''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television
soap opera
A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
. It is listed in ''
Guinness World Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
'' as the
longest-running American soap opera in production, and the second in American history after ''
Guiding Light
''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the third longest-running drama in television in American history. ''Guiding Light'' a ...
''.
Concurrently, it is the world's third longest-running scripted drama series in production after British serials ''
The Archers
''The Archers'' is a BBC radio drama on BBC Radio 4, the corporation's main spoken-word channel. Broadcast since 1951, it was famously billed as "an everyday story of country folk" and is now promoted as "a contemporary drama in a rural sett ...
'' and ''
Coronation Street
''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford.
Origi ...
'', as well as the world's second-longest-running televised soap opera still in production. ''General Hospital'' premiered on the
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
television network on April 1, 1963. ''General Hospital'' is the longest-running serial produced in Hollywood, and the longest-running entertainment program in ABC television history. It holds the record for most
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ...
s for
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series
The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series is an award presented annually by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) and Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). It was first awarded at the 24th Primetime Emmy ...
, with 14 wins.
The show was created by husband-and-wife soap writers
Frank and Doris Hursley
Frank M. Hursley (November 21, 1902 – February 3, 1989) and Doris Hursley (September 29, 1898 – May 5, 1984) were an American husband-and-wife team of screenwriters, best known for their serials, especially the medical drama '' General Hosp ...
, who originally set it in a
hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...
, in an unnamed fictional city. In the 1970s, the city was named Port Charles, New York. From its beginning, ''General Hospital'' starred
John Beradino
John Beradino (born Giovanni Berardino, May 1, 1917 – May 19, 1996) was an American infielder in Major League Baseball and an actor. Known as Johnny Berardino during his baseball career, he was also credited during his acting career as John Ber ...
and
Emily McLaughlin, and both actors stayed with the show until their deaths in 1996 and 1991, respectively. They were joined a year later by
Rachel Ames
Rachel Kay Foulger (born November 2, 1929), known professionally as Rachel Ames, is an American film and television actress.
The daughter of actors Byron Foulger and Dorothy Adams, she was raised in Portland, Oregon, and Los Angeles, California ...
who remains to date the longest serving actress on an ABC soap opera, having been continuously on the show from 1964 to 2007. ''General Hospital'' was the second soap to air on ABC (after the short-lived ''Road to Reality'', which aired for several months during the 1960–61 season). In 1964, a sister soap was created for ''General Hospital'', ''
The Young Marrieds
''The Young Marrieds'' is an American daytime soap opera which aired on ABC from October 5, 1964 to March 25, 1966.
The program was created by James Elward and written by Elward with Frances Rickett. Authors John Pascal and Francine Pascal also ...
''; it ran for two years, and was canceled because of low ratings. ''General Hospital'' also spawned the daytime series ''
Port Charles
''Port Charles'' (commonly abbreviated as ''PC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from June 1, 1997, to October 3, 2003. It was a spin-off of the series ''General Hospital'', which has been running since 1963 and takes pl ...
'' (1997–2003) and the primetime spin-off ''
General Hospital: Night Shift'' (2007–2008). Taped at
The Prospect Studios
The Prospect Studios (also known as ABC Television Center est'') is a lot containing several television studios located at 4151 Prospect Avenue in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, at the corner of Prospect and Talmadge Street (named ...
, ''General Hospital'' aired for a half-hour until July 23, 1976. The series was expanded from 30 minutes to 45 minutes on July 26, 1976, and then to a full hour on January 16, 1978.
Ever since the late 1970s, most of the storylines have revolved around the
Quartermaine family
The Quartermaine family is a fictional family from the ABC soap opera, '' General Hospital''. Created and introduced by Douglas Marland, the wealthy and eccentric family has been a continuous staple on ''General Hospital'' since their introducti ...
and the
Spencer family
The Spencer family is an aristocratic family in the United Kingdom. From the 16th century, its members have held numerous titles including the dukedom of Marlborough, the earldoms of Sunderland and Spencer, and the Churchill barony. Two prom ...
. From 1979 to 1988, ''General Hospital'' had more viewers than any other daytime soap opera. It rose to the top of the ratings in the early 1980s in part thanks to the monumentally popular "
supercouple
A supercouple or super couple (also known as a power couple) is a popular and/or wealthy pairing that intrigues and fascinates the public in an intense or obsessive fashion. The term originated in the United States, and it was coined in the earl ...
"
Luke and Laura
Luke and Laura Spencer are fictional characters, and the signature supercouple from the American daytime drama ''General Hospital''. Luke is portrayed by Anthony Geary, and Laura is portrayed by Genie Francis. Though other supercouples came bef ...
, whose 1981 wedding brought in 30 million viewers and remains the highest-rated hour in American soap opera history.
The soap opera is also known for its high-profile celebrity guest stars who have included, among others,
Roseanne Barr
Roseanne Cherrie Barr (born November 3, 1952) is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and former presidential candidate. Barr began her career in stand-up comedy before gaining acclaim in the television sitcom ''Roseanne'' (1988–1 ...
,
James Franco
James Edward Franco (born April 19, 1978) is an American actor and filmmaker. For his role in '' 127 Hours'' (2010), he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. Franco is known for his roles in films, such as Sam Raimi's ''Spider-M ...
and
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was a British-American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. ...
. In 2007, the program was listed as one of ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'' magazine's "100 Best TV Shows of All-Time". On April 23, 2009, ''General Hospital'' began broadcasting in
high-definition television
High-definition television (HD or HDTV) describes a television system which provides a substantially higher image resolution than the previous generation of technologies. The term has been used since 1936; in more recent times, it refers to the g ...
, making it the first ABC soap opera to make such a transition.
''General Hospital'' became the oldest American soap opera on September 17, 2010, following the final broadcast of
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
's ''
As the World Turns
''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other soa ...
''. On April 14, 2011, ABC announced the cancellation of both ''
All My Children
''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 20 ...
'' and ''
One Life to Live
''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as a web series on Hulu and iTunes ...
'', leaving ''General Hospital'' as the last remaining soap opera airing on the network after January 13, 2012. The show celebrated its
50th anniversary on April 1, 2013, and its 15,000th episode on June 22, 2022.
Show history
Origins
''General Hospital'' was created by
Frank and Doris Hursley
Frank M. Hursley (November 21, 1902 – February 3, 1989) and Doris Hursley (September 29, 1898 – May 5, 1984) were an American husband-and-wife team of screenwriters, best known for their serials, especially the medical drama '' General Hosp ...
and premiered on April 1, 1963. The first stories were mainly set on the seventh floor of General Hospital, in an unnamed midsize Eastern city (the name of the city,
Port Charles
''Port Charles'' (commonly abbreviated as ''PC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from June 1, 1997, to October 3, 2003. It was a spin-off of the series ''General Hospital'', which has been running since 1963 and takes pl ...
, would not be mentioned until the late 1970s). "They had this concept of the show that it was like a big wagon wheel – the spokes would be the characters and the hub would be the hospital",
John Beradino
John Beradino (born Giovanni Berardino, May 1, 1917 – May 19, 1996) was an American infielder in Major League Baseball and an actor. Known as Johnny Berardino during his baseball career, he was also credited during his acting career as John Ber ...
(
Steve Hardy
Steve Hardy is a fictional character from the ABC soap opera ''General Hospital''. Former Major League Baseball infielder John Beradino originated the role of Steve Hardy on the show's April 1, 1963, premiere, portraying the character for 33 year ...
