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With the writing on the wall for months, TV Guide confirmed today that soap veteran Sean Kanan will be wrapping up role as AJ Quartermaine on ABC’s General Hospital this month. In more not so surprising news, Kanan is returning to CBS’ The Bold and the Beautiful in the contract role of bad boy Deacon Sharpe.
TV Guide’s Michael Logan reports Kanan’s last day on set is March 28 and should last air sometime in April. He’ll report to work at The Bold and the Beautiful in mid-April, and will first air Friday, June 13.
Kanan notes that while he was “utterly thrilled” to have been welcomed back to GH and enjoyed working with executive producer Frank Valentini, the writing for his character wasn’t what he expected. “Doing stories about panic attacks and relish was not what I thought I’d signed up for,” said Kanan. “I feel I brought everything I could to the character yet it was obvious they weren’t going to give me a great love story, which I found very disappointing.”
The actor approached Valentini and expressed his unhappiness, with both sides agreeing to a parting of ways. Afterwards, he reached out to Bold and the Beautiful showrunner Bradley Bell and was offered a contract to return to CBS Daytime.
General Hospital head writer Ron Carlivati responded to Kanan’s criticism in the interview with criticism of his own via Twitter. “@TVGMLogan @seankanan @GeneralHospital His comments are like school in the summertime. No class,” wrote the scribe on Twitter. When a fan expressed disappointment in Ron’s choice of words, he replied, “I’m disappointed Sean wouldn’t simply say thank you for the opportunity and leave it at that.” See tweets below:
https://twitter.com/carlivatiron/status/445619624554790912
https://twitter.com/carlivatiron/status/445626141752434690
For more on Kanan’s decision to exit General Hospital, visit TVGuide.com.
My Take: I can’t say I blame Sean Kanan for wanting out. Quite frankly, the writing for AJ in recent months has left a lot to be desired. It didn’t help matters that AJ disappeared for large chunks of time (for whatever reason).While some might try to take Kanan to task for his decision to air his grievances with the writing during his interview, I found his candor quite refreshing. The tired spin that accompanies most exits nowadays needs to take a permanent backseat.
It’s easy to dismiss Kanan’s remarks as bitter or lacking class, but I’d rather focus on the validity in his of his statements. I doubt Sean criticized the writing for his character out of spite or bitterness. On the contrary, I think it’s because he believes the show could have – and should have done better. That’s not malicious or lacking class – that’s constructive criticism based in love for a show that gave him another chance.
The highlights of Kanan’s return to GH was re-establishing AJ’s relationship with his estranged son Michael and brief relationship with Elizabeth Webber. Those were definite high points that saw Kanan do some fantastic work. Sad to see him go but he did what he felt was best for him. That I have to respect.
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