General Hospital
OLTL scribe Scott Sickles joins the writing team of General Hospital!
Courtesy/ABC
General Hospital’s new head writer, Ron Carlivati has made an addition to his writing team. Former One Life to Live writer, Scott Sickles, (who worked with Carlivati in Llanview) will now also be writing the perils of the residents of Port Charles!
Most recently, Scott was responsible for the beautiful speech given by Viki (Erika Slezak) on One Life to Live’s second to last episode. The moving speech was about what soap operas are all about and how they connect with the audience and become part of our extended family. But the emotional impact of that speech and its eloquent words were so loved by fans of the genre that will be remembered forever.
Sickles announced his new GH gig on his facebook page today! Congrats from On-Air On-Soaps!
The latest ratings are out for the week of October 26-30, 2026 and the big takeaways include: that CBS daytime’s Beyond the Gates was separated by only 23,000 viewers behind third place (of the soaps) General Hospital! For the last several weeks, Beyond the Gates has been closing the gap on this year’s winner for Outstanding Daytime Drama Series, and continuing to best GH in the key demos.
According to the latest Nielsen ratings breakdown from Soap Opera Network, the final week of October brought Beyond the Gates 1.790 million on average tuning-in and the show set a season high in total viewers. Meanwhile, General Hospital hit a new season low! The long-running ABC soap had 1.813 million for the week, and once again the series did not go over the 2 million mark.
Meanwhile, in the key Women 18-49 demo, Beyond the Gates was firmly ahead of GH with a rating share of 0.21, while General Hospital had 0.17 rating share.Then, in the key Women 25-54 demo, Beyond the Gates was once again ahead of the ABC soap with a ratings share for that demo at 0.30 while GH came in with 0.26.
Photo: CBS
MORE BY THE NUMBERS
In addition and comparatively, Beyond the Gates +22,000 viewers week-to-week, and had the largest gains in viewership year-to-year in daytime TV with +267,000 from this in 2025.. However, General Hospital seems to be going in reverse. The show was down -56,000 viewers week-over-week and down -22,000 year-over-year .
BEYOND THE GATES
Let’s take a look at some of the storylines that had people tuning-in to Beyond the Gates during the ratings week:
Hayley (Marquita Goings) attempted a massive shocker regarding her pregnancy and tried to use it to extract money from Bill Hamilton (Timon Kyle Durrett). Although, Bill saw right through her game, he demanded a paternity test, and made it clear he has no intention of raising the child—planning instead to pay her off to take the baby and leave. Meanwhile, Hayley confided her plan to her cousin Randy (Maurice P. Kerry).
Jacob Hawthorne (Jibre Hordges) and Naomi Hamilton (Arielle Prepetit) clashed over Jacob’s ongoing investigation into The Impaler, causing significant strain in their marriage. At the same time, Smitty (Mike Manning) considered taking matters into his own hands—including potentially heading to Mexico for evidence—while Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon) worried about what comes next.
Photo: ABC
GENERAL HOSPITAL
Over at General Hospital for the ratings period, the story served up included:
Carly (Laura Wright) and Valentin (James Patrick Stuart) teamed up to investigate what really happened to Jack Brennan (Chris McKenna). Later, Danny (Asher Antonyzyn) leads them to Jack’s dead body.
Jude (Wil Traval) dropped a bombshell claim to Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn); that he is Phoebe’s father, while Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) and Chase (Josh Swickard) signed their divorce papers.
Then, Danny caught Rocco (Finn Carr) and Scout (Kayden Brenna Tokarski) sharing a kiss, plus the shocking return of Heather Webber (Alley Mills) capped the week.
Now the questions become; without having much promotional synergy in the ABC day-part to draw more eyeballs it is not helping but hurting General Hospital. It seems Beyond the Gates is also a benefactor of a one-two-three punch of CBS soaps (Y&R, B&B and BTG) and promotion.
However, that still doesn’t take away the fact that Beyond the Gates is close to besting GH in all ratings category as they go head-to-head in some markets across the country.