) later reflected to ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' in 1994.
History
Launched in 1963, the first stories were mainly set at General Hospital in an unnamed midsized Eastern city. The name of the city,
Port Charles
''Port Charles'' (commonly abbreviated as ''PC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from June 1, 1997, to October 3, 2003. It was a spin-off of the series ''General Hospital'', which has been running since 1963 and takes pl ...
, would not be mentioned until 1976 by headwriters
Eileen and Robert Mason Pollock.
Storylines revolved around
Steve Hardy
Steve Hardy is a fictional character from the ABC soap opera ''General Hospital''. Former Major League Baseball infielder John Beradino originated the role of Steve Hardy on the show's April 1, 1963, premiere, portraying the character for 33 year ...
(
John Beradino
John Beradino (born Giovanni Berardino, May 1, 1917 – May 19, 1996) was an American infielder in Major League Baseball and an actor. Known as Johnny Berardino during his baseball career, he was also credited during his acting career as John Ber ...
) and his friend, Nurse
Jessie Brewer
Jessie Brewer R.N. (maiden name Murray) is a fictional character from the ABC Daytime soap opera '' General Hospital''. She was played by actress Emily McLaughlin, from the show's premiere on April 1, 1963, until McLaughlin's death in 1991. On Apr ...
(
Emily McLaughlin). Jessie's turbulent marriage to the much-younger
Phil Brewer
Phil may refer to:
* Phil (given name), a shortened version of masculine and feminine names
* Phill, a given name also spelled "Phil"
* Phil, Kentucky, United States
* ''Phil'' (film), a 2019 film
* -phil-, a lexical fragment, used as a root term ...
(originally portrayed by
Roy Thinnes
Roy Thinnes (born April 6, 1938) is an American television and film actor best known for his portrayal of lonely hero David Vincent in the ABC 1967–68 television series ''The Invaders''.
He starred in the 1969 British science fiction film ''J ...
; lastly by
Martin West) was the center of many early storylines. In 1964
Audrey Hardy
Audrey Hardy is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, ''General Hospital''. She has been portrayed by Rachel Ames on a contract basis from 1964 to 2002, and on a recurring basis from 2002 to 2007, making guest appearances in 2009, 2013, an ...
(
Rachel Ames
Rachel Kay Foulger (born November 2, 1929), known professionally as Rachel Ames, is an American film and television actress.
The daughter of actors Byron Foulger and Dorothy Adams, she was raised in Portland, Oregon, and Los Angeles, California ...
), a flight attendant and sister of Nurse
Lucille (
Lucille Wall
Lucille Loretta Wall (January 18, 1898 – July 11, 1986)Cox, Jim (2008). ''This Day in Network Radio: A Daily Calendar of Births, Debuts, Cancellations and Other Events in Broadcasting History''. McFarland & Company, Inc.; was an American ...
), came to town, and was the woman who won Steve's heart.
By the end of the 1970s, ''General Hospital'' was facing dire ratings when
executive producer
Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...
Gloria Monty
Gloria Monty (August 12, 1921 – March 30, 2006) was an American television producer working primarily in the field of daytime drama.
Education
Born Gloria Montemuro in Allenhurst, New Jersey and raised in the West Allenhurst neighborhood of O ...
was brought in to turn the show around. Monty is credited with creation of the first
supercouple
A supercouple or super couple (also known as a power couple) is a popular and/or wealthy pairing that intrigues and fascinates the public in an intense or obsessive fashion. The term originated in the United States, and it was coined in the earl ...
,
Luke and Laura
Luke and Laura Spencer are fictional characters, and the signature supercouple from the American daytime drama ''General Hospital''. Luke is portrayed by Anthony Geary, and Laura is portrayed by Genie Francis. Though other supercouples came bef ...
, played by
Anthony Geary
Anthony Geary (born May 29, 1947) is an American actor. He is known for playing the role of Luke Spencer on the ABC daytime drama ''General Hospital''. He originated the role of Luke in 1978 and received a record eight Daytime Emmy Awards for O ...
and
Genie Francis
Eugenie Ann Francis (born May 26, 1962) is an American actress. She is best known for playing the role of Laura Spencer (General Hospital), Laura Spencer on the television soap opera ''General Hospital'' from 1977 to present, for which she won a ...
. The end of their hour wedding on November 17, 1981, was the most-watched event in daytime serial history.
During the 1980s, the series featured several high-profile action, adventure, and some science fiction-based storylines. Location shooting at sites including
Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a national memorial centered on a colossal sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore (Lakota: ''Tȟuŋkášila Šákpe'', or Six Grandfathers) in the Black Hills near Keystone, South Dakota ...
in
South Dakota
South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...
;
Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Falls, ...
;
Grand Ole Opry
The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a divis ...
in
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...
;
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497. ; Big Bear and Avalon (
Catalina Island), California; and
San Antonio, Texas
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, subdivision_t ...
are some that propelled the story.
After Gloria Monty first left the series in 1987, ''General Hospital'' entered into a transitional phase that lasted until Wendy Riche took the position of executive producer in 1992. Under Riche, the show gained critical acclaim for its sensitive handling of
social issue
A social issue is a problem that affects many people within a society. It is a group of common problems in present-day society and ones that many people strive to solve. It is often the consequence of factors extending beyond an individual's cont ...
s. In 1994, Riche started an annual Nurses' Ball, a fundraiser and
HIV/AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...
awareness event both on the show and in real life. Later that year, a
heart transplantation
A heart transplant, or a cardiac transplant, is a surgical transplant procedure performed on patients with end-stage heart failure or severe coronary artery disease when other medical or surgical treatments have failed. , the most common procedu ...
storyline involves the death of eight-year-old (daughter of
Dr. Tony Jones and
Bobbie Spencer
Barbara Jean "Bobbie" Spencer, RN is a fictional character from the ABC soap opera ''General Hospital'', portrayed by Jacklyn Zeman. She debuted in December 1977, after playing Lana McClain on the sister-soap ''One Life to Live''. Zeman went o ...
) in a bus crash and the subsequent donation of her heart to her dying cousin
Maxie Jones
Maxie Jones is a fictional character from the ABC soap opera '' General Hospital''. She is the eldest daughter of supercouple Frisco Jones and Felicia Cummings, raised most of her life by Mac Scorpio. The role was first portrayed by Robyn Richa ...
. Shortly afterwards,
Monica Quartermaine
Monica Quartermaine is a fictional character from ''General Hospital'', an American soap opera on the ABC network, played continually since August 17, 1977 by longtime soap opera actress Leslie Charleson. She is a cardiologist at the eponymous hos ...
(
Leslie Charleson
Leslie Charleson (born February 22, 1945) is an American actress, best known for her role as Monica Quartermaine in the ABC daytime soap opera ''General Hospital''.
Life and career
Charleson was born in Kansas City, Missouri. Actress Kate Charles ...
) begins a long battle with breast cancer, which leads to her adopting
Emily Quartermaine
Emily Quartermaine is a fictional character from the ABC soap opera ''General Hospital''. The role was originated on January 20, 1995 by Amber Tamblyn, who portrayed the role until July 11, 2001. Natalia Livingston subsequently played Emily from A ...
