Deep Soap: Antonio Sabato Jr. and Tristan Rogers Preview General Hospital Night Shift

By Sara A. Bibel
Fancast.com

General Hospital: Night Shift premieres tonight at 11PM (or 8PM if you’re a West Coaster with Satellite TV) on SoapNet. This second season of SoapNet’s most popular original series is generating a lot of positive advance buzz in large part due to the inclusion of two of the o.g. General Hospital’s biggest stars: Tristan Rogers (Robert Scorpio) and Antonio Sabato Junior (Jagger Cates) The two actors gave me a preview.

How does the physical production of Nightshift differ from General Hospital’s?

Rogers: We’re shot more as a primetime show. We’re structured more as a primetime show. I won’t say that the storylines are more primetimeish but the rhythm of the show is different and there’s a lot more storylines going on and we have a beginning, a middle and an end which is what a normal daytime show doesn’t have.

How does Nightshift’s showrunner Sri Rao see the character of Robert Scorpio differently from General Hospital’s headwriter Bob Guza?

Rogers: Two people look at the same painting, they’re going to see it a different way, and that’s what we have now. Two people looking at the history of General Hospital and both having a different take on how that history has evolved.

I’ve heard that Robert is back in town because he has some medical issues.

Rogers: That and the fact that he has to reconnect with his daughter [Robin]. He discovers that he’s going to be a grandfather which brings in a whole different set of dynamics. Scorpio’s suddenly feeling a little more human than he has in the past. The idea of him being a grandfather, he’s leaving behind something. That’s something he never really thought of before.

Finola Hughes (Anna Devane) is back on General Hospital. Is Finola Hughes (Anna) going to visit Robert?

Rogers: There’s talk of it, but nothing has been decided or confirmed at this point.

How has Jagger changed since the viewers last saw him?

Sabato: It’s 13 years later and he’s got a little boy that’s going to have to deal with some health issues throughout the 13 shows. He’s an FBI agent. He’s got a lot more responsibilities than he’s ever had before. Hopefully he’s grown a bit. He’s going to have to deal with Robin and Robert Scorpio.

Jagger’s a father. Who is the mother of his son?

Sabato: We don’t know. It’s up for grabs. Whoever wants to jump up for the occasion, call me at 1-800-JAGGER. Anything could happen. It could be Brenda’s.

Are either of you interested in returning to the daytime version of General Hospital?

Rogers: It’s always nice to get back there. We haven’t discussed it. It’s probably too soon.

Sabato: Show me the money!

Rogers: This is my agent, here. I have a strong emotional bond with General Hospital.

Sabato: Thirteen years. You’ve got to double that by $100,000. We’ll let you know in September.

Last year Nightshift was by far the most popular original show on SoapNet. Do you feel pressure to match or grow from that success?

Rogers: There’s a lot of pressure to match it. A lot. I think we’re headed in the right direction. We’ve got a lot of the elements to do that. It remains to be seen if the fans get behind it and support the show. There are going to be a lot of questions answered that perhaps weren’t answered on past shows. I think there are a lot of worthwhile reasons to check the show out.

Last year there were a lot of continuity problems between Night Shift and General Hospital.

Sabato: That won’t be a problem this year. We have our own identity, our own show. People won’t have to deal with going back-and-forth with the different storylines.

Antonio, you just won Celebrity Circus.

Sobato: We’ll bring all those fans [of the show] into Nightshift so hopefully we’ll double the audience and win the night.

Any chance you’ll be asked to display any circus skills in the course of the show?

Sabato: I’ll try. I’ll see what they’ll let me do. Maybe some silks action.

Rogers: The high wire!

Sabato: Jagger will be going to the circus this season.

Are either of you going to have romances on the show?

Sabato: With each other?

Rogers: We’d be dealing with a different audience and a different show for that one. Him – I don’t know about. Me—I don’t see that at this point.

Sabato: Maybe I’ll find a nurse or something.