Jason Morgan and Sam McCall (commonly known by their portmanteau "JaSam") are fictional characters and a supercouple from the ABC daytime drama, General Hospital. They are known to be one of daytime's most popular supercouples. Jason is portrayed by actor Steve Burton; formerly, the role was played by Billy Miller. On December 1, 2017, Miller's character was revealed to be Jason's identical twin brother, Andrew Cain, conditioned to believe he was Jason and assume Jason's identity. Sam is portrayed by Kelly Monaco.
First meeting in 2003, their relationship was described as "an uneasy alliance that first blossomed into a friendship." A romantic relationship evolved from that friendship and the couple was involved for over a decade, with General Hospital writers scripting them as soulmates. Together, Jason and Sam have been titled "one of the most romantic duos in daytime," and their relationship has been described as "one of General Hospital's most intimate unions."
Background Casting The role of Samantha McCall was originated by Daytime Emmy nominated actress Kelly Monaco on October 1, 2003. In 2006, Monaco was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her portrayal of Sam. In August 2009, fans were shocked by a casting call for the character. Despite rumors and speculation, Monaco's co-stars Steve Burton and Nancy Lee Grahn denied that she is departing from the show. Monaco herself has dispelled the rumors, stating there was "really no doubt" she would renew her contract. It was merely standard procedure for ABC to release the casting call since she and the network had not signed off on a new contract by a set deadline.
The role of Jason Morgan was played by Daytime Emmy award-winning actor Steve Burton from 1991 to 2012. Burton made his debut on December 19, 1991. After leaving the show in 2000 to pursue other interests, Burton returned to General Hospital full-time in May 2002. In 1998, Burton won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of Jason. In 2012, Burton received a Daytime Emmy pre-nomination for his role as Jason Morgan. On August 28, 2012, it was announced that Burton would be leaving the series. Burton confirmed in an interview with TV Guide's Michael Logan that he would exit the series and agreed to stay long enough for the producers to write his character out properly. In an interview with Access Hollywood.com, Monaco said that thinking about her co-star's exit is very hard, but she has an idea of how Jason will exit Port Charles and "it's likely to be pretty dramatic."
On September 2, 2014, executive producer Frank Valentini announced on Twitter that former All My Children and The Young and the Restless actor Billy Miller would join the cast as Jason. Miller made his debut in the role on October 1; coincidentally, this was also the same day Monaco made her debut as Sam 11 years prior. Miller is a three-time Daytime Emmy Award winner. He won for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2010 and 2013 for his role as Billy Abbott on The Young and the Restless. In 2014, he won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for the same role.
Music The couple's official song is "Just You and Me" by Rie Sinclair. The song was first played for the couple on March 30, 2005, when they shared a romantic rooftop dance in the rain. In 2006, by popular demand, the couple's song was featured on SOAPnet's, television talk show Soap Talk and performed by Jayson Belt in a mini concert for the studio audience. In 2009, after guest starring on General Hospital, American Idol contestant and tenth place finalist Chikezie Eze, covered the couple's theme song on his YouTube account. Also in 2009, a new instrumental version of "Just You and Me" was composed for the couple's 2009 reunion. "Just You and Me" was played for the couple when they finally wed in September 2011, but the couple shared their first dance as newlyweds to Ray LaMontagne's "Hold You In My Arms".
Creation and writing
Since their inception, Jason and Sam's intense and tumultuous relationship has captivated audiences for years. The couple's story began as a love-hate relationship, where the characters shared a mutual dislike of one another. Overtime, this relationship evolved into a friendship and later into love. At the core of their characters, Sam, the more outspoken of the two, has a tendency to ramble, while Jason is more of the stoic and silent type. However, the couple found that they shared other similar personality traits, such as their "daring, adrenaline junkie" attitudes, that bonded them together as kindred spirits. This relationship stuck out amongst Jason Morgan's others, because Sam was the first woman to completely accept him and not try to change him in any way.
Sam and Jason's commonalities cause them to understand each other in a way no one else does, and this understanding was the basis of the connection between the characters. Burton explained the couple's connection to Soap Opera Weekly: During times of high pressure and stress, "the only person who can cool down Jason is, of course, Sam. "She’s always calm with him; she doesn’t try to force anything," Burton points out. "She always knows what to do: when to push, and when to back off. She really understands Jason." Monaco further commented on the couple's relationship to Soaps In Depth:
Burton and Monaco, the acting duo that originally brought this pairing to life, have often commented on how their two characters weren't originally supposed to be together, but the fan reaction and their on-screen chemistry caused the General Hospital writers to move them in a new direction. Their love story was allowed to evolve naturally and organically. The couple started out as an "unlikely love story", but over time turned into much more. They spent many years together and in that time, overcame several obstacles that tried to keep them apart. The couple shared many loving, joyful, and tender moments and have also prevailed over periods of turmoil, heartache and separation. During the characters' separation in 2008, Monaco stated to Soap Opera Digest, "The love of Sam's life will always be Jason."
