Wait, did ‘General Hospital’ just kill off one of TV’s most iconic characters?

by Therese Odell, posted in Uncategorized

You need this:

All Other TV News

This Is Us returned last night for its final season, and people are wondering if it’s another death rattle for network television. Good question! I don’t know! Everything has changed so much in the past 10 years! That said, while I think streaming services are obviously the future, I also think there will always be space for the networks and free programming, and that great shows could still be created there.

Additionally, according to the interview with creator Dan Fogelman above, I wouldn’t be holding my breath for a spin-off.

Even if you don’t watch soap operas, you have certainly heard of Luke on General Hospital. Well, this week, the show might have just killed him off, one of the most popular characters in daytime history. Anthony Geary, the actor who plays Luke, has not been on the show regularly since 2015 after having some creative differences with the writers over his characters’ choices. So news of his death — which took place off-screen in an Austrian cable car incident? —  was delivered to Laura by another character, Tracey Quartermaine. A couple of things of note here: 1. It’s a soap opera, and we don’t have a body, so obviously he could still be alive. Obviously. 2. Luke and Laura’s famous wedding took place 40 years ago on November 16. Why I find this interesting is that General Hospital tapes about a month or so in advance. Meaning that taking into account the holiday breaks around Thanksgiving and Christmas, these scenes were probably filmed around the time of the actual 40th anniversary. I don’t know if it means anything, but it would certainly be a curious way to mark the occasion: to kill off one of the main characters of the event.

Why Tracee Ellis-Ross didn’t like Anthony Anderson until about halfway through the first season of black-ish. Spoiler: it involves a dumb fart joke.

Technically, Squid Game has not yet been renewed for a second season, but creator Hwang Dong-hyuk is already talking season three.

Netflix has encouraged recruiters to avoid the topic of Dave Chappelle when interviewing potential employees. LOL, WHY?

Looks like Ted Lasso is back in production:

Cynthia Nixon revealed that she was reluctant to join the cast of And Just Like That … unless big changes were made. “But the more I talked to Sarah Jessica [Parker], Michael Patrick King [the show’s writer-creator], and Kristin [Davis], about the things that I couldn’t go back without—a real sea change in terms of the lack of diversity in the original series—they were on board.” Understandable!

That said, some are critical of And Just Like That …‘s hamfisted attempts to diversify and age their characters, noting that the protagonists behave as if they’ve never encountered Black professors, nonbinary individuals, or their own aging bodies before. Fair!

Four days in and 2022 has already outdone itself:

This is a good list of shocking character deaths from last year, but before you click, be prepared. SERIOUSLY. SPOILERS EVERYWHERE. (For me, it was the Mare of Easttown one. Still kinda stunned by how they pulled that off .)

Fox News ends 2021 as the most-watched cable news network once again. But I would look more closely at the numbers: Fox News delivered 1.327 million total viewers in total-day ratings, whereas CNN had 773,000 viewers and MSNBC 905,000 viewers. I would argue that CNN and MSNBC split their audiences, where there is only one “reputable” news source that would attract conservative viewers (despite what OANN and Newsmax might have to say about it).

Jim Cramer is an idiot and people had thoughts:

Jana Duggar has pled guilty to child endangerment in relation to a child she was babysitting.

Going Viral

So, it’s been two weeks since we’ve talked COVID, how’s everything going?

Two weeks ago:

New York Times

This week:

New York Times

 

New York Times

OH. MI. CRON.

So, as you can see above, Omicron is ripping through us. The good-ish news is that the variant continues to be relatively mild, and though the case numbers are terrifying, and hospitalizations are up, deaths are hovering around the same 1,500-2,000 per day rate. Now, those last two pieces of information aren’t great — that is still an unacceptable daily death rate, and the hospitalization increase is putting immense pressure on our health care systems and will certainly have profound ramifications for those who had to be hospitalized, physically, financially, emotionally. It’s just that considering how contagious this variant is, we are incredibly lucky it’s not deadlier.

As I’ve mentioned here before, my husband is an attorney, and currently his biggest client is a cruise company that you have definitely heard of. He is defending them against nearly 100 lawsuits stemming from the alpha version of the virus from way back in February and March 2020. As such, he spends a lot of time researching this virus and a few weeks ago, he shared with me this story about a double-vaxxed traveler who caught the Omicron variant of Covid while inside a Hong Kong quarantine hotel from another guest across the hallway with whom they had no contact. That’s when I knew that basically we’re all going to get Omicron, no matter what precautions we took. If you haven’t already, GET BOOSTED. This thing will make its way into your home one way or another: protect yourself the best you can.

(By the way, the company he is defending is NOT Royal Caribbean.) (Also, and don’t tell his client I said this, but you probably shouldn’t cruise during a pandemic.)

TV is being hit hard: Grey’s Anatomy, Station 19, and The Rookie have delayed production; The Wendy Williams Show and Nick Cannon have delayed their return; both of NBC’s late-night shows had to cancel this week’s episodes after both hosts contracted the virus; The View and Live with Kelly and Ryan! have both returned to filming from their homes; HBO Max’s Peacemaker, The Book of Boba Fett, and RuPaul’s Drag Race all canceled their premiere and red carpet events. And The Grammys have just been postponed indefinitely.

