Latest news with #OLTL
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Soaps Shocker: Erika Slezak Joins General Hospital! Here's What We Know So Far
Daytime-TV royalty is returning home. The great Erika Slezak — a record-holding six-time Daytime Emmy winner for her run as One Life to Live's Viki (and sometimes Niki et al) — has inked a short-term deal to appear on ABC's General Hospital. More from TVLine The Pitt Season 2 Adds Four, Including a Familiar Face From Breaking Bad Roseanne Barr Claims The Conners Wanted Her Back - Here's What the EPs Told Us About a Possible Cameo Chris Robinson, of General Hospital and Bold and Beautiful, Dead at 86 The jaw-dropping news was delivered via Slezak's longtime fan club president, Walter Miller. 'Erika has just informed me she has signed a short-term contract with ABC's General Hospital,' Miller posted to on Thursday. 'At this time, Erika does not know which character she will be playing or when her scenes will air, but [she] is excited to be working again with executive producer Frank Valentini and the cast of GH!' Valentini was the boss at OLTL from 2003 until its very end. 'I am thrilled to confirm that my dear friend and former One Life to Live colleague, Erika Slezak, will appear on General Hospital this fall,' Valentini confirmed via X. 'Stay tuned as we prepare to introduce another daytime legend to Port Charles.' The daughter of Tony Award-winning Austrian actor Walter Slezak (but no relation to TVLine alumni Michael), Slezak famously first auditioned for All My Children and the role of nurse Mary Kennicott back in 1971 — albeit unsuccessfully. Instead, and fortuitously, she was offered the role of OLTL's Victoria 'Viki' Lord Riley. She made her OLTL debut in 1971, and stuck with it until 2013 — including as part of the show's short-lived, dying breath on Prospect Park's The Online Network. Slezak earned her first Daytime Emmy Award nomination in 1983, grabbed gold for the first time the following year, and then claimed Emmys again in 1986, 1992, 1995 and 1996. (Yes, she holds the record for most wins in the Outstanding Lead Actress category.) Since OLTL's true and sincere end, Slezak has been spotted guest-starring on primetime series including Blue Bloods and The Resident. Who do think Slezak will be playing on ? Daytime Soaps' Wildest Storylines! View Gallery21 Images Best of TVLine Stars Who Almost Played Other TV Roles — on Grey's Anatomy, NCIS, Lost, Gilmore Girls, Friends and Other Shows TV Stars Almost Cast in Other Roles Fall TV Preview: Who's In? Who's Out? Your Guide to Every Casting Move!
Yahoo
04-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
And Just Like That, General Hospital's Brennan Is No Longer Australian! — Why the Role Was Recast
General Hospital viewers on Tuesday afternoon said g'day to a brand-new Jack Brennan, although the veteran WBS spook no longer sounds like the Aussie he is. That's because the ABC sudser recast Brennan with One Life to Live alum Chris McKenna, in the wake of Charles Mesure's exit from the role. More from TVLine Doctor Odyssey Plots Shark Attack-Themed Midseason Premiere - Exclusive First Look Charles Mesure Exits General Hospital; OLTL Vet to Take Over Role of Brennan The Rookie's Mekia Cox: Hunt for Serial Killer Is 'Definitely One of the Darker' Storylines for Nyla Mesure is a British-born Australian, so he and his voice brought an undeniable international flair to the character — very in keeping with the likes of fellow World Security Bureau spies Robert Scorpio (Australian), Anna Devane (British) and the late Sean Donely (Irish-American) — whereas McKenna was born in Queens, N.Y. No bit of on-air dialogue in Tuesday's episode attempted to account for Brennan's suddenly non-Aussie voice, though such a stark switcheroo is nothing new to daytime soap recasts. Characters get taller, shorter, younger, older, stop being Asian…. We've seen it all before. Plus, longtime GH fans are well aware what can happen when an Australian accent is foisted upon an actor, which was the case when John J. York made his 'splashy' February 1991 debut as Robert's brother, Mac. York, bless him, did his best to sound Australian, even getting help from TV brother Tristan Rogers. Mac even opened a restaurant called The Outback! But over time, York and Mac, with the producers' blessing, slipped into a decidedly non-Aussie voice. Let's revisit Mac's arrival in Port Charles (via the harbor, specifically), then continue our assessment of the Brennan recast: With this week's recast of Brennan comes another question, shared by a Marie Jo on X among others: Are we are to now buy thus guy as a WSB peer of Anna's when McKenna is the nearly same age as GH vet Kimberly McCullough, who played Anna and Robert's daughter Robin?! (Mesure at least had an extra decade or so on McKenna.) As first reported by the Soap Opera Digest website and then confirmed by ABC, 'Charles Mesure opted to exit the role of Brennan,' which he originated back in December 2023. 'We wish him all the best in his future endeavors,' said the soap rep. Mesure's final appearance as Brennan aired Jan. 30. McKenna started out his acting career as one of OLTL's many, many Joey Buchanans. His TV credits also include The CW's 90210, NBC's one-and-done State of Affairs, CBS' The Young and the Restless (as Detective Mark Harding), Major Crimes and Good Trouble (playing Marc Rothman). His most recent primetime gig was a February 2024 episode of NCIS. Best of TVLine Stars Who Almost Played Other TV Roles — on Grey's Anatomy, NCIS, Lost, Gilmore Girls, Friends and Other Shows TV Stars Almost Cast in Other Roles Fall TV Preview: Who's In? Who's Out? Your Guide to Every Casting Move!
