'General Hospital': Rick Springfield is back! -- EXCLUSIVE

With all this depressing talk about General Hospital’s uncertain future (do we really want it to run in primetime?), the soap’s fans can certainly use some good news. Fortunately, we’re happy to oblige.

EW has learned exclusively that Rick Springfield will reprise his role as Dr. Noah Drake for a few episodes beginning in March. He’s back in Port Charles to see his son Dr. Patrick Drake (Jason Thompson).

Springfield will return to the set in February.

If GH fans will recall, Noah hightailed it out of town in 2008 because of his drinking and need for serious help.

Springfield has come and gone from the soap before: He returned to the show in 2005 after his original run began in the early 80s.

Speaking of comings and goings, Finola Hughes (Anna Devane Scorpio Lavery Scorpio) is also returning to the sudser. She began taping last week for a mid-February return.