According to SOD, JJ is gone in 2012..no word on recast. This was rumored for months. I personally have no comment. I actually feel a bit for Greg Vaughn. Wonder if Tony Geary will be next. By the way, I totally think this is JJ's CHOICE to leave. His band is doing really well and he knows where GH is headed.
UPDATE: From TV Guide, here's WAY MORE INFO!!
Here's a shocker. TV Guide Magazine has learned that four-time Emmy winner Jonathan Jackson has decided to leave General Hospital and his role as Lucky Spencer and will shoot his final scenes November 17. A rep for the ABC soap says "we can neither confirm nor deny" that Jackson is out. Word from the set is that the beloved and acclaimed actor is exhausted from a heavy work schedule and months of a harrowing storylines that have included the death of Lucky's child and the character's addiction to drugs. Sources say Jackson had attempted to get GH execs to lighten his schedule with no luck. He also wanted to be romantically reteamed with Rebecca Herbst (Liz) but struck out there, too. The actor has already completed his final scenes with TV dad Tony Geary (Luke). Look for Jackson to be off the air by mid-to-late December.
Wonder who thought he 'wasn't sexy enough'..!
ReplyDeleteThis show is tanking...
I know, LOL..I could have used him as an example of someone that looks WAY too young to play his role!
ReplyDeleteLast-Nail-In-Coffin
ReplyDeleteAbout time! GV got SO screwed. I hated JJ coming back from the start and knew it would never work. If this show wasn't being canned I'd think they may hire GV back.
ReplyDeleteI guess he'd rather do third-rate direct-to video horror films than this junk.
ReplyDeleteI am so disappointed. I was hoping he and Becky Herbst would be paired up again.....
ReplyDeleteGH is too dark.Too depressing. Good luck and best wishes to JJ,though.
Linda
AntJoan
ReplyDeleteThought you'd like to know it was 61 and sunny in Buffalo today and it's supposed to be even warmer tomorrow and Wednesday. A real Indian summer!
Dar
Another one of my all time favs returns... and GH ruins it. Don't blame JJ and wish him the best. Just make the damn announcement already and start wrapping the show up. So sad for this lifetime fan.
ReplyDeleteCarrie, I completely agree. I was against JJ's return from the start (mostly because I knew he would not hang around long) and I think GV got totally screwed. I do hope they go to him and offer him the part back and that he tells them to shove it where the sun don't shine...what a mess these people have made of this show. Good Lord, the Titanic had better chances of staying afloat!
ReplyDeleteWonder if Rex from OLTL would come over to GH and take over for JJ? If he hasn't signed with the online stuff yet, I think he'd make a great Lucky (although not as good as JJ, who 99% of the time BLEW UP whatever scene he was in).
ReplyDeleteI cannot watch GH anymore...in a (very loose) sense, it's like watching someone in your family waste away with dementia. Sometimes there are flashes of insight or clarity that harken back to better times but most of the time it's frustrating and heartbreaking and you know what the ultimate outcome is finally going to be.
Much respect to those of you who are sticking it out!
-OldSchoolGhFan
FUCKING assholes. Sorry, but they are. JJ is golden, just golden. I felt bad for GV too but no one can replace JJ. The emotion he brought made me hair stand up on the back of my neck and give me chills! Who wouldn't be sick to play all those emotional scenes with no light heartedness and have to put up with the irish chick vs his daytime wife. No good scenes with Becky, maybe, what 5 eppys? And those were over Jake & sad. Good for him. So many others have to stay and keep playing out this crap, and he at least has a choice. I don't blame him. And I hope GV says no also. The only thing I miss about GV is how he lit up the screen with Sam. And he was great with the kid actors, too. I guess little Aiden won't be portrayed by JJ's kid anymore, hu?
ReplyDeleteI thought everyone knew he was leaving??
ReplyDeleteHe has stated for 6 months he wanted to be gone by Christmas.
So why the surprise?
I guess his boobs weren't big enough...
ReplyDeletePiper such language-I am surprised that KD who owns this blog has not removed your post as she does many others.
ReplyDeleteReally anon? funny you didn't have the guts to leave your name. Karen said before she doesn't remove language unless it's against a person on this blog or against the actors personally. I bet there arer worse words many of us can think of that F'ing a holes. I didn;t mean to offend, I'm just disgusted as JJ is one of my favorites. He & Becky were a bright spot for me during a rough time in my life. And his return reminded me of that.