, the orphaned young daughter of Monica's friend from treatment. ''General Hospital'' was also praised for the love story of teenagers
Stone Cates (
Michael Sutton) and
Robin Scorpio
Robin Scorpio is a fictional character from the ABC Daytime soap opera ''General Hospital'' and its primetime SOAPnet spin-off '' General Hospital: Night Shift'', originated and portrayed by Kimberly McCullough on and off for over 30 years since ...
(
Kimberly McCullough
Kimberly Anne McCullough (born March 5, 1978) is an American actress and television director. She is best known for her role as Robin Scorpio on the soap opera ''General Hospital'', a role which she originated at age seven, playing the characte ...
). After a struggle that lasted throughout most of 1995, Stone dies from AIDS at the age of 19 and his death is followed by 17-year-old Robin having to deal with being HIV-positive as a result of their relationship. Sutton received a nomination for the
and McCullough won an
award. ABC featured an Afterschool Special "Positive: A Journey Into AIDS" revolving around the AIDS story as well as ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' best selling novel ''Robin's Diary''.
On Saturday, December 14, 1996, ''General Hospital'' aired its one of three primetime episodes, ''
General Hospital: Twist of Fate'', which picked up where that Friday's episode had left off. The special centered on Laura's supposed death at the hands of
Stefan Cassadine. In 1997, the show's long-rumored spin-off materialized into the half-hour serial, ''
Port Charles
''Port Charles'' (commonly abbreviated as ''PC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from June 1, 1997, to October 3, 2003. It was a spin-off of the series ''General Hospital'', which has been running since 1963 and takes pl ...
''. The series' 11,000th episode aired on February 20, 2006.
On April 23, 2009, ''General Hospital'' became ABC's first regular daytime drama to be taped and broadcast in
High-definition television
High-definition television (HD or HDTV) describes a television system which provides a substantially higher image resolution than the previous generation of technologies. The term has been used since 1936; in more recent times, it refers to the g ...
, though the 2008 season of its primetime spinoff ''
General Hospital: Night Shift'' was in high definition. This is the second daytime drama to move to high definition after
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
's ''
The Young and the Restless
''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in fictional Genoa City (not the real-life similarly-named Genoa City, Wi ...
''. On February 23, 2010, the series aired its 12,000th episode.
On December 1, 2011, ABC confirmed that former ''
One Life to Live
''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as a web series on Hulu and iTunes ...
'' executive producer
Frank Valentini
Frank Valentini is the executive producer for the ABC soap opera ''General Hospital''. He previously held the position of executive producer, director, and composer for the ABC soap opera ''One Life to Live''. From 1986 to 1992 he worked as stag ...
and head writer
Ron Carlivati
Ronald David Carlivati (born November 25, 1968) is an American screenwriter. He is best known for his tenures as head writer on the ABC Daytime soap operas ''One Life to Live'' and ''General Hospital''. He is currently serving a position as head w ...
would replace longtime executive producer
Jill Farren Phelps
Jill Farren Phelps (born July 7, 1950) is an American television producer. She is known for her work with American soap operas, having served as executive producer of '' Santa Barbara'', '' Another World'', ''Guiding Light'', ''One Life to Live ...
and
Garin Wolf
Garin Wolf is an American television writer and playwright.
Career
Television
''As the World Turns''
*Associate head writer: 1985 - 1988 (hired by Douglas Marland), 1993–1995, 1995–1996
* Co-head writer: 1995 (with Juliet Law Packer and R ...
respectively, though Wolf would remain on as a regular writer. The change took effect on January 9, 2012. The first episode under the direction of Valentini aired on February 1, 2012, with Carlivati's material beginning on February 21. Several storylines reminiscent of iconic story arcs of the past were created and popular characters returned to the show in order to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the series in 2013. The serial celebrated 13,000 episodes on February 24, 2014,
and marked its 51st anniversary several weeks later on April 1.
Also in January 2014, ABC renewed Carlivati's contract with the soap. The series marked its 52nd anniversary on April 1, 2015, with a special episode revolving around the
Spencer family
The Spencer family is an aristocratic family in the United Kingdom. From the 16th century, its members have held numerous titles including the dukedom of Marlborough, the earldoms of Sunderland and Spencer, and the Churchill barony. Two prom ...
.
In July 2015, it was revealed Carlivati was fired as head writer;
Shelly Altman
Michelle "Shelly" Altman is an American soap opera writer who is known as breakdown and associate head writer of numerous American daytime soap operas, including '' Another World'', ''General Hospital'' and ''One Life to Live''.
Career
In 1987, Al ...
and
Jean Passanante
Jean Passanante (born June 26, 1953) is an American television screenwriter, best known for her work in soap opera, daytime soap operas. Passanante got her start as an actress doing bit parts in the 1980s, including John Sayles's ''Return of the S ...
were hired as his successors.
On September 16, 2016, ''Daytime Confidential'' reported that Valentini, Passanante and Altman re-signed with the show. On June 6, 2017, Passanante announced her decision to retire from the serial.
On July 29, 2017, it was revealed through Passanante that breakdown writer
Chris Van Etten would be promoted to co-head writer as her successor. On February 23, 2018, the serial aired its 14,000th episode.
[Various citations concerning the 14,000th episode of ''General Hospital'':
*
*
* ] On July 30, 2019, it was announced Altman would retire; breakdown writer Dan O'Connor was announced as her successor, joining Van Etten as co-head writer.
On June 22, 2022, the soap aired its 15,000 episode; in celebration, the episode focused on Francis'
Laura Spencer.
Production
![1973 10th Anniversary General Hospital](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d9/1973_10th_Anniversary_General_Hospital.jpg)
''General Hospital'' has aired on the
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
television network and has been filmed in Hollywood since its inception. The show was filmed in the
Sunset Gower Studios
Sunset Gower Studios is a television and movie studio at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Gower Street in Hollywood, California. Established in 1912, it continues today as Hollywood's largest independent studio and an active facility for telev ...
from 1963 to the mid-1980s. It relocated in the 1980s to
The Prospect Studios
The Prospect Studios (also known as ABC Television Center est'') is a lot containing several television studios located at 4151 Prospect Avenue in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, at the corner of Prospect and Talmadge Street (named ...
.
''General Hospital'' has had a number of different distributors throughout the show's history. From its beginning until 1968, it was a co-production of
Plitt Theatres
Plitt Theatres was a major movie theater chain in the United States and went under a number of names, Publix Theaters Corporation, Paramount Publix Corporation, United Paramount Theatres, American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres and ABC Theatres a ...
and Selmur Productions. ABC bought the series outright in 1968 and its ownership passed from Selmur to American Broadcasting Companies, Inc., ABC's old separate conglomerate. Ownership of the soap was then passed when the original ABC, Inc. merged with
Capital Cities/ABC Inc. in 1985 and it became Capital Cities/ABC, Inc. The show would change hands again when
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
bought Capital Cities/ABC in 1996 and Disney began to program the network and the soap in September 1997 where it remains today.
Production of ''General Hospital'' was suspended in March 2020, as a direct result of the
COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
The COVID-19 pandemic in the United States is a part of the COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide pandemic of COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the Uni ...
.
Production resumed on July 22 of the same year; new episodes began airing on August 3, 2020. ''General Hospital'' was Disney's first series to go back into production during the pandemic.
