WORST: Does General Hospital Hate Rick Hearst?

He's been in bad story after bad story for months, and whenever his character shows a bit of growth, the story is scrapped.

Rumors have been escalating about Rick Hearst leaving ABC soap General Hospital for the past few weeks, and I can't help but wonder whether or not the writers (Robert Guza in particular) has been deliberately driving him out.

Rick Hearst is unarguably one of daytime drama's most gifted performers. He has received 3 Daytime Emmys over the course of his career, two of them from his current home at GH. One of Hearst's greatest talents is his ability to make the viewer sympathize with him, even when his character did bad things. That skill came in handy with many of his roles, especially Alan-Michael Spaulding on Guiding Light, Whip Jones on Bold and the Beautiful, and his current role as Ric Lansing. Despite his many heinous crimes, including chaining a pregnant woman in a panic room and cheating on his cancer-ridden wife with her daughter, people still love Ric Lansing and his portrayer, because of his multi-layered performances. You would think that his acting prowess would make him an asset to the writers.

Nope.

Since his arival in 2002, Rick's character has continually played second-fiddle to his half-brother Sonny Corinthos, played by Maurice Benard. The character has been sacrificed repeatedly for the sake of maintaining the show's focus on "lead" characters Sonny and Jason Morgan (played by fellow Emmy winner Steve Burton). Despite their waning popularity, the duo, along with their peripheral characters, have always won out against Ric. Many of his storylines have been terrible and almost irredeemable to viewers. The possible last straw was when Ric's love interest Marianna was thrown off the show and, in retaliation, he got psycho Anthony Zacchara out of jail. Since then, Ric has become a secondary character, despite Sonny's continued dominance (and Benard's continued uninspiring performances).

Now, whispers about Rick Hearst's contract negotiations have been grown louder, and many are suggesting he's leaving. Internet soap spoiler queen Raven has alluded to the possibility months ago, but never before has the possibility been more real.

It's pretty clear GH doesn't really like Rick Hearst or his character very much, hence his storylines (and lack thereof), and they may be getting what they want if Rick doesn't resign later this year. If that's the case, its the show's loss. Rick (and former screen partner Nancy Lee Grahn, for that matter) deserves much better, so if or when the time comes, I'm sure he'll find a much better role (Guiding Light, you better get that money ready).