When word broke this week that Young and the Restless alum Billy Miller was going to be the new Jason Morgan on General Hospital, my first reaction was: Meh.

That’s not a reaction to Miller, mind you. I think he’s a fine actor. I really enjoyed his guest stint on Justified – as well as his work in Genoa City.

No, this is a reaction to the return of Jason Morgan.

It’s no secret that GH’s ratings fell starting in the late 1990s because three characters – Sonny, Carly and Jason – took over the show. Fans tuned out in droves as those three took over.

The ratings have never recovered.

Ron Carlivati has done a lot wrong as head writer of GH (we’ll get to that in a second), but one of the things he did right was “killing” off Jason. The show has felt “lighter” since the morose mobster tumbled into the harbor.

Now, I’m hopeful that the Jason we get back isn’t Jason Morgan but, rather, Jason Quartermaine. For those that don’t remember Port Charles history (and I doubt you would be reading this if you didn’t) Jason Quartermaine, he of the reindeer Christmas sweaters, was involved in a drunk driving accident with his brother and was rendered brain damaged.

He had no memory of his previous life.

That’s how Jason Morgan – mobster, murderer and thug – was born. Jason Quartermaine wanted to be a doctor. He was a good person. Jason Morgan killed people for money and was made out to be a hero.

Yeah, it was annoying.

I have no idea which Jason is coming back. I doubt it will be the same Jason we remember, though.

So why don’t I want Jason back?

It’s all about the economics really.

Billy Miller is a high-profile actor, which means he’s getting high-profile money. The cast is already so bloated we see our beloved vets once – or maybe twice – a month. Miller coming in means he’s going to be getting a lot of money – and a lot of episodes.

This is on top of Maura West’s Ava – the biggest air hog of the year (and a high-priced actress) and the newly introduced Nina, played by Michelle Stafford. Nina is on four days a week – and there’s no way she’s getting newbie money.

Anthony Geary will be back in the next few weeks (he’s been recovering from surgery) and then the Fluke story will be front and center.

And yet, my question is: Where is Anna? Shouldn’t she have been involved when Lulu and Maxie were kidnapped? What is she doing?

Where is Duke? We haven’t seen him in months.

Where are Felicia and Mac? I mean, would Mac really allow psycho Levi to steal Maxie and then remain behind? Um, no.

GH’s cast is too big. Hard cuts have to be made. And, I don’t know about anyone else, but I’d rather see a fulltime return for a character we know and love – like Ned – than the mobster with exactly one facial expression.

If RC wants to add new characters – or bring back old characters with new faces – fine. He needs to cut the dead weight, though. Enough is enough.

Watching GH has become a chore. And why? Because there’s no pace. You can’t get into the swing of a story because you’ll get it for three days and then not see it for two weeks because there’s so many other stories going on.

RC needs to be willing to cut his losses. He’s introduced a few characters that work, namely Julian, Britt, and Nathan.

He’s also introduced a lot of duds. He needs to let Sabrina, Carlos, Nina and Franco go. They’re not working. They’re never going to work. It doesn’t matter how much screen time he gives them. They’re already dead.

There are other characters – older characters introduced by other regimes – that are also flat-lining. I’m talking about Olivia and Liz here (and it pains me to turn on Liz). They’re just superfluous to the action. I’m not saying to kill them off. Just send them out of town until they fit onto the canvas again.

I know a lot of people have been clamoring for a Jason return. For me, though, it’s just another worry. Who’s air time will Billy Miller be eating?

What do you think? Are you excited for Jason Morgan to return?