General Hospital Fans Launch Viral Campaign to Resurrect a Beloved Character
General Hospital keeps raising the dead, and fans want one more miracle: Roger Howarth’s fan-favorite Franco. He may be gone, but the campaign for his return is surging—even as Howarth’s new deal elsewhere makes a comeback unlikely.
General Hospital has been on a real bring-people-back-from-the-dead kick lately, so of course fans are now pointing at one name in big neon letters: Roger Howarth as Franco. There is one pretty big catch, though — Howarth just signed on to Young and Restless.
Why everyone is still hung up on Franco
Franco is one of those soap characters who went from chaos gremlin to can’t-look-away must-watch. Roger Howarth took over the role in 2013, became a series regular, and even though he has played other roles on GH over the years, Franco is the one that stuck. He was killed off in 2023 after an altercation with Peter — Franco confronted him, things escalated, and that was that. Fans did not take it well then, and they have not exactly let it go now.
The fan push gets loud (and a little nostalgic)
The latest wave started on the General Hospital Fans - Official Facebook page, where one post basically said what a lot of people are thinking:
"As long as we’re bringing people back from the dead… Let’s bring back Roger Hawarth’s Franco! And William deVry’s Julian Jerome! And Brandon Barash as Johnny Zacara!"
"UPDATE: The very talented Roger Hawarth is going to be on Young and Restless!"
Comments poured in from folks calling Howarth their favorite, still annoyed the show killed Franco off (and, in their view, didn’t properly deal with who did it), and others just flat-out chanting to bring him back. A few fans tapped the brakes, pointing out the obvious: he just got cast on YR.
About that comeback...
Given the Young and Restless casting, a GH return looks unlikely right now. Soap logic can do wonders, but contracts are harder to bend. On the bright side, if you’re a Howarth fan, you’ll still see him on daytime — just not in Port Charles.
Quick refresher
- 2013: Roger Howarth takes over Franco on General Hospital and becomes a series regular.
- Over time: Howarth plays other roles on GH, but Franco becomes the standout.
- 2023: Franco is killed after confronting Peter; fan backlash hits hard.
- Recently: GH keeps reviving beloved characters, prompting fans to push for Franco’s return.
- Now: A fan-driven Facebook thread rallies for a Franco comeback, but Howarth has been cast on Young and Restless (YR), making a GH resurrection a long shot for the moment.
Could GH find a way to resurrect Franco someday? Never say never in soaps. But for now, don’t hold your breath.