General Hospital viewers may be wondering what happened to Sam after Lindsay Hartley stepped back into the role she covered in 2020.
Kelly Monaco will be out for a few episodes, and since Lindsay did such a good job when she stepped in the first time, the ABC soap tapped her to fill in once again.
The swap began with today’s episodes and will continue for a few more.
Why isn’t Kelly Monaco on General Hospital?
News about Kelly Monaco’s absence from General Hospital confirmed that Lindsay Hartley was temporarily stepping in to replace her.
Details about why Kelly needed a break from GH weren’t addressed. She took some time off in early January but is already back on set filming new scenes. The actress likely extended her holiday break but returned and is back to work. General Hospital even delayed filming a week last month when cases of COVID-19 spiked in California.
What is Sam up to on General Hospital?
Currently, Sam is building a relationship with Dante (Dominic Zamprogna). It’s a slow burn, but the couple has been spotted doing more coupley-things, including attending Ned (Wally Kurth) and Olivia’s (Lisa LoCicero) vow renewal.
There hasn’t been a lead story for Sam in quite some time, but hopefully, that will change with February sweeps happening.
When Lindsay Hartley stepped into the role last time, she had some scenes with Valentin (James Patrick Stuart) and other soap vets. Now that Cameron Mathison plays Drew, it will be interesting to see if he will cross paths with Lindsay’s Sam. The two worked together on All My Children over a decade ago.
General Hospital viewers seemed to like Lindsay as Sam, but no one will ever be Kelly Monaco. The actress has amassed an enormous fan base, and fans often support her on social media. There have been calls for more screen time for Sam, and more importantly, better storylines.
Kelly is important to her fans, and this temporary absence won’t affect that. Lindsay Hartley is only at GH briefly, so there isn’t anything to worry about. The fact that she is back filming already likely hints that nothing serious happened with the actress in January, and she likely took some extended time to enjoy the holidays. Kelly is incredibly private, so it’s unlikely she would speak out about her absence.
General Hospital airs weekdays on ABC.