General Hospital Super Stars Series: Celebrating Our Favorite Vets – #1 Steve Burton

In this series, we will explore GH vets and what they bring to the show. Our first veteran actor is probably the most controversial and the most loved by many.

Steve Burton as Jason Morgan

Steve Burton joined the General Hospital cast in 1991 as a SORASed Jason Quartermaine. Jason was studying to be a doctor when his life was derailed by a tree in 1996 when Jason suffered irreversible brain damage.

After the accident, Jason couldn’t stand the way his family looked at him because he was no longer the person they knew and loved. Jason then decided to make a new life for himself and changed his name to Jason Morgan.

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Steve Burton was instrumental in this change in Jason’s personality because he thought Jason needed a change and the writers agreed.

Steve Took a Few Breaks for Other Projects, But Always Returned

Steve left briefly in December 1999 only to reprise the role for a six-week stint in August 2000. In January 2001 until April 2001 when he exited for a pilot and a movie role to return in 2002 during May sweeps. Steve stayed in the role until his departure in Oct 2012.

Steve had wanted to move to Tennessee for some time and the opportunity finally presented itself and Steve made the difficult decision to leave GH after a fly in the deal could not be reached with TPTB at ABC.

Some Fans Have An Irrational Sense of Abandonment

A lot of fans were heartbroken to see Steve leave GH, especially since Jason had just put his family back together. Other fans felt abandoned by the move and hold it against Steve to this day. The fact that months after leaving GH, Steve joined the cast of Y&R is still a very sore point for many fans.

However, contrary to popular belief, Steve did not leave GH for Y&R, they were just willing to give him a schedule that allowed Steve time with his family as well as work time. Frankly, if ABC had given him the same deal, Steve would probably have never left GH in the first place.

Kelly Monaco Suggests Billy Miller Play A Recast Jason Morgan

Kelly Monaco suggested in 2014 that Billy Miller is considered for the role of Jason Morgan if ABC wanted to bring Jason back on the canvas.

Miller had passed up a lucrative contract renewal offer with CBS in order to pursue primetime and movies, however, he took the role of Jason offered by ABC. Several Jason Morgan fans left after this happened because “A New Side of Jason” was not Jason at all.

Why the Recast Didn’t Work

A great amount of Jason Morgan fans were not necessarily Jason Quartermaine fans, to begin with and this version of Jason didn’t match either of them. As a Jason Morgan fan, I will readily admit to wanting Jason Morgan, the way he was when he left. I didn’t want Jason Quartermaine or anything close to him. As it turns out several Jason Morgan fans agreed.

Billy Miller admitted to not researching Jason’s character as well as not understanding him and adding his sense of humor did not make it any better. Jason Morgan had his own sense of humor and his own appeal to his loyal fans and to change that was not true to character.

Steve Burton Returns 2017

After the Daytime Emmy Awards in 2017, Steve was approached by an agent wanting to represent him. Steve decided he wanted to get back into acting so he agreed. Finally, things were in line for ABC to approach Steve about returning to GH and he was thrilled.

Steve wanted to be back home with the actors he loved, on the set he essentially grew up on. Steve stated that he didn’t know who he was playing and didn’t care, he was just glad to be home, and Steve fans were just as thrilled.

Steve Revealed As Jason Morgan

In the fall of 2017, Steve was revealed as the real Jason Morgan. Fans of Steve’s version of Jason Morgan were thrilled with the reveal, we had the man we had missed for 5 years was home and OUR Jason was back.

Several Billy Miller/NuJason fans hated this because they wanted Billy to be Jason. However, most of us who weren’t NuJason fans knew early on that Miller’s Jason wasn’t the real Jason and were thrilled to have the real Jason Morgan back where he belongs.

As always, more detailed spoilers and a full collection of pictures for the week in question will appear here on Soap Opera Spy, where there will be more clues and hints over exactly what’s going on.

General Hospital airs weekdays on the ABC network.

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