Lucy Coe

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Lucy Coe
General Hospital character
Portrayed byLynn Herring
Duration
  • 1986–2004
  • 2012–present
First appearanceApril 11, 1986 (1986-04-11)
ClassificationPresent; recurring
Created byPat Falken Smith and Norma Monty
Introduced by
Book appearances
Robin's Diary
Spin-off
appearances		Port Charles
In-universe information
Other names
  • Lucille Coe[1]
  • Constance Chapman
Occupation
Spouse
  • Rafe Kovich

Lucy Coe is a fictional character from the

vampire slayer
. The character stayed on Port Charles until October 2003, when the series was cancelled, and she made a brief guest appearance on General Hospital in July 2004. In November 2012, after more than eight years off-screen, it was confirmed that Herring was to return to General Hospital. She returned that December for the revival of the infamous Nurses' Ball, which she founded in the 1990s, as well as a continuation of Port Charles' vampire story arc.

Over the years, Lucy is known for having developed from a "mousy librarian" to a villainous liar, schemer and vixen to ultimately an unlikely heroine. She has been noted by critics for her manipulative yet eccentric personality. Herring's portrayal has received critical acclaim, for which she garnered two

Daytime Emmy Award nominations and numerous wins and nominations for the Soap Opera Digest Awards
.

Casting

Lisanne Gardner on Days of Our Lives, before returning in November 1992.[6][7]

Character development

Characterization and portrayal

Upon her debut on the series, Lucy Coe was described as the show's latest "bad girl". She was penned by

The Vancouver Sun as being either a "drab social worker, admitted liar" and "sexy schemer" or a "clever youngster" who was cutting corners for money. Initially, Lucy was a guest character who was a "mousy librarian" that quickly lies for a friend, Kevin O'Connor, on the stand, and is caught. Lucy was planned to be written off. General Hospital fans, however, were intrigued by the character, prompting the show's executive producer Gloria Monty to keep Herring as part of the cast. The actress said, "No one knows what to make of Lucy. She's smart and shift, very good at manipulating people. I want to know more about her".[5] Lilana Novakovich of the Toronto Star characterized Lucy as a "sexy villain", who fans loved to hate. Lucy is always at odds against "just about everyone else in town."[8]

Herring admittedly enjoys playing "sleazebag" and "seductress" Lucy.[9][10] Considered one of "daytime's most manipulative witches", Herring has stated that she is very different from her character. "The hardest thing I have to deal with in public is that a lot of times, people want me to be Lucy with them, even if it means being cruel", she said. The actress told Calhoun Times that she was "basically not that way" at all, having been raised to be mannered and polite; "I get the feeling that everyone's very disappointed that I'm not trying to get something from them".[11] However, Herring also said, "I wouldn't trade places with anybody. All her badness is a magnification of qualities we all have—greed and selfishness."[11]

Lucy celebrates her birthday on May 22.[12]

Port Charles

In 1997, Herring left the series to permanently migrate the character of Lucy to ABC Daytime's new soap opera

Kevin Collins and Scott Baldwin, in their move to the new soap.[3] Initially, Herring was doubtful about starring in a new spin-off. She said: "I was a part of the decision. I got a phone call from a friend who said, 'I think they’re going to spin General Hospital off,' and I thought it was a prank, like an April Fool’s. Because I thought it really wasn’t possible to separate core characters out of a show. And then Wendy Riche who was the producer at the time called pretty quickly after that, and said, 'We have this great idea, and it’s your character, we’re bringing Kin back, and we’ll have GH people flopping back and forth. And Doc [Kevin] will be there and we’ll create this whole other world.'" Herring explained, "part of me was so fearful because I know how hard it is to be successful in daytime, and also I fought hard to stay viable all those years before we did that. So it was really scary".[13] She remained on Port Charles, which experienced low ratings, until its 2003 cancellation.[14][15]

Port Charles explored "very dark" plots, which revolved around

Caleb Morley (Michael Easton) sires Livvie Locke (Kelly Monaco). Lucy, Port Charles' "resident eccentric", was then revealed to be a vampire slayer, making her a pivotal character in the storyline. Nancy Reichardt of Star-News described making Lucy a central in this "genius". Reichardt wrote, "Midst all this high-camp drama, comes Herring's characterization, always filled with humor and heightened drama. This character would make a hangnail into a crisis, so she is in her element in this atmosphere.[16]

Return to General Hospital

After Port Charles ended, Herring was not offered a place back on General Hospital. The actress stated, "That was very disheartening. It never occurred to me that Lucy wouldn't still have a place in town if PC didn't work out. But you know what? Even knowing what I know now, I would still go off to do PC. I would not trade that fabulous experience for anything!"[17]