So, are you excited to see Beyond the Gates climb in the ratings? Are you concerned for General Hospital? Do you think they can stave off Beyond the Gates in total viewers or will the upstart soap overtake them in the next ratings report? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
Antonio Sabáto Jr., the former Jagger Cates of General Hospital and GH: Night Shift, and the former Dante Damiano of The Bold and the Beautiful has issued his first public statement since the incident involving his son, Jack’s arrest in Alaska for a fatal hit-and-run.
Jack is the son of Sabáto Jr. and Oscar-nominated actress Virginia Madsen, and according to court documents obtained by KTUU Jack, was allegedly driving a white Chevy Tahoe when he hit and killed Carl Simmonds, 42, near an intersection in Anchorage around 5:35 a.m. on Monday, November 9.
The reports indicated that Jack fled the scene — but later decided to called the cops to say he hit “something” that “suddenly appeared in the road” while he was “doing late-night DoorDashing.”
Photo: NBC
Now, Antonio has taken to his Instagram breaking his silence on the situation, sharing, “At this time, my family and I are navigating an extremely sensitive and deeply personal matter.”
He added, “As a father, my love for my children remains unconditional, and my priority is the well-being of my family. We ask that the public and members of the media honor our privacy during this difficult time and keep us all in your thoughts and prayers.”
The soap alum concluded, “I also wish to extend my heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of the gentleman who tragically lost his life. My thoughts and prayers are with them as well. We sincerely appreciate your compassion, understanding, and respect for the privacy of everyone affected.”
Jack Sabáto was arraigned in court on Tuesday, November 10 with bail set at $5,000, and a no-driving order and the potential of $5,000 penalty fees if he fails to attend future court appearances.
Antonio is the father to Jack, 34, daughter, Mina Sabato, 24 and son, Antonio Sabáto III, 15.
This is a developing story. You can check out Antonio’s official statement below.
So, let us know your thoughts on this tragic hit-and-run, which claimed the life of another man, and Antonio’s statement, via the comment section below.
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Sonny (Maurice Benard) and Ava’s (Maura West) daughter Avery looks quite different, starting on today’s November 9 episode of General Hospital. That’s because GH has made Avery into a full-blown teenager and the role is now being played by actress Alya Bullington.
In her debut, the Tennessee native was thrown into the deep soap waters with Daytime Emmy winners, Maurice Benard and Eden McCoy (Josslyn). Bullington weighed-in to TV Insider about her first scene which featured Avery overhearing a fight between Sonny and Josslyn.
She explained “It was something I have never done before, I did not have a lot of experience with the screaming and the crying stuff, but I got my first script, and I was like, ‘OK, this is a huge opportunity to learn so much about how that stuff works and to become this character that I have never even tried playing before.’”
Photo: ABC
THE TEENAGED VERSION OF AVERY WILL HAVE A LOT TO CONTEND WITH
Speaking of working with McCoy, Bullington shared, “She’s incredible. I remember her just laughing and making jokes on set, and then the minute that they started taping, she just locked in and she cried immediately, and my first thought was, ‘I want to be able to do that.’
The soap opera newcomer added, “I think she just inspired me so much because she is so great and she can just lock into whatever character she wants to in the moment.”
The character of Avery was born back in 2014, but as recently as the October 8 episode of General Hospital, the character was suddenly referred to as a teenager. This is the second young female character in recent months to be aged up following the casting of Kayden Brenna Tokarski as Scout Cain.
As for her take on Avery and what’s ahead, Alya said,“She’s emotional, and she’s curious, and she’s a really fun person to play because so much stuff is happening in her life. I think she’s kind of confused about what’s happening and what to believe.”
So, what do you think about General Hospital making Avery a teenager? Are you excited to see the conflict between Sonny, Ava and Avery now that they have aged up the character? Share your thoughts and welcome Alya to GH via the comment section below.
