General Hospital: What We're Hoping For With Monica's Return

We haven't seen Dr. Monica Quartermaine on "General Hospital" since January of 2022, and we were often told that she was away on hospital business trips. We did hear her voice on the August 21, 2023 episode when she phoned Olivia Falconeri (Lisa LoCicero) to see if Tracy Quartermaine (Jane Elliot) was giving her any grief, and also to see how Ned Quartermaine (Wally Kurth) was doing, because he had amnesia and believed he was his old stage persona, Eddie Maine. This has led to speculation by some fans that her portrayer, Leslie Charleson, had either retired or was ill.

While the show hasn't given any kind of official statement as to why we haven't seen her in well over a year, a teaser trailer posted on December 11 to Instagram showed Monica back in the saddle. The video was captioned with, "Monica returns and Tracy braces her for bad news. Don't miss a second of the drama!" Tracy entered Monica's office and stated, "Are you ready for this?" It would seem that Elliot's return is paving the way for the show's Jacklyn Zeman tribute. Zeman played nurse Bobbi Spencer since 1977, but she tragically died on May 9, and now the show is gearing up to finally honor the iconic actress and character.

Monica's return is much needed, as Charleson also started in 1977, so she'll likely give Zeman a proper sendoff.

"General Hospital" fans shared their happiness that Leslie Charleson is returning as Monica Quartermaine, with one hilariously responding, "Monica!!!! She's been at that conference for like 4 years!" Another viewer who also sees her return as a vanguard for Jacklyn Zeman's tribute anxiously responded, "PLEASE let this be the week that GH writers give us the storyline for the one and only Bobbie Spencer's death. Jackie deserves the best!" Charleson has given powerful performances over the years when actors and characters have died, so it will be nice to see even her and Tracy put aside their differences to honor their fallen friend.

The fans agreed that Zeman's tribute was "long overdue," and discussed what storylines Monica could be involved in. In the promo, viewers noticed her grim demeanor, speculating that it was a scene shown out of order. One deftly theorized that Tracy wasn't bracing Monica for the news of Bobbi's death, but rather, "Maybe they both already know and she's asking Monica if she's ready to give the news to everyone else. Maybe that's why she has that look [of] dread on her face." The show also posted its teaser on X, formerly Twitter, and the fans there were equally glad to see Charleson returning. One longtime viewer spoke for many with the response, "It's about time we all get to see Monica, she is who I really want to watch to most."