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50 & Fabulous General Hospital Makes Back Cover Of TV Guide's 60th Anniversary Issue!

By Michael Fairman

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Courtesy/ABC & TVGuide

Courtesy/ABC & TVGuide

How fab is this? General Hospital this week received the prestigious back cover slot of the 60th Anniversary issue of TV Guide on newsstands now!  The front cover has one of six legendary shows from The Mary Tyler Moore Show to I Love Lucy! But every issue has GH on the back with shot of of Tony Geary (Luke) and Genie Francis (Laura) from the classic 1981 wedding of Luke and Laura!

Inside the back cover is a four-page story on General Hospital’s 50th anniversary milestone in a piece by TVG’s Michael Logan.  The ups and downs of GH on life support and it’s myriad of resuscitations are discussed, and just how far the show has come in 2013!   Here are a few excerpts below from dealing with the almost fall, and rise of GH in the past few years!

Anthony Geary (Luke Spencer): “From the moment ABC, canceled All My Children and One Life to Live in 2011, and replaced them with reality programs, there was an ax hanging over our heads.  It was widely believed that GH was the next soap to go – that we might not even make it to our 50th anniversary- and no one at ABC was making us feel otherwise.”

Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis Davis):  “It was almost is the network was on a secret mission to kill us.  First, they obliterated nearly every character over 45- just zapped them into oblivion. Then they tried to convince the fans that soaps were a thing of the past, that reality TV was all the public wanted. But then suddenly thank God, things changed.”

Vicki Dummer, (Executive Vice President Times Square Studios who overseas GH):  “GH has an extremely bright future.  The ratings have increased 45 percent in women 18-34 from one year ago, and that’s pretty astounding. But while ABC is certainly embracing GH and helping it move forward, it’s Frank (Valentini)and Ron (Carlivati) who are the true miracle workers.”

So soapers, what do you think about GH landing on the back-cover for TVG’s 60th Anniversary Issue?  What do you think about how far GH has come when it was almost canceled over a year ago?

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It’s so great to see the greatest soap opera of all time honored along TV guide and their anniversary it seems fitting.

are we out of the woods yet? that’s my concern.

I know… there’s a lot of Hoopla going around…

and… I’m smitten…. if you get my meaning… drawn in and pulled just the same…

saw Jax sauntering outa that shower… today… and reeled back in surprise… that he “wastes” his manhood… “pining” away… for ??? Carly and brenda… ooohh… the stars alone … dim the lights… presence felt here…

ie: mans point of view… for a change… you know… Carly and Brenda.. diss the good guy…

show him the love and it’s blissful… from the beginning…

it’s squandering that good man…. no after the fact… Jax reels, with those eyes… steely penetrating… lose yourself within.

Frank and Ron are definitely to be applauded for having a vision to return vets to their important roles on GH. Our society is not made up of only young people. Over 45ers have discretionary money to spend as well, and we want to see people our age engaged in storylines as well.

i think it is an awesome tribute to gh!

Awesome!!! Congratulations GH!!

IM keeping my gh issue of tv guide…i think abc got a little scared with the blacklash it recieved over cancelling AMC&OLTL and is holding on to GH to appease some soap fans but for how long? You hope they keep gh around 4ever…but if its around at least to see its 55th then i might believe they are committed. It is soooo good now, and i hope the vets making brief returns will also come back in the future for more visits. Im now wondering about the return of M.E.,R.H. and K.A. I keep thinking K.A. could return as Scotts daughter Serena or she’ll darken her hair and show up as Alexis’s daughter Kristina, and thats why the last actress to play Kristina was let go?

Also is that the real Robin showing up at the NB or will Dr.O have her daughter Britch show up as Robin to keep Patrick from Sabrina?

I don’t know– do you really think they would repeat a story line that would be so similar to one they just did (Faison as Duke)? I do think Britt and Mommy Dearest are up to no good—but another fake identity story– would have been a good idea if they hadn’t just done it. I was thinking more along the lines that real Robin would come back, but be brainwashed and under Dr. Britt’s control. But I guess we will have to just watch and see, which is the best part of soap watching– knowing something good is coming down the line that you can’t wait— it reminds me when all the soaps were like that.

