Robert Scorpio is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital , played by actor Tristan Rogers .
184-479: Tristan Rogers originally played the role from December 2, 1980 through February 25, 1992. The popularity and longevity of the character was furthered by his involvement with the monumentally popular " supercouple " Luke and Laura , whose 1981 wedding brought in 30 million viewers and remains the highest-rated hour in American soap opera history. While Rogers' Scorpio had been "killed with no body found" when he left
368-416: A "boring" everyday life. "A super couple shouldn't be designed to be a couple that beats the odds and sticks it out no matter what," she said. "We're left with nothing on those terms. Instead, try redefining a super couple by the intensity of their love, their loss and their ability to move on without their other half. It leaves us frustrated, heartbroken and yearning for more. To me, that is the definition of
552-548: A 16 years Alexis gets pregnant at boarding school, Mikkos forces Alexis into giving Sam up for adoption. Mikkos then forges a death certificate to make sure Alexis can never find her daughter. In 2016, Valentin Cassadine finally makes contact with his family, killing off his nephew Nikolas and claiming the Cassadine fortune for himself. Valentin reveals that he was shipped off to boarding school in Bedlington , England when
736-429: A Vampire Slayer, it hardly seems like the appropriate person to fall for would be a Vampire. But fall for Angel Buffy did, setting up one of the most involving and tragic love stories we can remember on TV. After all, it's pretty rare for one half of a great couple to go from gentle and caring to sadistic and murderous in the course of a single night...and spurred on by having sex with the girl he loves no less. Creator of
920-419: A bridge. However, a despondent Robert is found by Luke, who tells Robert Ethan Lovett is his son, in an effort to pull Robert back from the brink. Luke, along with assistance from Holly, concocts an elaborate story that Ethan had been abducted by Helena Cassadine (Ethan had actually agreed to go along with Luke's lie), prompting him to leave Port Charles with Holly to rescue "his" son. As a result of this, Anna
1104-435: A certain rivalry between the two couples, with both vying for the title of supercouple. An example of this was especially evident with the mid-1990s storyline of General Hospital ' s Sonny Corinthos , Brenda Barrett , and Jasper "Jax" Jacks , often referred to as "the hottest love triangle in soap opera history" by the soap opera media. The couple combinations within the love triangle were equally in demand, and which of
1288-590: A couple appearing with the same actors over the course of few or several films, making the actors the supercouples rather than the characters. The media often focuses on celebrity pairings. Celebrity couples who are viewed as fascinating or create a power coupling due to finances are singled out as supercouples. Since the term was coined, classic Hollywood couples have been regarded as supercouples, including Clark Gable and Carole Lombard . People magazine stated that Gable and Lombard were "more than just Golden Age window dressing. The love they shared for six years
1472-427: A decline in their ratings. The characters are often denied fulfilling and lasting romances with others of the same sex. "Before Bianca's gay character was written into All My Children , the purpose of gay characters was to make a point or explain homosexuality for the audience—a task handled within the course of a few episodes," said Zach Hudson of Washington Blade . "The distraught parents or angry bullies who caused
1656-563: A fight against the Quartermaine family , Edward's former mistress Beatrice LeSeur blackmails Edward and Lila, along with Amanda and Sylvia Whitby. Amanda and Sylvia, along with Holly Sutton are also blackmail victims to Leo Russell. Leo, the young masseur at the Avalon Spa, seduces his victims on the massage table and catches compromising positions on a hidden camera device. Beatrice catches wind of this and uses it to her advantage. On
1840-562: A flight of stairs, broke his neck, and died. In June 2001, Stavros was revealed to have been cryogenically frozen by Helena, until medical science could revive her son. After recovering from his injury, Stavros quickly began wreaking havoc upon the citizens of Port Charles, namely Laura and his own brother, Stefan . Under the alias of businessman Lucien Cane, Stavros began to build a relationship with Chloe Morgan, seeking to undermine her relationship with his brother. When Chloe discovered Stavros' true identity, he murdered her and framed Stefan for
2024-447: A gay character back in 1983 on All My Children. Actress Donna Pescow portrayed Dr. Lynn Carson, who " comes out " as a lesbian to patient and confidante Devon Shepherd McFadden ( Tricia Pursley ). The two women admit to having romantic feelings for each other, and that is as far as the relationship goes. A prominent obstacle for gay and lesbian characters on daytime television is interference from television network executives who fear
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#17328017953772208-477: A great love story or relationship should be; they may or may not be romantic or high-profile, and interest in the pairings may be due to a combination of chemistry, physical attractiveness , or because they seem fated. The term supercouple first appeared in 1981, with the wedding of General Hospital ' s Luke and Laura. Thirty million viewers tuned into the event, and the widespread media attention it received from prominent newspapers and magazines set
2392-625: A heroic past. He was involved in many adventures with his good friend Luke Spencer and his wife Laura Spencer . He has been an international spy for the WSB spy agency, and was police commissioner of Port Charles from 1983 through 1985, then again from 1988 through 1992 when he supposedly perished in an explosion in South America. When he resigned as police commissioner in 1985 he moved to Australia with his wife Holly to start anew, but returned to Port Charles when Anna and Robin needed his help for
2576-441: A huge excitement to [their pairing]." Popular couplings on soap operas exist today, but there are few termed supercouples by fans or the soap opera media. Usually, the term is reminiscent of the 1970s and 1980s. As such, supercouples that are still on serials today are mostly from the 1980s, or early 1990s. After the mid-1990s, the supercouple phenomenon slowly faded and the nature of soap operas today allows few couples to define
2760-533: A model whom Laura Spencer resembled. Robert and Luke were thrust into another episode of world intrigue when David Gray, the rightful heir to the throne of a fictional kingdom of Malkuth, was revealed to have arranged for Laura Spencer's disappearance in exchange for Helena's financing his coup. David Gray was killed in a sword fight with Luke, and Robert was left to console his friend when it was believed Laura had drowned at sea. Luke and Robert next became involved in an oil scam orchestrated by Holly Sutton's crime family,
2944-497: A priest and a nun to find information in the convent where Monica gave birth but were exposed when the Quartermaines were visited by Sister Mary Agnes who had given them shelter. He formed a cartel to control global business with carbon disulphide. To achieve their goals, they thought it would be best for Paul Hornsby to marry Tracy to take over her stock of ELQ. Killing her was an option to get control of her stock. The cartel
3128-593: A raid. Liesl confronts Victor, telling him that Nathan is in fact his son, but when the test results prove otherwise, Liesl shoots and kills Victor. As a result, a detonation sequence is triggered to protect sensitive material, and Liesl, Anna, Nathan, Maxie, Dante, and Lulu all escape the facility (along with Robin, Jason, and a resurrected Helena who escaped through other means). Not even Jordan Ashford knows about Victor. One year later, his counterpart Paul Hornsby returns to Port Charles in attempted revenge for Victor and Valentin Cassadine . In 2021 Victor reappears and
3312-560: A recently resurrected Stavros. Maxie comes face to face with Peter Harrell Sr., seeking revenge for an incident with her parents years ago. Meanwhile, Victor develops suspicions about Nathan's paternity and orders a DNA test on the young detective to confirm whether he is his son. Back in Port Charles, Liesl deduces her son and his friends are being held at the Crichton-Clark facility, and aids police commissioner Anna Devane in
3496-423: A recently widowed Robert becomes her partner. Robert and Anna bond as they work together and he wants to reunite but she chooses to go back to Duke instead. Duke and Anna are married in a traditional Scottish wedding on October 19, 1987. In January 1988, the deranged Grant Putnam (Brian Patrick Clarke) kills Filomena after a failed attempt to kidnap Robin, and abducts Anna instead. Robert tracks Putnam and Anna to
3680-536: A required advertising device and a narratological mainstay on daytime and primetime." In Russian Television Today , David MacFadyen concludes, "Even the busiest, most rambling soap operas are often neatly and conclusively distilled in the public's mind by a 'supercouple' or tiny, central pair of protagonists." Luke and Laura's popularity resulted in fictional supercouples generally being regarded as soulmates . The pairings have typically overcome numerous obstacles or significant strife in order to be together. Though
3864-529: A return to General Hospital . Hughes reappeared on April 25, 2008, and concluded her return stint on May 7, 2008. Days later, it was announced that Hughes would soon join the cast of The Young and the Restless and was slated to begin airing on June 19, 2008. At the time, Hughes was not contractually obligated to ABC, so accepted the four episode guest stint. However, Michael Logan of TV Guide later reported that ABC pressured Hughes into dropping out of
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#17328017953774048-501: A room, every other character, no matter how important, becomes window dressing, I've never believed in it." Corday added, "Either people are involved in a good story or they're not. They're an interesting couple or they're not." Celebrity couples may also be regarded as supercouples. Interest in the pairings ranges from media and public obsession to calculation of the couples' combined finances. Fans often use portmanteau to refer to their favorite couples on online message boards ,
