General Hospital
General Hospital Celebrates its 61st Anniversary
Today on April 1st, marks the 61st anniversary of the juggernaut television series, General Hospital. Now in its sixth decade of drama, the series continues to break milestones.
Having premiered on this day back in 1962, the soap opera went up against another new drama, The Doctors. That show lasted 19 years on NBC, while GH survived and has served up memorable supercouples, social issues of our time, complex and interwoven interpersonal and familial relationships of the lives of the people in the town of Port Charles.
When the series debuted back in 1963, it featured legacy stars, the late John Beradino and Emily McLaughlin, as Dr. Steve Hardy and Nurse Jessie Brewer. Back in 2015, Rebecca Herbst (Elizabeth) portrayed the character of Jessie in a flashback for the show’s 52nd anniversary.
Photo: JPI
While GH found itself on life-support before iconic executive producer, Gloria Monty flipped the switch in 1978, it eventually became a massive ratings winner culminating with the 1981 wedding of Luke (Tony Geary) and Laura (Genie Francis).
In the early 90s under EP Wendy Riche, topical stories such as the HIV/AIDS crisis, the Nurses’ Ball and BJ’s heart transplant storyline became synonymous within the history of the soap.
Photo: ABC
As General Hospital firmly moves into its sixth decade, fans have Jason (Steve Burton) back on their screens, Sonny (Maurice Benard) in a precarious situation with his mental health, new alliances and betrayals, and love stories featuring many fan favorites being served up to keep them coming back for more of their favorite soap.
Photo: ABC
Heading into its 61st season, Frank Valentini remains the executive producer, while Patrick Mulcahey and Elizabeth Korte are the series head writers.
Share your congratulations to General Hospital on its anniversary, and let us know what story first got you hooked to the ABC daytime drama series via the comment section below.
I watched the premiere of General Hospital on April 1, 1963. I was young at the time. I was immediately hooked by Jessie Brewer RN, Dr Steve Hardy and Lucille March RN and remained a regular viewer until 2005. Happy anniversary GH.
What happened in 2005? Do you watch one of the other 3 soaps? Just always curious about the “non viewers” that always post.
Myself, watching since 1978 thanks to the Betamax.
I started watching in summerof1970. In 75 went to Days of our life until 94. I retired in Jan 2016 and been hooked on GH ever since I love all the characters except Nina.(yuck)
OMG, love “the non viewers that always post” So true, they’ve always got to get their 2cents in, right?
Thanks Violet. By their own admission… it would appear to be 19 years since last tuning in. I would suggest they come back and see what’s been happening. GH is doing well in my opinion… and good, bad or good enough.. I appreciate that it has been with many viewers since the start, and happy they have stuck with it…
You spoken words of truth about non-viewers. It happens to all the soaps. I’m a non-viewer but I don’t go to sites “rip” soaps by reading spoilers because in today’s climate and rise of social media it’s a cesspool of haters and non-viewers opinions. I’m respectful because every person has their favorites. I grew up in CBS household and I’m 63 still am a viewer except BB isn’t must see for me. I so agree with what was stated.
Llanviewer717, your GH history is similar to mine. Yet I started watching a few years later (in 1969). I, too, liked Steve, Jessie, Lucille, as well Audrey and especially Diana and Peter.
I also quit watching in 2005, largely because I had had enough of Sonny, Carly and the Mob — never dreamed that mess would last this long. I only return for special episodes. But I will always think fondly of those early years…
In response to GH fan and Jamesj75: I loved GH from day 1. I got my grandmother hooked (she hated television) on the Jessie and Phil story and then Steve and Audrey. During the school year, she watched and kept me updated. After she died, I watched when I could and kept up with the soap magazines. I also got hooked on the very first day of One Life to Live and stayed with them until the last episode from Prospect Park. As you can see, I’m very loyal. I watched All My Children off and on.
I stopped watching GH in 2005 because by then it had become Mob Hospital. With all due respect to the talents and hard work of Maurice Benard, Sarah Joy Brown, Tamara Braun (whom I loved), Jennifer Bransford (who, IMHO, wasn’t given a fair chance) Laura Wright (who does a bang up job), and Steve Burton, I just couldn’t take it anymore. All shows grow and evolve. But, GH changed so much that it is unrecognizable and no longer of interest to me.
Like you Jamesj75, I stop by for special episodes – when Nora Buchanan or Blair Cramer came to town. The Bobbie Spencer memorial episodes were absolutely excellent.
Thanks for sharing. I too watched OLTL from 1978 til the very end. I do wish ABC could do something more with OLTL.
I loved OLTL but so many years have passed since its end. And, unfortunately, the actors who played Asa, Rene, Clint (both actors), Antonio, Tina, have passed. I’m not sure it could ever recapture what it once was….