Former General Hospital head-writer, Ron Carlivati noted that "Jason and Sam are an incredibly popular couple [...] a great couple who are very strong and very solid in a lot of ways. Former General Hospital head-writer Garin Wolf described Jason and Sam as an "unconventional yet strong and unique couple." Jason and Sam's shared affinity for danger and adrenaline have led them to be described as having a Bonnie and Clyde type of relationship. Several of their storylines have revolved around adventure with an "us against the world" theme present. The theme has been in place since the couple's first meeting in the Port Charles Police Department, where they were both arrested for aiding and abetting Sonny Corinthos. They have been on the run from law enforcement more than once; most notably in early 2005 when Sam was framed for kidnapping and Jason was the only one who believed her innocence, in the summer of 2005 when they went on the run with Sonny's oldest son Michael Corinthos (then Dylan Cash) to protect him from murder charges and again the fall of 2006 when Sam was being framed for murder. The couple was referred to as a real live "Bonnie and Clyde" onscreen on July 31, 2009, when they were arrested while trying to track down runaways Michael and Kristina. The theme is further reinforced by the fact that the couple always turn to each other when dealing with high pressure situations, even during times of discord between them. They also have a similar comfort with living outside of the law and making their own rules. Former General Hospital head-writer Robert Guza, Jr. describes Sam as "the last and only woman able to go toe to toe with Jason in action mode."
Storyline 2003–05 Jason and Sam first met when they were both arrested for aiding and abetting Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard). The two have often been caught in situations where they were in trouble with the law. The two started to interact more after Sam got involved with a married Sonny, and Jason tried to pay her off so that Sonny would go back to his wife, Carly (then Tamara Braun). Sam refused, and the two were constantly fighting, even after Jason was assigned as Sam's bodyguard to protect her from Sonny's enemies. When Sam found out that she was pregnant with Sonny's child, Jason asks Sam to say he's the baby's father, and let Sonny and Carly stay together for the sake of their sons, Michael (then Dylan Cash) and Morgan. Sam agrees to Jason's request and they almost marry, but Sam backs out because they are not in love and she still has feelings for Sonny.
Jason and Sam began to bond and care for each other during her pregnancy, and became friends. Jason protected Sam from her abusive ex-boyfriend and took care of her mentally handicapped brother, Danny McCall (David Greenman). When Jason's grandmother died, Sam decided to name her daughter Lila Morgan in honor of Jason's late grandmother Lila Morgan Quartermaine (Anna Lee). Tragically, Sam's daughter was stillborn. Jason and Sam grieve together, eventually falling in love. Though Jason turns down pursuing a relationship and Sam moves out, the two get back together when they realize they do not want to be without each other. Sam and Jason get engaged in January 2005. They plan to adopt baby Hope, until the mother decides to take her baby back. Jason convinces Sam to give Hope up to avoid a court battle.
Sam is hurt and angry at this decision and leaves Jason briefly, but they reunite after Sam is accused of kidnapping. Jason is the only one to believe Sam's innocence, and was able to prove it. When things cooled down, Jason and Sam went on a romantic vacation, but they were kidnapped by Allegra Montenegro (Meg Bennett), who needed Sam to impersonate her daughter Alicia, and marry Andrew Olsen. Sam reluctantly agreed to save Jason and herself. When Andrew was killed, Sam was arrested for Andrew's murder. Allegra helped Jason break Sam out of jail, get the real Alicia arrested, and they returned to Port Charles.
After returning, Jason began to suffer from life-threatening headaches, seizures and amnesia. Sam is there for Jason when he eventually loses his memory as a result of his illness. Sam convinces Jason to undergo treatment with the help Dr. Robin Scorpio (Kimberly McCullough). He and Sam fall in love all over again and he proposes to her a second time before he begins his treatment. After the treatment, Jason gets his memory back and remembers his life with Sam, but the procedure causes a brain aneurysm. Jason initially refuses to have surgery to repair the damage, and he and Sam move to Hawaii to live out his last days peacefully. However, Jason realizes that he wants to live to be with Sam, and returns to Port Charles to have the surgery, which ended up saving his life.
2006–08 In 2006, during the encephalitis plague, Sam became deathly sick. Jason and Carly found the antidote, and brought it to General Hospital. Unfortunately, they were not in time to save Danny. Sam found out afterwards she was adopted, and that her birth mother was Alexis Davis (Nancy Lee Grahn). When Sam is shot by one of Jason's enemies, he tells Alexis that Sam is her daughter. Alexis pressures Jason into breaking up with Sam for her own good. Though Jason walks away, Sam continually tries to win him back, but all her efforts fail. Infuriated and hurt, Sam gets drunk and sleeps with Ric Lansing (Rick Hearst), Alexis' husband. Unfortunately, Alexis and Jason, having both returned in an attempt to apologize and patch things up with Sam, witness this.