Former Hallmark Star Steps Back Into Significant Soap Role

Heavy Lindsay Hartley is taking over Kelly Monaco's role on "General Hospital."

A former Hallmark star had headed back to the world of soap operas, according to a new report from Soap Opera Digest. Lindsay Hartley has returned to “General Hospital,” where she previously temporarily played the character of Sam McCall. However, it’s not known how long she’ll be back.

Hartley appeared in Hallmark’s “Romance at Reindeer Lodge” as well as “Perfect on Paper.” She’s worked consistently on other projects over the years, but she’s been lured back to “General Hospital” again, at least temporarily.

Lindsay Hartley Is Returning to ‘General Hospital’ During Kelly Monaco’s Absence

On September 16, Soap Opera Digest listed Hartley’s return to “General Hospital” in their “Comings and Goings” section. “Hartley will once again be filling in for Kelly Monaco as Sam this week and is slated to appear in multiple episodes,” the outlet reported.

Interestingly, the media outlet explained the episodes were “filmed at the same time Hartley came in to sub as Sam for the funeral of the baby Sam’s sister Kristina (Kate Mansi) was carrying for Molly (Kristen Vaganos) and TJ (Tajh Bellow).”

However, Soap Opera Digest continued, “Because [‘General Hospital’] often shoots segments of episodes out of order, there was a lag time of several weeks before Hartley’s work made it to air.”

In their “Who’s Going” section, Soap Opera Digest noted that Monaco “is temporarily off screen this week while Lindsay Hartley pinch-hits.”

As Hartley’s IMDb page shares, she previously portrayed the character of McCall on “General Hospital” for a string of episodes in 2020.

The Length of Hartley’s Return to ‘General Hospital’ Is Unknown

Hartley stepping in once again for Monaco comes at an interesting time. On August 26, Soap Opera Network reported that Monaco was leaving “General Hospital” entirely.

Monaco started with “General Hospital” in 2003, originating the role of Sam McCall. Before joining “General Hospital,” she portrayed Livvie Locke on the soap’s spinoff series, “Port Charles.”

Neither the show nor Monaco have explicitly confirmed reports of her exit. Fans have speculated the character of McCall would be killed off the show sometime in the fall. Now, however, some wonder if McCall might stick around, played by Hartley instead of Monaco.

Monaco seemed to allude to her upcoming exit in a September 15 Instagram post. The photo she posted showed her with the late “General Hospital” star Billy Miller, who had been a close friend.

“I will tell our story soon enough,” Monaco wrote.

The post was shared on the anniversary of Miller’s death. However, many of the comments on Monaco’s post suggested fans also recognized the post as a nod of sorts to her rumored “General Hospital” exit.

“I despair about what GH did. You’re daytime royalty,” one fan wrote.

“Really don’t understand why they would end your character. Makes no sense why all the good ones are let go and we keep adding new faces,” added another fan.

As for Hartley returning to “General Hospital,” it’s unclear whether she would be available to stay with the soap long-term. Her IMDb page lists three projects currently in pre-production or post-production.

Fans will need to stay tuned to see how long Hartley sticks around “General Hospital” this time. Is Monaco gone for good already? Will Hartley step in for the long-term or is the show killing off McCall as some fans suspect?