ReplyDeleteOkay Piper my name is Mike and I am 67 years old. I have been watching GH probably longer than you have been alive. I don't disagree with your feelings(that is your right)but feel that there is a better way to say things. That type of language is not very lady-like, however I do respect your right to use it. If I don't like it I don't have to read it. Sorry I upset you.
ReplyDeleteLame. Really lame. I felt for GV when they brought JJ back because GV had really made Lucky his own. Then JJ comes back and TPTB obsess about doing a 180 with Lucky again. All of a sudden he would rather hang around Ireland instead of be with his family? Ugh. Stupid. I pretty much saw this coming for sure when they did a total about face with Lucky and Liz. It seemed like they were going to reunite but now Liz is being tested with Matt. BH got a huge shaft here as well. Aiden should have just remained Nikolas' baby and they should have NEVER fired TC (or IR!!).
ReplyDeleteI love JJ. I can't stand anyone else in the role, even an actor as good as GV. Those were heavy, and hard storylines, and it seems that when the writers/producers stop listening to their actors ("please lighten up, please...") it's a bad sign. I love my soap, I'll keep watching, but I'll miss JJ. And I think, so will a large amount of audiences. Maybe...we can go Luckiless for a while. That'd be healthy for Liz.
ReplyDeletekdmask...JJ IS the role! For anyone who watched GH for years, he is the original/authentic Lucky. He's great looking, has connection to the characters and can light up a screen with a twinkle in his eyes or bring one to tears with those same eyes in an emotional scene. Too bad part of GH history is leaving once again...
ReplyDeleteHe was great as kid/teen Lucky in the 90's, but I just didn't buy him as adult, father and detective Lucky.
ReplyDeleteHis return also made the Ethan situation even more awkward because Lucky was suppose to be a good sized kid when Luke supposedly cheated on Laura, yet JJ looked younger than Nathan Parsons, even if he isn't.
I also wasn't crazy about how they suddenly picked up right where he left off with his relationship with Sonny and Jason, as if nothing in the last decade happened. It's like he was suddenly the same Lucky who was living over Jason's garage again.
JJ was adorable and everything good as a Kid. Now he has turned into one miserable cry baby.
ReplyDeleteLet him leave. I can't watch anymore scenes of him.
Time for him to move on.
Today has been a very rough day for me all around. SO I am not surprised that this news hit today. JJ and Maxi are the only reasons that I still watch the show...I hope Kirsten hurries back or I will be deleting GH from my dvr. I have watched since 1981 and over the years have occasionally stopped watching for a year or so and then come back due to spoilers or upcoming stories.. If I stop watching this time, I guess I will tune in to see the swan song next August before Katie takes Gh spot.
ReplyDeleteI am not at all surprised that he is leaving. This was rumored months ago as well as other vets leaving. There will be more announcements. I think this was decided long ago. The Liz/lucky redo didn't work. This current story isn't working. I don't like Liz with him, and I have come to not enjoy Lucky, at all, with all the drinking, crying, depression and blame.
ReplyDeleteDITTO Lisa!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteDar, Thanks for the Buffalo weather update, I fondly remember Indian summers growing up. But back then, it usually snowed in October, and we didn't see the ground again until May.
ReplyDeleteJJ LEAVING!! How much pain and loss can all of us stand? And yet, I am loyal and keep watching, despite my Brenda leaving, TC, and all the other heartaches we have had to endure.
And today's show--OMG F minus minus minus, I think the absolute worst ever!! Where to start? It STILL is the same night, while it also is night in Ireland? How many times in one night can Kate show up looking for Sonny? And her line, I remember when I used to hold onto you, or something like that, my cat could write a better line. And WHO thinks that watching serial killers torture people is entertainment? ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE!! And then Lucky in the graveyard with the wee folk, or whatever, Matt prattling on about his stupid childhood while Liz slips into a coma, and EVERYONE HAVING A BIRTHDAY ON THE SAME DAY? What, it's Carly's birthday, and Maxie's birthday, and Joss's birthday, and Liz's birthday, and Emma's birthday, and the 2-year anniversary of Claudia's death!