Cast
Characters
Though the series originally focused on solely the medical staff at Port Charles' General Hospital, and starred
John Beradino
John Beradino (born Giovanni Berardino, May 1, 1917 – May 19, 1996) was an American infielder in Major League Baseball and an actor. Known as Johnny Berardino during his baseball career, he was also credited during his acting career as John Ber ...
as
Dr. Steve Hardy and
Emily McLaughlin as
Nurse Jessie Brewer, the series branched out and began to focus more on the people and families of the town of Port Charles rather than those solely in the hospital.
Port Charles is full of "dysfunctional family dynamics ... and family drama remains the focal point of this town." The current families on the show include the quarreling and wealthy Quartermaine family, the mobster crime Corinthos family, the middle class Scorpio/Jones family, the aristocratic Cassadine family, and the adventurous Spencer family.
Main crew members
*
Executive producer
Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...
:
Frank Valentini
Frank Valentini is the executive producer for the ABC soap opera ''General Hospital''. He previously held the position of executive producer, director, and composer for the ABC soap opera ''One Life to Live''. From 1986 to 1992 he worked as stag ...
* Producers: Michelle Henry (senior producer), Mary-Kelly Weir (senior producer), Jennifer Whittaker-Brogdon (producer), Nneka Garland (coordinating producer), Jeffrey Sierks (associate producer)
* Directors:
Larry Carpenter
Larry Carpenter (born August 12, 1948) is an American theatre and television director and producer. In the theatre, he has worked as an artistic director, associate artistic director, a managing director and general manager in both the New York an ...
, Tina Keller,
William Ludel
William Ludel (sometime credited Bill Ludel) is an American television soap opera director.
Directing credits
'' Another World''
* Director (1972-1974)
'' General Hospital''
* Director (1994–present)
'' Days of Our Lives''
* Occasional Directo ...
,
Gary Tomlin Gary Tomlin is an American soap opera actor, writer, producer and director.
Career
Tomlin's career on daytime serials began in 1973 when he was cast on CBS's ''Search for Tomorrow'' as Bruce Carson. He also made a guest appearance on "The Nightwal ...
, Frank Valentini, Denise Van Cleave,
Phideaux Xavier
Phideaux Xavier (born Scott Riggs; January 14, 1963) is an American television director, and composer of modern technological music that he describes as 'psychedelic progressive gothic rock', who grew up near New York City but now lives in Los ...
*
Head writer
A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits. In fictional comedy o ...
s: Dan O'Connor and
Chris Van Etten
* Associate head writer:
Anna Theresa Cascio
Anna Theresa Cascio (born November 7, 1955), sometimes billed as Anna Cascio, is an American writer. She has written plays and for television, particularly for soap operas.
Television
''All My Children''
* Head Writer, Co-Head Writer: February ...
* Breakdown writers: Ashley D. Cook, Suzanne Flynn,
Lloyd Gold
Lloyd "Lucky" Gold (born September 6, 1950) is an American screenwriter and playwright.
Gold's plays have been produced at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre, the Seattle Repertory Theatre, the McCarter Theater and others. He wrote numerous film scripts ...
, Shannon Peace,
Elizabeth Korte
Elizabeth Korte is an American television writer for the ABC Daytime soap opera ''General Hospital''.
Positions held
''General Hospital''
*Occasional breakdown writer: 2005–2008
*Script editor: 2002 – January 3, 2008, March 17, 2008–prese ...
* Script writers:
Charlotte Gibson,
Kate Hall,
Lisa Seidman
Lisa Seidman (born April 27, 1957, in Massapequa, New York) is an American television writer who has primarily written for soap operas. She is a graduate of Franklin & Marshall College. Seidman has written episodes for several prime time televisi ...
, Dave Rupel, Scott Sickles
*
Casting director
In the performing arts industry such as theatre, film, or television, casting, or a casting call, is a pre-production process for selecting a certain type of actor, dancer, singer, or extra (acting), extra for a particular role or part in a scr ...
:
Mark Teschner
Mark Teschner is an American casting director.
Career
A native New Yorker, Mark Teschner has been the Casting Director of ABC Daytime's '' General Hospital'' since 1989. He has been described by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as "an actor's casting di ...
, Lisa Booth (casting associate)
* Lighting directors: Bob Bessoir, Melanie Mohr, Vincent Steib
Notable former crew members include
Gloria Monty
Gloria Monty (August 12, 1921 – March 30, 2006) was an American television producer working primarily in the field of daytime drama.
Education
Born Gloria Montemuro in Allenhurst, New Jersey and raised in the West Allenhurst neighborhood of O ...
,
Jill Farren Phelps
Jill Farren Phelps (born July 7, 1950) is an American television producer. She is known for her work with American soap operas, having served as executive producer of '' Santa Barbara'', '' Another World'', ''Guiding Light'', ''One Life to Live ...
,
Robert Guza Jr.
Robert Guza Jr. (born 1951 ) is an American television writer and producer, who formerly held the position as head writer on the ABC Daytime soap opera ''General Hospital''.
Personal life
Guza has been married to actress and fellow writer Meg Be ...
,
Charles Pratt Jr.
Charles Pratt Jr. (born January 6, 1955) is an American television writer, producer and director.
In September 2014, it was revealed that Pratt had been hired as head writer and co-executive producer of ''The Young and the Restless''. In Septembe ...
,
John William Corrington
John William Corrington (October 28, 1932 – November 24, 1988) was an American film and television writer, novelist, poet, and lawyer.
Corrington attended St. John's High School (now known as Loyola College Prep), but was expelled after smo ...
,
Lewis Arlt,
Lynda Myles, Alan Pultz,
Judith Pinsker Judith Ann Pinsker (January 17, 1940, Kenmore, New York - April 26, 2014, Englewood, New Jersey) was an American television writer.
Pinsker co-wrote (with Claire Labine) the 1995 ''New York Times'' bestseller ''General Hospital'' tie-in novel ''Ro ...
,
Joseph Behar
Joseph Behar (also credited as Joe Behar), (September 30, 1926 – June 26, 2021) was an American television director. He was known for directing the game show ''Let's Make a Deal'', as well as the serials ''The Greatest Gift'' (producer and dir ...
,
Stephanie Braxton, Norma Monty, Frank South, Ralph Ellis,
Shelley Curtis,
Jean Passanante
Jean Passanante (born June 26, 1953) is an American television screenwriter, best known for her work in soap opera, daytime soap operas. Passanante got her start as an actress doing bit parts in the 1980s, including John Sayles's ''Return of the S ...
,
Hope Harmel Smith
Hope Harmel Smith (also created as ''Hope H. Smith'') is an American television producer and writer. She has been working in daytime for over 20 years.
Positions held
'' All My Children''
* Writer: October 2007 - July 2008
* Supervising Producer ...
,
Michael Conforti
Michael Conforti is an American television writer on the soap opera ''The Young and the Restless''. He played Jeremy Rhodes on ''Edge of Night'', and Wally Bacon on '' Guiding Light''. Conforti later became a writer for the soap opera '' Guiding ...
,
Michele Val Jean
Michele Val Jean (b. 1950s) is an American television writer on the CBS Daytime soap opera ''The Bold and the Beautiful''.
Career
In 2000 she was promoted, alongside Elizabeth Korte, to the post of head writer, making her the first African Amer ...
and
Ron Carlivati
Ronald David Carlivati (born November 25, 1968) is an American screenwriter. He is best known for his tenures as head writer on the ABC Daytime soap operas ''One Life to Live'' and ''General Hospital''. He is currently serving a position as head w ...
.
