American Soap News Wrap: General Hospital, All My Children and Days of our Lives

A round-up of stories relating to the American soaps with more returns to All My Children announced but more departures from Days of our Lives coming too as ATV Today’s Editor Doug Lambert reports.

Ron Carlivati heading to Port Charles

TV Line reports that when One Life to Live comes to an end in January its head-writer Ron Carlivati will move over to fellow ABC soap General Hospital. By January 2012 the medical soap will be the last remaining saga at the broadcaster though whether it survives beyond September 2012 – when Katie Couric’s new chat-show launches – remains to be seen.

Ron Carlivati has worked on One Life to Live for over 15 years. General Hospital recently appointed Garin Wolf as its new head writer.

More returns to Pine Valley Announced

Two more returns to Pine Valley have been announced ahead of All My Children’s finale in September. Actress Eva LaRue is to return to the ABC soap for a handful of episodes before the show bows out. LaRue will reprise her role of Maria Santos for several episodes in July. LaRue originally joined AMC in 1993 and remained with the cast for four years when her character was seemingly killed off. In true soap style though five years after that it was revealed Maria Santos was alive but suffering from amnesia. LaRue exited the soap again in June 2005. The actress did return to Pine Valley in January 2010 for the shows 40th anniversary.

It was also reported this week that actor Josh Dunhamel will be returning to All My Children in August – some reports claim – to reprise his role of Leo duPres. Entertainment Weekly reports the actor will re-appear in Pine Valley for a few episodes but it remains unclear whether Leo will be alive or dead. Leo was apparently killed off after tumbling over a waterfall but his body was never found but the actor did appear in a fantasy sequence – so now fans are wondering whether another such appearance is due or whether it will be revealed Leo survived the tumble.

Are there any other former Pine Valley residents you’d like to see return before All My Children’s finale in September? You can give me a tweet or drop us an email.

More exits for Days of our Lives

Days of our Lives has continued to trim its cast with two more departures announced this week. It had previously been reported that Crystal Chappell and Louise Sorel were exiting the daytime soap but now Nadia Bjorlin, who plays Chloe Lane, has also been dropped from the cast. The actress made her debut in the NBC show back in 1999 and remained with the soap until 2003.

Despite leaving the cast she returned for several episodes over the following 18 months before being placed on “recurring” status in late 2005. In 2007 she rejoined the cast full time with promises that Chloe would have a new edge. Bjorlin has long been a fan favourite but the trimming down of its cast by Days of our Lives has been seen by some as its attempts to cut costs and ensure its future on-air.

Also exiting Days of our Lives in the coming months will be actress Tamara Braun who only rejoined the cast of the soap earlier this year. She took over the role of Taylor from actress Natalie Livingston who had been with the saga herself but a short while. Producers re-cast the role with Braun wanting to take the character in a “new direction” – seemingly now that direction is out of Salem altogether. Braun previously appeared in the soap as Ava Vitali between February and August 2008.