Yet I can't stop watching this train wreck! Someone please help me!!
I'm with you Piper!!! I love JJ. the first few scenes he did with jason were so great, I felt like he had really come home. Not critizing GV, he was good but he was never really Lucky for me. I dont blame him for leaving..I think he gave it his best shot and just couldnt do it any more. I know I cant, I gave up watching after about 49 years
ReplyDeleteI am with Carrie here. What more fitting day to hear of this news than on an already bad one. I kind of knew this was coming but at the same time have fought to convince myself I was wrong. Either way I didn't expect it to be coming down the pike as soon as it is. =( I grew up with this Lucky and his return was one of the things that lured me back into watching. I am running out of reasons to endure this train wreck. ; ; It makes me mad that they weren't willing to work with his requests, especially just for a lighter workload. I am jealous of the people who are happy to see him go, this is a MAJOR loss for those of us who still care.
ReplyDeleteBe mad at the writers for the tears of Lucky, not JJ. That is real acting people and you may appreciate it one day instead of scrunched up faces with no tears (Maurice is the biggest culprit on this although I do love me some Maurice). I can't imagine how draining work has been for JJ & although I am a Liason fan first I did root for he & Becky to at least be in scenes together. Those old scenes were wonderful magic IMO. Him with Siabhon (sp) instead of Becky was crazy. And I don't mean romantically. It didn't have to be couples. Just in each others lives. These writers have forgotten everything. And ruined everything by ever putting Becky with Tyler C as Nik.
ReplyDeleteI did love GV and fel bad for him, but JJ IS Lucas Lorenzo Spencer the 3rd (?) for me.
Good luck JJ! This fan will always have a spot for you as Lucky.
There is no doubt that Jonathon Jackson is an amazing actor. It seems the writers/producers decided to take full advantage of the actors reputation as a powerhouse and throw him a bunch of dramatic storylines. While JJ made the best of any storyline thrown at him unfortunately GH just does not know how to write a decent dramatic storyline anymore. Instead of drama we get depressing, isolated Lucky...I started fast forwarding through any and all scenes he was in. Again, no insult to the actor but the material he was given was just so dang depressing.
ReplyDeleteI too could not see JJ's Lucky as a father or cop.
With rumours of JMB and AG leaving we may be witnessing the end of the Spencers. Time to recast asap.
Piper, well said - exactly what I was thinking. I agree with the other JJ fans - he IS Lucky and it's not his fault he was given such dour material. He is a remarkable actor and just seeing him on my screen makes me smile. Such a wonderful history with this show, from childhood on. A tremendous loss and I'm sure it won't be the last in this downward spiral of what used to be a great show. I am really sad about this news.
ReplyDeleteAntJoan.....you are not alone with not being able to stop watching this train wreck...GH is a hard habit to break. Yet it is just that, a hard bad habit and nothing more.
ReplyDeleteI understand most of your disapointment with JJ leaving. However, this news has been out there for months.
In reality, how many people, with contracts coming up, are going to re-sign?? This show is miserable, and it is all but over.
Why would any actor re-sign??
Just for the record, I don't blame the actors for anything, it all comes down to the writing.
Like Alexis, I wish him the best. The talented will find more rewards ahead for them, than to be stuck on a show that has deteriated to horrific.
Sorry, I meant to say Lexi (Krissy)
ReplyDeleteI really hope a certain fanbase doesn't start blaming Becky Herbst for JJ's departure, like they did w/ Tyler's exit...
ReplyDeleteRaven said another longtime male vet is leaving - probably Tony G., I would think. No point in Genie F. coming back since JMB is rumored to be leaving also, therefore clearing out the whole Spencer clan. Except Carly.
ReplyDeleteDon't you all think its time for AG to move on??
ReplyDeleteUnless he is given a storyline with substance, he is nothing more than a free loading lurker right now.
KUDOS for his performances in the past. I am not discrediting his acting, its just time he moved on.
I agree It is time for AG to move on or be a poart of the show on a daily basis. This showing up for a couple of months a year and all that block taping to make it look like Luke is arouns for longer.
ReplyDeleteI love AG and I think he is an awsome actor, but it is not fair to the audience or the other actors. AG shows up a couple of times a year, tapes some really dramatic stuff so he can get an emmy nod and disappears for a most of the year.