Executive producers
Setting
Since the series began in 1963, Port Charles,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, has been the setting for the show. The town exists in the same fictional universe as other soap opera settings such as
Llanview
Llanview, Pennsylvania is the fictional setting for the long-running American soap opera ''One Life to Live''. The city exists in the same fictional universe as cities from other existing or defunct ABC daytime dramas, including Pine Valley, Penn ...
(''
One Life to Live
''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as a web series on Hulu and iTunes ...
''),
Pine Valley (''
All My Children
''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 20 ...
''),
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
(''
Ryan's Hope
''Ryan's Hope'' is an American soap opera created by Claire Labine and Paul Avila Mayer, airing for 13 years on ABC from July 7, 1975, to January 13, 1989. It revolves around the trials and tribulations within a large Irish-American family in th ...
''), and
Corinth
Corinth ( ; el, Κόρινθος, Kórinthos, ) is the successor to an ancient city, and is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it has been part o ...
(''
Loving''). The same setting was also used for ''General Hospital'' spinoff, ''
Port Charles
''Port Charles'' (commonly abbreviated as ''PC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from June 1, 1997, to October 3, 2003. It was a spin-off of the series ''General Hospital'', which has been running since 1963 and takes pl ...
''.
* General Hospital is founded by Dr. Steve Hardy. It is a major employer in the city, and one of the largest medical facilities on the East Coast. In the 1990s,
Sonny Corinthos
Sonny Corinthos is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera ''General Hospital''. Maurice Benard has played the role of the manic depressive mob kingpin, living in Port Charles, since the character's storyline originated on August 13, 1993. Sonn ...
donates an extra wing dedicated to AIDS research, and in the 2000s,
Carly Corinthos
Carly Corinthos is a fictional character from ''General Hospital'', a soap opera on the ABC network, portrayed by Laura Wright from 2005. A collaborative effort between the writers, Carly – originally played by Sarah Joy Brown from 1996 to 200 ...
donates a pediatric center for head neurology. In 2009, a fire destroys the hospital, which is rebuilt with money from the
Quartermaine family
The Quartermaine family is a fictional family from the ABC soap opera, '' General Hospital''. Created and introduced by Douglas Marland, the wealthy and eccentric family has been a continuous staple on ''General Hospital'' since their introducti ...
.
* The Metro Court is a prominent hotel in Port Charles, built by
Jasper Jacks
Jasper Jacks is a fictional character from ''General Hospital'', an American soap opera on the ABC network. He has been portrayed off-and-on by actor Ingo Rademacher since 1996. The role was temporarily played by Gideon Emery during Rademacher ...
on the site of the Port Charles Hotel after it is destroyed in a fire in 2004, and named in honor of
Courtney Matthews
Courtney Matthews is a fictional character from ''General Hospital'', an American soap opera on the ABC network. She is the daughter of Mike Corbin and Janine Matthews, and the half sister of mobster Sonny Corinthos. Courtney was portrayed by Ali ...
, who Jax was pursuing romantically. Carly Corinthos soon becomes his business partner, and later co-owns with
Kate Howard
Kate Howard is a fictional character from the ABC Daytime soap opera '' General Hospital''. The character was originated by actress Megan Ward, who portrayed the role from May 2007 to October 2010. In September 2011, the role was re-introduced ...
when Jax sells his portion to her. The hotel boasts a skyline restaurant, spa, penthouse suites, and business offices. The current owners are Carly and
Olivia Falconeri.
* Kelly's Diner is founded by Joe "Paddy" Kelly, and becomes a vintage restaurant in the heart of Port Charles. It features boarding rooms upstairs which become homes to many Port Charles residents and guests over the years. The restaurant is operated by Paddy's wife
Rose Kelly
Rose Edith Kelly (23 July 1874 – 1932) married noted author, magician and occultist Aleister Crowley in 1903. In 1904, she aided him in the Cairo Working that led to the reception of ''The Book of the Law'', on which Crowley based much of h ...
after his death, who later sells it to
Ruby Anderson
''General Hospital'' is the longest running American television serial drama, airing on ABC. Created by Frank and Doris Hursley, who originally set it in a general hospital (hence the title), in an unnamed fictional city. In the 1970s, the city w ...
when Rose leaves town. When Ruby dies, she leaves the diner to her niece
Bobbie Spencer
Barbara Jean "Bobbie" Spencer, RN is a fictional character from the ABC soap opera ''General Hospital'', portrayed by Jacklyn Zeman. She debuted in December 1977, after playing Lana McClain on the sister-soap ''One Life to Live''. Zeman went o ...
and nephew
Luke Spencer
Luke Spencer is a fictional character in the American television soap opera ''General Hospital'', played by Anthony Geary from 1978 until his departure in July 2015. Geary holds the record for most Daytime Emmy wins for Outstanding Lead Actor in ...
.
* The Haunted Star is a yacht first owned by Luke Spencer, who receives the vessel as a wedding present in 1981. In 2003, the ship is turned into a casino by Luke and investors
Skye Chandler
Skye Chandler is a fictional character from the ABC soap operas ''All My Children'', ''One Life to Live'', and ''General Hospital''. Initially portrayed by Antoinette Byron, the role was then portrayed by Robin Christopher for most of the next 25 ...
and
Tracy Quartermaine
Tracy Quartermaine is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera ''General Hospital''. She is played by actress Jane Elliot, who originated the role in 1978 and has played her intermittently since that time, primarily on ''GH'' and briefly on '' ...
. In 2011, Luke's daughter
Lulu Spencer
Lulu Spencer is a fictional character from ''General Hospital'', an American soap opera on the ABC network, portrayed by Emme Rylan. Previously, Lulu was portrayed by child actress, Tessa Allen from 2004 to 2005. The role was most notably portra ...
purchases the boat, and in 2012
Johnny Zacchara
Johnny Zacchara is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera '' General Hospital'' and the contract role was portrayed by Brandon Barash from September 18, 2007 until May 3, 2013. He returned on December 5, 2014. He is the son of Claudia Zacch ...
invests to become co-owner. Together they turn the ship into a nightclub.
* The Floating Rib is a bar located in downtown Port Charles, just a block away from General Hospital. Originally named Jake's, the bar has been a hotspot for the local nightlife since the early 1990s.
Coleman Ratcliffe becomes the owner in 2002, and
Mac Scorpio takes over in 2012. There was also a popular fine dining restaurant in Port Charles with the same name in the late 1970s/early 1980s. In 2020, a bomb destroys the restaurant and kills multiple patrons.
Accolades and recognition
''General Hospital'' cast and crew have won many awards since 1974 when the
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ...
s were created. In 2012, the
Creative Arts Emmy Award
The Creative Arts Emmys are a class of Emmy Awards presented in recognition of technical and other similar achievements in American television programming. They are commonly awarded to behind-the-scenes personnel such as production designers, set ...
s were created. ''General Hospital'' has won 14 Daytime Emmys for
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series
The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series is an award presented annually by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) and Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). It was first awarded at the 24th Primetime Emmy ...
.
In June 2009, ''
TV Guide
TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...
'' ranked "Luke and Laura's Wedding" #45 on its list of the 100 Greatest Episodes.
Broadcast
During the 1960s, ''General Hospital'' earned decent ratings against the likes of ''
To Tell the Truth'' and ''
The Secret Storm
''The Secret Storm'' is an American soap opera that the CBS television network transmitted from February 1, 1954, to February 8, 1974. It was created by Roy Winsor, who also created the long-running soap operas ''Search for Tomorrow'' and ''Love ...