I am happy for GH, but I am getting a little sick of the stories about the miraculous recovery when the only reason the shows were in trouble in the first place was that they had no champion in Brian Frons. BRIAN FRONS. I am not looking to demonize him needlessly, but all the shows needed was COMPETENT helmsmanship and support from the network and they NEVER GOT IT. None of this was necessary. AMC and OLTL could and should have remained on the air. People smelled death in the air and stopped watching when the shows became ghosts of their former selves. What AMC went through in the last few years of its existence is borderline criminal. It is wonderful to see a renewed GH come into year 50 with support and with pride, but it makes me angry that it is too little, too late for other shows just as deserving which came to a premature end because nobody listened to the viewers. What is making GH sing again? Vets and better writing. What have we been asking for for over a decade? Vets and better writing. It isn’t rocket science.

Nicely put…i agree with you 100%!

OLTL was at creative writing high in its last year on abc, and the ratings rising was enough proof to show critics that people still love and want daytime dramas in their afternoons. ABC had ample time to reverse their decision. But im grateful someone else picked it up. However, as much as i like seeing shows anytime, i still miss how millions of us watched all at the same time, and have that water cooler talk about our soaps the next day. It made a lot of us soap fans feel more bonded that way, and watching it more special, you know what im sayin? Maybe im a corny old fashion guy but i cant help feel that way!

Ditto jimh on comments on 4/5 at 12:41p.m.

Brian Frons cancelled OLTL and it was doing well in everyway! He never had a clue about us soap fans! Info/talk/cooking shows NO WAY ! Drama ,Stories ,& being entertained will not change for me!

A well deserved honor for GH, and yet another step forward for the entire genre of soap operas!!!! Frank and Ron are certainly responsible for the resurrection of GH, with help from the show’s cast and all of those behind the scenes, as well as the fans, who together collectively fought to keep this great show alive. Happy 50th GH, and here’s to many more to come!!!!

Awesome, more publicity!!! I hope the old GHers from the past come back and get their ratings WAAAAAY up!!! love this show!

I wonder if show killing witch Jill Farren Phelps and steroid boy Burton are keeping this issue of TV Guide in their collections?

It’s so hard think of what soap is my favorite on abc. They have all been my favorite at some point or another during the year’s I have watched them. I guess if I had to chose for a million dollars, my favorite abc soap, I would have to ride with GH, bc ofn Luke and Lauran and Sonny and Brenda. Happy Anniversary GH.

Congraduation to GH, you did it! you did it.. I’m glad that goofball former ABC daytime president Brian Frons need to go, he is the one who get rid of AMC and OLTL ,but almost lost GH edgy there. I’m glad ABC fired Brian already after he put 2 programs on The Chew and The Relvolution made me upset.. We want AMC and OLTL back on the air.

This is amazing! GH has not only raised in ratings and quality, but it is once again becoming mainstream. We are seeing them on TV Guide, People magazine had a 50th anniversary issue for it, we are seeing the stars on various talk shows- it’s just incredible! There really was an axe hanging above the head of General Hospital due, not only to less-than ratings, but to the ex-ABC executives who were determined to wipe out all of the soaps. They may have succeeded getting AMC and OLTL off their network, but GH survived and better than that- they are THRIVING. Frank and Ron have turned this show completely around and gave people reasons to LOVE it again. Veterans (And not just for the 50th anniversary!), romance, drama, action, history, humor, everything that makes a successful soap they inserted as soon as they hit the scene. I am beyond grateful to them, to the fabulous actors, and to the amazing crew. And yes, I am even thankful to ABC for making the decision to fire Frons, to replace the previous, piss-poor GH powers-that-be, and hiring two men who are fans and respect this show. I literally can’t wait to watch the next episode! Here’s to another 50 more!

When I realized that ABC was actually investing huge amounts of money into GH, I had no doubt that GH would be around for for more years to come..

It makes a great difference when the network/ABC/D is backing the soap..
And of course, the magic of FV and RC bring it back from the dead ..
And, the actors giving it their all and all the staff / team work to keep GH on our screens.

I’m happy for any recognition of GH because for far too long the soaps got nothing but bad press from the main stream. This is a nice change. It ought to be a common occurrence.

