Image Credit: Bryan SheffieldABC announced today that Vanessa Marcil will reprise her role as Brenda Barrett on General Hospital beginning Aug. 11. Having first joined the soap in 1992, Marcil earned an Emmy for playing Brenda in 2003 — the year she left the show to co-star in the primetime series Las Vegas. She will rejoin GH as a series regular. “I feel so lucky to continue to be allowed to visit General Hospital and honor where I came from,” says Marcil in a statement. “I am humbled by these great people and a character that I truly love.”
Brenda return to Port Charles when the three men in her life – Sonny, Jax, and Jason – are in crisis. She also has what ABC describes as an “explosive” secret.
General Hospital was nominated for 18 Daytime Emmys this year. The awards ceremony is slated for June 27 in Las Vegas and will air on CBS.
Run Vanessa! Run as fast as you can away from this show. It’s not what it used to be when she first came on the show. It’s not even what it used to be when she returned in 2002. The show SUCKS and VM deserves so much better.
I agree, but a part of me wants to see what Brenda’s been up to since she left PC in 03.
Agree! As you can tell by my moniker, I love this character, but she’ll be ill-served by these misogynistic writers, and even she can’t bring me back to watch this show again. As for the explosive secret, it’s probably a child.
I was just thinking that it’s a kid and it’s probably Sonny. Apparently he father’s every child in a 20 mile radius.
Could you imagine if she is pregnant and the baby is Franco’s. Remember when he was talking to carly next to the Christmas tree and was talking really wierd and Carly said did you lose your wife, and he said no my wife is a b—– its my daughter her name is Lauren! Imagine if this is her daughter and just learned that he’s after Jason, Sonny and Jax !!! Wow!
Agreed. GH is a pale shadow of its former self. Where’s the fun and friendships, the heart and soul? The show takes itself entirely too seriously with its sadistic, misogynistic characters and topsy-turvy moral universe. It’s not a joy to watch and hasn’t been for the past decade or more.
You don’t know what your talking about! GH has been firing on all cylinders and just came off of another GREAT year featuring Sarah Brown as Mob mall Claudia Zacchara which garnered the show 18 emmy nominations(more than any other show)including Outstanding Drama Series. Sarah Brown is a front runner in the Lead Actress category because the writers at GH know exactly how to write for their biggest stars when they return to daytime’s greatest drama! So I beg to differ that GH is not poised to give Vanessa Marcil a consistent, powerful, and masturfully crafted storyline when Brenda returns to Port Charles this August!
GH is STILL amazing!
Yes, I agree that Brown was great as Claudia. Yet, the writers screwed that up. She should have never been killed off and backed into so many corners where she couldn’t come back. The whole Michael shot in the head was ALWAYS Sonny’s faught. He plays dirty and thinks no other mob family is supposed to fight back. Remember he fired the 1st shot at Johnny having him beaten and kidnapped for shooting Kate oh yeah but Johnny didn’t do it Michael did. Another bad choice on the writers getting rid of the old Morgan. Morgan and Molly had a chemistry they brought to the show. This new kid nothing. I love Brenda glad she’s back but the writers are making bad choices. Bring Claudia back & Morgan.
This sounds exciting! Can’t wait to see how Brenda shakes things up in PC.
GH is still on the air?
LOL, LOL. And you’re so right: in a few years EVERY soap opera will be off the air, so what is there to get excited about? Some of these soap people live in a bubble and think they’re still relevant.
Soaps are relevant to the viewers who still watch them. Sure they’ll probably be gone in 5 years but that’s still a lot longer than most shows last these days. Or are you one of those people who have never fallen in love with a show only to be hurt by it’s too soon cancellation? If so, I’d call you a liar!
its too bad her career is so down she has to return to “Sopranos lite”. I like VM, but lets be honest, GH is a joke now. All this gangster stupidity is even more silly than the vampire storyline from PC
Wow, insulting much. It’s a paying job for all the actors on that show. And VM has done wonderful in her career, more than most soap actors who left. VM came back because she loves the show and convenient for her as a mother.
I don’t watch, but the last time she came back, ratings soared about 30%.
They ratings sure did roar! Maurice and her both got an emmy! What a performance! No matter what if Brenda finds out that someone is after her friends like Jason, Sonny even Jax she will come to warn them I still think that Franco may be a big reason! Maybe that is why he is after Jason, nomatter what happens with Brenda how many times Jason and her fight he’s always there for her!
I still love GH, and try to focus more on the non-Mob related stories. Like anything with Jonathan Jackson, Patrick, Liz, Luke, etc., etc.
Happy about the Brenda news! Praying her “explosive secret” is not of the “I have a secret child” variety… ENOUGH!
lol – i immediately thought ” i bet her explosive secret is a secret child!”
seriously, Sonny does not need yet ANOTHER secret child!
I bet she never officially got a divorce from Jason….
I don’t think it’s Sonny’s if anyone, Maybe Jax but he was an idiot the way he humilated her on the alter, gave her million dollars not to come back to town. Idiot,but then he married Carly who has bigger ties with Sonny lol. Wow! That is why Sonny & Jax hate eachother because of Brenda. Imagine if her and Jason get closer because of the Franco situation. Rumors stated that is why they brang Sam in when Vanessa left with Jason because she was already gone! I was looking at the youtube when they kissed and when Jason took brenda to prom and they danced! When he took her to the woods and they talked !lol
Love Brenda! haven’t watched GH in at least 6 years. I will tune in to catch Vanessa
I love GH now. The mob storylines are some of my favourites. I hate how Sonny is never punished. But seriously this show is so mob related now, if you don’t like it, don’t watch. I’m glad Brenda is back for the fans but I sure as hell hope she stays away from Jason. Jason/Sam are EPIC.