Meanwhile, Fox & Friends‘ Brian Kilmeade, this monster, he urged viewers to “live with” COVID and return to normal life and work: “It’s called live with it. Go to work. Live with it. Get on a train. Get on a bus. Get on a plane. How do we live with it? We can no longer hide from it.” Fun fact: Kilmeade was filming alone in the studio while his co-hosts filmed from their homes.

And Tucker Carlson managed to get angry in the same episode at Joe Biden for wearing a mask outside and AOC for not wearing a mask outside. These fucking idiots.

And that’s certainly just the tip of the iceberg.

Jay Weaver, a Christian musician died of COVID.

Grichka and Igor Bogdanoff, twin French TV presenters who were vocally anti-vax, died of COVID within days of each other.

And Kelly Ernby, an anti-mandate DA in Orange County, died of the virus.

Broadway has all but shut down again: Music Man had to cancel performances after Hugh Jackman tested positive; Mrs. Doubtfire took a hiatus; Hamilton in Los Angeles canceled performances; Paradise Square delayed its premiere; Thoughts of a Colored Man, Waitress, Flying Over Sunset and Is There Still Sex in the City? have closed permanently. Additionally, New York’s Public Theater has canceled it’s Under the Radar off-Broadway festival.

The Critics Choice Awards will be postponed; The Palm Springs International Film Festival was canceled; The Holiday Bowl was canceled; The Hawai’i Bowl was canceled; The Westminster Dog Show is being postponed; Apple has closed its New York stores; Hong Kong Disney is shutting down; Universal Orlando is going back to masks; The Golden Globes will still happen, but without an audience (or a network); Sundance is still happening, but will require vaccination — with booster — proof Sundance is going virtual; and the Consumer Electronics Show is happening in person this week though ending a day early. Sure, that will keep everyone safe.

And, LOL, Joe Rogan had to cancel a show in Vancouver because he refuses to get vaccinated. This asshole.

Marjorie Taylor Greene finally got kicked off of Twitter for posting COVID disinformation, so that asshole above directed his followers to join Gettr in protest.

NO, BETTY WHITE DID NOT DIE OF THE VACCINE. THE WOMAN WAS NEARLY 100 YEARS OLD, YOU GUYS, LOOKING AT HER WRONG COULD HAVE KILLED HER.

In Development

Mark Your Calendars

  • Archive 81 will debut on Netflix on January 14.

  • Cheer returns on Netflix on January 12.

  • Indivisible: Healing Hate premieres on Paramount+ on January 6.

  • Pam & Tommy will debut on Hulu on February 2.

  • Wolf Like Me premieres on Peacock on January 13.

  • Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness will premiere on Netflix on January 28.

  • Sex Appeal will debut on Hulu on January 14.

  • Real Time With Bill Maher returns on HBO and HBO Max on January 21.

  • No Retreat: Business Bootcamp will debut on CNBC on February 22.

  • Through My Window will premiere on Netflix on February 4.

  • The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild will debut on Disney+ on January 28.

  • Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein premieres on Netflix on January 14.

R.I.P.

Joan Copeland, Prolific actress who appeared in a number of soap operas and Broadway, and the sister of Arthur Miller

Jay Wolpert, Original producer of The Price is Right among many other game shows, and producer of several films

Jeff Dickerson, NFL reporter for ESPN

Angela Kukawski, Kardashians’ business manager

Harry Colomby, Former partner and business manager of Michael Keaton

WATCH THIS

The Amazing Race: Hosting a global race around the world during a pandemic? Sure. Why not. We’re all getting Omicron anyway. Season premiere. 7 p.m., CBS

I Can See Your Voice: Season premiere. 7 p.m., Fox

Good Sam: Sophia Bush and Jason Isaacs star in this new medical drama about a gifted heart surgeon who becomes chief of surgery. Series premiere. 9 p.m., CBS

Late Night:

  • The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Neve Campbell, SAINt JHN
  • The Late Late Show with James Corden: Jessica Chastain, Penélope Cruz, Andrew Sleighter
  • Watch What Happens Live: Shannon Beador, Carson Kressley

WEDS. 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30
ABC The Goldbergs
(new)		 The Wonder Years
(new)		 The Conners
(new)		 Home Economics
(new)		 The Chase
(new)
CBS The Amazing Race
(new)		 Good Sam
(new)
CW DC’s Legends of Tomorrow
(repeat)		 Batwoman
(repeat)		 Local
FOX I Can See Your Voice
(new)		 Next Level Chef
(new)		 News/Local
NBC Chicago Med
(new)		 Chicago Fire
(new)		 Chicago P.D.
(new)

 

2 thoughts on “Wait, did ‘General Hospital’ just kill off one of TV’s most iconic characters?”

  1. Monday the FDA approved boosters for 12-15 year olds. I managed to get one for my 13 year old Yesterday.

    Reply

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