General Hospital
PLANET 360: Celebrates GH 50! Who Is The Greatest EP Of All-Time? What Was Most Pivotal Moment?
Courtesy/HallmarkMovieChannel
Coming up this Friday on The Hallmark MOVIE Channel’s weekly entertainment news series, Planet 360, the popular “Soap Dish” segment this week is all about celebrating General Hospital’s 50th anniversary … next week! On-Air On-Soaps got the first look exclusive on the latest edition.
Taking a look back at the greatest executive producers of the series, and some of the greatest Port Charles moments of all-time are “Soap Dish” panel co-hosts and soap favorites, Lilly Melgar, Matthew Ashford, and Martha Madison!
Melgar, who appeared on GH as Lily Rivera Corinthos, weighed-in that Wendy Riche was one of the top EP’s on the list stating: “As far as Ricky Martin (Ex-Miquel) and I were concerned, we were daytime’s first Latin couple which was pretty groundbreaking at the time. I know the fans that we had referred to that time as the second golden era of General Hospital. ”
In terms of current GH wunderkind, Frank Valentini, Melgar says the man is truly delivering a very special golden anniversary for fans of the show noting, “Now he’s bringing back the core favorites: Luke and Laura, Tristan Rogers, Ian Buchanan. All of these people have this innate chemistry that worked so many years ago. You put it back together with a good storyline, it’s going to work!”
As far as what were the Most Pivotal Moments in the history of General Hospital, the Planet360 panel weighed in with Luke and Laura’s wedding, and of course, the “clink/boom” heard around the world which refers in part to when Lilly Melgar’s character of Lily died in a car explosion!
Watch the GH Soap Dish segment after the jump, then let us know, who do you think is the greatest executive producer of GH of all-time? Gloria Monty? Wendy Riche? Frank Valentini? Someone else? And, what do you feel was one of the Most Pivotal Moments in GH history? Let us know as we move closer to the big 5-0!
General Hospital
‘General Hospital’ SORAS’s Scout Cain and Casts Kayden Brenna Tokarski in the Role of Drew and Sam’s Daughter
In General Hospital casting news, none other than Scout Cain just grew up right before our eyes! In a case of SORAS (Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome) the daughter of Drew Cain (Cameron Mathison) and the late Sam McCall (formerly played by Kelly Monaco) has been recast.
According to Soap Opera Digest, Kayden Brenna Tokarski takes over the role from Cosette Abinante who has played Scout since 2022. If you caught yesterday’s GH 16,000 episode on set cast celebration video, you may have witnessed Kayden at the festivities. The young actress will make her debut in July since GH tapes about six weeks ahead of air.
Taking to her Instagram on Tuesday, June 2, Kayden confirmed her casting by posting: “A DREAM COME TRUE. So honored to be joining the General Hospital family!! Biggest thanks to Mark Teschner (casting director, GH) and Frank Valentini (EP, GH) for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime to work on this iconic show.”
Courtesy/ABC
The decision to make a sharp turn with the age of the character was for upcoming story purposes, and to open up Scout for more teenaged and young adult storylines; especially since Drew Cain is eventually going to come out of his locked-in state and perhaps Scout can go at war with Willow (Katelyn MacMullen) for what she did to her father? Stay tuned.
SCOUT CAIN READY FOR TEENAGE ROMANCE?
As General Hospital viewers know, Scout was born in 2017, which makes her about 9 before the SORAS occurred. Some rumors are circulating that a more teenaged Scout could become a love interest fo Finn Carr’s Rocco Falonceri? Previously, the two characters bonded over Sam’s death, since at the time Rocco’s father, Dante (Dominic Zamprogna) was engaged to Sam, and the two, along with Danny Morgan (Asher Antonyzyn), tried to stick together as “brothers and sister,” after her mom passed. But will that relationship dynamic change?
Tokarski who is 16, has an impressive acting resume which includes: Gaslit on Starz. Lifetime’s My Professor’s Deadly Secret, where she played Lauren the on-screen daughter of Passions and Y&R alum James Hyde (ex-Sam and ex-Jeremy Stark, respectively) character of John, and another Lifetime thriller, Killer in the Woods.