Lets move on from Luke.
A lot of comments. WOW!!
ReplyDeleteI don't think it was a question of, if he was sexy enough, or he didn't have big enough boobs. I believe it had more to do with the fact that he couldn't grow a full beard and instead we have been subjected to patchy work (pun intended).
His departure is a reminder of when all these young talents & fan fovourites left within a short block of one another back in '97, '98, '99, '00.
Michael Sutton (Stone), Lilly Melgar (Lily), Rena Sofer (Lois), Vanessa Marcil (Brenda), Senait Ashenafi (Keesha), Kimberly McCullough (Robin), Johnathan Jackson (Lucky), Steve Burton (Jason), Tyler Christopher (Nikolas) to name a few.
There was an outcry in the past, and it has come around again with this mass exodus of fan favourites whether on their own volition or not.
Vanessa Marcil (Brenda), Tyler Christopher (Nikolas), Ingo Rademacher (Jax), Lexi Ainsworth (Kristina), Johnathan Jackson (Lucky).
Now I'm waiting to hear when Tony Geary (Luke), Julie Marie Berman (Lulu), Kimberly McCullough (Robin), and perhaps even Steve Burton (Jason) and Maurice Bernard (Sonny) will decide to follow suit.
I just hope they don't blatantly rip off the series finale of Sopranos and have Sonny sitting inside Kelly's with his family and then fade to black for the last episode!!
If they must rip off something, make it like the episode where Bobby Ewing returned to Dallas with the shower scene.
Have Monica open the shower door and have Alan be there.
Or Sonny opening the shower door and finding Lily in there.
Or have Elizabeth open up the shower door and find Jason and Max in the shower together at Liason's cabin. Reference to the episode when Jason first takes Elizabeth to the cabin.
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Sad to see him go, as he is an immense talent. But like many of you've stated, it was inevitable. The writing was and has been on the wall since he returned.
The chance of LnL2 reuniting diminished greatly, when they decided to have Elizabeth cheat on Lucky with Nikolas.
They've ruined many characters and will continue to do so.
Even if Prospect Park has bought the rights to GH, I just don't see what they will have left to work with? Seems like no one wants to stay when the show has become this horrendous.
And, can we blame them???
'I believe it had more to do with the fact that he couldn't grow a full beard and instead we have been subjected to patchy work (pun intended)'.
ReplyDelete*************
LMAO!!!!!!
*************
'Now I'm waiting to hear when Tony Geary (Luke), Julie Marie Berman (Lulu), Kimberly McCullough (Robin), and perhaps even Steve Burton (Jason) and Maurice Bernard (Sonny) will decide to follow suit.
************
Robin in February. Luke hopefully before.
Jason will be the last man standing. Or the last man blown up.
*************
'If they must rip off something, make it like the episode where Bobby Ewing returned to Dallas with the shower scene'.
Have Monica open the shower door and have Alan be there'.
*************
YES!! YES!! YES!! I will 'buy it'!!
**************
'Even if Prospect Park has bought the rights to GH, I just don't see what they will have left to work with? Seems like no one wants to stay when the show has become this horrendous.
And, can we blame them???'
*************
AMEN!
I have mixed feelings about TG leaving. I agree it has been really distracting to see him disappear for most of the year, with whatever storyline he has just disintegrating. Love him as an actor and can't imagine GH without him. He is always interesting to watch, especially with his adlibs. Would rather see MB leave actually.
ReplyDeleteI don't feel that bad for Greg Vaughn. He was in a two part Christmas Movie on Hallmark Channel and I thought he acted a lot better in that movie than he did at GH!! This will help him branch out!
ReplyDeleteI first started watching during the Liz/Lucky lovestory. This is heartbreaking to me. This show is done...
Why did I think GV had landed a role on TV??? Wasn't that issued in the past??
ReplyDeleteI'm just sick about this...it was one of the only good things GH has done lately.
ReplyDeleteJJ is the best thing that has happened to GH in a long time. We should beg him to stay. But if the writer's keep writing like #@$*
ReplyDeleteit would be a waste of his time.
GV was a horrable Lucky...don't understand why you guys though he was so great...
ReplyDeleteAs far as I am concerned, as soon as GH is gone, ABC and it's affiliates no longer exist. They will be blocked on my TV.
ReplyDelete