On July 16, 2004, Herring returned as a guest star on General Hospital, for Lucy to attend

Tony [Geary], and Jane [Elliot]. Jane and I talk all the time too, and she’s one, Tracy and Lucy passed a little bit, and they would be hilarious together, Jane would sometimes call and say you should really think about coming back. If they would have asked, I would have been there. So it’s not my fault."[20] The actress expressed interest in returning to General Hospital.[21]

The script writers and the outline writers and Ron, obviously, all got it, which is a gift in itself – not just to get to go back, but to have some funny oneliners and the reactions of the other characters to Lucy![22]

—Herring on the writing for Lucy's return, 2012

On November 2, 2012, after more than eight years off-screen, it was announced that Herring would return to General Hospital as Lucy that December. Lucy was to return to be involved in The Nurses Ball, a fictional event that was held every year in Port Charles, which she was the organizer of. Lucy returns at the request of Sabrina Santiago (Teresa Castillo), a young nursing student who plans to bring The Nurses Ball back.[18][unreliable source?][23][24] Her return was scheduled to air on December 14,[25] however due to news coverage of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, her return was postponed until December 17.[26] Herring was one of several GH fan favorites to be brought back to the show, since Frank Valentini became executive producer in 2012.[27] It was later announced that Lucy's ex-husband, Kevin Collins (Jon Lindstrom) would also be returning to General Hospital, as part of an ongoing storyline.[28]

In January 2013, the vampire storylines from Port Charles were continued on General Hospital, after nearly a decade. Michael Easton (Caleb) plays John McBain on General Hospital, while Kelly Monaco (Livvie) plays Sam McCall; roles they began portraying after Port Charles concluded in 2003. At Kelly's Diner, Lucy sees John and Sam, and assumes that they are Caleb and Livvie. According to TV Guide, "Lucy goes into full slayer mode and stabs John."[17] The show's head writer Ron Carlivati said, "This will kick off a nice little mystery story: Is Lucy crazy or is there something very real going on here? And, if she's crazy, why do John and Sam feel like they've met before?". Carlivati later confirmed that while the subject of vampires were being explored, "it's still rooted in a certain reality".[17]

Storylines

Lucy Coe first appeared in Port Charles in April 1986 as a mousy librarian, whose involvement with Kevin O'Connor made her an alibi in his murder case. After O'Connor duped her, Lucy retaliated by writing a tell-all book, by which she hoped to make some money. She proceeded to morph from a plain Jane to a sexy

Kevin Collins
, who helped her become the kind and considerate person she had been under Dominique's influence, once again.

On Port Charles, Lucy's romantic involvement with Kevin continued, despite facing many challenges in their burgeoning relationship. After discovering that she had psychic abilities, she began to meddle in the lives of others, often placing herself in danger. To keep an eye on Serena, Lucy briefly married Rex Stanton, all the while remaining in love with Kevin. After Kevin suffered a mental breakdown, Lucy stood by his side, and the two planned to get married.

In December 2012, Lucy returns at the behest of

Livvie Locke. Believing "Caleb" to be a danger to "Livvie", she stabs John with a broken chair leg. Lucy is then arrested and taken to jail. Attorney Alexis Davis
later represents her in court, where she gets Lucy to plead not guilty by reason of insanity and is admitted to Ferncliff. Lucy gets out of Ferncliff and helps create the Nurses Ball. She then begins her newest product, Deception.

Reception

The Daily News of Los Angeles praised the return of the "mousy librarian who turned manipulative bombshell" as great.[30]

Herring has received a number of honors for her portrayal of Lucy, including

Daytime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 1990 and 1992.[31][32] She also won three Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Villainess in a Drama Series – Daytime in 1989,[33] 1991,[34] 1992,[35] as well as a nomination in 1990.[36] In 1996, she won the Soap Opera Digest Award for Hottest Female Star[37] and in 1999, Herring won the Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Lead Actress for her work as Lucy on Port Charles.[38]

In 2023, Charlie Mason from

Soaps She Knows placed Lucy at #25 on his ranked list of General Hospital’s 40+ Greatest Characters of All Time, commenting "Whenever she walks into a room, you know that chaos is going to follow — and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Lucy may not be the conniver that she once was, but she remains as “quacky” and unpredictable as ever."[39]

