General Hospital: 60 Years of Stars and Storytelling did more than celebrate six decades of great soap opera — the prime time special also made a special announcement. Steve Burton is returning to the show, presumably as the no-longer-dead Jason Morgan.
Steve Burton: Third Return Is the Charm
Burton just yesterday announced his upcoming departure from Days of our Lives where he’s been playing lawman Harris Michaels for about a year. As DAYS shoots about six months in advance, viewers will continue to see him through approximately June on the Peacock drama.
Now comes the announcement that Burton will once again be seen in Port Charles. In a dramatic moment on “General Hospital: 60 Years of Stars and Storytelling,” both Laura Wright (Carly) and Kelly Monaco (Sam) stood next to a closed door, and suddenly, Burton stepped through wearing Jason’s trademark black leather jacket, telling fans to stay tuned because big things were coming soon to Port Charles — presumably, one of those big things includes Jason Morgan’s return.
The actor joined the show in 1991 as the son of Alan Quartermaine (Stuart Damon) and his late mistress Susan Moore (Gail Rae Carlson). Burton’s story took a huge twist in the mid-1990s when Jason was involved in a car accident, causing damage to his brain.
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He emerged with a new persona — one that was quite different from the straight-laced Quartermaine heir. Jason adopted the surname Morgan (which was his grandmother Lila’s maiden handle). As Sonny Corinthos’s (Maurice Benard) righthand man, Jason was involved with numerous escapades. He was paired with several leading ladies on the show, including Kelly Monaco (Sam) and Rebecca Herbst (Liz).
Over the years, Burton has come and gone from GH either to explore opportunities or, more recently, because of failure to comply with a mandate (no longer in effect) that all ABC/Disney employees be vaccinated against COVID-19. Soap Hub reported on Burton’s state of mind at the time of his exit.
Burton first left GH in 2001, returning about a year later. He exited again in late 2012 shortly before the show’s 50th anniversary. After a stint as Dylan McAvoy on The Young and the Restless (which nabbed him his second Daytime Emmy in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series), Burton returned to GH. It turned out that “Jason” (then, Billy Miller — who has since passed away) was, in reality, Drew Cain, Jason’s twin. Cameron Mathison now plays the role of Drew.
GH wrote Jason out by having him be presumed dead in a cave-in. Because no body was found, it shouldn’t be too difficult to write the character back onto the Port Charles story canvas.
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