'' on
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
, but there was a decline as the 1970s came, especially when
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
's ''
Another World'' became highly popular. For two years, it also faced CBS's ''
The Price Is Right
''The Price Is Right'' is a television game show franchise created by Bob Stewart, originally produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman; currently it is produced and owned by Fremantle. The franchise centers on television game shows, but also inc ...
'', already a major hit. After continued mediocrity in the
Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
,
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
was prepared to cancel ''General Hospital'', but decided to give it a second chance in 1978 when it expanded the show from an experimental 45 minutes to a full hour. However, the expansion came with an ultimatum to the producers that they had six months to improve the show's ratings.
Gloria Monty
Gloria Monty (August 12, 1921 – March 30, 2006) was an American television producer working primarily in the field of daytime drama.
Education
Born Gloria Montemuro in Allenhurst, New Jersey and raised in the West Allenhurst neighborhood of O ...
was hired as the new executive producer, and on her first day, she spent an extra $100,000 re-taping four episodes. A miracle occurred thanks to Monty and head writer
Douglas Marland
Douglas Marland (born Marland Messner; May 5, 1934 – March 6, 1993) was an American writer, known for his work as the head writer of several soap operas.
Career
Marland began his career as an actor, appearing on the Irna Phillips series ''The B ...
; the show became the most-watched daytime drama by 1979, marking a rare instance of a daytime serial's comeback from near-extinction. During the wedding of
Luke and Laura
Luke and Laura Spencer are fictional characters, and the signature supercouple from the American daytime drama ''General Hospital''. Luke is portrayed by Anthony Geary, and Laura is portrayed by Genie Francis. Though other supercouples came bef ...
on November 17, 1981, about 30 million people tuned in to watch them exchange vows and be cursed by
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was a British-American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. ...
's
Helena Cassadine
Helena Cassadine is a fictional character on the American soap opera ''General Hospital'', famously originated by film actress Elizabeth Taylor in November 1981. After a brief stint by Dimitra Arliss in 1996, Constance Towers took over the role i ...
(
Constance Towers
Constance Mary Towers (born May 20, 1933) is an American film, stage, and television actress, and singer. She gained prominence for her appearances in several mainstream 1950s films before transitioning to theater, starring in numerous Broadway ...
).
From 1979 to 1988, ''General Hospital'' remained number one in the ratings, competing against two game shows and two low-rated soaps on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
—''
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
'' and ''
Santa Barbara''—and ''
Guiding Light
''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the third longest-running drama in television in American history. ''Guiding Light'' a ...
'' on
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
(although ''Guiding Light'' experienced a renaissance for a brief period in the middle of 1984, and became the #1-rated soap, briefly dethroning ''General Hospital'' from the top ratings spot). For the most part, however, ''General Hospital'' continued to triumph, even after the departure of popular actors
Anthony Geary
Anthony Geary (born May 29, 1947) is an American actor. He is known for playing the role of Luke Spencer on the ABC daytime drama ''General Hospital''. He originated the role of Luke in 1978 and received a record eight Daytime Emmy Awards for O ...
and
Genie Francis
Eugenie Ann Francis (born May 26, 1962) is an American actress. She is best known for playing the role of Laura Spencer (General Hospital), Laura Spencer on the television soap opera ''General Hospital'' from 1977 to present, for which she won a ...
in the mid-1980s. Although ''
The Young and the Restless
''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in fictional Genoa City (not the real-life similarly-named Genoa City, Wi ...
'' took ''General Hospital's'' place as the highest-rated serial in 1989, ''General Hospital'' continued to maintain excellent ratings.
Even at its peak in the 1980s, ''General Hospital'' had been pre-empted in at least two markets in the United States. With the show still number one in the Nielsens,
WDTN
WDTN (channel 2) is a television station in Dayton, Ohio, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which provides certain services to Springfield, Ohio–licensed WBDT (channel 26), a ''de facto'' owned-and-oper ...
in
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Day ...
preempted the series upon joining ABC in January 1980 in favor of ''
Woody Woodpecker
Woody Woodpecker is an animated character that appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz Studio and distributed by Universal Studios between 1940 and 1972.
Woody, an anthropomorphic woodpecker, was created in 1940 by Lan ...
'' and ''
Super Friends
''Super Friends'' is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes, which ran from 1973 to 1985 on ABC as part of its Saturday-morning cartoon lineup. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera and was based on the Justice League of ...
'' cartoons. Later, the station would air such shows as ''Hour Magazine'', ''
Geraldo'' and ''
Maury'' in the show's timeslot until September 2000, when the station's new owners, Sunrise Broadcasting (which purchased the station from
Hearst Television
Hearst Television, Inc. (formerly Hearst-Argyle Television) is a broadcasting company in the United States owned by Hearst Communications. From 1998 to mid-2009, the company traded its common stock on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ...
two years prior), pulled ''Maury'' from the station's schedule, due to what it called "community standards", and brought ''General Hospital'' back to Dayton. In
Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
and
Plattsburgh, New York
Plattsburgh ( moh, Tsi ietsénhtha) is a city in, and the seat of, Clinton County, New York, United States, situated on the north-western shore of Lake Champlain. The population was 19,841 at the 2020 census. The population of the surrounding ...
,
WVNY dropped ''General Hospital'' from the schedule in the 1980s and would only bring it back in 1995. During that hiatus, ''General Hospital'' still aired on
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
's
CFCF-DT
CFCF-DT (channel 12) is a television station in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, part of the CTV Television Network. It is owned and operated by network parent Bell Media alongside Noovo flagship CFJP-DT (channel 35). Both stations share studios at th ...
, whose signal was decently available in Vermont and Plattsburgh.
Ever since the 1991–1992 season of ''General Hospital'', the show has had a steady decline in ratings. On and off, it would rank between third and fifth place in the Nielsen ratings, with CBS's ''The Young And The Restless'' and ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' coming in first and second place, respectively. ''General Hospital'' remained in between third and fifth place in the ratings during that time, and from late 1991 to 1996 ''All My Children'' held the title of ABC's highest-rated soap.
After months of speculation and cancellation rumors, ''
Deadline Hollywood
''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. The site is updated several times a day, with ...
'' reported on April 11, 2012, that ABC quietly made the decision to keep ''General Hospital'' on the air and to cancel instead the lower-rated talk show ''
The Revolution''.
On June 26, 2012, ABC officially announced that ''General Hospital'' would move to the 2 p.m. ET/PT timeslot starting on September 10, 2012, and that the network would give the 3:00 p.m. hour back to its affiliates, as it was the recommended time slot for
Katie Couric
Katherine Anne Couric ( ; born January 7, 1957) is an American journalist and presenter. She is founder of Katie Couric Media, a multimedia news and production company. She also publishes a daily newsletter, ''Wake Up Call''. From 2013 to 2017, ...
's new, ABC-
syndicated talk show, ''
Katie
Katie is an English feminine name. It is a form Katherine, Kate, Caitlin, Kathleen, Katey and their related forms. It is frequently used on its own.
People Sports
*Katie Boulter (born 1996), British tennis player
*Katie Clark (born 1994), Briti ...
''.
Encore episodes were shown every weeknight on the former cable channel
Soapnet, with a marathon on Saturday and classic episodes at 4 a.m. EST and 5 a.m. (3 a.m. and 4 a.m. CST).
