General Hospital
EP Frank Valentini, ABC Exec Vicki Dummer & Tony Geary On The Revitilzation Of GH!
Courtesy/Variety
The celebration is just beginning this week for ABC’s General Hospital who turned 50 years old on Monday, and now the party train has left the station! Coming up. we have the highly-anticipated Nurses’ Ball and some exciting special episode of Katie and 20/20 to look forward to as well!
Variety has a great piece on the revitalization of General Hospital which ABC reports, “that ‘General’ is pacing for its best season in five years in total viewers, averaging more than 3 million. ‘General’ is the No. 1 broadcast daytime program among women 18-34 and also up 18% in total viewers season to season.”
Series executive producer, Frank Valentini, spoke about putting together the Nurses’ Ball episodes, and all the returns he and head writer, Ron Carlivati brought home to Port Charles for the GH 50 celebration noting, “I felt that if we aimed really high and came close, then we’d be really happy and the fans would be, too. We’re really thrilled with what we have. It’s exceeded our expectations.” He went on to say, “I like celebrations. It’s really important to reflect back, take stock and look towards the future.”
Vicki Dummer, ABC Executive VP of Time Square Studios, Primetime Current Series and Specials, who now oversees General Hospital, related how happy she is with the attention the lone ABC is garnering: “I ’m thrilled to be celebrating (the show’s) 50 exceptional years on television. … As someone who grew up watching General Hospital, it has a special place in my heart.”
Long running series star, Anthony Geary (Luke), also thought 50 years was nothing to sneeze at revealing: “Our 50th year could have come and gone with a (simple) ‘Wow’. But Frank and Ron have been determined to make it something special for the audience. The ratings are showing that they’ve already decided to achieve that.”
So GH fans, are you happy with the celebration thus far? Do you think ABC is now 100% behind GH? Let us know your thoughts!
General Hospital
GENERAL HOSPITAL Preview: Carly and Lulu Make Plans to Rescue Their Children; Anna Looks Determined to Secure Her Freedom
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.
General Hospital
Maurice Benard Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’ Writers; Teases Upcoming Sonny Scenes with Anna, Jason, Justine and Ric
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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General Hospital
‘General Hospital’ Alum Chad Duell Announces Upcoming Release of His First Single, ‘If You Need Me’
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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GENERAL HOSPITAL Preview: Carly and Lulu Make Plans to Rescue Their Children; Anna Looks Determined to Secure Her Freedom
Deidre Hall Marks 50 Years as ‘Days of Our Lives’ Dr. Marlena Evans
Maurice Benard Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’ Writers; Teases Upcoming Sonny Scenes with Anna, Jason, Justine and Ric
Al Calderon Reflects on ‘Major Chapters’ Coming to an End on ‘Days of Our Lives’ and ‘Brilliant Minds’
Maurice Benard Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’ Writers; Teases Upcoming Sonny Scenes with Anna, Jason, Justine and Ric
‘General Hospital’s’ Controversial Luke and Laura Rape Episode: Writer Sheri Anderson Reveals Behind the Scenes Decisions and Admits ‘I Was Wrong’ to Defend It (Exclusive)
‘Days of Our Lives’ Eric Martsolf Recalls Moment He Learned He Was Cast as Brady Black, and Last Scenes with Drake Hogestyn (SOAPY Exclusive Preview)
‘General Hospital’s’ Dominic Zamprogna Weighs-In on Dante and Elizabeth Pairing and Sharing Scenes with Rebecca Herbst (Exclusive)
GENERAL HOSPITAL Promo: Rocco’s in a Panic as Britt’s Health Takes a Turn, Chase is Called to the Carpet
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GENERAL HOSPITAL Preview: Carly and Lulu Make Plans to Rescue Their Children; Anna Looks Determined to Secure Her Freedom
Deidre Hall Marks 50 Years as ‘Days of Our Lives’ Dr. Marlena Evans
Y&R Preview: Matt Clark Asks Phyllis on a Date, Would You Be Down for the Pairing? Roger Howarth & Michelle Previously in GH’s Franco/Nina Romance
‘General Hospital’s’ Dominic Zamprogna Reflects on Dante’s Guilt for the ‘Atrocity’ That Happened to Michael Which Kept Everyone From Telling Him the Truth About Rocco (Exclusive)
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General Hospital2 days agoMaurice Benard Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’ Writers; Teases Upcoming Sonny Scenes with Anna, Jason, Justine and Ric
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General Hospital1 week ago‘General Hospital’s’ Controversial Luke and Laura Rape Episode: Writer Sheri Anderson Reveals Behind the Scenes Decisions and Admits ‘I Was Wrong’ to Defend It (Exclusive)
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Days Of Our Lives1 week ago‘Days of Our Lives’ Eric Martsolf Recalls Moment He Learned He Was Cast as Brady Black, and Last Scenes with Drake Hogestyn (SOAPY Exclusive Preview)
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General Hospital1 week ago‘General Hospital’s’ Dominic Zamprogna Weighs-In on Dante and Elizabeth Pairing and Sharing Scenes with Rebecca Herbst (Exclusive)
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with great work from FV/RC team, I hope ABC is 100% supporting GH.