4232-616: A scam. In December 2015, Robert joins Anna and Patrick to rescue Robin who is being held by Jerry Jacks again. They storm the compound where Jerry announces Robin is dead, however she actually faked her death to trick Jerry. After Robert and Anna sent Jerry to Steinmauer, they were reunited with Robin and they all went home. Robert was there for Robin and Patrick's second wedding in January 2016. Robert briefly returns to Port Charles in August to warn Luke's family about Valentin Cassadine who
4416-628: A short affair with Tiffany Hill while he and Tony assist their oldest brother Mikkos with his plan to use the world's largest uncut diamond, the Ice Princess to power his weather machine and force the entire world to bend to his will, and allow him to rebuild the world in his own pure, perfect image. While Tony and Mikkos get killed in the process, Victor is imprisoned for his part in Mikkos' scheme. It has later been suggested Victor died in prison. In January 2014, Victor returns to Port Charles. He
4600-450: A short stint. He appeared from August 26 to September 9, 2016. In March 2018, Soap Opera Digest reported that Rogers would return to the show, his return aired on April 13, 2018. Rogers departed on June 1, 2018. In July 2018, it was announced Rogers made another return to the show. Rogers returned on July 27, 2018. In January 2019, Soaps.com reported that Rogers would be returning during the week of January 28. Robert, an Australian, has
4784-407: A shorter amount of time to develop characters and carry out storylines, the task of convincing the audience that the film's couple are adequately suited for each other can be challenging. This is especially evident in cases where there is not enough plot focusing on the buildup of the characters' interaction, which can make the love story seem contrived. A memorable line or catchphrase spoken between
4968-467: A sign of commitment and togetherness, meshing is also seen by some as an attempt to banish what might be considered a "sexist" tradition of a woman taking her husband's name when she marries. In other Internet trends, fans often take part in making fan videos (also referred to as fanvids, a compilation of favorite scenes stylishly intercut as music videos or other various forms of entertainment) and writing fanfiction (alternative endings and stories to
5152-556: A significant aspect of the "shipping fandom" . The "shipping fandom" scene, whose name is derived from the word "relationship", is a general term for fans' emotional or intellectual involvement with the ongoing development of romance in a work of fiction. Though technically applicable to any such involvement, it refers chiefly to various related social dynamics observable on the Internet, and is seldom used outside of that context. "Shipping" can involve virtually any kind of relationship—from
5336-693: A significant number of supercouples — Bo and Hope , Shane and Kimberly, Patch and Kayla , and Jack and Jennifer all going on at roughly the same time. The show soon featured John and Marlena . All My Children was represented by Cliff and Nina , Greg and Jenny , Jesse and Angie , and later by Tad and Dixie . As the World Turns had the popular couples Holden and Lily , Craig and Sierra, Tom and Margo , and Steve and Betsy with Betsy Stewart being portrayed by future film star Meg Ryan . Along with Luke and Laura, General Hospital also boasted Alan and Monica and Frisco and Felicia . At
5520-488: A sketch of the other face. When the sketch is completed, it bears a striking similarity to Robert's long-time enemy, Cesar Faison , who is masquerading as Duke in order to get closer to Anna. It is revealed "Duke" really is Faison. Anna though still believes the real Duke is alive. Robert, John, and Anna confronts Dr. Obrecht, and then find the real Duke Lavery . Robert then finds Robin alive, but Dr. Obrecht injects him, so no one knows. Anna finds Robert unconscious, and Robert
5704-424: A special episode focused on his daughter, Alexis Davis . Mikkos Cassadine, according to some critics was "The Face of Evil" hell bent on world domination; similar to many comic book supervillains in pop culture . The Cassadine family were introduced and created by executive producer Gloria Monty . Over the years, Mikkos has been painted as a vicious tyrant, very controlling of all of his children. His personality
Robert Scorpio - Misplaced Pages Continue
5888-519: A successful model, the concept has been criticized for hindering the growth of characters' relationships with other love interests; this has resulted in alternate definitions for the term. In her essay criticism of the term, The Siren Call of the Super Couple (ed. Suzanne Frentz, 1992), Diana Reep describes the love of a supercouple as "so perfect that they are incapable of having romantic feelings for anyone else under any circumstances. In addition,
6072-421: A super couple." Soap operas traditionally featured only heterosexual romance. For American soap opera, this began to change with characters Bianca Montgomery , Lena Kundera , and Maggie Stone from All My Children . Bianca's unveiling as a lesbian was unique for daytime television. By being a core character and the daughter of legendary diva Erica Kane , "the show initiated an innovative discourse about
6256-408: A supercouple will usually reunite and marry, while the most significant obstacle for the pairing is the soap opera genre itself; as soap operas typically continue for decades, there is no closure for the pairing unless both characters leave the show together or one of them dies. It is because of this, that after the usual fairytale wedding, if the supercouple remains on the series, writers do not allow
6440-411: A supercouple, regarded as one of the film industry's most powerful, and their marriage was considered a rare Hollywood success. In January 2005, Pitt and Aniston announced they decided to formally separate after seven years together. Two months later, Aniston filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. In November 2000, Michael Douglas married Welsh actress Catherine Zeta-Jones , and
6624-416: A television regular and a "pin-geinin" or solo comedian while Fujiwara, a former Miss Japan, became known as a successful actress and "one of the business's biggest earners with a string of commercial contracts, regular TV and stage roles, and also active in charitable causes". They were titled "one of the 'super couples' of Japanese showbiz" and "held their elaborate traditional wedding on February 17, 2007 at
6808-409: A tragic-love storyline. For comedies, the approach of pairing mismatched couples is also often applied, and for dramas, there tends to be a "will-they-won't-they" setup. Website Cinemablend states that there are two general formulas for a "will-they-wont-they" setup. "The first one is when one person pursues the other, then finally gives up and dates someone else," the site stated, "and the other scenario
6992-494: A vital component whenever possible." She stressed the importance of creating "young love [stories], the Romeo and Juliet " of tomorrow. Shows have attempted to revive the success of supercouples through modern couples. There are instances when a character becomes a part of two popular pairings, where both couples which include the character develop the same or close to the same amount of positive fan reaction from viewers. This causes
7176-419: A volunteer at General Hospital. Initially hating it, Alison's mind changes when she meets Jamal Woods , who she helps hide from the police. Alison falls for Jamal, but he pushes her away. Alison is furious to learn that Jamal had made a deal with Amanda to stay away from her. In an attempt to fool Amanda, Jack Ramsey poses as Alison's new boyfriend, Chandler. Amanda agrees to let Alison continue seeing Jamal under
7360-484: A year earlier, Stavros had arranged for Laura's abduction, having become completely obsessed with her. After telling Laura that Luke had died, Stavros took Laura to an island, where he married and raped her, the latter event resulting in the conception of their son, Nikolas . Jealous over her son's obsession with Laura, Stavros' mother, Helena helped Laura escape from his captivity. Stavros, however, managed to track Laura down, and following an encounter with Luke, fell down
7544-597: Is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital . He was portrayed by John Colicos from August 10, 1981, to September 18, 1981. Mikkos was characterized as one of General Hospital ' s greatest villains of all time. In the summer of 2006, it was rumored that the show was considering recasting the role with Daytime legend, Joseph Mascolo ; however Mascolo returned to his famous role as Stefano DiMera on NBC 's Days of Our Lives . On April 8, 2021, Steve Richard Harris portrayed Mikkos in flashbacks during
Robert Scorpio - Misplaced Pages Continue
7728-419: Is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital . He was portrayed by actor Brian Patrick Clarke from 1983 to 1985, who also played the character's doppelgänger , Grant Putnam . Actor Fred Divel played the body double during the evil twin storyline where Brian Patrick Clarke's face was unseen and both characters were both in the same scene. Grant Andrews was a Russian spy trained to take
7912-437: Is adopted by Rick (now Chris Robinson ) and Lesley Webber ( Denise Alexander ) in 1983. He was the station manager of WLPC and later marries Lorena Sharpe ( Shelley Taylor Morgan ). Ginny Blake Webber is a fictional character on the ABC daytime soap opera, " General Hospital ". She was portrayed by Judith Chapman from 1984 to 1986. D. L. Brock is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital . He
8096-556: Is dealing with the loss of her boyfriend to AIDS -related illness and is herself HIV -positive. On All My Children , when Hughes reprised the role of Alex in February 2001 after her maternity leave, Hughes also made her first appearance as Anna on March 2, 2001. In late July 2003, All My Children announced that Hughes would exit in the role of Anna when her contract expired. Hughes made her final appearance on September 11, 2003. An ABC spokesperson hinted that Hughes could return to
8280-419: Is deceased, but left behind a wife, Elizabeth, and daughter, Alison. Derek, who later marries Lorena, is the biological father of Mike Webber through an affair with Ginny Blake. Standoffish and snobbish, Amanda often clashes with many of the doctors at meetings of the board of directors of General Hospital. Amanda's wealthy stature has Lucy Coe fighting for Amanda's affections for nearly 20 years. In 1984, in
8464-411: Is declared as disaster area. However, the machine malfunctions killing Tony and Alexandria Quartermaine along with others. However Mikkos remains. Luke, Laura and WSB agent, Robert Scorpio break into the Cassadine compound, to stop Mikkos; during a struggle with Luke, Mikkos is frozen to death after falling into his own ice chamber. Luke is able to shut down the machine and Port Charles is safe; Victor