Production of ''General Hospital'' was suspended in March 2020 as a direct result of the
COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
The COVID-19 pandemic in the United States is a part of the COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide pandemic of COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the Uni ...
.
The show had banked roughly two months' worth of episodes at that time.
By airing repeats on "Flashback Fridays", ''General Hospital'' was able to air original episodes through the end of May 21, 2020.
This will be followed by several weeks of vintage episode repeats.
Production resumed on July 22, 2020, and new episodes began airing on August 3, 2020.
Schedule
Notes
ABC stations in the
Mountain
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited Summit (topography), summit area, and ...
and
Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
Time Zones, and in
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
and
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
follow a Central Time Zone schedule for daytime programming; thus, ''General Hospital'' is scheduled by the network to air at 1:00 p.m. in these areas.
# In September 2014, ''General Hospital'' reclaimed its former time slot of 3:00 p.m. Eastern/2:00 Central and Pacific on ABC
owned-and-operated station
In the broadcasting industry, an owned-and-operated station (frequently abbreviated as an O&O) usually refers to a television or radio station owned by the network with which it is associated. This distinguishes such a station from an affiliate ...
s in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
,
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
,
Raleigh–Durham
The Research Triangle, or simply The Triangle, are both common nicknames for a metropolitan area in the Piedmont region of North Carolina in the United States, anchored by the cities of Raleigh and Durham and the town of Chapel Hill, home to t ...
,
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
,
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
,
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
and
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
; and affiliate
KSAT-TV
KSAT-TV (channel 12) is a television station in San Antonio, Texas, United States, affiliated with ABC. Owned by Graham Media Group, the station maintains studios on North St. Mary's Street on the northern edge of downtown, and its transmitter ...
in
San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, s ...
.
Ratings history
''For historical ratings information, see
List of U.S. daytime soap opera ratings
The following is a list of television Nielsen ratings and rankings for American daytime soap operas from 1950 to the present, as compiled by Nielsen Media Research. The numbers provided represent the percentage of TV households in the United Stat ...
''
;Years as #1 series
;Highest-rated week in daytime history (November 16–20, 1981)
:(Household ratings,
Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
)
Parodies and references in other media
The popularity of ''General Hospital'' has gained it many parodies and references in other mainstream programs. For example:
*In the early 1990s, some episodes of ''General Hospital'' were featured as "shorts" during the fourth season of the parody show ''
Mystery Science Theater 3000
''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy film review television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. ...
''.
*The series was also parodied/homaged in the song "General Hospi-Tale" by
The Afternoon Delights,
and in the film ''
Tootsie
''Tootsie'' is a 1982 American satirical romantic comedy-drama film directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Dustin Hoffman. Its supporting cast includes Pollack, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman, Bill Murray, Charles Durning, George Ga ...
'', which took place among the cast and crew of a fictional soap opera program.
*In the
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
medical drama ''
House
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
'',
Gregory House
Gregory House, M.D. is the titular protagonist of the American medical drama series ''House''. Created by David Shore and portrayed by English actor Hugh Laurie, he leads a team of diagnosticians and is the Head of Diagnostic Medicine at the f ...
enjoys ''Prescription Passion'', which is an over-the-top parody of ''General Hospital'' that he watches constantly. In the season three episode, "
Half-Wit
"Half-Wit" is the fifteenth episode of the third season of '' House'' and premiered on the FOX network on March 6, 2007. Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Dave Matthews guest stars in the episode as Patrick, a savant and piano prodigy who comes ...
", House hides his blood test results under the name, "Luke N. Laura", referring to ''General Hospital''s popular couple.
*''
Mad TV
''Mad TV'' (stylized as ''MADtv'') is an American sketch comedy television series originally inspired by '' Mad'' magazine. In its initial run, it aired on Fox from 1995 to 2009. After a one-off reunion show in 2015 to celebrate the twentiet ...
'' did a sketch on the series with actors
Jacklyn Zeman
Jacklyn Zeman (born March 6, 1953) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Barbara "Bobbie" Spencer on ''General Hospital''. She is sometimes credited as Jackie Zeman.
Early life and education
Zeman was born in Englewood, New Jersey ...
,
Rebecca Herbst
Rebecca Ann Herbst (born May 12, 1977) is an American actress, known for playing nurse Elizabeth Webber on the ABC Daytime drama ''General Hospital'', a role she originated on August 1, 1997, and Suzee, an alien, on the Nickelodeon show, '' Spa ...
, and
Jacob Young
Jacob Wayne Young (born September 10, 1979) is an American actor and producer. He is a five-time Daytime Emmy Award nominee, winning once in 2002 for his role as Lucky Spencer in the soap opera '' General Hospital'' (2000–2003). He is best kn ...
.
*The 1982 comedy film ''
Young Doctors in Love
''Young Doctors in Love'' is a 1982 American comedy film directed by Garry Marshall. It spoofs a variety of medical shows (in particular, '' General Hospital'') and has many guest stars from ABC soap operas.
The film stars Sean Young, Michael M ...
'' featured a large part of General Hospital's cast from 1982.
*The February 23, 2000 episode of
Late Show with David Letterman
The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the The Late Show (franchise), ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by ...
covers a ''faux'' segment of the program with regards to
David Letterman
David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He hosted late night television talk shows for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982 debut of ''Late Night with David Letterman' ...
's heart surgery.
*In a 2010 episode of ''
The Colbert Report
''The Colbert Report'' ( ) is an American late-night talk and news satire television program hosted by Stephen Colbert that aired four days a week on Comedy Central from October 17, 2005, to December 18, 2014, for 1,447 episodes. The show focuse ...
'', comedian
Stephen Colbert
Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program ''The Colbert Report'' from 2005 to ...
poked fun at the show, responding to a clip of
Maurice Benard
Maurice Benard (born March 1, 1963) is an American actor. In 1993, he was cast as Sonny Corinthos on the ABC soap opera ''General Hospital''.
Early life and career
Benard was born Mauricio José Morales in Martinez, California, the son of Martha ...
's
Sonny Corinthos
Sonny Corinthos is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera ''General Hospital''. Maurice Benard has played the role of the manic depressive mob kingpin, living in Port Charles, since the character's storyline originated on August 13, 1993. Sonn ...
shooting
Dominic Zamprogna
Dominic Zamprogna (, ; born April 21, 1979) is a Canadian actor and voice artist. He is perhaps best known for his roles on the television series '' Edgemont'', ''Battlestar Galactica'' and ''General Hospital''.
Early life
Zamprogna was born in ...
's
Dante Falconeri
Dante Falconeri is a fictional character from ''General Hospital'', an American soap opera on the ABC network, played by Dominic Zamprogna. Zamprogna made his debut on June 22, 2009. In 2018, Zamprogna announced his decision to leave the role, a ...
, satirically screaming, "Sonny shot Dante! No!"
* In the ABC comedy ''
The Goldbergs'', Erica and Adam frequently watch ''General Hospital'' together.
* In the book series ''Virgin River'' by
Robyn Carr
Robyn Carr is an American author. She is the writer of the ''Virgin River'' series of books and has written more than fifty novels. Her novels have been on ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list, including titles such as ''The Hero''.
She is a ...
, Mel mentions watching ''General Hospital'' in nursing school.
Spin-offs and specials
The success of the long-running soap opera has had one sister serial, one spinoff in the United States, and two primetime spinoffs in the United States and the United Kingdom.
