Yes it's true folks! Television Icon and Soap Superstar Genie Francis is back on daytime, but not to the show or network that made her a Pop Culture Phenom. According to Entertainment Weekly, Ms. Francis will be joining daytime's #1 soap The Young and the Restless. According to EW, she'll play Cane's mother (guess Cane isn't so dead afterall?) They also report that she'll begin taping "at the end of the month" - I'm assuming they mean April.
While I'm disappointed that Francis won't be coming back to General Hospital anytime soon, I can't say I'm surprised. In her piece for EW, Lynette Rice characterized Francis' move to Y&R as "abandoning" ABC, but I'd argue it's the other way around: ABC seemed to have abondoned Francis long ago. They've made it clear in their passive aggressive way that they had no interest in bringing Francis back in any meaningful, long-term capacity. I bet they're regretting their decision now! Good for Francis for knowing her worth and giving ABC the finger (figuratively speaking, of course)! Perhaps they'll learn to treat their actresses (especially a Soap Legend) with more respect and consideration.
Pros: Genie is back on the air where she belongs. Y&R has scored big time! Not only are they getting a fantastic actress with a large fanbase, they're also getting mainstream media attention, which doesn't hurt. Genie is being reunited with former costarts Tristian Rogers and Stephen Nichols, which could be a great thing. You just know TPTB at ABC are fuming!
Cons: High expectations usually lead to disappointment. All this talk (already!) about a ratings increase for Y&R because of Genie places unfair burden on the actress and the show. There is such a thing as too much hype (ex: Brenda/GH). Genie has had limited success in other daytime roles (Diana on DAYS, Ceara on AMC). Genie will be yet another new face on Y&R which is already filled with talented actors from other shows, is this too much for loyal Y&R viewers who want to see more of the vets they know and love? Genie is being reunited with former costars Tristan Rogers and Stephen Nichols, which could be a not so great thing (we know how badly 'recapturing' magic can go.)
Good Luck Genie!!! We'll be watching!
-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover
PS: Thanks Jorpa59 for the tip! :) And thanks to all the tweeters that let me know that the news first broke at EW :)
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