One of the biggest stars of daytime is coming back to the tube. Genie Francis, the Emmy-award winning actress who created the role of Laura -- as in Luke and Laura -- will return to General Hospital on August 26 for a brief guest stint. This will be a very interesting return, too, because her last tenure on the show in 2007 was not only award-worthy, it also ended with her character resuming the catatonia in which she's been trapped for the past few years.So how can she return to General Hospital? There's a hint in Genie's quotes to the Associated Press. "This is a short visit. It's a mother-daughter story. Years ago when I started playing the character as a 14-year-old girl, it was a mother-daughter story, only I was the daughter. So it's kinda cool this is full circle."
That would tie in to the current storyline in which Laura's daughter, Lulu, was forced to kill a man in self-defense. Her mother had done the same thing as a teenager, when 15-year-old Laura killed her mother's lover. Lulu, who already fears that she will suffer the same mental collapse as her mother, could be so freaked out now about Logan's murder that she needs to see her mother. Laura could then appear to her as an apparition, a figment of her imagination.
The Laura and Lulu story will be very popular because there is great love for Genie Francis among GH fans. That's not only in the past, like the height of the Luke and Laura mania in which she and Anthony Geary were on the cover of Newsweek and their on-screen wedding was crashed by Elizabeth Taylor as Helena Cassadine. Her 2007 return was also a hit and, as I said, won Genie a long-sought after Emmy win.
Ms. Francis is married to actor Jonathan Frakes (Star Trek: The Next Generation) and lives in Belfast, Maine. This current return is just a guest shot, although it sounds like Genie could be convinced to remain a while. "I would stay on, but General Hospital honestly doesn't seem to want that relationship with this character at the moment. They want little short doses during sweeps periods. It's not entirely up to me. I'm thrilled and delighted my audience stands behind me. If they didn't, you can be sure I wouldn't get to come back for these visits. General Hospital is my home."
The one thing that is not mentioned here and could be a big question is will Laura have a reunion with Luke in this go-round? That might be difficult to engineer if she's only a figment of Lulu's guilty conscience. And that, to some fans, will be a real cheat. There are millions who want Luke and Laura one more time, again and again.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-12-2008 @ 9:04AM
jaerisk said...
GH is a great show but Guza and co. don't seem to want to deal with the "legacy" acts anymore. I'm still miffed at how the great Luke Spencer is basically a joke now, he used to go toe to toe with Sonny and the Cassadines in the same ep! Ugh and can somebody please just blow Lulu up god she's annoying.
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7-15-2008 @ 5:24PM
Lindie said...
I would love to see Genie Francis back as Laura. She is the best actress to have ever been on GH and she really makes me want to watch the show. The show needs some help. I have hardly watched in 6 months because it's getting boring. Bring Laura back and give her a storyline with Luke, Lulu, Lucky, Nicholas, and the rest of the gang. Bring her back PTB.
PLEASE. Many fans miss her desperately.
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8-13-2008 @ 12:08AM
loreen said...
My mother and I used to watch GH mainly because of laura and luke... Now that mom has passed 5 yrs ago from breast cancer., it's not the same.. I've tried watching it again but the plot becomes too much of a duplicate.. everyone is sleeping with everyone that there's no one left. Please bring Laura back.. Her and Luke have become an icon.. Thanks!!
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8-16-2008 @ 1:31PM
connie said...
i would love to see laura come back but just like brenda, vanessa marcil i am tired of them leaving again...either come back and stay or don't come back at all.
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8-26-2008 @ 4:02PM
Betty said...
I come from 4 generations of watching Luke & Laura. Within this 4 generations is approximately 40 or more people that have been avid fans of Luke & Laura. We all had stopped watching when Laura left the show the 1st time. When we got wind that she was returning the 1st time we all were so excited to start back watching to just get let down and for her to be off the show so quick. We stopped watching the show. I would watch it every once in awhile just to find out that Sonny left the MOB and was with this pathetic woman Kate. I started thinking that someone was literally trying to sabotage the show. Now my whole family is so excited to watch the soap again because Genie Francis is back on. I am very reluctant though because I am afraid that the writers will not keep her. The best thing that could sky rocket General Hospitals ratings is to reunite Luke & Laura PERMANTLY. I would honestly say that another BIG boost would be to have Sonny return to the MOB and get back with Carly. I hope that you will at least keep Genie Francis on the show permantly.
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8-29-2008 @ 1:01AM
Pam said...
PLEASE Leave laura on the show.. it breaks my heart to see her come and go...And with all the [Deaths], Emily, Ian, The Incident with Micheal, Logan... the Show could really use some L&L right now.. and not just as a "guest" stunt.
I was SO excited to have genie back on GH.. I'm just sick of the mob wars, and Kate.. I can't stand one more minute of her, please knock HER off instead of genie. Jeesh. :)
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9-06-2008 @ 11:02PM
Lanceath7 said...
If ABC could keep Laura and use her in a major story line. I would keep watching it. I watch it only when she is on there. I need me some Laura....
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10-08-2008 @ 7:54AM
Tomi Underwood said...
I am waiting on Luke and Laura segments. I used to be a faithful General Hospital fan but since Luke and Laura are no longer an item, I occasionally watch. The Mob theme is just too boring these days. I am just waiting on Luke to return and find that Laura is no longer in a catatonic state. Geez! Let's have some hot romance, not mob stories. I saw the Fall previews and hope it is going to be exciting for a change.
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