8648-431: Is discovered to be the employer of Peter Harrell Jr. , who had been conning Maxie Jones for months in an effort to obtain her mother, Felicia's, Aztec jewels. After Peter kidnaps Maxie and Lulu to a secluded cabin, they are nearly rescued by Dante and Nathan West (Liesl's son) before Victor gasses the place, and abducts all four of them to the Crichton-Clark facility. While at the facility, Lulu and Dante are left to face
8832-468: Is in cahoots with the villains, including Cesar Faison and Helena Cassadine . Larry is seen again in April 2017 (Muirhead), when Tracy begins looking for her father's painting. Larry tries to get Tracy to give him half of what the painting is worth but she refuses. Larry is then seen toasting Ned on his engagement to Olivia. It is revealed that he orchestrated the ruse of making Tracy think that Samira Adin
9016-554: Is involved but her urges her to trust him. As Duke and Anna are engaged in October 1986, Robert exposes Duke's involvement in a money laundering scheme for the mysterious "Mr. Big." Soon after, Anna's home is bombed and Duke assures Anna he loves her and decides to get out of the mob for good. However, Duke is framed by his boss, the mysterious "Mr. Big" and ends up in jail. Robert then enlist Anna and Frisco's help to expose "Mr. Big" who turns out to be Anna's corrupt partner Ramsey. After
9200-622: Is kidnapped by a mysterious Cassadine. Robert leaves town to find her. Robert returns to Port Charles in early 2019 with intel on why Anna suddenly went blind. Their search for answers leads them to Dr. Arthur Cabot who went blind as well. They restore Cabot's sight who tells them Anna and her sister Alex were part of his original study to transfer memories from one person to another. In March, Robert joins Sonny Corinthos ( Maurice Benard ) in Turkey to find and rescue Sonny's son, Dante Falconeri ( Dominic Zamprogna ) who has been on an undercover for
9384-480: Is left to grieve for Robin on her own. Over the next several months, a burgeoning romantic relationship begins to develop between Anna and Luke, with Luke continuing to keep quiet about his lie. It is only following a trip to Switzerland, where Anna had been led to believe a very much alive Robin had been held, that Luke comes clean. An infuriated Anna then demands Luke track down Robert and admit to what he had done. Luke eventually does so off-screen, with it being implied
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#17328017953779568-673: Is now the director of the WSB and as such was involved in freeing Liesl Obrecht and getting her the job as chief-of-staff of General Hospital after meeting Sonny Corinthos from her cell. Victor visits the recently returned Robin Scorpio , who has been kept away for almost two years, and announces he has big plans for her. Victor wants Robin to help him to bring back his sister-in-law Helena Cassadine – who has been shot by Luke Spencer – and his nephew Stavros – who has been frozen by Laura Spencer . Victor showed Robin proof her friend Jason Morgan
9752-530: Is often seen on special occasions with her friends, the Quartermaines and the Baldwins. Her final appearance is at the funeral of her longtime friend, Lila, in July 2004. In 2013, when doing a background check on Alison, John McBain revealed that Amanda had died a few years before. 2000 also sees the arrival of Amanda's granddaughter, Alison . After breaking her curfew all too often, Amanda orders Alison to become
9936-529: Is one of the cancers that can most easily be prevented if only people will get screened. Hopefully, we can raise awareness of this with our viewers." Rao reached out to the National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance to make sure he conveyed the story "authentically, responsibly and realistically". Robert falls into a coma , and both Mac Scorpio ( John J. York ) and Anna Devane ( Finola Hughes ) make appearances on
10120-473: Is presumed dead. Following the intervention of his uncle, Victor Cassadine , Stavros is resurrected in September 2014, due largely in part to research performed by Robin Scorpio . After Victor arranges for Lulu, Dante, Maxie Jones and Nathan West to be captured, Stavros reappears with the intention of impregnating Lulu with an embryo he had harvested from her the year prior. Stavros' efforts fail, and he
10304-648: Is put into a coma. Robert wakes up from his coma on October 4, 2013 and is greeted by Anna and Mac. After some initial skepticism on Anna's part, he finally convinces her he saw Robin alive just before Dr. Obrecht put him in the coma. They decide not to tell Mac in order to spare him the anguish of false hope if Robert is wrong. After Faison escapes from prison with the help of Obrecht, and Anna learns from Nikolas Cassadine that Obrecht has been to Cassadine Island , Robert and Anna decide to pursue them to Cassadine Island, hoping to find Robin still alive. Robert and Anna are held prisoner on Cassadine Island by Jerry Jacks in
10488-561: Is revealed that Filomena has been secretly been raising Robert and Anna's daughter Robin ( Kimberly McCullough ) as her granddaughter. Robert resurfaces and confronts Anna about Robin who overhears the truth and runs away. She is kidnapped forcing Anna and Robert to rescue her. Later, Anna is named co-police chief along with Burt Ramsey ( Bob Hastings ). In 1986, Anna falls for the handsome mysterious club-owner Duke Lavery ( Ian Buchanan ). When her friends Frisco and Felicia ( Jack Wagner and Kristina Wagner ) go missing, Anna suspects Duke
10672-465: Is sent to prison. However, Mikkos's murder at the hands of the Spencer clan would affect the show for years to come. The feud between the Cassadine and Spencer families start after Mikkos's death; his widow Helena decides to take revenge on Luke and Laura. For years, she tortures them all because of her plans to avenge the murder of Mikkos. Mikkos and Helena's controlling ways are often mentioned as
10856-546: Is shot to death by Dante. Despite this, a resurrected Helena gets her hands on the embryo, and flees the Crichton-Clark just as it explodes. In 2024, Charlie Mason from Soaps She Knows called Stavros "vile" and noted how Helena would fawn over him. Anna Devane is played by Finola Hughes . Hughes also appeared as Anna on All My Children , and the General Hospital prime time, spin-off series, General Hospital: Night Shift . The character first appeared on
11040-477: Is similar to that of his widow Helena Cassadine ( Constance Towers ). In August 1981, Mikkos Cassadine appears on his private island in Greece with several of his business associates, including his brothers, Victor and Tony . Mikkos presents his plan to use the world's largest uncut diamond, the Ice Princess to power his weather machine and force the entire world to bend to his will, and allow him to rebuild
11224-466: Is that, as characters, therefore, they are unchanging in a narrative form that emphasizes evolving characters and relationships... and as ideals, supercouples bring closure to a relationship in a world that is based in continuing expectations of change. Creators within the medium generally focus more on the benefits of supercouples rather than the potential problems the pairings can produce. Former One Life to Live co-head writer Josh Griffith said that
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#173280179537711408-836: Is the love-hate relationship plotline. In the television series Dynasty , characters Krystle and Blake ( Linda Evans and John Forsythe ) are seen fighting for years, through ex-lovers and a host of other interferences. Krystle winds up in a coma and Blake spends years in jail, but their love eventually wins out over their problems. This resulted in the couple subsequently becoming one of television's classic supercouples. Other early primetime power couplings include Ricky and Lucy ( Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball ) from I Love Lucy , Pam and Bobby ( Victoria Principal and Patrick Duffy ) from Dallas , and Cliff and Clair Huxtable ( Bill Cosby and Phylicia Rashad ) from The Cosby Show , among others. Television shows also produce tragic love stories, such as Buffy and Angel from
11592-442: Is the longest-running American television serial drama, airing on ABC . Created by Frank and Doris Hursley , who originally set it in a general hospital (hence the title), in an unnamed fictional city. In the 1970s, the city was named Port Charles, New York . The series premiered on April 1, 1963. This is a list of notable characters who significantly impacted storylines and began their run between 1980 and 1989. Grant Andrews
11776-486: Is the relationship of supercouple Agent Fox Mulder and Agent Dana Scully from the science fiction/thriller series The X-Files . Mulder and Scully, two FBI agents investigating cases that involve the paranormal , are showcased as having a relationship which borders on subtle hints of romance throughout the series without the two being heavily romantically involved. Though anticipation for Mulder and Scully to romantically commit to each other had existed for years among
11960-401: Is to kill him. Robert is reluctant to go along at first, but in the end when he sees Anna is determined to kill Faison, he joins in her in a joint execution, saying, "If we do this, we'll do it together." Robert covers their tracks and it remains unknown what really happened to Faison. He later announces he'll leave Port Charles to help out Holly and her son Ethan, who got himself in trouble with
12144-481: Is when the two characters are so different and often do not get along with one another, they fight and argue constantly, but then one thing or a series of 'things' happen and they are forced to put up with each other." Examples of popular couples cited for having displayed this formula are Buffy and Spike (of Buffy the Vampire Slayer ), Ross and Rachel (of the show Friends ), Logan and Veronica (of
12328-476: The Adirondack Mountains and rescues her. Anna settles into a happy life with Duke while working with Robert as they co-parent Robin. In the summer of 1988, Anna announces she is pregnant. However, Anna suffers a miscarriage in October 1988 when she is trapped in an elevator rigged to fall by Victor's jealous daughter Olivia St. John ( Tonja Walker ), who had become obsessed with Duke. When Olivia
12512-586: The Jerome family , allows for Duke and Anna to become one of the show's supercouples , along with Robert and Anna. However, the storyline ends in tragedy when Duke dies in Anna's arms. Robert and Anna eventually reunite to raise their daughter, Robin , and eventually remarry; the happiness is short lived and the duo are killed off in 1992 along with their rival, Cesar Faison . However, all three were eventually revealed to be alive. Anna reappeared on All My Children as
