More Than a Decade After Jonathan Jackson’s Last Regular General Hospital Appearance, the Time Is Perfect for His Return as Lucky Spencer

We must have been on Santa Claus’ naughty list in 2011. Because on December 23 of that year, the five-time Emmy winner who originated the role of Luke and Laura’s son aired for the final time as a contract player.

Change, so they say, is good. But in 2011, when Jonathan Jackson was making his final appearance as a regular on General Hospital, it certainly didn’t feel that way.

Jackson was essentially finished, even though he would return as Lucky Spencer just four years later to aid Anthony Geary (the former Luke) transition into retirement.

Lucky’s ‘So Long’

His character at the time was grieving the loss of his wife Siobhan and the “death” of Jake, Elizabeth’s kid with Jason who was her true love (that Lucky loved like his own). The last time I went here, I was hoping for a sign, some kind of message, and I received one,” Lucky recounted as he entered an Irish church that had special meaning for him and his late missus. The fact that my son was spared death gave me hope that perhaps You do exist and that perhaps there is some invisible force of compassion and goodwill looking down on us.

But, he continued. And the “but” was a significant one.

But Lucky said, “I still don’t understand why You chose to save [my son] Aiden and not Jake. “I’m not attempting to be unappreciative. I simply… I can’t go on like this. I need a course to pursue as well as something in which to truly, truly believe. (You may see the entire scene below.)

Why We Need to Get Lucky Again

Regular General Hospital fans are aware that Jake turned out to be just as dead as Robert, Anna, Jason, Ric, Laura (who technically vanished before playing dead years later), and Duke (at least the first time). But at this time, that is irrelevant. The ABC soap opera needs Lucky back, and this significant anniversary is the time to do it.

Why? I’m happy you asked.

For starters, his original portrayer, as far as we can ascertain, is still accessible. Nashville is listed as Jackson’s most recent performance on IMDb, which, hello?! was over in 2018. God knows that Greg Vaughan, who played Eric Brady on Days of Our Lives, and Jacob Young, who played JR Chandler on All My Children, were excellent stand-ins. But why wouldn’t they want to if the show and viewers could bring back the original Lucky?