Delco Dave's 2016 General Hospital Predictions!

Dave’s GH Predictions for 2016

While I can never top the Wub Queen for her blog and reviews, I know that sometimes some of you enjoy my commentary. (then again, some of you don’t…). Here are my predictions for 2016. 

First, the overall picture. The gloom and doom that has been rumored is real. By the late Spring, with ratings still in trouble and no improvement, Frank will be relieved of his duties as Producer and the 2 new writers from 2015 will be let go. A new team of writers (young writers brought in with prime-time experience) will come on board to “wrap things up” and prepare to end storylines and finish the show by December 31. (internal memo, the fans will be told everything is fine) In an effort to save money, the show will buy out and cancel contracts of all the contracted actors and put the entire cast on “day player” status. This will result in several actors leaving the show altogether and move to other soaps. 

In a very Gloria Monty-esque move, the new writers will streamline the show, truncate storylines, get rid of dead weight characters and write concise storylines. Their goal will be to go out with a bang and make a difference and a name for themselves by taking risks and doing non-traditional daytime soap storylines. After the fall, ratings will go up, fans will rally because of the new style of writing and “prime-time, Shondra-esque” storylines and the show will get a reprieve. It will once again become must-see talk about internet fare. Ratings will go up and GH will move from 4th to 3rd.

Nurse’s Ball 2016 will not be as cheesy as previous years. John Stamos, Rick Springfield, Johnathan Jackson and Jack Wagner will be invited to perform – not as their characters but as themselves. (Some will, some wont). The writers will just ask viewers to suspend belief and be happy that the actors we know and love will be performing. And yes, the fans will “forgive” them and enjoy the show and look the other way. Also, expect to see former cast members to be seated in the background as an homage to the show’s commitment to the Nurse’s Ball. (Brad Maule sitting with Jacklyn Zeman for example). Soap stars from defunct shows will be in the audience as well. Constance Towers will sing. The concept of this year’s ball is that the GH storylines will be behind the scenes and everything that takes place in the actual ballroom and on stage will not be characters, but the actual actors. Stars will be interviewed in the ballroom and will answer questions tweeted by the fans. Kelly and Nancy will interview current and past performers about what the Nurse’s Ball means to them and their favorite memories. Think of it like The Wizard of Oz. The real story took place in black and white. The fantasy took place in color. This will be similar with a definite distinction between real and fantasy. It will be a chance for the viewers to see the actors as themselves and interact with them.

On with the cast:

Sam Behrens returns as Jake Meyer. Will start as stunt casting to have him interact in scenes with Shari, but he has history on the show and will be on sporadically. Bobbie (with financial help from Carly) will buy the brownstone from whoever owns it (seriously, like anyone remembers?) and several residents will take root inside the complex and leave the metro court. More scenes will be filmed at the brownstone.

Brownstone

Brad and Lucas will break up to give closure to that storyline. Brad will leave the show. Rosalie never to be heard from again. Lucas moves into the brownstone.

Morgan moves into the brownstone. (Isn’t he living there now?) Kiki leaves the show. Darby was nothing more than a plot point. Serena Baldwin returns and dates Morgan. This pits Sonny and Scotty against each other, with Laura and Carly refereeing.

When cost cutting starts, Tyler Christopher will leave the show and be picked up by another soap. With Tony Geary gone, there is no need for a Cassadine family anymore.

Wally Kurth returns as Ned. When ELQ is back in the Quartermaine fold, he will be named CEO. Brooklyn Ashton returns. Brooke (as she is now called) will come out as a lesbian. If not Brooke, then Kristina, being the reason why she caused a scandal at college.

The show, with new writers will concentrate on a late-20s demographic with more storylines for Maxie, Nathan, Dillon, Serena, Morgan, Brooke, and Michael. Expect most of this group of people to move into the brownstone. To cut costs, there will be several episodes filmed solely at the brownstone, with cast walking in and out. Think of the series “Friends”, with many episodes solely filmed in the apartment set or the coffee house. It will have a sitcom feel to it without the laugh track. 

Likewise, there will be entire episodes shot in the hospital for the sake of cost effectiveness. The show will start to be shot with more of a prime-time feel. Instead of different locations throughout the episode, it will concentrate on one location only. There will be a distinct 2-storyline “vibe” to the show. It will be as if 2 shows were being filmed. The 20-somethings in the brownstone and the veterans in the hospital. By bringing everyone to day player status, it will be easier to use the vets more often.

In July the new writers will take over. The entire first week of August will be LIVE episodes to aid in the transition. 

Tony Geary will write his autobiography. Instead of being published in print, it will be released online one chapter at a time. Nancy will be a ghost writer and help him. 

Crimson will be front and center the way that ELQ was in the 80s. Nina will buy the magazine and turn it into a goldmine, flaunting it in front of Julian. 

With the new writers, the african-american actors will be more front and center and be given more storylines than in the past. They will be integrated more into the cast and the storylines. Expect to see Jordan, Mayor Lomax, Curtis and Doctor Hottie in more real, upfront storylines and no longer just background filler.

Dante and Lulu will divorce. Both actors will leave the show when the contracts are killed. Tony Geary will return to the show for 2 days of stunt casting and escort Emme Ryland off the show and give proper closure to Laura.

Laura, who is the most wasted character in soaps today, will still be a wasted character through 2016. She doesn't work, has no storyline, wears different clothes every day (where is her income?) and just walks in now and then to give motherly advice to Lulu. I love this actress and it is painful to watch them not use her to her fullest ability. She should be the “star” of the show. Laura, Tracy, Monica and Alexis should be the “matriarchs”. The show will continue to give her nothing to do and by the end of the year she will leave the show over boredom. Again.

