GENERAL HOSPITAL: The cast pruning has officially begun

It seems that General Hospital is finally getting around to trimming the cast.

Unfortunately, I’m starting to suspect it’s so they can afford Billy Miller (Jason), and not because the writers realize the folly of balancing too many characters.

First up, Marc Anthony Samuel (Felix) announced that he has been dropped to recurring. That’s not an outright ouster, but it’s pretty close. Samuel expressed his ambition to move on to other things – so I doubt we’ll be seeing much of Felix.

I’m guessing – and this is just a guess – that Sabrina will be following in upcoming weeks. The character has been written into a corner, and she has no ties to anyone on the canvas. There’s really no reason to keep her.

I am hoping that GH moves Lucas and Brad into a realistic relationship (instead of the cliché threesome), although I still think it would have made more sense to move Milo into their orbit. I am worried that both of them will be gone, too. While I can take or leave Brad, Lucas is a legacy character. He’s Carly and Sam’s brother and Lulu and Maxie’s cousin. He’s important to the canvas.

In addition to Samuel, Kelly Thiebaud (Britt) has voluntarily dropped to recurring. If you believe the

gossip, she’s only staying recurring to finish up Britt’s storyline. While I had high hopes for Britt and Nikolas in the beginning – those were dashed pretty quickly when the writing for her character went from weak to dismal after the baby Rocco reveal. I can’t help but think Thiebaud is better off getting away from the soap.

Since Thiebaud is involved with Bryan Craig (Morgan) in real life, I’m betting he opts to leave when his contract is up next year. While I like Craig’s Morgan, I think he’s one of the few actors who has a chance to hit it big outside of daytime, so it’s only a matter of time before he flees Port Charles.

GH head writer Ron Carlivati has also written several big characters into corners they might not be able to emerge from. Who?

1. Nina Clay: If Michelle Stafford only signed a six-month contract, the disastrous writing for Nina makes sense. She was always intended to be a villain. If that wasn’t the case, the writing for Nina is so atrocious that Stafford must be mortified. There’s no rooting value in the character, and there’s no redeeming her. Once the baby storyline is wrapped up, Nina will either be locked up with Heather Webber or killed.

2. Ava Jerome: I love Maura West, but the second she killed Connie in cold blood, Ava’s die was cast. The best thing to do with the character is to reunite her with her baby and have her flee. I don’t want Kiki or Morgan saddled with a kid – and Sonny has enough kids to field his own ball team.

3. Franco: As much as I applauded his outing of Carly and Sonny – and the truth behind AJ’s murder – there still isn’t any rooting value in the character. Roger Howarth is a tremendous talent – and now a regular on the CW’s The Flash. Maybe it’s time to let him go with dignity. Bringing someone of Howarth’s caliber in as a character as dumb as Franco was just … well … insulting, to both fans and Howarth.

4. Sonny Corinthos: Maurice Benard may be a popular actor, but who can root for Sonny? He killed AJ in cold blood. He lied to his son. He tried to kill Ava. Seriously, how does Sonny think it’s okay to kill Ava for killing Connie but take no personal responsibility for murdering AJ? Sonny and Carly do not work as a couple. In fact, they’re the couple who helped sink Port Charles. Besides that, Laura Wright and Benard have absolutely no chemistry. Send Sonny out of town, give him a happily ever after with Brenda in a non-extradition country, and call it a day.

And, finally, when it comes to cutting dead weight – can someone explain to me why Olivia is still around? I’m sure Lisa Locicero is a wonderful person, but Olivia is completely unnecessary. The cast has to be trimmed, and while it looks like the pruning has started, there’s still a long way to go.

GH's greatest strength lies in its veterans and core families. Let's not lose that.

What do you think? Who should go? Who should stay?