Yeh! I agree!

Ditto.

Congrats GH! 50 looks so good on you! Loving it!

General Hospital

GENERAL HOSPITAL Preview: Carly and Lulu Make Plans to Rescue Their Children; Anna Looks Determined to Secure Her Freedom

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This week on all-new episodes of General Hospital, the race is on! Can Lulu (Alexa Havins) and Dante (Dominic Zamprogna) get to Rocco (Finn Carr) and Britt (Kelly Thiebaud) in time to ensure their safety from Cullum (Andrew Hawkes)? Can Carly (Laura Wright) with the help of her brother, Lucas (Van Hansis) rescue Josslyn (Eden McCoy) from captivity at Wyndemere? These questions may be answered, plus the return of the one and only Anna Devane (Finola Hughes) are on tap!

In the just released General Hospital spoilers video for the week of June 22-26, Lulu tells her mother, Laura (Genie Francis), “Dante and I have to get to Rocco before Cullum!” Meanwhile, Rocco (Finn Carr) looks angered and emotional as Britt walks through their cabin hideout. Does Rocco know his parents are on the way to find them, or has Cullum already tracked them down to the British Virgin Islands?

Back in Port Charles, Carly is informing Lucas that his niece, “is a WSB agent.” She knows Josslyn (Eden McCoy) is being held against her will at Wyndemere, and she has to find a way to get her out. Lucas agrees with Carly’s plan of, “We go in and we don’t leave without Josslyn!” Elsewhere, Josslyn is looking worried for her future as she is stuck in captivity thanks to Cassius, Cullum and Sidwell!

Courtesy/ABC

FINOLA HUGHES RETURNS

The final moments of the teaser promo reveal Anna in a psychiatric clinic in France. We have not seen her for months after Cullum, Sidwell and Pascal fed her hallucinogenics to make her believe her arch nemesis, Cesar Faison was alive!

Now, the doctors walk towards her hospital bed, where we see the super spy calmly knitting. Is Anna back to normal and playing everyone to get out of her predicament, or does she still remain deeply traumatized … or both?

Take a look at the rest of the official GH spoilers for the week below.

MONDAY, JUNE 22
Willow gets an unwelcome surprise. Trina sticks to her guns. “Nathan” wants reassurance. Ethan advises Ava. Brook Lynn receives an update.

TUESDAY, JUNE 23
Dante cautions Liz. Laura learns a secret. Brook Lynn confides in Michael. Sonny challenges Ava. Chase makes a decision.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24
Anna meets with her doctor. Carly makes a stunning confession. Britt extracts a promise. Cullum pulls a fast one. Gio and Emma hit the pool.

THURSDAY, JUNE 25
Josslyn clashes with Cassius. Lulu and Dante make a discovery. Chase receives a warning. Jordan seeks help. Alexis is summoned to the PCPD.

FRIDAY, JUNE 26
Anna takes a huge risk. Britt is in grave danger. Willow is in disbelief. Danny must act fast. Curtis jumps to the wrong conclusion.

Check out the latest General Hospital promo entitled, “Rescue Mission” below.

Now weigh-in: Do you think Anna is still mentally off-balance, or OK, and just pretending to be troubled to get out of France and get back to Port Charles? Will Josslyn finally be rescued, or will Carly and Lucas find themselves locked up with her? And, who will get to Britt and Rocco first? Cullum, or Dante and Lulu? Share your thoughts and theories via the comment section below.

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General Hospital

Maurice Benard Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’ Writers; Teases Upcoming Sonny Scenes with Anna, Jason, Justine and Ric

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With the highly-anticipated returns of Finola Hughes (Anna Devane) on this week’s June 24 episode of General Hospital, Steve Burton’s (Jason Morgan) upcoming return on July 13, which also serves as the ABC daytime drama’s 16,000 episode, things are about to fire on all cylinders in the story, as noted today by series star, Maurice Benard (Sonny Corinthos).

On Father’s Day, the three-time Daytime Emmy-winning actor and mental health activist took to his Instagram and expressed in a video that he has some unbelievable upcoming senes with the aforementioned Burton and Hughes. Add to that Nazneen Contractor (Justine Turner) and Rick Hearst (Ric Lansing), where Benard gave credit where credit is due to the GH writing team, which is led by co-head writers, Elizabeth Korte and Chris Van Etten..