References

  1. ^ Series Producer: Joseph Hardy (April 26, 1990). General Hospital. Season 27. ABC.
  2. ^ "The Daily Gazette - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Hirsch, Lynda (November 29, 1997). "Port Charles Trio's Move Permanent". Sun-Sentinel. Tribune Company. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  4. ^ "Former resident of Baton Rouge *** Lynn Herring finds regular spot on "GH'". The Advocate. July 18, 1986. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  5. ^
    The Vancouver Sun
    . Postmedia Network Inc. November 14, 1986. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  6. ^ Novakovich, Lilana (November 30, 1992). "Lynn Herring delighted to be back". Toronto Star. Star Media Group.
  7. Sun-Sentinel
    . Tribune Company.
  8. ^ Novakovich, Lilana (November 26, 1988). "Lilana's Diary". Toronto Star. Star Media Group. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  9. ^ Novakovich, Lilana (November 30, 1992). "Lynn Herring delighted to be back". Toronto Star. Star Media Group.
  10. ^ Slate, Libby (January 31, 1993). "Bubbling Back". Los Angeles Times.
  11. ^ a b "Soap Bubbles". Calhoun Times. December 20, 1989. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  12. ^ Series Producer: H. Wesley Kenney; Head writer: Ann Marcus and Norma Monty (May 22, 1987). General Hospital. Season 24. ABC.
  13. We Love Soaps
    . The Serial Network. August 20, 2009. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  14. ^ Di Nunzio, Miriam (May 29, 1997). "Pretty stars can't rescue 'Port Charles'". Chicago Sun-Times. Sun-Times Media Group.
  15. ^ "ABC cancels 'Port Charles' after six years". Portsmouth Daily Times. Heartland Publications. July 2, 2003. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  16. ^ Reichardt, Nancy (September 19, 2001). "Love saves the day on Port Charles". Star-News. Halifax Media Group. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  17. ^ a b c Logan, Michael (January 9, 2013). "General Hospital Exclusive: Are Vampires Returning to Port Charles?". TV Guide. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  18. ^ a b McCloud, Linda (November 5, 2012). "Lynn Herring Returns to 'General Hospital' as Lucy Coe". Yahoo! Voices. Yahoo! News Network. Archived from the original on June 13, 2013. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  19. ^ Hinsey, Carolyn (July 24, 2009). "Soap Dish: 'General Hospital' star Lynn Herring returns to TV – but on 'As the World Turns'". New York Daily News. Daily News, L.P. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  20. ^ Snyder, Jen (August 6, 2009). "A New 'World', One on One with Lynn Herring". TVSource Magazine. SoSource Media LLC. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  21. ^ "The Lynn Herring Interview: Part Four". We Love Soaps. The Serial Network. August 25, 2009. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  22. Michael Fairman On-Air On-Soaps
    . December 6, 2012. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  23. ^ Purvis, Matt (November 2, 2012). "Lynn Herring Returns to General Hospital". She Knows Soaps. She Knows Entertainment. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  24. ^ Bibel, Sara (November 2, 2012). "Deep Soap: Two Favorites Return to 'General Hospital'". Xfinity. Comcast. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  25. ^ "Lynn Herring Returns To GH!". Soap Opera Digest. Bauer Media Group. November 2, 2012. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
  26. ^ a b Nobles, Omar (November 2, 2012). "Welcome Back Lucy Coe! Lynn Herring Returns to 'General Hospital'". TVSource Magazine. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  27. ^ Kroll, Dan J (January 9, 2013). "Jon Lindstrom headed back to General Hospital". Soap Central. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  28. ^ "Lynn Herring". Toronto Star. Star Media Group. October 17, 1988. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  29. MediaNews Group
    . October 25, 1992.
  30. ^ Goudas, John N. (May 26, 1990). "Emmy nominees announced". TimesDaily. Florence, Alabama: Tennessee Valley Printing Co. p. 70. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
  31. ^ McShane, Larry (May 8, 1992). "Lucci could get lucky with 13th Daytime Emmy bid". Kentucky New Era. New York City: Taylor W. Hayes. Associated Press. p. 6. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
  32. ^ "The Soap Opera Digest Awards: 1989". Soap Opera Digest. soapoperadigest.com. April 11, 2003. Archived from the original on March 3, 2009. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
  33. ^ "The Soap Opera Digest Awards: 1991". Soap Opera Digest. soapoperadigest.com. July 19, 2004. Archived from the original on March 3, 2009. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
  34. ^ "The Soap Opera Digest Awards: 1992". Soap Opera Digest. soapoperadigest.com. April 11, 2003. Archived from the original on March 3, 2009. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
  35. Internet Movie Database
    . February 27, 2013. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
  36. ^ "'Soap Opera Digest' names daytime's hottest". McCook Daily Gazette. Associated Press. February 15, 1996. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
  37. ^ "'General Hospital' named favorite soap at awards". The Argus-Press. Associated Press. February 28, 1999. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  38. Soaps She Knows
    . Retrieved July 19, 2023.

External links

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