Longtime General Hospital viewers were ecstatic to learn that the big return by a former cast member this summer would be none other than Daytime Emmy winner Jonathan Jackson. As it turns out, his TV mom, Genie Francis, is equally excited to have Lucky’s portrayer back in Port Charles after nearly a decade!
Francis doesn’t often make social media posts, but about a week after the news of Jackson’s return broke, the daytime icon took to Twitter/X to express her thoughts about the reunion ahead. In reply to a video message Jackson shared with his followers in which he confessed that he was “excited” to see her, Francis wrote, “Dear sweet Jonathan Jackson, this show is so lucky to have you back. I am overjoyed! Can’t wait to work with you again.”
Jackson was just 11 years old when he joined the cast of GH in 1993 as the son of daytime royalty Luke and Laura Spencer. His debut marked Jackson’s first professional acting gig, as well as Francis’ return to the soap after nine years. The young performer held his own as a scene partner with Francis and soap legend Anthony Geary (ex-Luke), winning a staggering five Daytime Emmy Awards for his work, and an additional four nominations.
His original Port Charles run went on until 1999, but Jackson returned to the soap a decade later. His second stint lasted from 2009-2011 when Lucky left town to live in Ireland. In July 2015, Jackson briefly reprised the role as part of Geary’s final storyline before retiring: Lucky was kidnapped by Luke’s rival, Frank Smith, and his parents had to team up to rescue him.
In the years since, Lucky has occasionally been mentioned by both Laura as well as Liz, the mother of his sons. Since Jackson’s return is expected to be a lengthy run, hopefully, Lucky will get to spend plenty of time with Laura, Liz, the boys, and his other friends and family members!