‘Beyond the Gates’ Emmy Winner Ambyr Michelle Wants to Compete on ‘Dancing with the Stars’: ‘Pick Me’ (Exclusive)
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Katie Kicks Bill to the Curb … for Now
RATINGS: ‘Beyond the Gates’ Inches Closer to ‘General Hospital’ in Total Viewers
B&B’s Sydney Bullock Weighs In on Future of Dylan and Will: ‘I Think She Can Hold on to Him for Awhile’ (Exclusive)
Antonio Sabáto Jr. Breaks Silence on His Son’s Arrest for Fatal Hit-and-Run
Y&R’s New Head Writers Share Vision for Genoa City: Contemporary Homage to Bill Bell, Mixing Heightened Escapism and Grounded Reality
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS Preview: Episodes From New Co-Head Writers, Jamey Giddens and Dan O’Connor, Begin to Air
‘General Hospital’ Casts Ayla Bullington as the New Avery Jerome-Corinthos
‘Days of our Lives’ Celebrates 61st Anniversary: EP Ken Corday Teases New Character’s Arrival in Spring 2027
‘Days of our Lives’ Kyle Pryor Debuts as Dominic Marino and Says of Alleged TV Mom, “Deidre Hall is the Absolute OG, Amazing” (Exclusive)
‘Beyond the Gates’ Emmy Winner Ambyr Michelle Wants to Compete on ‘Dancing with the Stars’: ‘Pick Me’ (Exclusive)
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Katie Kicks Bill to the Curb … for Now
B&B’s Sydney Bullock Weighs In on Future of Dylan and Will: ‘I Think She Can Hold on to Him for Awhile’ (Exclusive)
‘Days of our Lives’ Veteran James Reynolds Reveals Parkinson’s Diagnosis
Y&R’s Matt Cohen Talks Role as Compassionate Zookeeper in Rom-Com ‘Christmas at the Zoo’
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He also wrote several of the amazing Todd and Blair scenes. I’m glad he’s going to be writing for GH, he’s an excellent writer.
I am so excited about this news! Scott is a great writer and I am so looking forward to his humor! GH is going to be great!
Sounds like a great addition to GH…………….Work your MAGIC SCOTT!!!!!
I am glad that his talent will go on
Sounds like GH is going to be getting as good as OLTL was. (ABC should have just left OLTL alone and cancelled GH)
I agree! OLTL was the better soap & now GH might be getting it’s time slot!
Congrats! Fix GH and/or bring back OLTL! Long Live Llandview!!!! SWAN HONK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I agree with you…………Johanna
This is great but I still want OLTL BACK! Every single day at 1:00 I get so pissed off & I am so bored waiting for GH. I watch my shows at work & the only channel I get, thanks to the stupid converter box thing is ABC! I WANT MY OLTL!
thats got to suck, having abc shoved down you throat every day ,that would make me nuts ,I get mad when you go to a doctors office and they have news channels on,and you cant get a hold of the remote.you really have to sit through the chew and that revolution show?poor you .
Thanks for your sympathy. It is horrible. I am used to having the tv while I work to keep me company. But now I only watch GH & do not turn it on till like 1:59 to make sure I do not see one second of the Revolution. The tv is mine, in my office but jeez, only 1 hour of watchable tv in a day sucks.
I will start to watch GH very soon because I want to see the 4–oltl characters. I would rather see everybody from Llanview somewhere, somehow. ABC please release the rights of AMC and OLTL so Agnes Nixon can continue our soaps. I will only watch GH but nothing else on ABC. I am a SWAN and will keep standing with Agnes Nixon.
This is very promising for GH.
Good news! I have high hopes that GH will get much better soon!
Yeah. After watching today, this show is going to suck just like One Life did. Goodbye General Hospital, this is the official beginning of the end.
I dont think that ron and franks stories are on yet.but I dont think you really give a rats ass whether general hospital stays or goes,I could be wrong ,but if you could honestly say you have enjoyed the years gh has sucked ,and never had a problem with the stories ,then ron and frank should be a big improvement .whether they wrote for one life to live or not ,ingo rademacher,should have really called gh the sonny corinthous show which it has been for a very long time .all I can say is give it a chance ,if not ,I guess you will enjoy the katie couric show,and the rest of the garbage that abc is pushing.
It’s obvious you don’t like me Barbara, and posting in my comment everytime shows that. But really, stop trying to push your love for OLTL and hate for GH on me, please. I don’t watch much ABC besides GH and Body Of Proof. So before you tell me that I enjoy more ABC than I do, know that facts. K? Bye.
ALSO never said I didn’t have a problem with the stories, never said that. So don’t be putting words or thoughts into my mouth/head. You’ve been doing that A LOT for me lately.