As Edna Krabappel would say, “Ha!!”
What a difference a year makes, ABC was anti soaps and today so warm and fuzzy to it’s last one.
General Hospital is the Grand Dame of soaps and deserves praise but at the stupid sacrifice of One Life.
Agree what you said & especially on their stupid saxrifice of One Life which was doing well in the ratings at the time it was cancelled last year.
Happy with the celebration – only reason I’m watching at this time! After it’s over, I’m done. I’m an avid ABC boycotter since they took off OLTL, can’t wait for it’s return!!
Boycotting GH will only make it get cancelled too. Please reconsider your boycott!
Have to agree with BeckyZ. If you enjoy the show, then watch it. Those involved with the demises of AMC and OLTL are gone. That’s the best cumuppance that could happen.
Boycotting ABC will do nothing but get other great shows cancelled.
I have been watching for 30 years and General Hospital is as good as it has ever been!! I look forward to watching every afternoon!
GH’s 50th Anniversary episode was fabulous! I wish it had lasted longer. Kudos to FV, RC and the entire cast and crew!
As for ABC, I don’t trust anything that comes out of it’s mouth!! I only hope they have learned the lesson – DON’T SCREW WITH THE SOAP FANS!!!!
the 50th anniversary was fabulous. I loved it. GH is better than ever these days. I hope it continues. I still do not trust ABC. I hope ABC learned their lessons
don’t mess with GH and Soap Fans. the episode reminded me of the last 2 shows of OLTL. Very hearfelt.
I am thrilled with the 50th Anniversary celebration of GH. Seeing all the soap vets return really is like seeing old friends. However, I do not and will not trust ABC again. It is in extremely poor taste for Katie (I want GH’s time slot) Kouric to host a special on the 50th anniversary of GH. That is something I will not watch. It should be Barbara Walters hosting it.
Im 100% happy with the celebration of GHs 50th, only a little worried for what comes after the NB but i have faith FV and RC can keep the magic alive and as for ABC (im still upset that they cancelled Dark Shadows back in 1971 as it is)but i feel they are only 100% behind GH because of the good ratings and for the publicity the 50th has given the network. When the show hits 51 and the show is renewed past 2014 then ill agree they are 100% committed!
P.S. i wish NBCs The Doctors (the soap opera) wouldve survived and then we’d have two medical soaps celebating their 50th. It couldve been awesome. The Doctors premiered the same day as GH but originally was an antholgy b4 revamped as a continuing drama! Had that one survived, it would have been fun compairing both celebrations! Im still wondering what the song singer turned nurse Lauri James(Marie Thomas) used to play and sing on that show, and if ever avaiable for purchase!
Im always going to wonder ‘what if’ ABC never cancelled OLTL? Would GH still make it to its 50th under a different regime, and would PP still have picked up just AMC if only that one had been cancelled…maybe in some way it was good that ABC cancelled both AMC and OLTL otherwise how would PP start without them…maybe create their own soap? Probably will never know. Just a thought…
I take anything that comes from the ABC Studios with a grain of salt. I don’t trust it one bit. That said, I hope ABC finally realizes that it made a huge mistake by cancelling AMC and OLTL, and that it will leave GH alone.
I appreciate and am enjoying all of the celebrations for GH’s 50th anniversary. Frank and Ron have done a fabulous job, and have made GH must watch TV again! As for ABC/D, I will never trust anything they say again. As happy as I am that AMC and OLTL will be returning online, I can’t help but feel bitter about those two wonderful shows not getting the network support that they should have had all along!
After ABC canned OLTL, I stopped watching everything on ABC-even GH. I just don’t trust ABC to do right thing and keep it on the air. After I heard how good it was again, I was going to watch, but the fools at ABC moved it up an hour. It airs against Days, which I turned to after OLTL went off the air. I WILL watch the new OLTL online though! I can’t wait to see my favorite actors again, but the boycott of ABC continues!!!!!!!!!!!
fv/rc is doing an extraordinary job with gh period!
as far as abc goes i still don’t trust them………….
