Roger Howarth Is Leaving General Hospital After 11 Years, Fans Are Looking Back In Sorrow

Summary:

• General Hospital is an ABC soap opera that has been on the air since 1963.
• Just like any other show of the same genre, General Hospital isn’t new to character deaths and recasts.
• However, the recent exit of Roger Howarth makes viewers believe the show is hitting yet another low.

The saddest thing that can happen to a TV show is not its cancellation, but the departure of a major cast member, which can bring the whole plot to its knees. Though it's almost impossible to witness with soap operas, as there are just too many characters at once, and the practice of recasting characters is alive and well, some exits still hit hard.

For fans of General Hospital, the departure of Roger Howarth after more than a decade on the show wasn't a complete surprise, but it was still a very sad occasion.

As much as viewers adore his talent and want to see more of his character in the future, the sadness has more to do with General Hospital's overall trajectory. And while the actor himself is grateful and appreciative of his journey on the show during his exit interview, fans are forced to look back with regret.

In the 11 years Howarth spent on the General Hospital set, he was never given a really good storyline.

Roger Howarth General Hospital Last Appearance

The actor commented on his departure in an interview with Soap Opera Digest, explaining that his contract with ABC was up and simply wasn't renewed. He was told immediately what was going to happen to his character, Austin Gatlin-Holt, and it took a good second to adjust to the news.

But once it all settled in, the realization of his own good fortune hit.

“I realized how lucky I was to have been able to do something I really love doing for more than a decade with people who I really enjoyed working with. I’m a lucky guy. <...> I feel very respected and supported. For a long time I’ve enjoyed coming to work, learning lines and saying them with really cool people,” Howarth said on a matter.

His character, Austin, was fatally shot in the show's November 17 episode. However, it wasn't the first time the actor had died in character on General Hospital's screens, as he had previously played Franco.

Who knows, maybe this would be the way to bring Roger Howarth back when the network realizes how much of a mistake they made by letting him go. At least that is the hope of the majority of fans right now.

“[General Hospital] doesn’t care about maintaining their audience. Killing Franco remains a true mistake and I am a Jasam fan. Roho completely transformed that character,” X user BookGeekConfess said.

Whether you agree that the actor was massively let down by the show's writers, or believe that he could be brought back in another role, even better than the previous ones, it would be interesting to see what direction General Hospital will take now. Be sure to tune in to ABC Monday through Friday to not miss another episode.

Source: Soap Opera Digest