I’ve been a soap fan practically my entire life. I watched them with my mom growing up, after school and during college (missing some classes incidentally), and I still PVR them to this day (or watch them On Demand). Anything I miss, I catch up on via my trusty Soap Opera Digest.
Plus, I also edit the soaps hub so I love that I get juicy scoops from TVGuide.ca’s sudsy god, Nelson Branco, especially when the news he’s breaking is fun and fascinating.
But last month, it was me who was surfing the Net when I came across a little blurb that almost knocked me off my chair. I immediately called Nellie, who had yet to hear of the news. He put out calls to his peeps and it was official — James Franco was joining the cast of General Hospital.
Huh? While he’s no Vanessa Marcil, I’ll take him.
Look, I love and appreciate the genre of soaps, but even the mouths of the most hardcore fans hit the floor.
ABC released a statement shortly after the gossip spread like wildfire:
“Golden Globe winner James Franco joins the cast of General Hospital in the recurring role of Franco, a mystery person who comes to Port Charles and will be intertwined with many other residents in town.”
Not to sound like a broken record, but seriously? Really? And the most obvious, most asked question: Why?
James Franco is an A-list actor at the height of his game who could probably have his pick of roles, but instead has chosen to lend his talents to the struggling daytime TV world. Again, why??? Who’s next, Meryl Streep?
Apparently, his two-month stint, which may be their weirdest thing since I saw my parents doing the “Macarena” at a wedding, is some sort of performance art. Franco, who will not only be in Port Charles for two months, but will appear on 30 Rock as well, is part of a project he’s working on with a filmmaker named Carter. According to Movieline, the two collaborated on a film last year called Erased James Franco in which Franco re-creates past performances — his own as well as others, like Julianne Moore and Rock Hudson — without providing any context. It seems that his time on GH will be just another acting experiment.
Here’s what we do know about Franco (the GH character, not James the actor): in the weeks leading up to his debut, viewers have been shown a creepy apartment with lots of graffiti and art everywhere. It seems Franco is a mysterious artist, whose canvas relies on murder, and his first work of art is none other than Claudia. It also looks like Franco will be tussling with none other than thuggish hit man Jason Morgan (Steve Burton).
Giddy up.
His appearance as some part of acting project isn’t exactly what I was hoping for. I thought that maybe, as an artist, he wanted to see soaps survive, though it’s more likely that he’s in Port Charles because he shares the same manager as Burton. Either way, Franco’s stint on General Hospital should help the ailing genre, and perhaps other soaps will think outside the box and try and score other highly sought-after actors to help save their shows.
Imagine B&B’s Jack Wagner asking girlfriend Heather Locklear to appear in a few episodes. Or Scott Evans asking his brother, Chris, to do a solid and appear on One Life to Live. Maybe Meg Ryan would return to her roots and bring Betsy back for a couple of special shows. How about if Cybill Shepherd dropped by Genoa City (where her daughter, Clementine Ford, plays Mac) as a wealthy pal of Katherine’s? (I’d mention something AMC-related if I thought a big-name appearance would make a difference … but it won’t.)
But AMC aside, shouldn’t a star-studded appearance by an actor like Franco do wonders for the soap world? Or does daytime already have one foot in the grave? Whatever the case, something needs to be done for soaps to survive. Viewership is down significantly, and it’s not getting much better. Clearly changing a production model isn’t the answer (as Guiding Light can attest), but cutting expensive yet popular stars isn’t exactly the solution either (ahem, Eric Braeden and Deidre Hall).
But is courting big names such as Franco the right path to go down? I’m not sure, but it can’t hurt, can it? The Milk, Pineapple Express and Spider-Man star will clearly garner General Hospital a ton of curious eyes, even if it’s just to see the actor’s first scenes. But maybe Franco will be so good, he’ll keep people tuning in for more.
In that case, mission accomplished ABC.
James Franco first airs on General Hospital on Friday, Nov. 20, CTV/ABC. Check TVGuide.ca for times in your area.
Check out a preview for the “shocking GH event”:
Thoughts? denette@tvguide.ca
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Denette’s not ashamed to say she has loved TV for as long as she can remember, whether she was rolling her eyes at Polkaroo on Polka Dot Door, catching up on soaps recorded on her family’s trusty Betamax, crushing on Face from The A-Team or laughing along with The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.
Nowadays, Denette digs Glee, Mad Men, Chuck, So You Think You Can Dance, Big Brother, awards shows, and Friends reruns. Things that annoy her to no end are Samantha Harris’ co-hosting Dancing With the Stars, the addition of Kara DioGuardi on American Idol, someone calling during Lost and her PVR crashing. If you’ve thought it, it’s probably crossed her mind, too. Denette will gladly praise a show, but she’ll be more than happy to slam something if it sucks. |
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