The last person you thought was coming back to ‘General Hospital’ is coming back to ‘General Hospital’

Who is a resident of Port Charles who has been one-half of several couples, has strong family ties, has been on the soap for decades, and never sticks around for as long as you want them to? While you might be thinking of many General Hospital characters, there’s one in particular who fits this description… and who is thankfully back in town.

That’s right, Laura Spencer (Genie Francis) is coming back to General Hospital! According to Soap Opera Digest, Laura will be in the episode airing Oct. 9th, 2024. Viewers can likely look forward to seeing Laura in Port Charles for a long time.

When Francis found out that Jonathan Jackson was coming back to play Laura’s son Lucky Spencer in 2024, she posted on X, “Can’t wait to work with you again.” Fans were hopeful that they wouldn’t have to wait too long before they saw Laura again. But since characters can disappear in the blink of an eye on soap operas, no one was 100 percent sure that Laura would be a major character again.

Laura Spencer has been both a staple of General Hospital and also a mysterious figure. While Francis began portraying the character in 1977, she left in 1981, returned in 1993, and then left again in 1997. Fans never knew how long she would be back for. Although she appeared again in 2006 and 2008, fans finally thought she was in town for good in 2013… but, sadly, she left after a few months. Viewers were happy when she came back in 2015, but that didn’t last. Then, she came back in 2018, only to leave again. Hopefully, her Oct. 2024 return will be it and fans won’t have to miss her again!

Laura’s time away from Port Charles has always been focused on her love for her family. In 2018, when Laura’s grandson Spencer hurt his legs and she traveled to Europe to be there for him. Then, in August 2024, Laura went to Africa to try to find Lucky. Although Laura’s grandson Aiden Spencer was just recast, Francis has played Laura for ages.

Soap Opera Digest also reported that Laura and Lucky will share many moments in the Oct. 9th episode. As People pointed out, the mother and son haven’t acted together in a decade, so this will be a thrilling and memorable episode.

Since Francis has been on General Hospital since the late ’70s, she has seen Laura go through many changes in her personal life, and in recent years, the character has become stronger. While Laura and Luke Spencer’s (Anthony Geary) relationship is one of the biggest in the soap opera, she has looked at it with a critical eye. In 2022, she called it “old-fashioned” in an interview with Soap Opera Digest and added that Luke was “macho.” She praised Laura’s arc as the mayor of Port Charles and said, “To see her step forward and find her own power is cathartic, I think, for everyone. It makes everyone go, ‘Thank God!’ It makes all women feel that, too, like, ‘Yes, that’s how I want my life to go!'”

Now that Laura is coming back to General Hospital, all is right with the world (or at least the equally cozy and wild world of Port Charles). Fans want to see her as part of several storylines with Lucky and Lulu Spencer (Emme Rylan). They’ve waited so long!