Port Charles on ABC

You can't keep a bad man down – but you can give him a handsome new puss. As the World Turns has cast former General Hospital fave Jon Lindstrom as Craig Montgomery, the arch-scoundrel who fled Oakdale last February after attempting murder. The actor's first airdate is Dec. 3.

"Jon is a witty and immensely likable actor even when he's doing unspeakable things – as he did [playing twins Kevin and Ryan] on GH," says ATWT head writer Jean Passanante. "And that pretty much sums up Craig."

The character will return to Oakdale "with a deep desire to reconnect with his family," adds the scribe, "though his first order of business is to get himself off the hook for trying to kill Paul [Roger Howarth]. It's a big problem, but Craig is up for the challenge."

Though Craig, who first appeared in 1982, is one of the great villains in suds history, this marks the fourth recast in three years. Hunt Block was dropped from the role in 2005. His replacement Jeffrey Meeks was fired in 2007 and replaced by the original Craig, Scott Bryce, who in turn got the ax early this year.

Look for an exclusive interview with Lindstrom in TV Guide magazine.

During Eric's break, the NBC sudser temporarily recast his front-burner character, Ethan Winthrop. Look for Port Charles grad Rib Hillis — he played Dr. Jake Marshak — to step in as Ethan for four episodes starting on May 25.

"I love coming back to daytime TV," Hillis tells TVGuide.com. "There's nothing like it. Ethan is an interesting guy to play. But I didn't kiss anyone or take off my shirt once!"

Bummer. FYI: Those who wanna see more of Rib should pick up the May issue of Out magazine. The 35-year-old male read more

It's not uncustomary for GH to recast a front-burner hunk on medical leave. Last year Chris Beetem (ex-Jordan, As the World Turns) played Nikolas while Tyler Christopher recovered from a broken arm. For the talented Pickett, this temp job was a golden opportunity.

"I got a call that Ted Ki read more