“I dont think that ron and franks stories are on yet”
Valentini’s episodes started to air this past Monday. Carvilatti’s episodes havn’t aired yet.
scott I am not picking on you ,and I do not hate general hospital,I just want the stories to get better ,I just think that you should give ron and frank a chance at trying to save g h ,and if you think that I dont like you ,well Im sorry about that, im not trying to make you feel that way, and if I am Im sorry again,however, I will continue to believe that one life to live was the best ,Ive watched gh for as long as it has been on.so I dont want it canceled.
Well it sure feels like it Barbara, every time I post something you seem to have a reply to it. OLTL, Barbara to you, was the best. I thought ATWT was the best, but I’m not shoving that down your throat now, am I?
I’m giving both FV and RC one month, I’ve always said that. I never not liked Garin’s writing, so I didn’t see the need to fire him, nor JFP. I didn’t like OLTL, nor how FV/RC handled the series. Their work in general is not to my liking for a soap opera. And I’ve continually told you this, and you continue to tell me “OLTL is the best.”
You see what I mean, now?
Barbara, what’s going on with you and Scott, LOL
I replied to your post on both Thurs and Friday. It’s posted on the page that Susan Lucci is talking about her new gig. Go to New Soap Buzz above, and then go down to bottom of page, click on 6, and stroll down until you see “Susan Lucci talks about new gig” and when U get on that page, you will see it.
Why can’t we all just get along? LOL I think you and Scott just had a difference of opionions, and U BOTH represented your case very well, and respectfully. In my situation, this chic just attacked me out the blue, and thus I had to give guard her attacks and give her an education.
the reason I have something to say everytime you post is because ,I like hearing the other side of things,I may not agree with you but its nice to be able to tell you how I feel to ,if you dont want me to ,I wont ,but like I told you before it takes longer then 1 month to create many stories there are alot of characters ron and frank have to write for .Im just saying to give them a chance.and after there stories are on ,then you can say I told you so.but It wont make me change my mind about one life to live ,for me ,It was my favorite soap.
Bottom line, I’m giving each FV and RC a month of my time. I didn’t see the need to change the exec producer nor writer. I felt Wolf did amazing bringing back characters and womanhood.
FV/RC should concentrate on the GH characters, not bringing on OLTL characters for a few episodes. That shouldn’t be where their concentration is, OLTL is gone and likely to never come back. That’s the fact. They’re holding onto something that’s over and done with.
Either way, they have til about mid-to-late March until I decde whether or not to leave GH in the dust or not.
Well GH needs a huge amount of help. Start with getting Jake back and letting Liz and Jason be a core couple w/their children. Have Jase’s current spouse do something different/no baby.
Liz is boring, boring and boring. Get Rid of her. Jason’s lifestyle don’t go along with Liz. He is made perfect for Sam, rather it be the good, bad or the ugly.
really you dont like liz? I like her,I was hoping for her to be with lucky,but he flew the gh coup,so,thats out , I dont like her with jason,whats up with me and scott,He thinks I go after him and I dont, I like his comments ,I dont agree with him , so what , I did want to hear his side ,he didnt like mine so Im staying clear ,if thats what he wants,how many scotts are there here ? .I dont think they can bring liz and jasons baby back ,to many stories surround that accident that killed him.I dont like that that did that as Ive said before ,dont kill the kids or the critters.Im a baby and a animal lover .at kassie depavas facebook page she says shes heading to california,to tape ,should be seen around the 27th this month.really ,1loveabcsoaps,dont you want to have an ending to the victor todd storyline?I do,I also want to know how crazy allison got a hold of victor,god ,women sure like to tie victor up in bed.I just want a end to that story.can you believe we are going on week 4 of no one life to live?sad.
looks like this is going to be another day we are stuck in time,hope the problem gets solved,got all your posts,yesterday I had to go to tmz several times out of boredom ,I like to insult the dumb celebrities that do stupid things,today I let terrel owens have it,I want to discuss the soaps ,oh well ,I will check in later.you really dont like liz?you are right ,liz has been boring ,for a long time now ,but keep in mind thats the old writers fault.cant wait for ron and franks stories to come alive ,and we can finally see whats going to happen in port charles.
you never answered my question ,you dont like liz?I always wanted her to be with lucky,but now that he is gone guess they have to find someone else for her and I hope its not the head shrinker with the accent ,Im not that crazy about him,maybe he is one of the newbies they are letting go,that cassandra chick is out ,I really dont care who she turns out to be,has something to do with helana,so that cant be good for the spencers.
