After nearly a decade off-screen, Serena Baldwin is headed back to Port Charles, and “General Hospital” has tapped a familiar daytime face to play her. As first reported by TV Insider, Kelly Kruger, a name soap fans have known for more than 20 years, is stepping into the role — and considering the history of both the actress and her GH character, the show likely has bigger plans for the character than a quick cameo.
Fans who came up on CBS soaps in the early 2000s know Kruger as Mackenzie “Mac” Browning, the part she originated on “The Young and the Restless” from 2002 to 2003 before returning for visits in 2018 and 2019.
From 2014 to 2021, Kruger portrayed Eva, the Forrester International publicist, on “The Bold and the Beautiful” — a role that began during the show’s Paris location shoot, the same trip on which she got engaged to co-star Darin Brooks (Wyatt Spencer). The two married in Hawaii in 2016 and share daughters Everleigh Jolie, 6, and Gemma Wynter, 4. They recently split in March of 2026.
Kelly Kruger Excited to Play Serena on ‘General Hospital’
Serena, for her part, is the biological daughter of fan-favorite schemer Scott Baldwin (Kin Shriner) and the late Dominique Stanton (Shell Danielson). She was born on screen in 1993 through one of daytime’s great tearjerker arcs.
Dying of an inoperable brain tumor, Dominique enlisted Lucy Coe (the incomparable Lynn Herring) as her surrogate, then passed away before the baby arrived. Scott and Lucy named the child Serena after Dominique’s family estate, Serenity. Carly Schroeder carried the role through the “Port Charles” spinoff years, weathering kidnappings, a corneal transplant and a childhood that would test anyone’s resolve.
Serena was last seen in 2017, mourning her late grandfather Lee Baldwin. A 2022 mention noted she’d been arrested in the Faroe Islands after a run-in with dolphin hunters.
Now, Kruger will take the reins.
“I have wanted to work with Frank Valentini and @markteschner for so long!!!” Kruger captioned on Instagram, adding: “This is the absolute perfect fit and I can’t wait for you all to meet Serena!!!!!”
Where Serena’s Storyline Could Go
The most obvious story for Kruger’s new character would be a reunion with Scott and Lucy, two characters who would have strong, competing opinions about an adult Serena reentering their lives. Scott especially has spent years as Port Charles’ resident hustler-with-a-heart; a grown daughter with secrets of her own could soften him, complicate him, or both.
Then there’s the half-sibling angle with Cody Bell (Josh Kelly), Dominique’s biological son — a built-in family mystery that begs for a slow-burn reveal and a fresh emotional anchor for Cody, whose Port Charles ties have always run a little thin.
Romance is another option. A returning Serena drops into a town with no shortage of eligible, complicated men, and her globe-trotting, activist streak (those dolphin hunters won’t confront themselves) hints at a heroine with edges worth exploring rather than a damsel waiting to be paired off.
Kruger taped her first scenes Monday, June 8, at the Prospect Studios set, with her debut slated for sometime in July.
