General Hospital
General Hospital, otherwise known as GH, is a daytime drama
aired on America’s ABC network. It’s the second
longest running American soap that’s still in production,
and it is third on the Guinness Book of World Records’
list of the longest-running dramas (after Guiding Light and
As The World Turns.) It’s also ABC’s longest-airing
show. General Hospital airs Monday-Friday, with repeats nightly
on the Soapnet network.
The show was created by the husband/wife writing team of
Frank and Doris Hursley, and it takes place in New York’s
fictional city of Port Charles. It stands as ABC’s second-ever
soap opera, after Road to Reality, which only aired for a
few months. General Hospital started out as a half-hour show,
and it expanded to 45 minutes in 1976- and to a full hour
in November 1977. GH has won 10 Daytime Emmys for Outstanding
Drama Series. It inspired a spinoff, The Young Marrieds (which
only survived for two seasons and was canceled due to low
ratings). There is also a British General Hospital (1972-79),
and the show also inspired the series Port Charles and General
Hospital: Night Shift.
Since it started in 1963, the show’s storylines have
centered around General Hospital. Dr. Steve Hardy and nurse
Jessie Brewer play an integral role, caring for Port Charles’
injured and sick. In the show’s early years, Jessie’s
conflicted marriage with Dr. Phil Brewer was a main focus.
1981‘s wedding featuring Luke and Laura (played by Genie
Francis and Anthony Geary) was the most-watched event in soap
opera history. During the 90s, the show went through some
changes as the action storyline became less popular. GH handled
social issues of the day with care- the storyline that involved
a young girl donating her heart to her cousin was one of the
most popular episodes ever. Stone Cates’ and Robin Scorpio’s
AIDS storyline which ran throughout 1995 and 1996 was also
pivotal, earning Stone (Michael Sutton) and Robin (Kim McCullough)
Emmy awards.
On April 23, 2009, General Hospital started taping and broadcasting
in high definition, becoming the first ABC soap to do so and
the second overall (after The Young and the Restless).
On February 23, 2010, GH will air its 12,000th episode. Stay
tuned for more drama from this enduring and popular soap opera!
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