''
The Young Marrieds
''The Young Marrieds'' is an American daytime soap opera which aired on ABC from October 5, 1964 to March 25, 1966.
The program was created by James Elward and written by Elward with Frances Rickett. Authors John Pascal and Francine Pascal also ...
'' was ABC's first attempt at a sister serial for ''General Hospital''. It ran for only two years, racking up a total of 380 episodes. Despite its moderate popularity, it was aired against
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
's top-rated ''
The Edge of Night
''The Edge of Night'' is an American television mystery crime drama series and soap opera, created by Irving Vendig and produced by Procter & Gamble Productions.
It debuted on CBS on April 2, 1956, and ran as a live broadcast on that networ ...
'', which it could not compete against. The series finale aired on March 25, 1966, with the show's main protagonist contemplating suicide. It ended in a cliffhanger, leaving the audience wondering if the man had killed himself or not. ''The Young Marrieds'' was set in the fictional suburb of Queen's Point, which was considered by the writers to be a suburb of ''
Port Charles
''Port Charles'' (commonly abbreviated as ''PC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from June 1, 1997, to October 3, 2003. It was a spin-off of the series ''General Hospital'', which has been running since 1963 and takes pl ...
''.
The British television series ''
General Hospital
''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the list of longest-running television shows by category, longest-running American soap opera in pro ...
'' did not feature any characters from the American show, but was modeled after its format. It started as a half-hour program broadcast in the afternoons, which was unusual for British serials that normally aired in prime time. In 1975, it was expanded to an hour-long format and moved to Friday evenings.
''
Port Charles
''Port Charles'' (commonly abbreviated as ''PC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from June 1, 1997, to October 3, 2003. It was a spin-off of the series ''General Hospital'', which has been running since 1963 and takes pl ...
'' was a daytime drama that initially featured interns in a competitive medical school program,
and was known for having more action actually in the hospital than ''General Hospital'' itself. It also included the characters of
Scott Baldwin
Scott "Scotty" Baldwin is a fictional character from the ABC soap opera ''General Hospital'' and its now-defunct spinoff ''Port Charles''. The character debuted played by child actors in the 1960s until Kin Shriner assumed the role in 1977. Sc ...
,
Serena Baldwin,
Lucy Coe
Lucy Coe is a fictional character from the ABC Daytime soap operas '' General Hospital'' and ''Port Charles''. Portrayed by Lynn Herring, she first appeared in April 1986 on ''General Hospital'', introduced as an alibi in a murder plot. In 1997, ...
,
Kevin Collins, and
Karen Wexler
''General Hospital'' is the longest-running American television serial drama, airing on ABC. Created by Frank and Doris Hursley, it originally was set it in a general hospital (hence the title), in an unnamed fictional city. In the 1970s, the ...
, all of whom originally appeared as characters on ''General Hospital''.
As the show evolved, it tended more towards gothic intrigue, including supernatural elements such as
vampire
A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...
s and
afterlife
The afterlife (also referred to as life after death) is a purported existence in which the essential part of an individual's identity or their stream of consciousness continues to live after the death of their physical body. The surviving ess ...
. It also switched formats from an open-ended daytime serial to 13-week story arcs known as "books", similar to Spanish language
telenovela
A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar drama genres around the world include '' teleserye'' ...
s.
''
General Hospital: Night Shift'' is the second American prime time spinoff of a daytime drama (the first being ''
Our Private World
Our or OUR may refer to:
* The possessive form of " we"
* Our (river), in Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany
* Our, Belgium, a village in Belgium
* Our, Jura, a commune in France
* Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR), a government utility regulat ...
'', a spinoff of ''As the World Turns''). Its first season aired from July 12, 2007, to October 4, 2007, on
Soapnet, a cable channel owned by ABC.
The series follows the nighttime adventures of familiar and new characters around the hospital. As of March 2008, the first season of the series was "Soapnet's most-watched series ever", with ABC Daytime and Soapnet President
Brian Frons
Brian Scott Frons (born June 15, 1956) is an American television executive and the former president of ABC Daytime.
Education
Frons earned a master’s degree from Syracuse University's S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications in 1978.
C ...
noting that ''Night Shift'' drew more than 1 million new viewers to the channel during its first season.
''
General Hospital: Twist of Fate'' was a primetime special that aired on Saturday, December 14, 1996. The episode picked up where that Friday's show had left off. The special centered on Laura's supposed death at the hands of
Stefan Cassadine.
On April 2, 1998, ''General Hospital'' aired a primetime special in celebration of the program's 35th anniversary. Hosted by
Anthony Geary
Anthony Geary (born May 29, 1947) is an American actor. He is known for playing the role of Luke Spencer on the ABC daytime drama ''General Hospital''. He originated the role of Luke in 1978 and received a record eight Daytime Emmy Awards for O ...
, the show focused and recapped on many popular storylines including
Monica Quartermaine
Monica Quartermaine is a fictional character from ''General Hospital'', an American soap opera on the ABC network, played continually since August 17, 1977 by longtime soap opera actress Leslie Charleson. She is a cardiologist at the eponymous hos ...
's breast cancer,
BJ's death, and
Stone Cates' battle with HIV. This was the first anniversary special that was broadcast in primetime and that didn't include any of the current storyline.
On April 6, 2013, as part of the show's 50th anniversary commemoration, ABC's newsmagazine ''
20/20
Visual acuity (VA) commonly refers to the clarity of vision, but technically rates an examinee's ability to recognize small details with precision. Visual acuity is dependent on optical and neural factors, i.e. (1) the sharpness of the retinal ...
'' aired ''General Hospital: The Real Soap Dish''—a retrospective and behind-the-scenes special hosted by
Katie Couric
Katherine Anne Couric ( ; born January 7, 1957) is an American journalist and presenter. She is founder of Katie Couric Media, a multimedia news and production company. She also publishes a daily newsletter, ''Wake Up Call''. From 2013 to 2017, ...
.
On September 5, 2014, it was announced that cast member
Nancy Lee Grahn
Nancy Lee Grahn (born April 28, 1956) is an American actress known primarily for her work in daytime soap operas, portraying Julia Wainwright Capwell on '' Santa Barbara'' from 1985–93 and Alexis Davis on ''General Hospital'' since 1996.
E ...
would begin to host a companion web series for ABC.com in January 2015, ''General Hospital Now!'', which would feature behind-the-scenes interviews with fellow cast members, as well as panel discussions with comedians who are fans of the show.
On May 15 and 18, 2015, ''General Hospital'' aired two live episodes as part of its 52nd anniversary celebration, using the
hashtag
A hashtag is a metadata tag that is prefaced by the hash (also known as pound or octothorpe) sign, ''#''. On social media, hashtags are used on microblogging and photo-sharing services such as Twitter or Instagram as a form of user-generated ...
#GHLive to promote the broadcast on social media.
References
Bibliography
* Gary Warner, ''General Hospital: The Complete Scrapbook'', Stoddart (November 1995),
* Gerard J. Waggett, ''The Official General Hospital Trivia Book'', ABC (October 1997),
External links
Official website*
*
Fielden Farrington scripts at the
University of Maryland libraries
The University of Maryland Libraries is the largest university library in the Washington, D.C. - Baltimore area. The university's library system includes eight libraries: six are located on the College Park campus, while the Severn Library, an of ...
. Contains scripts for ''General Hospital'' from 1975 to 1976.
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