12696-641: The Swedish opera singer, Kristin Bergman who bore him two children, Natasha and Kristina Cassadine . When Helena finds out about the affair, she kills Kristen forcing Mikkos to send his daughters into hiding. The infant Kristina is put up for adoption, while Natasha's name is changed to Alexis and Mikkos lies, claiming she is the daughter of his late sister, Sophia, and raises her in Greece with his sons. In 2009, Helena reveals that Mikkos had another bastard child,
12880-506: The mainstream media have focused on wealthy or popular celebrity couples, and have titled them supercouples or power couples. Examples are the pairing of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez (which became known by the portmanteau " Bennifer "), and the former relationship of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie ("Brangelina"). Supercouples are defined as popular or financially wealthy pairings that are widely admired in an intense or obsessive fashion and influence society's expectations of what
13064-405: The "it" factor regarding fictional couples. "It's hard to imagine Bo and Hope as a supercouple and divorce that from the magnetic chemistry of Peter Reckell and Kristian Alfonso ", he stated. "Or Cruz and Eden from Santa Barbara days and A Martinez and Marcy Walker . Or McKenzie Westmore as Sheridan and Galen Gering as Luis, if I might be so bold as to dub them a supercouple. Actors bring
13248-477: The Amazon. The character then appears on the prime time spin-off General Hospital: Night Shift when he narrowly escapes a plane crashes near Port Charles. Jagger Cates rescues him and brings him to General Hospital where it is revealed he has a brain tumor. During an MRI, Patrick Drake tells Robert that the brain tumor is the result of another tumor, and tells Robert he has colon cancer . Writer Sri Rao explained
13432-548: The April 10, 1985, episode of General Hospital as a fence . The character was created and introduced by executive producer, Gloria Monty , and co-head writers, Pat Falken Smith and Norma Monty. Upon her introduction, Anna is revealed to be the super spy ex-wife of Robert Scorpio and romantic rival to his current wife, Holly Sutton . Anna remained a prominent character in the series until 1992 due to her romantic pairings with Robert and former mobster, Duke Lavery . The storyline in which Duke tries to evade his criminal past with
13616-668: The DVX. Anna works as Sean Donely 's ( John Reilly ) secretary and partners with him to fence the Aztec treasure. However, the treasure goes missing forcing Anna and Robert to team up which makes Holly jealous. As the revelation about their marriage leads to Holly leaving Robert, Anna teams up with Robert and Grant Andrews ( Brian Patrick Clarke ) to bring down Donely who has gone rogue. When Robert goes missing during their mission, Anna returns home to find her apartment destroyed and her old friend Filomena Soltini ( Argentina Brunetti ) tied up. It
13800-467: The Durbans, but they managed to stop them as well from succeeding in their scheme to fleece the residents of Port Charles. Robert and Holly Sutton married under strange circumstances. Holly was pregnant with the presumed dead Luke Spencer's baby and was about to be deported, so Robert stepped in and married her. She ended up miscarrying the baby, but she and Robert eventually fell in love. Jackie Templeton
13984-639: The English language. Gabay added that people blend words in this fashion because sometimes there are words an individual wants, but those words do not actually exist. "There's a feeling you are trying to get out", he said. For fictional pairings, examples showcase themselves as Logan and Veronica ( Veronica Mars ) becomes "LoVe", Josh and Reva ( Guiding Light ) becomes "Jeva", Jack and Kate ( Lost ) becomes "Jate", Michael and Sara ( Prison Break ) becomes "MiSa", and so on. Some couples are given more complex portmanteaux; on How I Met Your Mother ,
14168-628: The Ikutajinja shrine in Fujiwara's hometown of Kobe , with hundreds of reporters and thousands of fans craning for a glimpse outside" and "invited 600 guests to the Hotel Okura the following April for a wedding reception that cost over ¥500 million. The event was broadcast live on TV and had a high audience rating of 40% in the Kansai region". Mikkos Cassadine General Hospital
14352-507: The Mr. Big caper but after he took down the mob he return to Australia to be with his wife. (Holly was presumed dead soon afterwards, so Robert ended up returning to Port Charles.) The Interim WSB Chief returned to track down agents that were killing other agents. Robert first showed up in Port Charles under suspicious circumstances, tracking Luke and Alexandria Quartermaine in search of an ugly black statue called "The Ice Princess" which in reality
14536-566: The United States, and it was coined in the early 1980s when intense public interest in fictional soap opera couple Luke Spencer and Laura Webber , from General Hospital , made the pair a popular culture phenomenon. The term supercouple typically refers to fictional couples from television dramas and film, such as Gone with the Wind ' s Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara . With regard to real-life pairings, tabloids and
14720-416: The WSB since June 2018. After a shootout with Raj Patel and his men, Robert brings Sonny and Dante home. In April, Robert reveals the possibility to Anna that Peter may not be her son after all, but Anna decides not to pursue that theory because she wants a relationship with Peter. In June, Robert was booted out of the WSB by being forced to retire despite the fact he still has WSB contacts. He later becomes
14904-441: The World Turns ), Simon and Katie ( As the World Turns ), Paul and Meg ( As the World Turns ), Robin and Stone ( General Hospital ), Jonathan and Tammy ( Guiding Light ), and Todd and Téa ( One Life to Live ). Soap opera columnist Carolyn Aspenson stated that the "supercouple formula" should be redefined. She argued that tragic couples such as Leo and Greenlee are a better love story than if they had stayed together with
15088-428: The World Turns , has been successful in launching the first popular romance between two men on an American daytime drama, Luke Snyder and Noah Mayer . In late 2007, the two make television history by carrying out the first kiss between two male lovers on an American soap opera. The popularity of the pairing borders on the same fascination level that centered around Bianca and Maggie's lesbian romance. Not even months into
15272-484: The ability to reach the many different generations of viewers who watch daytime and share with them stories of our lives," stated Damon Romine, media entertainment director for the GLAAD organization. "What viewers are seeing is that more and more of their own neighbors and friends are dealing with these issues, and the soaps are merely reflecting the reality of the world we live in." A paradigm used for primetime couples
15456-408: The best part of the pairing's buildup was their "will-they-won't-they" status. With some fictional supercouples from soap opera or primetime, the couple may have started out as an unexpected pairing and with or without a paradigm. Due to viewers becoming excited over the prospect of chemistry between the two, the show's producers and writers later decide to pair them. Given that films inherently have
15640-461: The brink of death, Helena whisked him away to Cassadine Island in Greece, where he had been recovering ever since. Stavros is eventually discovered to be alive by Nikolas sometime in December 2012, and in an effort to discover what his father and grandmother are up to, attempts to endear himself to them. On April 12, Luke and Laura rescue Lulu from Stavros and trap him in his own cryogenic chamber. He
15824-481: The central supercouples from the 1980s onward. In 1982, All My Children ' s Jesse and Angie became the first black supercouple. "Dirty" Den and Angie Watts , portrayed by Leslie Grantham and Anita Dobson on the British soap opera EastEnders , generated an audience response similar to Luke and Laura's. Den and Angie are renowned as arguably Britain's most iconic soap opera couple, having broken
16008-433: The century". The supercouple title has been similarly prolific with modern celebrity pairings. In 1997, rapper/actor Will Smith married actress Jada Pinkett . The couple were titled a supercouple due to their combined film star allure and perceived physical attractiveness . In 2003 and 2008, People magazine categorized them as a supercouple due to their long marriage and widespread celebrity status. Smith spoke of
16192-504: The character was believed to have died. Kelker-Kelly subsequently reprised the role for several episodes, as a hallucination, between February 14, 2002, and December 24, 2003. On April 10, 2013, Kelker-Kelly reprised the role amidst intense secrecy on the part of the series. Stavros Cassadine was first introduced to the series in November 1983, as he attempted to reclaim his "wife" Laura Spencer from her long-time love Luke Spencer . Over
16376-422: The characters has been suggested as a remedy to this, since it can elevate a pairing's popularity. Films may resort to the notion that romance is a solution to life's problems or is unchangeable, tapping into a "love conquers all" appeal; for example, in "doomed" romances where the underlying message is that the love the couple shared endured even though their time together was cut short. A film supercouple can be
16560-408: The couple's story is cut short, often due to the actors leaving to pursue jobs outside of soap operas or due to the writers changing direction in a storyline. These couples do not last long enough onscreen to garner the long history of what is often considered a genuine supercouple. Such couples include Leo and Greenlee ( All My Children ), Ryan and Gillian ( All My Children ), Dusty and Lucy ( As
16744-521: The crime. Stavros also began manipulating Gia Campbell , in an effort to obtain information on Nikolas, and deduce whether or not Nikolas would remain loyal to the Cassadines. Eventually, Laura and Stefan were able to conclude the Stavros was alive, prompting Stefan to break out of prison. After confronting Stavros on Spoon Island, Stefan tied him up and left him inside an empty coffin. However, when