More recently, Kayden completed production on the indie thriller Quads & the Kicker, and can be seen in the upcoming Curse of Vandor starring Dee Wallace (ex-Pat Spencer, GH). The actress has also appeared in numerous national ad and branding campaigns including being featured opposite Joey Fantone in a Red Lobster commercial and voicing the part of “Wednesday Addams” in a Wendy’s commercial as a tie-in to the Netflix series Wednesday.
So, what do you think of General Hospital casting Kayden Brenna Tokarski as the new Scout Cain? Let us know your thoughts via the comment section below.
Monday, June 1, ABC’s General Hospital celebrated yet another milestone in their iconic history with the taping of their 16,000 which will air on July 13th. To mark the occasion the cast and crew took some time out to acknowledge the big day.
General Hospital’s Instagram and social accounts posted a video of the cast cavorting on the set where it was revealed that longtime favorites, Steve Burton and Finola Hughes are back in action and taping all-new episodes of the series in their signature roles of Jason Morgan and Anna Devane.
Today marked Steve Burton’s actual return date, while according to Soap Opera Digest, Finola Hughes has already been back for some time. As GH fans know, Steve went on an extended hiatus from the show in February, his last episode till now aired on March 25, but the two-time Daytime Emmy promised to be back in June and here he is.
THE WHEREABOUTS OF JASON AND ANNA
In story, Jason took the fall for Rocco Falconeri (Finn Carr) who shot WSB director Ross Cullum (Andrew Hawkes) who was attempting to kill Jason and Britt (Kelly Thiebaud). Now that Cullum has figured out Rocco is the one who shot him, Rocco fled Port Charles along with Britt and they remain MIA. Might they find Jason, while they are on the run?
As for Anna Devane, the character was last seen on-screen in February. Hughes was written out after Anna was kidnapped and given hallucinogens by Sidwell (Carlo Rota), Cullum and company believing that her nemesis Cesar Faison (Anders Hove) was alive. Eventually, a gaslighted Anna wound up at a mental health facility in France, tried to break free, and was captured again and put back in the facility.
Recently, Congresswoman Willow Cain (Katelyn MacMullen) helped ensure that the French authorities would drop any legal charges against Anna potentially paving the way for Anna’s return to Port Charles? We shall see!
Below you can check out the special video marking General Hospital’s 16,000 episode with the accompanying words, “There’s nothing like celebrating a milestone with family, friends, and cake to cure a case of the Mondays. 63 years and 16,000 episodes later, we’re still going strong thanks to all of you! Thank you so much for watching.”
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Today on June 1, General Hospital marked another milestone with the taping of their 16,000 episode. And along with that, came some very intriguing casting news when actor Dean Geyer was spotted in the social media video that made the rounds of the cast celebrating on set.
As it turns out, and according to TV Insider, Geyer has joined the cast of the ABC soap opera in the contract of role of … wait for it, Tristan Roberts. If you think it’s a nod to the late great Tristan Rogers who passed away on August 2025 and who played Robert Scorpio for decades you would be correct!
Tristan Rogers hailed from Australia, and Dean is also from Australia by way of South Africa. Geyer moved down under at 15. So, yes, “Tristan Roberts” will indeed have an authenticate Aussie accent.
GLEE AND NEIGHBOURS ALUM
GH isn’t the first soap Geyer has appeared on having played the role of struggling musician Ty Harper on the long-running Australian soap opera Neighbours from 2008-2029
Dean may look very familiar to primetime fans having appeared in some major television shows including: Terra Nova as Mark Reynolds, Glee as Brody Weston, Zoey 1o2 as Todd, plus 9-1-1 as Zane Williams.
The talented Geyer is also a singer/songwriter having appeared on season 4 of Australian Idol, where he came in third. In 2007, Dean released his album titled Rush.
Look for the 16,000 episode to air on July 13 since General Hospital tapes approximately six weeks ahead of air.
You can check out the music video for Geyer’s track, “If You Don’t Mean It” released in 2007 below.
As well, look below for the video that surfaced today where General Hospital shared on their latest milestone, “There’s nothing like celebrating a milestone with friends, family, and cake to cure a case of the Mondays. 63 years and 16,000 episodes later, we’re still going strong thanks to all of you! 🎂 Thank you so much for watching.”
So, what do you think about the casting of Dean Geyer in the role of Tristan Roberts and the nod to the beloved Tristan Rogers? Who could be Tristan’s love interest when he gets to Port Charles? Weigh-in via the comment section below.