In this video, Benard said, “I just want to get on here and say that I did some work with Steve Burton, Finola Hughes, Rick Hearst, Nazneen Contractor, and they’re all just fantastic. Truly fantastic. But, I want to say the writing was just exceptional. It truly was. It was exceptional. So, thankful for that kind of writing. I know writers don’t get the credit a lot, but I just want to say to the General Hospital writing team, keep rolling!”

GENERAL HOSPITAL PREVIEW

So now the question becomes, with a major tease like that, what is about to go down between Sonny, Anna, Jason, Justine and Ric? Will we finally get to the end of the line for Sidwell (Carlo Rota), as previously teased by the GH co-head writers? Will we learn what happened to Jason and Anna, fully? Will Justine and Sonny becomes closer or stop their liaisons? And what of Ric? Will he be true blue to his brother or double-cross him? There is a lot at stake as we move further into the summer and one that looks like it could be one of the more exciting ones in years!

FINOLA HUGHES CONFIRMED AMAZING SCENES WITH MAURICE BENARD

As a punctuation point to his video, Benard also shared this written message in the post: “I just did some wonderful scenes with Steve Burton, Rick Hearst, Finola Hughes and Nazneen Contractor and  and unbelievable writing, freaking amazing scenes that you will see in the near future on General Hospital.” In fact, Finola Hughes jumped in the post comment thread and responded, “I loved our scenes so much xxx”

Fans will most likely see all the scenes Benard referred to later in July, since GH tapes approximately six weeks ahead of air.

So, are you excited to see what Maurice is talking about? Are you hyped for what’s to come on GH? Any clue on what you think will go down between the main characters on the soap with the returns of Anna Devane and Jason Morgan to the mix? Weigh-in via the comment section below.

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A post shared by Maurice Benard (@mauricebenard)

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General Hospital

‘General Hospital’ Alum Chad Duell Announces Upcoming Release of His First Single, ‘If You Need Me’

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In a surprise move, Daytime Emmy winner, Chad Duell (ex-Michael Corinthos, GH) is getting ready to unveil a new chapter of his career in music.

The former GH star, where he played the son of Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) and Carly Spencer (Laura Wright) for 15 years, has announced his new single, “If You Need Me” will drop on Friday, June 26. The single is now available for pre-order on Spotify and major music streaming platforms and is distributed by DistroKid.

Taking to his Instagram story over the weekend, to announce the pre-save of his new single, Chad expressed, “I’ll make a full post about what I’ve been up to and my music once it goes live next week, but you can pre-save my first single so it goes straight to your Spotify once it drops next week.”

Photo: CDuellIG

SINCE LEAVING GENERAL HOSPITAL

Previously, since his departure from the ABC soap opera. Chad starred alongside Zach Mendez in the world premiere of of Yum Yum at Annapolis, a new play written by Bruce Reisman. Duell last appeared on General Hospital on the January 21, 2025 episode.

The part was recast with Rory Gibson who debuted as the new Michael in May of 2025 during the Nurses’ Ball episodes and who has remained in the role since that time.

In an interview earlier this year on The Able Show, Duell said on his decision to exit the soap opera, “I was blessed to be part of that (show) for as long as I have, but what happens sometimes is if you’re doing the same thing, especially in a creative field for such a long time, you can get a little burnt out in a way. It can make you a little depressed, so that’s kind of what happened. On top of that, I had other things going on in my life at the time. My father passed away recently and I just needed a reset. So, I stepped away. A lot of times you have to go through some stuff to really step into that next level. I needed to kind of feel uncomfortable.”

So, what type of musical genre will Chad’s new song be? Country? Pop? Rock? Dance/Club? Something else? Let us know your thoughts via the comment section below, and if you are eager to hear the new single next week via the comment section below.

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Jonathan Bennett joins the cast of GH as Joe Fitzpatrick. Catch the latest promo! Leave a comment.Leave A Comment

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Finn Carr & Dominic Zamprogna as Rocco & Dante

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