg him to come, I am grateful for that as well, because god only knows, he deserved it. I continue to hate that it didn't work out because I think so much of what is good now is from him, but as a fan, I shoulder on. Right now I feel a building momentum. I hope that's not just because I am hyper-aware that sweeps begins tomorrow. And, I am one who thinks tomorrow will be the last we'll see of Michael Easton. 

[Taoboi]

And you would be correct. I also called this as well. 

 

Drew and Nina doing the hate sex that was popping off of them. And watching it grow.

 

Ava turning back into the femme fatale she was meant to be. Okay...this one I didn't call. lol. 

 

And now Finn with his spiral. 

 

Giving the characters clear purpose and most importantly...direction. BETTER direction at that. Because beforehand there was no use for them. and now even naysayers are somewhat interested. 

[titan1978]

The last 12 months-ish have proven to me that Valentini does not wield the total control at GH that had been afforded to him before. I have no idea who the ABC brass is that has gotten involved, but it’s pretty clear.

Because Frank would have written out others to keep the budget good rather than choosing all on his own to get rid or Roger or Michael. He did it before with Genie (which backfired spectacularly). I could easily have seen DZ and most of the Black folks being offered recurring before either of those two were fired. Then PM lured out of retirement (which FV clearly had a hand in botching), and now JJ back? He’s under someone’s thumb at ABC.

Nina and Maxie have had the most improvement by far. I have grown to like Nina, and that’s all CW and Mulcahey.

Has any ABC actor logged as many hours as ME in the 2000’s? He was heavy on PC, felt like the only man used on OLTL, and all his wasted frontburner time on GH.

[Vee]

A few people have claimed (including Donna, I believe) that Frank actually didn't want Lucky back unless he could get Jonathan. If this is true then he and I are simpatico. I am not so arrogant to think FV isn't a nuanced person, nor do I know his mind. (Shout-out to @Darn's sig!) Most of us are just guesstimating based on history and our own subjective biases.

That being said I also think holding out for JJ as Lucky suited his other purposes - a character as big as a Lucky or a Brenda with a star as big as Jonathan or VM destabilizes the bland show he's been making for years, with mostly his favorites or his own handpicked hires. How many male characters become redundant or at least less purposeful with Jonathan Jackson around? Several. We can say the same with Brenda and many existing characters. And JJ is an actor who's had a degree of success outside of daytime and could be assumed to be unavailable for a long period (though he's claimed to be willing to return since 2015 before). So I think it may be a combination of FV wanting JJ and also not wanting to make material improvements to the show that he couldn't control, like just bringing on a recast. (Or he could've just been using not being able to get Jonathan for Lucky as the excuse all along, and now he's out of excuses - but I'm not going to be totally cynical about it.)

The situation with VM is different, so if they announce Brenda's back then we'll really know Frank is in a spot lol. But yes, I think this is at least partly happening because Frank is pressurized.

[dragonflies]

I will honestly be shocked if his return does anything for the ratings long term.