It figures…..bring over a writer from OLTL to write for RC’s pets. He knows their history and stories, but this guy knows nothing about GH and their history. How does that work? Why doesn’t RC and company bring the whole OLTL cast over, while he’s at it. It’s his show now. It’s gonna be interesting to see what GH actors have to be canned to make room for RC’s favorites.
I wouldn’t be surprised if most the cast was canned. :-/
Scott, I’m with you in terms of cleaning up the writing but not trying to make over GH to be OLTL. I don’t even mind a few of the character’s, but it annoys me that people want to transpose GH to be OLTL. They are entitled to their opinions, and unless they say something that is LUDICRIOUS, I don’t even comment anymore. People have to know they can’t change what has already been. We have to NOW stand behind and support GH, rather U are looking or not, JUST have the TV on that channel at 3pm, only.
I dont think that will happen,there will only be a few ,I think its a good Idea to bring more fans over,soap writers create new families all the time so why not try to blend a landview family with port charles ,at soaps in depth I heard they are getting rid of the newbes, casssandra goes first then the others ,you have to admit they are all boring,so we wont miss anything. poor ethan he was going to have a good storyline then it turns out stupid.I hope they can convince ethan to stick around ,I like him ,and he is not bad on the eyes ,must be the accent.either way general hospital has to get our support,as far as abc goes ,its the only soap left.and for a added bonus ,I want the, who killed victor ,but really he is alive, how did allison get a hold of him,clear todd of killing his brother ,come on that has to be cleared up. general hospital will never be one life to live ,one live to live was one of a kind,and I want it back ,but that is not going to happen.e mail , call abc ,dont watch anything on abc except general hospital.let them know we hate there stupid shows that replaced our soaps .
Barbara said: ” I had to go to tmz several times out of boredom , I like to insult the dumb celebrities that do stupid things, today I let terrel owens have it. ”
1loveabcsoaps: Where did you go to tmz, you talking about another site? Barb, I can’t believe you like to insult “dumb celebrities” anyone. LOL Who is Terrel Owens, and what did you say to him AND about what?
Let’s not jump to conclusions yet guys. Only 4 OLTL actors have sign up and two of them are short-term They could very well be the only OLTL actors to make it to Port Charles.
FV/RC are trying to balance the needs of OLTL fans and GH fans to merge them into one huge fanbase that will significantly increase the ratings of General Hospital and bring the show to its former glory. But to do this, they must cater OLTL fans and that’s why they’re bringing a few OLTL actors (which half of them are temps). I have no reason to believe that FV/RC want to turn GH into a new OLTL and ABC probably wouldn’t let such thing happen either.
Well Shelly Altman also worked for OLTL, and GH has a great cast so hope for the best. I read Tristan and Emma Samms twitter and they seem to like the material they’ve been given. While Rebecca Herbst isn’t quite sure about the direction yet, but thinks they grasp the character. The speech he wrote for the second to last show was amazing, I watched GH for years but OLTL for months and I was more interested in coming home to watch OLTL when I had the time than GH.
Don’t want to start a fight just a question did anyone get the feeling that nuKate is going to have a split personality? I watched it Friday just to see if it is improving and that was the feeling I got. Anyone else get that thought?
I don’t think they’re going to give her DID, or at least, I hope not. I just think psychologically she has stuff going on from growing up that we don’t know about.
what ever kate was holding today made her flip out ,will be interesting to see whats up with her.I like the character of kate ,liked the other one better but Im getting use to this one,I knew something was up with her,but I was getting more pissed off at sonny,because he wont leave her alone,and I dont think she has to tell him everything that she does ,its non of his business,does he have to stick his nose everywhere?anyway looks like kate is getting a story,and I am interested.
When she got her bloody wedding dress out of the closet & held it & then sat at the mirror & took her hair down, she had a look in her eye like she was turning into someone else. Got my interest too, although at one time today I glanced up at the tv & could not tell if (at first glance) it was LuLu, Maxie or NuKate. I liked the original Kate WAY better.