Break out your hair gel and wristbands: a familiar face is now appearing on General Hospital.
Joe Flanigan, know to Stargate Atlantis fans as the roguish and charming Colonel John Sheppard, has been cast in a recurring role on the iconic ABC soap opera.
His first episode on the daytime drama aired last Friday. (Watch a bit of it below.)
Flanigan made his debut on General Hospital on February 8.
Flanigan is playing Neil, the new therapist of series regular Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn). The two are said to start off at odds, but later warm up to each other — and potentially spark a romance down the line.
The length of Flanigan’s tenure on the show has yet to be disclosed, and it’s worth noting that soap operas are notorious for their revolving door of supporting characters. But at the very least, Flanigan will appear in two episodes this season — the second of which is airing today (Monday, February 11).
And he isn’t the first Stargate leading man to appear on the long-running soap. Before he became a household name as MacGyver, Richard Dean Anderson played Dr. Jeff Webber in 11 episodes of the series, from 1977 to 1980.
The General Hospital role is a welcome return to acting for Flanigan, who hasn’t appeared in a film or television production since 2016’s The Bandit Hound (and previously, 2013’s Major Crimes).
The actor’s semi-retirement, however, has been anything but balmy. Flanigan recently experienced a tragic personal loss when his Malibu home burned to the ground during the November 2018 Woolsey Fire — a natural disaster that scorched 96,949 acres of land and destroyed 1,643 California structures.
Flanigan found his Malibu home destroyed by fire in 2018. | Instagram: joeflaniganofficial
But even after his house was destroyed, Flanigan defied a mandatory evacuation order and returned to his neighborhood to provide water, gas masks, and emergency supplies to victims left behind (as reported by ABC 7).
Who says this guy isn’t actually John Sheppard?
After General Hospital Flanigan is set to star in Room 19 — a mystery thriller from director Jason D. Morris. That project is currently in pre-production.
Catch General Hospital weekdays at 2 p.m. (E/P) on ABC. U.S. cable subscribers can watch Flanigan’s first episode now through ABC On Demand.
Love Joe; such a cool, down to earth dude. Was super sad to hear about losing his home. It’s too bad another studio didn’t pick him up as a leading man for another big name TV series after Atlantis, he certainly has what it takes for it. I remember him saying he did want a role like that again. It kinda sucks that he has to do soap operas, unless of course that what he really wants to do.
I’ve been watching GH for about two decades, so it is wonderful to see Joe on the show. I’m enjoying his interactions with Alexis. They have good chemistry.
Ironically, this isn’t the first time her character has been involved with an actor who appeared on Stargate. Alexis’s ex-husband on the show, Julian Jerome, is played by William deVry, who played Aldwin on several episodes of SG1.
Alexis was also involved with Shawn Butler, played by Sean Blakemore, who played Ronald Greer’s father, Reginald Greer, in SGU.
I liked him from the minute he spoke to Alexis in the bar. I also like the hint of a lisp when he speaks. I, being an Alexis fan, hope that this will finally be a match for her, despite her leftover feelings for Julian. I don’t like Julian, never have, and dislike him even more for helping Brad steal another man’s son.
It made my day to see Joe Flannigan Monday on General Hospital. Hope they sign him permanently He’s an amazing actor and an asset for this show . I’m a huge Stargate Atlantis fan. What a bonus for all of us too see him again!
It was great to see Joe Flanigan on General Hospital yesterday. I knew it was him as soon as I saw his hair and smile. I still watch Stargate Atlantis on the ElRey cable station every morning and have missed him. Hope General Hospital keeps him around for a long time. The show and Alexis needs some good new members. So sad to hear about his house but as John Shepard he got right in and helped others. just a great guy and actor. Hope they allow him to have his wit and humor on the show.
This is really sad, to go from something so epic like Stargate to daytime soap like this. I dont watch soaps but I did find the episode he was in and checked it out and it is such an undeserving role for someone of his caliber and background. He clearly must be hurting for money cause I cannot imagine anyone finding creative fulfillment doing junk like General Hospital. In fact, I think he was sadly one of the victims of the Woolsey fire a few months ago and lost everything. Shortly after his blog was offering the sale of his… Read more »
He’s been doing great on GH! Hoping he sticks around and becomes a main. <3