16928-434: The cycle over again to ensure that viewers remain invested in the pairings, if popular. This is a strategy that often succeeds within the medium. A supercouple storyline is typically detailed by the couple's facing seemingly insurmountable challenges, such as a difference in social class , strong family interference, simple disagreements, marriages to other people, children with other people, etc. Two characters comprising
17112-406: The daytime audience was interested. Bianca and Maggie subsequently became American soap opera's first same-sex supercouple. Soap opera analyst C. Lee Harrington stated, "While the past decade has witnessed a growing number of lesbian, gay, bisexual , and transgender characters in primetime dramas and situation comedies, daytime soap operas offer unique challenges (and possibilities) regarding
17296-473: The death of his father Angus McKay ( Guy Doleman ), Anna becomes suspicious of Duke's relationship with his half-sister, Camellia ( Elizabeth Keifer ). In May 1987, Anna is horrified when the press crashes her wedding to expose that Duke covered up Camellia's murder of Evan Jerome, the son of mobster kingpin Victor Jerome (Jack Axelrod). Anna dumps Duke and starts her own private investigator firm, and
17480-478: The early gay characters so much turmoil would suddenly see the light. Then the story—and the character—would simply vanish." It was not until Bianca that prominent gay characters and couples seemed possible within American daytime. Since then, American soap operas have tried to replicate the success of the Bianca character with the introduction of their own gay and lesbian characters. One soap opera in particular, As
17664-483: The evil Cesar Faison kidnapped Anna, Robert left Port Charles for South America to rescue her. Both Robert and Anna turned up alive in Port Charles in 2006 much to the surprise of their daughter, Robin. During his return in 2006, Robert told Robin he was in the South Pacific trying to track a lethal dose of encephalitis . He said he quarantined a village and torched it, but two potential carriers slipped through
17848-583: The evil Valentin who had been disowned by Mikkos years earlier. Valentin is initially meant to cause more trouble for the Spencers and even the Cassadines, however the storyline is dropped. Mikkos and Helena are also believed to have another child, Irina Cassadine, who is shot to death by Helena in early 2012. Though Helena claims Irina as her daughter, it was never stated that she was fathered by Mikkos. Mikkos's tyrannical spirit also affects his grandchildren, most significantly his granddaughter, Sam McCall . When
18032-407: The first of many). Chandler Massey went on receive the 2012 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series , becoming the first actor ever to receive a Daytime Emmy Award for playing a gay character. He won his second consecutive Emmy for the role in the same category in 2013. Smith received his first Daytime Emmy nomination for his role in 2013 pitting him against Massey for
18216-445: The first supercouple. From 1970 until 1976, Doug and Julie's relationship wavers between love and hate. The chemistry the portrayers exhibited became evident offscreen; the real-life couple, Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth , were married in 1974. This set off a commotion among thousands of fans, who wrote letters to the show asking that the couple also be allowed to marry in the story. Since the actors were already married, they felt this
18400-405: The formula and the ice machine needed to be destroyed to avoid the risk of falling into the wrong hands. Robert left the W.S.B. over disagreements over destroying the ice machine and formula, and for a while dated Tiffany, but the spark that had captured them on the island fizzled after a while. Robert was Luke's best man when he married Laura in a big ceremony in November 1981. At the wedding, Robert
18584-606: The head vampire. Alison soon learns that Joshua's victims included Frank Scanlon, Victor Collins , Jamal, and Amanda. The vampire's spell is eventually lifted and Amanda is on hand to see Alison marry Rafe. Derek Barrington is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital . He was portrayed by actor Mark Goddard . Derek is the son of wealthy Port Charles socialite, Amanda Barrington ( Anne Jeffreys ). He has an affair with Virginia "Ginny" Blake (Judith Chapman) before coming to Port Charles. Ginny becomes pregnant with Michael "Mike" Phelan ( David Mendenhall ). He
18768-626: The idealized, middle-class nuclear family, defined as monogamous heterosexual couples with children" (Buxton, 1997, p. 1477). Because of this perception of what was ideal, networks geared programming toward it, feeling that viewers were exactly like these images on their television screens. In contrast to primetime, daytime dramas have different obstacles to developing innovative programming, with their advertising sponsors being more conservative, their audience smaller and "genre restrictions that emphasize continuity and respect for history over innovation". Soap opera tried its first chance at including
18952-430: The inclusion and 'normalization' of varied sexualities in entertainment television." Daytime television has been ahead of primetime for some time in exploring diverse or controversial storylines and characters, with the one glaring exception being homosexuality . Gay and lesbian issues or characters were invisible in 1950s and early 1960s TV. When it came to the mainstream shows, audiences were built up as "replications of
19136-507: The item to live happily ever after as a couple in a fairy tale would but rather subject them to a continual cycle of being separated and reunited. This factor has contributed to two characters of a supercouple normally divorcing and remarrying each other a few or several times. Author Diana Reep argues that the supercouple phenomenon creates "serious storyline problems" for producers and writers due to characters' being destined for only one lover: The problem supercouples create for storytellers
19320-478: The key to a show's success is "passionate, romantic storytelling and pairings, and that's what creates a supercouple". To him, they embody love and passion. Although the term was not coined until the early 1980s, some couples prior to that point have been retrospectively termed supercouples; for example, Jeff Baker and Penny Hughes and Bob and Lisa Hughes , from As the World Turns . Doug Williams and Julie Olson from Days of Our Lives are sometimes considered
19504-531: The love story as well. TV Guide , The Advocate , and Daily News were among the media taking interest. The pairing eventually became the most popular gay couple in soap opera history, which surprised industry insiders who had not believed that a gay pairing could be as significantly in demand as heterosexual pairings. Though Bianca and Maggie's romance was not made official until both were offscreen, it made clear to writers and executives who had been conflicted about including gay and lesbian love stories that
19688-423: The media, as well as to fans using the name combination. The term Bennifer itself became popular and started the trend of other celebrity couples being referred to by the combination of each other's first names. The pairing eventually succumbed to overexposure, which caused public interest in their romance to result in less admiration and negatively affected their careers. In 2007, Affleck stated: [The romance]
19872-431: The mess that was made. In July, Robert returns to Port Charles to extradite Peter to Steimauer after learning Peter has been found, but Robert later shelved the charges against Peter for Anna's sake. He later works with Hamilton Finn to rescue Anna who was kidnapped by mysterious men who wanted Finn to bring Cassandra Pierce out of her coma. Robert and Finn's half-brother , Harrison Chase rescue Finn and Anna as Cassandra
20056-435: The mistress of Victor Cassadine who wanted to stop Mikkos from going through with his evil plans. While Robert and Laura held Mikkos's guards at gunpoint, Luke confronted Mikkos which resulted with Mikkos freezing to death in his own ice chamber and Luke frantically trying to guess the code to unfreeze Port Charles. Luke succeeded, and they all returned to Port Charles as heroes, with Tiffany joining them. Luke and Robert agreed
20240-424: The most famous soap opera supercouple. Their romance enthralled viewers; when they wed on November 16, 1981, American daytime television recorded its highest-ever ratings, with 30 million people tuning in to watch them say "I do". Elizabeth Taylor made a cameo appearance during the wedding, and Princess Diana reportedly sent champagne. The couple was featured on the covers of People and Newsweek , and
20424-429: The nature of the show anymore as original supercouples once did. Days of our Lives executive producer Ken Corday said that while he feels that " love in the afternoon " is still important to the genre, the supercouple title "disappeared from [his] vocabulary when Al Rabin [his supervising producer] left the show". All My Children and One Life to Live creator Agnes Nixon argued, "[Supercouples are] still
20608-426: The necessary information to escape the laboratory, with Gia in tow. Following a vicious altercation with Luke, Stavros found himself dangling over the entrance to a bottomless pit, and in one final effort to thumb his nose at Luke, threw up his hands and fell to his presumed death. In April 2013, Stavros was revealed to be alive, after Helena had saved him from the bottom of the pit twelve years earlier. With Stavros on
20792-402: The net: one was a chimp and the other was Luke Spencer. Robert and Robin's relationship was briefly strained due to him not telling her he was alive, but they soon became close again. When Anna returned in the summer of 2007, she explained Robert was deep undercover on a mission to recover black market alien remains. Later, at the end of the summer both Anna and Robert were assigned on a mission in
20976-446: The network ( ABC ) demanding that Bianca and Maggie become an official item. Eventually, hints that Maggie might not be heterosexual started to appear throughout the series, complicated by Maggie insisting that she is not gay but is rather "into guys" and only guys. Yet fan mail for the Bianca and Maggie pairing was prominent. The couple's popularity grew beyond soap opera press, as newspapers and television magazines became fascinated by
21160-600: The new District Attorney for Port Charles. In October 2024, it was revealed that Sasha Gilmore ( Sofia Mattsson ) is his daughter with Holly after Holly tells her daughter at the Quartermaine Mansion to end her relationship with Mac's son Cody Bell ( Josh Kelly ), because they are first cousins. In 2023, Charlie Mason from Soaps She Knows placed Robert at #19 on his ranked list of General Hospital’s 40+ Greatest Characters of All Time , commenting that " James Bond ’s got nothing on Port Charles’ answer to 007,