With Vickie, her children and grandchildren, and Dorian and the Kramer girls.. I am certain ABC would be off to a good start. No reason real life and time couldn’t be accounted for, much the same was as life has happened to us viewers. I loved watching OLTL and GH with my mom who passed in 2009, and there are moments in GH, such a Jaclyn Zemans memorial episodes…I could almost see my mother out the corner of my eye, sitting there, watching it with me
Nothing like warm memories and things that evoke them; certain scents, sounds, holiday and yes, soaps or other shared experiences. But; dunno. I literally hated the attempted online version of OLTL after its’demise, even with some of the ABC OLTL characters coming aboard. They had already changed the show so much. And now? I guess if they could bring it back to network TV it could be an interesting attempt and I’d definitely tune in, but I have to admit I just can’t see it working; more than half the cast would be new characters, and thus it’s not the same show. It’s kind of how I feel about GH now; the vets are hanging on by a thread and more and more new characters, many non-related to the legacy families, are being introduced. That’s a departure from what has typically been the soap genre; core multi-generational families…
Without the aforementioned characters (and the actors who played them): Clint, Asa, Rene, Tina, Antonio…basically all the Buchanans gone but for Bo, even the best villain on the show (in my opinion) Mitch Lawrence played by Rosco Born (sp?) passed in real life, it would just be a different show…
Sigh. Nothing stays the same.
You are correct “nothing stays the same” … but I still read a recluctiance to understand life happens everywhere and time passes.
OLTL did represent many diverse ethnic families.. and hopefully your request for this could happen in a new version of OLTL v3.
I actually only started watching GH in 2008/9/10? after both Guiding Light and As The World Turns ended for I was a loyal CBS soap fan, but many of my favorite actors made their way over to GH. I appreciate the storytelling so that I am kept in the loop of the long standing history of characters, family ties, and storylines. I very much hope that GH goes further than 62 years. Nothing can replace Daytime Soaps (even though I DVR all of them and watch sporadically throughout the week).
Been watching since day 1 !! After school! Than when VHS came about i recorded it everyday!!
Congratulations GH !!!
I loved GH in the 1970s and 1990s best.
You know if their is negativity it’s not because no one cares I think older viewer s just are disappointed they does not make anyone cruel I am in my 50 ‘s and yes I want my show back if that makes me a ass then bring it on .
Congrats to GH on 61 years, here’s to many more years!!
Been watching since 1993. I was home from school sick, I had a crush on Jonathan Jackson who played Lucky (I was 13 at the time), so I decided to tune in one day. The Luke and Laura return storyline was just beginning. It was the episode that had the fire at the Triple L diner, and the rest is history, been hooked ever since. Haven’t missed a show in 31 years. Used to record it on my VCR every day, now I watch on Hulu, how times have changed, lol.
I hope GH is on for many more years to come. Contrary to some people that post on soap websites and social media that need to get a life, that seemingly get their jollies from wishing and hoping to see the show get canceled, as long as there is a General Hospital on the air, I’ll always be watching!
I became a fan in the ‘80s during the “Luke and Laura” era. I also applaud the soap for addressing relevant life issues such as HIV/AIDS and, more recently, same sex relationships.
I drifted away from the soap but was reeled back in eventually——mainly because of my crush on Steve Burton who plays Jason Morgan.
I love all of them so exciting to watch every day keep up the amazing work
I’ve watched GH off and on since the Luke and Laura era. My favorite characters were Lucky, Liz, Nicholas and Emily. I also love the era and cast from 2005 through 2010. The sweeps crisis episodes were all so good, especially the Metro Court hostage crisis, epidemic crisis and the black and white ball. I do miss the medical cast featured during that era.
And as odd as this may seem, I miss the GH opening theme song and montage video featuring the cast in the opening credits. I don’t watch other soaps but I did recently see Y&R still uses the shows traditional opening theme song (with beautiful cast photos) and so does Days. I wish GH would bring back a revised version of the original theme song.
I started watching GH during the spring of ‘78. .Leslie was taking the blame for killing David Hamilton to protect Laura.Been hooked ever since!
Is anyone old enough to remember Howie Dawson and his wife? Oh, the troubles this man got in to.
I most certainly do remember Howie and his long suffering wife, Jane. He put that poor woman through hell with his constant lies and infidelity. Howie and Jane were very entertaining and went on for several years. Oh the good old days.
Sadly, Ray Girardin died in 2019. As far as I can find, Shelby Hiatt is still among the living.
GH has always been the comfort we need at the end of a long day. My escape into the town of Port Charles has been a constant since I was 10 years old. Now, 30 years later, I feel so grateful that it is still on the air, entertaining a loyal fan base decade after decade. Congrats to GH!
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 Promo: Rocco’s in a Panic as Britt’s Health Takes a Turn, Chase is Called to the Carpet
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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
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