Remember the Alzheimer's storyline long rumored for Rachel Aames? The current writers will bring in Denise Alexander for a few episodes to stir up that storyline for her, but since the current writers clearly suffer from Alzheimer's as well, they will forget about the storyline and it will just vanish before it starts. (sorry, I couldn't resist this)

Valerie will leave the show.

Alexis and Julian is a wasted storyline. Don’t get me wrong, they have great chemistry together and I like them both, but without Julian in the mob, it lacks spark and friction. I expect one or both to willfully leave the show by the end of the year. Especially if they cut the costs for actors. 

Ava will help Morgan out during one of his drunken stupors. He passes out in his apartment and Ava takes his cell phone an txt’s Carly and asks her to stop by in the morning, pretending to be him. She does and Ava answers the door in Morgan’s robe. Ava lets her think that she slept with Morgan (she didn't) and goes for weeks taunting her and Sonny about “wouldn't it be nice for Avery to have a little brother or sister?” and then pretend to have morning sickness, rub her belly, etc. just to piss off Sonny and Carly and drive them nuts. Comic relief with brilliant acting from Maura.

Ava is fencing stolen gold through her art gallery. The canvases that the paintings are on are lined underneath with gold and she is selling them through her gallery. She will enlist Julian’s help in this.

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Stunt casting: Ingo and Vanessa come back to town for the nurse’s ball. Together. They will pretend to be married, but it will be revealed that they never went through with a wedding and remained good friends but are both single and not an item. Which leads to Sonny and Carly going after each of them (shamelessly) and realizing that they are not right for each other after all. They divorce, with them getting neither Jax or Brenda.

Paul will try to play Tracy and get control of ELQ stock. What we dont see is that she knows it. And she is really the one playing him. And just when we think that Paul is going to crush and destroy her, she will play her trump card and expose him for who he really is and the audience will give a collective fist-pump for her. Dont underestimate Tracy. She got played by Luke, but learned her lesson and will not get played again. 

Hayden Barnes? Not her name. But if you ever watched Tracy on The City, you will recognize her real name, as she is the daughter of someone from that show that Tracy knew. Can a character from The City be crossing over? 

Michael as a Q was more fun than Michael as a C. His animosity against S&C was fun to watch. When Ned returns, and with Jason with 1/2 a brain again, see Michael work with Ned at ELQ. Once the truth comes out about Sabrina’s baby with Carlos, Michael and Sabrina will break up and both Sabrina and Carlos will leave the show. Michael stays single for awhile. 

I hope to someday see Michael in a PTSD storyline based on his rape in prison. Have him talk to a therapist and to really delve into what that incident might have done to him mentally and emotionally and perhaps show that he is having trouble in relationships and with intimacy. It would be a good storyline for those viewers who may have gone through something like that. 

What to do with Jason? He is neither a Q or a M. But the mind-numbing drone that he is will end. The writers will realize Billy’s strengths and what has made him a multiple Emmy-winner, and will let him loose. They will write to his personality and let him shine and flourish and rock the character in his own way. Jason will be a new Jason, not a Q or M. I hate to burst bubbles, but when this happens, he might not be paired with Liz or Sam. That was another actor with different chemistry. Expect a new love interest to come on the show to be paired with him. (perhaps someone from Y&R tht Billy worked with before?)

When a new writer comes in to “tidy things up” they will bring Mac, Felicia, Doc, Scotty, Bobbie and Lucy back for a week or two in order to give them one last hurrah and a fitting, closing grandiose storyline for all of them. Fans will voice their enthusiasm on Facebook and other blogs on seeing their beloved characters again and the trend will be to bring them on more often, even if in small doses. Rating go up for those episodes and that cannot be denied. The vets will come back for more screen time, just spread out over time.

Greg Vaughn returns as Lucky and will be linked once again with Liz. Instead of returning as a police officer, Lucky is now undercover with the WSB as a special agent to Frisco to try to infiltrate the gold smuggling by Ava and he enlists Anna’s help in a case. 

Annie Logan?

To give more hospital scenes, doctors and nurses will be added. Anne Logan returns. (Now played by Robin Strasser of OLTL fame) She left as the “virginal nurse”  but returns as the head instructor to the GH Nursing School. She will be the ultimate “cougar” and will shamelessly (and quite comically) go after and hit on the 20-something male nurses and doctors on staff. 

Webber? 

Patrick will not be recast. Dr. Jeff Webber will be recast by Grant Aleksander from GL (starts as a brief stint, which will lead into something long-term with fan popularity). 

Nina and Franco will marry. Heather will be released from crazy house (it’s a soap, let it go), and will be there for the wedding and hilarity. Robin M. will be on hand for a week or two during this storyline. Nothing long term, but her release gives the writers a chance to have her pop back in now and then. (It’s Robin Matson… she is comic gold, they have to find a way for her back now and then)

Sonny walks again. Did I really need to write this?

That’s all I have. I tried being realistic instead of my usual wish-list fantasies and stunts that I dream of for this show. I personally hope this show gets its shit together, starts listening to their fans, and streamlines storylines and brings the show into this century. Year-long storylines with sub-par payoffs do not help ratings. As “negative” that some of us are on Karen’s blog, we all love the show deep down and want the best product possible on the screen. And I have to believe the actors do to.

I look forward to your comments and most importantly, YOUR predictions for 2016! 

**Note from Karen: These are great. I especially like the Brownstone concept, the recasting of Dr. Jeff Webber, Dorian as Annie Logan and the Nurses' Ball. A week of Live episodes? Yes! I'll have to think of some of my own wishes for 2016. Thanks Dave!