21344-457: The night of an annual charity ball, Beatrice is found dead. Edward, Lila, Alan Quartermaine , Monica Quartermaine , Holly, Amanda, Sylvia, and Leo are all suspects, but all innocent. Throughout the course of the evening, all of them slip drugs in Beatrice's drink in hopes of knocking her out. With the help of Ginny Blake , Robert Scorpio recreates the night of the ball and finds that Beatrice
21528-419: The original story's outcome) for their favorite pairings. Sites such as YouTube , Archive of our Own , and Fanfiction.net help to facilitate this. According to American soap opera writer and romance novelist Leah Laiman , soap operas are best known and most remembered for romance. The romances in daytime dramas are significantly characterized by bringing couples together, splitting them up, and starting
21712-493: The pairing of Barney and Robin is referred to as "BROTP", incorporating their initials, their platonic status as "bros", and the popular fandom term OTP ("One True Pairing"). Seth Cohen of the show The O.C. parodied name-blending trends when he talked about real couples' overexposure to one another; he wondered whether or not his pairing with Summer Roberts would be called "Summereth" or "Sethummer". Gabay said portmanteaux "...giv[e] people an essence of who they are within
21896-519: The pairing up as the default model for other soap opera supercouples. The model Luke and Laura originally followed consisted of action stories, romance, and obstacles for the couple to overcome. This paradigm subsequently became ideal of fictional soap opera supercouples in America, and extended to other genres. In Queer TV: Framing Sexualities On US Television , Nancy Martin says, "Actively desiring heterosexual pairs not bent on reproduction became
22080-425: The pairing, 25 years apart in age, were considered a supercouple. Pairing Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez incited unprecedented media attention for an American modern-day supercouple during their 2002-2004 relationship. The two were referred to as the first superstar couple of the Internet age, and the pairing's popularity resulted in their being known by the portmanteau " Bennifer " (for Ben and Jennifer) to
22264-487: The place of Grant Putnam , who at the time was presumed dead. To do so, Andrews married Putnam's fiancée Celia Quartermaine , as well as became a doctor at General Hospital. He helped Robert Scorpio thwart the Aztec Treasure escapade before leaving town. Larry Ashton is a fictional character on the American soap opera General Hospital . The role was portrayed by Hugo Napier from 1988 to 1992, and returned to
22448-520: The police came looking for Stefan, they freed Stavros, and following some questions, let him go. When the time came for Stavros and Nikolas to come face to face, Helena arranged for Nikolas to believe that Stavros was still frozen, prompting Nikolas to declare that he hated his father and hoped he remained "dead". Subsequently, Helena lured a handful of her enemies to the underground laboratory where she had kept Stavros hidden, and trapped them inside. Stavros, in an effort to prove his love for Nikolas, gave him
22632-417: The possibility, location, and representation of lesbian and gay characters in a television genre historically predicated on the celebration of heterosexual courtship, romance, and family life". In 2003, Bianca's relationship with Lena resulted in American daytime's first lesbian kiss. The two became American daytime's first lesbian couple, and received significant press. Though Lena and Bianca 's romance
22816-480: The power of love as a connective force to Essence magazine. "The truth about life is that we're all alone," he said. "But when somebody loves you, that experience is shared. Love is the only real connective tissue that allows you to not live and die by yourself." In 1998, Brad Pitt met Friends actress Jennifer Aniston , and married her in a private wedding ceremony in Malibu on July 29, 2000. They were titled
23000-401: The reason for the family being so screwed up. Their oldest son, Stavros in 1983, kidnaps Laura Spencer, forces her into marriage and to bear his son, Nikolas . Their other son, the gentler Stefan , is looked down upon for not being more like his brother, and parents. Stefan also has a thing for Laura, but he is killed by Luke in 2003. In the 1990s, it is revealed that Mikkos had an affair with
23184-440: The record for episode ratings to 30.1 million viewers in 1986 on the episode of their divorce, a record that remains unbeaten by any British soap opera episode today. The 1980s is known as the "Golden Age" of supercouples. Shows such as All My Children , As the World Turns and along with the aforementioned General Hospital and Days of our Lives were well known for their supercouples. Days of our Lives in particular had
23368-557: The request of former love interest, Liesl Obrecht . In August 2014, it is discovered Victor had threatened a troubled Rafe Kovich Jr. into causing an accident involving Patrick, his daughter Emma, and ex-fiancée Sabrina Santiago that had resulted in the death of Patrick and Sabrina's son, Gabriel, who had been born premature as a result. Meanwhile, Robin has been successful in fulfilling Victor's plans to resurrect his dead relatives, as well as Jason, who Victor intends to use for his own purposes based on Jason's past as mafia hitman. Victor
23552-496: The role for a brief period in March 2012, following the departure of Kimberly McCullough in the role of Rogers' on-screen daughter, Robin. Rogers reprised the role once again on November 15, 2012 to December 18, 2012. Rogers reprised the role once more beginning on October 4, 2013 as part of the return of the character's on-screen daughter. However, head writer Ron Carlivati confirmed on November 14, 2013 that Rogers would be departing
23736-553: The role in favor of a "big" storyline for the summer on GH . Hughes who was scheduled to start taping on May 28, was never actually replaced and her character was never introduced onscreen. On December 11, 2011, TV Guide confirmed that Hughes would return to General Hospital starting in mid January and would reappear just in time for February Sweeps. Hughes first airdate was slated for the week of February 13, 2012. On April 6, 2012, executive producer, Frank Valentini announced on Twitter that Hughes had been placed on contract with
23920-453: The role of Jackson "Sonny" Kiriakis , the second openly gay contracted character in a daytime soap opera. Sonny would eventually become Will's ongoing love interest. To the surprise of the actors and writers, Will and Sonny were greeted with fan support, and were eventually titled a supercouple and "power couple". The show pushed the envelope even further when it decided to air Will's first same-sex sexual encounter on-screen (which would become
24104-516: The role of Anna in early 1985, about three months after she relocated to New York City . About two weeks later, Hughes was shocked when she actually got hired because the role was originally written for an American actress. In late 1991, rumors circulated that Hughes had been fired. However, instead during contract negotiations, she took advantage of an out clause to work on another project. Hughes last taped scenes aired during December 16, last airing on December 17, 1991. If negotiations went well, Hughes
24288-504: The role of Robert Scorpio on the Season 2 of SOAPnet 's General Hospital: Night Shift , a prime time spin-off of General Hospital which stars Scorpio's daughter Robin. He was featured in 12 of the season's 14 episodes, and Soap Opera Digest named the appearance their "Best Return" of 2008. Rogers later reappeared on General Hospital for four episodes starting December 22, 2008, as Scorpio attends Robin's wedding. Rogers reprised
24472-429: The romantic aspect of their relationship, TV Guide named the male duo a top power couple. Noah Mayer became one of the latest soap opera characters to come out as gay, and joined Bianca and others as visible gay characters in daytime. One year before Luke and Noah, the British soap opera Hollyoaks had already embarked on issuing their own gay male supercouple, between characters John Paul McQueen and Craig Dean ;
24656-534: The sake of selling magazines. And I paid a certain price for that. Then, in concert with some movies that didn't work... A celebrity supercouple to emerge after Bennifer was "TomKat" (the coupling of celebrity stars Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes ), and other countries had already adopted the supercouple term. The United Kingdom had Hugh Grant and Elizabeth Hurley (Grant 'n' Hurley) and Posh and Becks ( Victoria and David Beckham ). Japan had Tomonori Jinnai and Norika Fujiwara ; Jinnai established himself as
24840-572: The same award. In his acceptance speech, Massey thanked Smith. The show won the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Daily Drama in 2013. In August 2013, it was announced that Massey had filmed his final episode as Will Horton, and that a recast had already been made. Days had initially planned not to recast the role, but changed its mind due to fear of advertiser and fan backlash. In either aspect, fictional gay and lesbian romances have been argued as making an impact. "These stories have
25024-400: The same laboratory where Jerry had kept Robin. After several weeks of captivity, Robert and Anna manage to escape in November 2013. They capture Jerry and take him back to Port Charles as a prisoner. The team then goes to Spoon Island and finds Robin alive, leading to an emotional reunion. They capture Obrecht and Faison. Anna decides the only way to keep Faison out of their lives for good
25208-482: The same name. In double-barrelled names, the hyphen is almost pushing one name away from the other. Meshing says 'I am you and you are me', which is rather romantic". Occasionally, even anti-fans come up with names for couples, such as General Hospital's Sonny Corinthos and Emily Quartermaine . The unpopular pairing of the mob boss and his enforcer's sweet younger sister became known as "Soily". Similarly, name-blending exists with celebrities' first names. Said to be
25392-640: The same time, Santa Barbara introduced another supercouple, Cruz and Eden . The supercouple phenomenon spread to foreign shores, with Scott and Charlene , portrayed by Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue on the Australian soap opera Neighbours . The success of their romance prompted a fellow Australian daytime drama Home and Away to shelve out their own supercouple, Shane and Angel, and Den and Angie from EastEnders emerged as Britain's most famous soap opera couple. Sheraton Kalouria , NBC's Vice President of Daytime Programming, said he believes in