ABC/D did exactly what they said they would do, cancel the 2 soaps., and they did, no lies from ABC/D lol .
all that other junk was simply an Idiot Frons messing with the soaps..
ABC canceled OLTL, only because it was the Lone soap in NY (They also needed to make room for Katie’s studio) and AMC was destroyed after moved to LA. With Agnes still living, ABC wanted more control creativity.
With GH, They owned the show from the beginning and the creators have been gone for years. So They (Brian Frons/ABC) could do what they want. They probably canned OLTL and and prevented the PP delay so they could snag FV and RC and bring them to thier crown jewel. The plan worked and GH is better than ever.
I agree with you suOOOO!
Also will Robin show up at the nurses ball and will it really be her or Brittany in a Robin disguise?(Id rather Britt pull a ‘Carrie’ on Sabrina myself) If Britt does show up as Robin im sure itll upset fans because Anna would look dumb if she believed it was her daughter after what happened with Faison/Duke! However if K.M. was returning and staying it would be fun to watch two Robins…real and fake…showing up at the nurses ball at the same time!!!
I am not an expert on GH, but it is refreshing watching a soap written by writers that seem to care about what the viewer would like to see, instead of trying to manipulate us into believing we want what they are throwing at us. When a writer writes like they are a viewer there are writing for their audience- when a writer writes for ratings they are writing for the network.
Networks that interfere instead of support the creative process cut their nose off to spite their face, because by trying to control ratings by controlling the story line usually causes the ratings to go down. Write with the viewer in mind then ratings will go up. GH proves this to be so- so let us hope ABC did learn their lesson and will continue to support a team that knows what they are doing.
GH is the absolute most entertaining show on TV. I cannot believe how fantastic it is now. I knew it would be with the addition of frank and ron, who I admire completely. I don’t believe a word Vicki Drummer says. She should discuss what has happened to their network. Worst thing I have ever seen. Power to the people!!!
Am I happy with the GH 50th Anniversary celebration so far? Yes, very. I love the way FV/RC manage to TEASE and not SPOIL the viewers. It really makes me salivate for what may be coming in the next episode. It amazes me how they were able to get ABC/D to cough up the cash to bring in so many, many of the former GH actors ~ even if only for a day. It’s just like real life, where you may not see someone for months and then they’re in town for a brief visit; so nice to just get a glimpse even and find out what they’ve been up to or that they’re okay.
I don’t trust abc either…They say one thing and do another(talking from the two sides of their mouth)! They better leave the last remaining soap alone! Or there will be an even bigger up roar than before………… Enjoy watching GH a lot! Love the storylines and bringing back characters from the past.. What a BLAST!
I am thrilled about GH bringing back the Nurses Ball & many of the old characters
It was long overdue, I hope they get another 50 years. I have watched soaps since I was around 10yrs. Old. One of my aunts watched AMC, I got hooked on GH around 1982, then got into OLTL.
I still wish ABC had not cancelled the other 2 soaps but I will watch them on HULU in April.
I don’t trust ABC yet, they let the fans down & have a lot to make up for. If GH continues for at least 2more years +, then I may reconsider…
Note to ABC…. We need more family shows that bring back the moral finer of this country!!
Our kids watch more TV & play on computers more than ever.
Parents spend less time with their kids& are worried about paying bills in this economy….. We meed more family shows desperately!!!!
I am LOVING GH ever since Frank and Ron took over. Its been the best it’s been in a long time and I’m actually EXCITED to watch every day! They’ve went beyond the call of duty for the 50th, but even prior to that, bringing people like Finola and Ian back, keeping Kimberly M. around, putting the Quartermaines on the front burner, adding humor and romance back into the show, everything has just been incredible! I love that we FINALLY have a daytime exec who knows what daytime SHOULD revolve around and thats soap operas. And I love that Anthony Geary, someone who has been under so many leaderships, respects Frank and Ron and notices that viewers have as well.
As for people on here who are saying they boycott ABC because they don’t “trust them.” That is absurd. I was devastated when OLTL was cancelled, but boycotting GH doesn’t do anything but take away one less viewer. Be apart of revitalizing love of soaps and tune in! If you really hate ABC so much, the best revenge is the sweet, sweet success of their remaining soap so watch! 🙂