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Spencer Pratt, ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’ Guest Star and Reality Show Notable, Holds Second Place and Poised for L.A. Mayor Runoff
Peabo Bryson, Grammy Award-Winning Singer of Memorable ‘One Life to Live’ Theme Song, Passes Away at 75
Daytime Drama Casting Directors Talk Four of the Most Challenging and Important Recasts of Their Careers
‘General Hospital’ SORAS’s Scout Cain and Casts Kayden Brenna Tokarski in the Role of Drew and Sam’s Daughter
‘Beyond the Gates’ and ‘The Young and the Restless’ Crossover Event Preview: A Tornado, Scandal and Dangerous Liaisons
GENERAL HOSPITAL Preview: The Search for Rocco and Britt is On; Willow Wants to Stop Drugging Drew
‘General Hospital’ Exec Prod Frank Valentini on Kate Mansi’s Departure as Kristina, ‘The Door Is Always Open’
‘General Hospital’ Cast Maxwell Caulfield as Apollo, the Suspicious Gallery Owner in Guest Appearance
‘General Hospital’s’ Finn Carr Talks: Working with Andrew Hawkes, How Britt is like a ‘Cool Aunt,’ Brother Elliot Carr’s Debut
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Peabo Bryson, Grammy Award-Winning Singer of Memorable ‘One Life to Live’ Theme Song, Passes Away at 75
Daytime Drama Casting Directors Talk Four of the Most Challenging and Important Recasts of Their Careers
‘Beyond the Gates’ and ‘The Young and the Restless’ Crossover Event Preview: A Tornado, Scandal and Dangerous Liaisons
Steve Burton and Finola Hughes Back Taping Episodes at ‘General Hospital’
‘General Hospital’ Casts Dean Geyer in the Role of ‘Tristan Roberts’
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Jill Farren Phelps was the best EP. She did so many wonderful things with the show.. She brought on the Nurses Ball. There was Monica’s breast cancer and BJ’s heart. She reintroduced Luke and Laura as well as the Cassadines. There were so many… Oh, wait a minute. That was Wendy Riche.
Jill was the one who drove a bus through the Nurses Ball, brought the mob to the forefront, and fired Anna Lee, Braud Maule, Stuart Damon, Rachel Ames, Jackie Zeman, Shell Kepling, along with so many others.
Never mind.
Where’s my “like” button when I need it? LOL!
David you had me going there!
lol, you had me there for a moment.
Haha so true ..so very true
love it david…sound like me sometimes with that humor…or sarcasm…lol
Oh my gosh, I thought you were serious when I read your first sentence. lol. This was incredible!
nice delivery…
My answer to top EP would have to be Gloria Monty for turning the show around and making it the Action Adventure soap I loved. As for pivotal moment it has to be for me Robert Scorpio’s secret wife and the introduction of Anna Devane who I consider one of daytimes greatest heroines as played by the amazing Finola Hughes! Monty did a fantastic job writing Robert and Anna’s backstory, their romance, marriage and tragic breakup in flashback; to this day it is one of my favorite stories on GH. Happy 50th GH here is to 50 more!
I couldn’t agree more! Anna was such a groundbreaking character, in daytime OR nighttime!
Its just frustrating that so many soaps and primetime shows always have the man rescuing the woman, even in 2013! Anna could always hold her own. Now if they would just bring Robert Scorpio out of that coma…
And while Ms. Monty re-invented the soap opera genre, one must give props to Frank Valentini and Ron Carlivati who have revitalized the show. A year ago I was saying I wished they would just cancel the show already because I was watching it out of loyalty, not enjoyment. Now, I rush home when I can on my lunch break to see it like I did when I was twelve years old!
Couldn’t agree more with your post, Jake, especially about Frank and Ron. Before they were brought on, I could barely get through one episode a week of GH and now I can’t wait to watch it every single day! They have me gasping and crying and laughing, all of the actions a soap opera should evoke in a fan. I could not be more impressed and I think Frank has rightly earned him name beingg thrown in with the likes of Gloria Monty and other amazing EPs for this show.