25576-581: The scenario being referred to as a love triangle. Samantha "Sami" Brady of the soap opera Days of our Lives is romantically desired by the two men, Lucas Roberts and EJ Wells . However, she was not considered to be actively involved in a love triangle, and both couples ( Lucas and Sami and EJ and Sami ) resonate with fans and appear to be at least equal in comparison and popularity. In today's soap opera medium, there are couples which come close to gaining supercouple status in terms of popularity. Although these pairings have perceived chemistry and potential,
25760-502: The series Buffy the Vampire Slayer . The pairing's persistent fight to be together is considered to have cemented their place in supercouple history. Voted #2 on IGN 's list of Top 10 Favorite TV Couples, and #5 on AOL 's list of Greatest TV Couples of All Time, the sites categorized the pairing as "the ultimate" star-crossed couple. The pairing's main predicament—unable to experience sexual intimacy without Angel losing his humanity—has been summarized by IGN: After all, when you're
25944-559: The series Joss Whedon said, " ' Becoming ', Parts 1 and 2 ... really sort of charted the main points of the Buffy–Angel relationship in all its difficulty and romance." Buffy's portrayer, Sarah Michelle Gellar , said, "I think deep down Buffy will always love Angel and she will never love anyone the way in which she loves him. I think they found a wonderful supercouple in Buffy and Angel." Certain shows may not be adequately suited for
26128-514: The series in 1992, Rogers returned briefly from November 15 to 22, 1995, as Scorpio's spirit to comfort the character's daughter Robin Scorpio ( Kimberly McCullough ), who is dealing with the loss of her boyfriend to AIDS -related illness and is herself HIV -positive. He returned again on January 27, 2006 till March 1, 2006, this time with Scorpio being very much alive. Rogers reappeared on April 13, 2006 and left again on November 16, 2006. From August 5, 2008 through October 21, 2008, Rogers reprised
26312-459: The series in 2014, and again in 2016. In 2017, Oliver Muirhead briefly assumed the role of Larry. Larry Ashton came to Port Charles with his wife, Arielle Gastineau Ashton . They came in on their yacht and deeply in debt. They were in search of the Dragon Bone, a key to unlock an ancient Chinese Civilization. Tracy Quartermaine blackmailed Larry into giving her and Ned Ashton a share of
26496-416: The series in a recurring capacity but she never did. Rumors immediately followed that Hughes would return to GH . However, Hughes later revealed in an interview that she was open to a return, but had not been contacted by the series. When Tristan Rogers returned to the series as Robert in 2006, many speculated that Hughes would return to the series as well. However instead, Emma Samms instead returned to
26680-455: The series in order to return to The Young and the Restless as his character Colin Atkinson . He departed on January 30, 2014. In October 2015, it was announced that Rogers will be returning to the series as Robert, while still remaining on Y&R , beginning on December 17, 2015. Rogers wrapped his return on February 2, 2016. Rogers would reprise his role again in the summer of 2016 for
26864-451: The series indefinitely in 2012 when Robin was presumed dead. She has a romance with Robert's best friend, Luke Spencer , and reunites with Duke, whom Faison is masquerading as. The real Duke is later revealed to be alive. Anna has become one of the most respected and celebrated heroines in all of daytime. Hughes joined the cast of General Hospital in the spring of 1985, and made her first appearance on April 10, 1985. Hughes auditioned for
27048-622: The series to support the character. York took the opportunity to speak out and raise awareness on colon cancer. While in a coma, Robert dreams of Anna, Robin, Luke Spencer , Sean Donely and Tiffany Donely in a flashback to their old life in the 1980s. He comes out of the coma on October 14, 2008 and leaves for further treatment in Europe. In February 2012, Robert returns to Port Charles, after receiving news Robin had died in an explosion. Robert's guilt over what he deems as his inability to protect Robin prompts him to consider suicide by jumping off of
27232-464: The series. In October 2015, it was reported that Hughes has inked a deal with the series and will remain in the role of Anna. Anna is introduced in 1985 as skilled jewel thief who takes an interest in Robert Scorpio ( Tristan Rogers ) and his wife Holly Sutton ( Emma Samms ). Anna is soon revealed to be Robert's ex-wife whom he divorced upon discovering she was a double-agent working for
27416-424: The series. Samms and Rogers's returns intensified speculation that Hughes would eventually reprise her role, Though initial reports hinted that Hughes refused to return, ABC finally confirmed Hughes's return in April 2006. Hughes first reappeared May 12, 2006. Hughes concluded her stint on August 30, and returned once again from July 13 to August 24, 2007. In late March 2008, it was announced that Hughes would make
27600-599: The show Veronica Mars ), among others. There are numerous shows that tend to pair up two unexpected characters together. For instance, Pacey Witter and Joey Potter from the teen drama Dawson's Creek . Pacey and Joey did not like each other at all first, and Joey was in love with her supposed soulmate Dawson Leery , but they eventually fell in love and became a supercouple of the show. Kurt Hummel and Blaine Anderson and Santana Lopez and Brittany Pierce from Glee are regularly quoted as TV's first LGBTQ supercouples. A well-known "will-they-won't-they" setup
27784-444: The show's fanbase, the pairing's romantic intimacy was not written as soon as fans would have hoped for; when the two are finally shown sharing a kiss in 1999 after seven seasons of buildup, some viewers felt the show waited too long to script the event. Critics state that in such cases, if a series extends sexual tension for "too long" before finally acting on romantic intimacy between the characters, it can result in viewers feeling that
27968-408: The smoothest of operators and shrewdest of characters. Even now that he’s switched gears and become district attorney, many a fan wouldn’t mind calling him “the spy who loved me.”" Supercouple A supercouple or super couple (also known as a power couple ) is a popular and/or wealthy pairing that intrigues and fascinates the public in an intense or obsessive fashion. The term originated in
28152-576: The stipulation that she would be disinherited. Alison chooses Jamal over Amanda's money. When Jamal and Alison clash over plans for her to open a bakery alongside their bike shop, Amanda tries making peace between them. While arguing with Alison, Amanda has a heart attack. At Alan's urging, Alison repairs her relationship with Amanda and suspects that a mysterious gift of $ 25,000 came from her, but it did not. When vampires descend upon Port Charles, Alison forms an alliance with Livvie Locke , Caleb Morley , and Rafe Kovich in order to take down Joshua Temple ,
28336-496: The storyline became one of the show's most successful, gaining "legions" of fans. The budding same-sex romance on Guiding Light between Olivia Spencer and Natalia Rivera Aitoro became popular with fans in 2009. That same year, One Life to Live introduced its own male gay supercouple with Oliver Fish and Kyle Lewis . On international television, the German soap opera Verbotene Liebe gained international popularity, with
28520-456: The storyline, stating "When I decided to bring Robert Scorpio back to Port Charles, I wanted him and Robin to come together as a family. The best way to do that would be to have Robert present with a medical condition." Rao went on to explain the cultural reasons for using colon cancer as a plot point, stating "I chose colon cancer because it's a disease that affects so many men and women in this country – but we don't really talk about it. [...] This
28704-495: The storylines involving Carla and Stella , and later with the couple of Christian and Oliver . Beginning in 2011, Days of our Lives broke new ground when it decided to have the character Will Horton come out as gay. The soap chronicled Will's struggle to accept his sexuality. The show also highlighted many obstacles the LGBT community face, such as bullying, hate crimes and gay slurs. The show cast actor, Freddie Smith in
28888-475: The treasure if he found it. Tracy said she would expose him as not being the Ashton family heir if he did not. The search ended when Robert Scorpio 's dog buried the key. Larry divorced Arielle who left Port Charles. He lost his title when Charlie Prince turned out to be the real heir. Larry continued to scheme with Tracy to discredit Monica by revealing that Dawn Winthrop was her illegitimate daughter. They posed as
29072-510: The twin sister of Alex Marick on March 2, 2001. In addition to working as chief of police, and a brief romance with Edmund Grey , Anna marries Dr. David Hayward and they had a child together; however, that child dies as an infant. Hughes returned to General Hospital for several guest stints between 2006 and 2008. Throughout the summer and fall of 2008, Anna appeared on Night Shift where she supported Robert through his battle with cancer and helped Robin prepare for motherhood. Anna returned to
29256-426: The two have no personal flaws or idiosyncrasies that could interfere with their perfect love. Only an evil, outside force could disturb their relationship". While Days of Our Lives former supervising producer Al Rabin credited the supercouple aspect as the secret to the show's success, his then–executive producer Ken Corday stated, "By definition, supercouple excludes others on the show. Every time they walk into
29440-425: The two is a true supercouple remains in dispute. Though debated, both couples are referenced and listed as supercouples by the soap opera medium. The Sonny character eventually acquired second supercouple status in the pairing of Sonny and Carly , becoming a part of two successful on-screen romances. In other instances, a character is part of two equally popular couplings, but the storyline does not lend itself to
29624-429: The two men came to blows. In November 2012, Robert returns to Port Charles at the behest of Luke, who has informed him of the return of the long-presumed dead Duke Lavery . Robert, much as Luke had, suspects there is something amiss about "Duke's" return from the grave. Robert is later intrigued by word Olivia Falconeri claims to have seen a different face in a vision about Duke, and recruits Elizabeth Webber to produce
