The role of Sam McCall on General Hospital is currently being played by Lindsay Hartley, but not for much longer. Kelly Monaco, the actress who originated the role and typically portrays Sam, was only expected to be away from the set for a couple of weeks. Even with Lindsay’s apparent exit on the horizon, a lot of fans are urging the writers to come up with a way to keep her.
Kelly has a very dedicated fan base and those folks are quite anxious to see her back as Sam. As General Hospital viewers have seen over the past few days, this recasting came at a critical juncture for the character.
Jason Morgan was injured in a motorcycle accident, and Valentin Cassadine used this opportunity to pounce. He talked Sam into signing over the voting rights for Danny and Scout’s ELQ stock, and she’s been by her beloved beau’s side non-stop.
“@valentinifrank, I don’t think I’m the only #GH fan who believes this when I say that @L_Hartley should return as a whole new character when her run as Sam is over. Lindsay is way too good NOT to be acting in Daytime!” one person commented after watching Tuesday’s show.
The idea of creating a new persona specifically for the temporary cast member seems to be a common suggestion across Twitter. At least one General Hospital viewer suggested bringing her in as a member of the Alcazar family, an idea that could prompt a significant amount of drama. Another possibility that could work is to cast her as Sarah Webber, Elizabeth’s sister who has been away from Port Charles for many years.
“The casting director did something right. Lindsay is amazing as Sam. They seriously need to make her an offer. Lindsay breathes new life into a stale character” another tweet read.
The actress came into this temporary recast gig as someone many soap opera supporters already knew and loved. She was on Passions years ago and has worked steadily since then. While she has not won every General Hospital viewer over, she has definitely earned a lot of praise .
Will the General Hospital writers listen to the fans on this one? It doesn’t appear that Lindsay is currently tied up in any other significant projects, according to her IMDb page, so it doesn’t seem as if she’s unavailable.
It would not be unheard of for the General Hospital team to bring an actor or actress back to step into a different role. Michael Easton (Dr. Hamilton Finn) has played several roles, and Chloe Lanier (Nelle Benson) originally appeared as a young Patricia Spencer in one episode. Then there was Tamara Braun, who originally played Carly Corinthos and was later brought back to portray Dr. Kim Nero.
“Lindsay is breathing new life into Sam, but I look forward to Kelly’s return. #GH should find a spot for Lindsay as a new character,” yet another show supporter tweeted.