Jason and Sam are NOT epic. Sam is a stupid character and I wish the powers that be would kill her off. Jason is so much hotter with Liz.
That’s your opinion in which you are entitled to but if your a Jason/Liz fan why do you always have to talk crap about Sam, Sam and Jason are a much better fit than Jason and Liz, Jason is a mob enforcer, always has been (except as Jason Q) and always will be…his life does not fit with Liz and never will, if Liason ever reunites, it would be a huge letdown for all Jason fans as this decision would ruin him as a character…Jasam is true love…
I agree. Sam and Jason are EPICALLY boring! And how can anyone promote the pairing? Jason once threatened to KILL Sam and Sam once allowed his child to be kidnapped. It’s SICK, SICK, SICK!
Seriously, they need to change the name to All My Mobsters. There is barely a Hospital in the show anymore, and as much as I love Maurice Bernard, the character of Sonny Corinthos has been written as a cartoon for years now. I used to be a faithful watcher, but stopped around the time that Jax and Carly got together.
Sadly, I really don’t miss it anymore.
Love Brenda,(Vanessa), don’t get the signifcance of Kelly, (Sam). Don’t like how GH let people walk in and out of your homes, work, etc. without knocking. Go back to having some morals. Drop some of the violence, and mob mess!!! Add more story content to family, spiritual needs, lasting relationships– these are also REAL LIFE events. I’d love to see more of the Quartermaines tomfoolery. Bring Gena Frances back, the “Luke & Laura” saga is what made GH. Not Tracey and Luke.
If Sonny is all bad, then who is All good? NADA.
I so agree with u!! Can’t wait 4 Brenda 2 ocme back though!!
I so agree with u!! Can’t wait 4 Brenda 2 come back though!!
until they fire Brian Frons ABC Daytime is doooooomed. Not even Vanessa, Genie or Tristan can save GH until the powers at be are fired!!
ITA. But unfortunately, this idiot must have a lot of friends at the network. I don’t think he’ll be fired until all three ABC soaps are cancelled. I really loathe this idiot.
Executive Producer Jill Farren Phelps and Head Writer Bob Guza need to be sent to Siberia too. They, with full support from Frons, have turned GH into a hateful show. No genuine romance, dark humor, dark sets, excessive violence, and now we have to wonder if teen Michael was raped in prison. This past decade GH has just gotten worse & worse. I find myself not caring if the show gets cancelled tomorrow. I just hope ABC gets wise and rehires former Executive Producer Wendy Riche who gloriously helmed GH during 1992-2000 and was dumped by Frons for his bestie Phelps. Every soap Phelps helmed has either been cancelled (AW, SB, GL) or been so intensely damaged by the writing and casting decisions during her reign it would take a long time to recover (OLTL). GH is frankly too far gone now. The mob has ruined this hospital for me.
i love jason but i truly dislike the way everyone in jason life put him on a pedestal fact is jason is a killer and if sonny deserve to be in jail so does jason,i don’like jason and liz or jason and sam
This is GREAT news! Hopefully she will lay the smackdown on Carly! I need to go watch some Sonny/Brenda clips on youtube. Best soap couple EVER!
agreed! haven’t watched the show since her departure…best soap couple ever!
Yes I feel the same way about Carly she is a horrible damaged person who blames everything on everyone else I hope she Sonny and Jason finally get some jailtime for thier horrible parenting skills
For all the people who are warning VM away from GH because it’s so mob-centric…you do get that she contributed greatly to the show becoming that way? Before Sonny and Brenda, the mob element was pretty light…sure there was Luke and Duke and Frank Smith, etc., but from the day she had to dodge bullets in her shower, Brenda was a big part of the melodramatic opera that is Sonny’s world. The show became all about people going after his women and him abusing his betrayers.
jbj,
Balance is the key. I’m not dismissing some great mob storylines over the years…especially the click-boom sequence before Phelps came on the scene. Sonny and Jason are basically the whole show and EVERYTHING & EVERYONE exists to serve them. The other storylines that don’t feature mobs are few & far between. Violence on GH has gone overboard…I mean, do we need to even speculate that Michael was raped??? Sorry, but I’m not going to rush to watch GH to watch such horridness. GH used to be about heart, humor, action, and relationships. Now, it’s just dark, dreary, and depressing. The characters that are long term that the show still actively write for are so written out of character it’s horrible. I don’t know these people anymore. Phelps and Guza killed off practically the whole Quartermaine family. It’s pathetic that more non Q’s live at the mansion than actual family members. Face it, the show is a shell of it’s former greatness….even during the Eckert debacle.
Can they also bring back Genie Francis, too?!?!?!?!?!?!?
I’d love to see Laura back. But, please not only to serve the kids and Luke. And especially not as a pathetic, deranged ghost of her former self. Laura was the sparkle on this show and she made us care about what happened to her and Luke. Without Laura it’s hard to watch Luke much less care what happens to him. Bring back a real woman with heart and humour and GH doesn’t have to go the way of the dinosaurs.
*Shaking and crying*
I love VM and Brenda and couldn’t be happier to see her back where she belongs. Best news EVER!!!!!!
lol take a deep breath and relax. everything’s gonna be ok
I am so excited also!
LOVE LOVE LOVE this news! For all those who dont say that GH is doomed and that the show sucks then dont watch it, and why even comment on it??? GH is awesome, its getting better and better everyday and I for one am ecsatic that VM is returing, this has been a moment I have been waiting for and cant wait for Sonny/Bren reunion!!!!! Love Brenda Barrett and all that she is and this will be HUGE positive for GH and all people in Port Charles….
I comment because I watched GH for two decades and still love it for what it once was: I wish Guza, Frons, Bernard and Burton would all hit the road.
BRING BACK GENIE FRANCIS!!! She has always been the real heart and soul of that show!!