29808-505: The well-known and established, to the ambiguous or those undergoing development, and even to the highly improbable and the blatantly impossible. People involved in shipping (or shippers) assert that the relationship does exist, will exist, or simply that they would like it to exist. "Portmanteaux first came about with Lewis Carroll " as a way to blend words, stated Jonathan Gabay, author of the Copywriter's Compendium—a reference guide to
29992-486: The world in his own pure, perfect image. The first step of Mikkos's plan is to freeze the world, starting with Port Charles , New York ; the hometown of Luke and Laura Spencer . By freezing Port Charles, Mikkos could bring the world to its knees and force its leaders to do his bidding. Mikkos refuses to negotiate with the World Security Bureau (WSB) and lowers the temperature in Port Charles so low that it
30176-472: Was Edward's child in order to get the money he felt he was owed. Ned disowns him and he leaves town without the painting. Amanda Barrington is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital . She was portrayed by veteran Hollywood actress Anne Jeffreys . Introduced in 1984, Amanda is a wealthy Port Charles socialite and close friend of Lila Quartermaine and her husband Edward Quartermaine . Amanda has two sons, Derek and Malcolm. Malcolm
30360-480: Was a large uncut diamond that had a secret formula which could create carbonic snow, which could either help in medical procedures to fix severe burns or in the wrong hands create world mayhem. For months, Luke and Robert believed each other to be the enemy, but when Luke learned the truth about the Ice Princess offered to work with Robert to stop the insane Cassadine family who was bent on world domination. Robert
30544-412: Was a valid request. NBC worked the tension and lengthened the anticipation of the wedding but eventually caved into the audience's pressure. Doug and Julie are married in October 1976 within the series. They are the first soap opera characters to appear on the cover of Time . Luke Spencer and Laura Webber , portrayed by Anthony Geary and Genie Francis from General Hospital , are considered
30728-495: Was alive. She agreed to help him. While in Port Charles, Victor acquainted himself with great-nephew Nikolas Cassadine and his son Spencer , before departing for the Crichton-Clark facility in Scarsdale with Robin and later encounters Heather Webber . In May, Victor made a brief appearance to deliver a message from Robin to her husband, Patrick Drake , as well as deliver stolen embryos to Lulu Spencer and Dante Falconeri , at
30912-548: Was already arrested and extradited to Greece . In April 2018, Robert joins Anna's search for Faison's previously unknown son Heinrik Faison in Switzerland . He was shocked to discover Heinrik was also Anna's son, but he understood why she kept it from everyone. In May, Peter August was exposed as Heinrik and Jason Morgan was going to kill him, but Anna stopped him and Peter was arrested under Robert's orders. When Peter escapes from jail, Robert leaves town to sort out
31096-408: Was around 5 or 6 years old and never returned home. Victor Cassadine was originated by Thaao Penghlis in the 1981 Ice Princess storyline. On January 31, 2014, Penghlis reprised the role on and off until September 16, 2014. Charles Shaughnessy assumed to the role on September 2, 2021, and exited on May 8, 2023. Victor first appears as a minor character in July 1981 along with Tony . Victor has
31280-434: Was credited with having brought "legitimacy to daytime serials" and its fans by crossing boundaries and becoming celebrities in the mainstream media. As a result, Luke and Laura have become regarded as daytime television's quintessential and most iconic couple. While Guiding Light has the smallest number of supercouples, the series still had prominent pairings, notably Quint and Nola , as well as Josh and Reva , one of
31464-554: Was dead. However, Robert resurfaced in 2006, when Port Charles was stricken with a deadly strain of encephalitis. It came out he was forced by the WSB to be incognito for 15 years as the only way to keep his families alive; he had no choice but to let them think he was dead. Robert married Anna Devane when the two were on assignment for the WSB in Italy. The two were married in secret before either character showed up in Port Charles. After Holly "died", Anna and Robert remarried in 1991. When
31648-521: Was discovered and put to an end by the Port Charles Police Department. Larry hoped to get Tracy to remarry him, but she turned him down, and he left town. In October 2014, Larry resurfaced in Port Charles, after having been abducted by Jerry Jacks and left on the patio of the Quartermaine Mansion in a burlap sack. It was later revealed that this was all a trick orchestrated by Luke Spencer who had been mentally ill, and Larry
31832-451: Was involved in the kidnapping of Drew Cain. He also reveals Valentin is his son. Stavros Nikolai Mikkosovich Cassadine is a fictional character from the ABC daytime soap opera General Hospital . The role was originated by John Martinuzzi, who portrayed the role from November 17 to December 14, 1983. Eighteen years later, the role was recast with Robert Kelker-Kelly , who portrayed the role from June 1 to November 9, 2001, at which time
32016-551: Was joined in Port Charles by Agent O'Reilly ( Billie Hayes ). a feisty older woman who kept him on his toes and unfortunately ended up being murdered by the Cassadines. Because of her death, a vengeful Robert and Luke immediately boarded the Cassadine Yacht, "The Titan", finding Laura there, and stayed out of sight until they got to the private island where Mikkos Cassadine revealed his plans to his esteemed group of guests. Robert, Luke and Laura found help from Tiffany Hill ,
32200-474: Was not murdered, but rather accidentally died when she ingested Lila's heart medication. Amanda, along with the rest of Beatrice's victims, is relieved. In 1989, Amanda grieves when longtime friend Edward is presumably killed in a plane crash. Amanda donates a plaque to the hospital in honor of Edward. Amanda is delighted, along with the rest of Port Charles, when in 1991, Edward turns up alive and well. In 1992, Amanda welcomed friend Simon Jones to Port Charles but
32384-410: Was portrayed by David Groh from 1983 until 1985. After an affair with Bobbie Spencer , they are married in 1984 by Lee Baldwin . Afterwards he becomes extremely abusive towards her. When he is murdered in 1985, Bobbie is originally suspected, however he was actually killed in self-defense by Ginny Webber . Terry Brock is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital . She
32568-606: Was portrayed by Robyn Bernard from September 3, 1984, to March 7, 1990. Terry arrives in PC on Labor Day 1984, and she has her eye on Frisco Jones . In January 1985, she screams when her father, D.L. was shot and murder by Bobbie, but instead he was murdered by Ginny Webber . In Summer 1985, Terry dreams of being a singer, but she had a drinking addiction that kept her from realizing her goal. In February 1986, Terry married Kevin O'Connor. In 1990, she got her recording contract, and left PC on March 7, 1990. Mikkos Ivanovich Cassadine
32752-399: Was probably bad for my career. What happens is this sort of bleed-over from the tabloids across your movie work. You go to a movie, you only go once. But the tabloids and Internet are everywhere. You can really subsume the public image of somebody. I ended up in an unfortunate crosshair position where I was in a relationship and [the media] mostly lied and inflated a bunch of salacious stuff for
32936-431: Was reacquainted with Mikkos's vengeful widow, Helena Cassadine , who came to town to make a huge donation to General Hospital but secretly put a curse on Luke and Laura. In early 1982, Robert took up with feisty reporter Jackie Templeton ( Demi Moore ) who had come to town searching for her missing sister. Robert was helping Luke search for the missing Laura, and Jackie was searching for her own sister, Laura Templeton ,
33120-406: Was slated to return by the spring of 1992. In the interim, she was replaced by Camilla Moore who made her first appearance December 20, 1991. Moore last appeared on January 20, 1992, and Hughes returned to the role for one episode on February 25, 1992. Hughes briefly returned from November 13 to 22, 1995 as Anna's spirit to comfort the character's daughter Robin Scorpio ( Kimberly McCullough ), who
33304-541: Was stunned when he was revealed to be a criminal. When Carly Roberts arrives in town in 1996, she immediately seeks out Amanda's attention after learning from Amy Vining how much money Amanda has. Amanda becomes a staple at the annual Port Charles tradition of the Nurses Ball, held annually from 1994 to 2001. In 2000, Laura Spencer asks Amanda to be an investor in her upcoming Deception Cosmetics line, to which Amanda politely declines. She remains in Port Charles and
33488-780: Was that Hollywood rarity: the real thing." They were titled "The King of Hollywood and the Queen of Screwball Comedy", respectively, and eloped during a break in production on Gable's Gone with the Wind in 1939. Lombard died three years later in a plane crash on her way home from a war bond rally. Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball were the stars and producers of I Love Lucy , and have since been credited as an onscreen and offscreen supercouple. They divorced in 1960 after 20 years of marriage. People described Gable and Lombard, Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn , Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner , and Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor , were couples recognized as "the greatest love stories of
33672-514: Was upset by this turn of events and turned vindictive against Robert for jilting her. Robert had a bad relationship with his brother Mac Scorpio when he first came to town because he blamed Mac for the death of their parents. Eventually, the brothers patched up their relationship. Robert was presumed dead along with his wife, Anna Devane , in 1992. Their teenage daughter Robin Scorpio was left behind to be raised by Robert's brother Mac Scorpio. Anna Devane reappeared in 2001, but told her family Robert
33856-441: Was well-received, popular, and the couple became responsible for several historic moments within daytime television, it was Bianca's relationship with close confidante Maggie that thoroughly captivated viewers. The romance was considered unique and especially significant due to the show's insistence that Maggie was not gay; the show's insistence did not deter viewers from wanting the two romantically paired, and they often wrote in to
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