Rebecca Herbst liz gh gallery Rebecca Herbst Photo Shoot JPI StudiosLos Angeles11/02/14© John Paschal/jpistudios.com310-657-9661
Credit: John Paschal/JPI

“Elizabeth Webber needs to be front and center!” 

Obviously, the folks at General Hospital had the best of intentions when on August 1 they sent out a tweet congratulating longtime leading lady Rebecca Herbst on having played Elizabeth for a quarter century. But we all know what they say about good intentions and where the road paved with them leads, right?

For ages, fans have been complaining about the fact that Herbst’s alter ego is in the middle of a major storyline and yet is somehow rarely seen on air. That problem has been exacerbated by the fact that Elizabeth and her son, Cameron, have been almost entirely absent from the storyline revolving around Trina’s trial despite the fact that he and girlfriend Joss were Esme’s victim. While Portia, Curtis, Taggert, Carly and Nikolas have been shown in the courtroom daily, Elizabeth and her son have been almost entirely absent (even after she left the center in which she was seeking treatment for her recent episodes).

“Give Becky a storyline that’s worthy of her talent,” begged Amanda on Twitter. “Elizabeth Webber needs to be front and center!”

Much has been made of General Hospital‘s pacing issues of late (including by us), with Elizabeth’s storyline often cited as a prime example. After all, the mystery surrounding who was “haunting” Elizabeth began over eight months ago and has made precious little progress in that time. At the same time, Elizabeth’s relationship with Finn was developed at a pace which might best be described as glacial, making it tough for fans to invest. (This same problem has plagued other Port Charles pairings, including Anna/Valentin and Chase/Brook Lynn.)

More: Herbst addresses rumors regarding her status 

Erick Walter suggested that the milestone deserved far more than a tweet. “So where’s her special episode?” he asked via Twitter.

The minimizing of Elizabeth’s storyline presence is somewhat baffling, given that since the character was first introduced back in 1997, she’s been extremely popular with viewers. From her iconic romance with Lucky to the divisive triangle with Jason and Sam, Elizabeth has earned her place as a much-loved heroine. Plus, the term “legacy character” was practically invented with her in mind, given that Elizabeth is the daughter of Jeff Webber and granddaughter of Steve and Audrey Hardy!

Join us in paying a proper tribute to Elizabeth via our photo-filled gallery looking at her life and loves.