Newsflash – Greg Vaughan out, Jonathan Jackson in!
Wow, guys and gals, I’m rather flabbergasted at the moment. I’ve just seen on Twitter that Greg Vaughan is leaving GH in the role of Lucky Spencer and Jonathan Jackson is returning! This is huge news and of course, since it’s brand spanking new, I can’t claim 100% certainty yet. I’m sure Kathy will fill in all the details in her Twitter column but what I’ve got is this:
greg_vaughan: As of today, with sad regrets, I will no longer be apart of what has been a big part of me and my families life. GH and TPTB have…
greg_vaughan ..choosen to take a new direction. I THANK ALL of YOU, for the many memories we’ve shared and new ones to come!!! ALL MY LOVE, & BIG HUGS…
greg_vaughan …to YOU the FANS!!! I LOVE YOU ALL MORE!!!! GV
Daytime Confidential’s report is here and Soap Opera Digest’s is here.
I’m just…floored. This is both fantastic news and horrible news all at the same time. I love, love Jonathan Jackson–he is a phenomenal actor who I really can’t believe that GH is bringing back. I won’t believe it until his face is on our screens.
At the same time, Greg Vaughan has been a fantastic fixture in Port Charles for the past several years and a large part of what has kept me watching the show when I did not have the heart to watch more mobsters fighting each other. He’s played Lucky as a flawed man with a huge heart and one that is gosh darn easy on the eyes as well.
I really can’t choose between excitement and despair, so I’m going for the high road. Greg, thank you so very much for the years of entertainment you have brought me. Jonathan, I very much look forward to seeing you back on my GH screen and am sure Lucky Spencer will only soar to greater heights soon.
Wow.
The Gourmez
JJ image courtesy of http://data-allocine.blogomaniac.fr
GV image courtesy of http://www.abcwebpix.com
September 29th, 2009 at 1:41 am
Although I don’t get to watch GH anymore, I do keep up here, and I am very happy. JJ was Lucky when I did watch the show, and after reading that Liz said she would marry him again, I thought oh noooo. but if this is true and JJ is back, I can completely buy the storyline. Permanent Lock. As to GV, I have not seen a lot of his work, but I am hoping that he really is leaving of his own accord, and will find good roles very soon. Thanks for the info!
September 29th, 2009 at 6:49 am
I just *better* not see any “The REAL Lucky returns!” crap – or I will have to cut a Frons….
Like you – excited and bummed all at the same time. Wow.
September 29th, 2009 at 7:01 am
Mysti-I was just about to post the exact same thing(great minds and all that lol) I offer to hold Frons down while you do what would need to be done
I lost interest in Lucky when Jacob Young was playing the part.
I watch GH sporadically but I have really enjoyed GV as “grownup” Lucky. He was believable as a cop, a dad and a sex object.
It will be interesting to see how JJ does in his old role.
I will be surprised if GH ratings don’t go up, at least for a little while
September 29th, 2009 at 7:02 am
According to reports it will be that GV will be on one day than JJ will replace him the next day. I see GH is doing all it can to restore ratings but the writing is the problem.
Now that JJ is back, how will they write the character of Lucky now? Will he continue to be a clueless cop or will they write him as the anti-hero he is suppose to be? We all know what Lucky was like when JJ played him and I hope he told the writers he would not come back unless he was written like the real Lucky Spencer.
I haven’t watched since they broke up Liason because I got sick of the writers faking me out and I was sick of the show being Sonny’s world. But I will start watching again because now that JJ is back, the Lucky/Liz/Nik triangle will get good. All the original actors are back and I can’t wait to see flashbacks. I see TIIC understand now that Rebecca Herbst is very important to the show. I think this was one of the reasons JJ was bought back. LnL2 were a relevation.
September 29th, 2009 at 7:20 am
The last time I watched GH was when Lucky “died” and then they showed that Helena had hidden him. I loved JJ as Lucky and I loved Liz and Lucky back then, but even with JJ coming back I can’t force myself to watch GH. I don’t even keep up with it much now. Sonny ruined GH for me and he is still on and still the center of the universe, so sorry GH, not even bringing back an old fan favorite can get me to drink that kool-aid again.
September 29th, 2009 at 8:26 am
Sandi, that scene was one of my favorite GH scenes ever–the reveal of Lucky on the boat with Helena and Faison. I squeed! It was a perfect way to take Lucky out of the show. I’m with the rest of you, though, the only big way this could be ruined for me is if there’s a “The Real Lucky” promotion. I have been perfectly happy to consider Greg Vaughan that for years and had stopped wishing for Jonathan’s return, instead only wishing that Lucky Spencer got a story line worthy of his heritage. I think the character will finally get that now but it’s a shame that Greg doesn’t get the chance to play it.
September 29th, 2009 at 9:04 am
I have no problem with GV as Lucky. I always thought he did a good job and am sorry to see him go. I guess I’ll be glad to see JJ again, but I wonder if he will stick around very long since he’s done some movies. At any rate, as long as the mob continues to rule GH, it will continue to have problems. For some reason, TPTB (read Fronzie) seem to think that the viewers would rather see the shootouts than the love scenes…shows how much they know. My opinion is that they could drastically improve the show by killing off Sonny or putting MB on recurring status.
September 29th, 2009 at 10:10 am
I am thrilled at the news!!!! The Lucky/Liz story line is what got me hooked on GH when I was 15. I already knew all the characters because my mom was a fanatic. Now let’s just hope the writers can create a back bone for Lucky again, and get him acting like a real damn Spencer. I haven’t watched since they broke up Liason, so if they can fire that story line back up, this could be good.
September 29th, 2009 at 10:30 am
also, i LOVE the mob story lines, they just need to stop making the whole show about them.
September 29th, 2009 at 10:46 am
Aaaah, I’m so torn. On one hand, JJ is the 1 reason that got me to watch GH to begin with all those many years ago. I was devastated when he leave and didn’t really watch the show for years after they replaced him with JY. On the other hand, GV is one of the main reasons I came back to GH and have stayed watching. I’m soooooo sad to see that man go and really upset that TPTB just tossed him aside for a chance to have JJ for six months. It’s ridiculous and the same crap that AMC did for the role of Greenlee. I feel horrible for GV and if I haven’t had a life-long crush on JJ (which has seen me through Camp Nowhere, Tuck Everlasting, and my favorite T:SCC), I would quit watching on principle. Alas, I am hopelessly devoted to this man, and will continue to watch.
What the heck are they gonna do if JJ leaves after his six months, write out a legacy character or go back to trying (and probably failing) to recast him? They had a great catch with GV, if only they knew how to write for that big pile of sexy.
September 29th, 2009 at 8:16 pm
Jamie, I think I’m still with you as much as I hate the mob story lines now, I did not hate them at first, when it was but a small part of the show. I could deal with them in much, much smaller doses, I think. But the main problem for me is that they are just stale after a decade and a half of Sonny Corinthos. I didn’t not like that Lucky was starting to get involved with Sonny then and hope to god that it won’t happen now that he will be a character TPTB are interested in writing for.
October 1st, 2009 at 5:20 am
I know exactly what you mean gourmez. It’s too much all of the time. always someone getting shot, or blown up. It’s cool when it builds up to once or twice a year, but every time we turn around? way too predictable now.
I don’t want them to drop it completly(sonny and jason, yum yum. lol), just give us a little bit more of every one else too.