Love, love, LOVE…did I mention love Wendy Riche. Her vision of GH was a brilliant balance of heart, humor, action, mystery, and romance. Riche valued the vets and gave us iconic newbies like Brenda, Sonny, Jax, Lois, and Jagger. The BJ/Maxie storyline and Stone having AIDS were brilliantly done. I also applaud Riche’s first tenure with Bob Guza (!) who brought on Nikolas and Stefan (and i just read that Genie Francis had a hand in coming up with that whole idea). I was heartbroken when ABC fired her for Phelps, who totally put a knife in the heart of GH that beat so well under Riche. Phelps is my sole nominee and winner for the EP who made GH utterly unwatchable. Isnt it ironic that GH is having such an upsurge in popularity for trying to undo what Phelps (and her co partner in crime Guza) did to GH. Once GH killed off Alan, had Emily get raped (by a Nikolas lookalike no less) and later killed, killed off Georgie Jones (the other daughter of Frisco and Felicia), ruined the younger years of Maxie, and laughingly tried to make GH into the daytime version of The Soprano’s. Sorry, my mouth foams at the mention of Phelps.
Gloria Monty should be mentioned of course for her first tenure. Monty’s second coming in 1990 was a disaster…remember the Eckerts? I don’t remember much from the reign of Wes Kenney in the late 80’s.
Love Frank and Ron. How they are restoring GH to greatness again with such a drastically reduced budget is nothing short of brilliant. OK, you can nitpick over their stories but what a difference…and I FINALLY TUNED BACK IN AGAIN!
i never heard that Wendy Riche got fired, i thought she just quit, wow, and for JfF oh god, what a curse.
Gloria Monty, Frank Valenti Wendy Riche, and the first one(4got the name) when the show began who helped make it an instant hit.
Selig J. Seligman (1963) or James Young (1963–75)?
Thanks for reply…those names do sound familiar.
Has gh ever had an exec producer who was a racial minority? Has any day soap and “reality soap” ever had a racial minority exec producer? The only racial minority exec producer for night soaps is grey’s and scandal’s shonda rimes. Yet there’s obviously a lot of exec producers from day soaps and reality soaps and night soaps and night dramas who are openly gay white males of course. Most pivotal moment would be steve burton leaving and immediately jumping to farren phelps’ y&r. It was obvious that cbs stuck it to gh w/ the reception that was given on “the talk” to burton. Tolerant hollywood really lacks racial diversity from their writers as well. Only 1/3 of tv shows from 2011-2012 tv season had racial minority writers. A minority of hollywood’s tv shows had racial minority writers. Typical of hollywood’s kind of tolerance.
Gloria, Wendy and Frank ! Jill Phelps ruined the show !
Lily and Miguel had fans????? Riche’s era was wonderful, but Lily and Miguel wouldn’t even be in the top 20 reasons why that era was so great!
she also claims that lily and miguel were the first latin supercouple, really? what are Brenda and Sonny? they sure aint anglo.
i’m going for all three, Gloria Monty, Wendy Riche, and Frank Valentini. Gloria first because she made GH the legend that it is. Wendy made GH critically acclaim with multiple emmy wins and Frank because he’s now bringing the show back to life after The worst EP Jill FÅREN PHELPS DESTROYED IT
Primary credit should go to Gloria Monty for reviving a show that literally had 13 weeks to live before ABC was going to cancel it. She made many changes with the show’s production style and casting. that, and Doug Marland’s writing brought GH skyrocketing in the ratngs within a year. The greatest moment? Luke & Laura’s wedding- what else? Then, the “B.J’s Heart” story, followed by the “Click/Boom” episode from Feb. ’96 when Jax & Brenda got married, and toasted each other at the same moment Sonny’s car blew up with Lily inside- the ONLY good thing Bob Guza (or as I call him- LUZA) ever did for GH. OK, he also brought the Cassadines back, but he caused so much misery for longtime viewers, aided and abetted by Jill Farren Phelps and THE SERIAL KILLER, Brian Frons! He broke up Luke & Laura as well as Tony & Bobbie, killed off too many core and legacy characters (Tony and Georgie Jones, Alan Quartermaine, Justus Ward, Emily Quartermaine, Rick Webber, little Jake Spencer/Morgan, Stefan Cassadine), and made the PCPD look incomptent while the Manic Monster and his brain-damaged stooge in black (formerly known as Jason Quartermaine) ruled the show. Worst yet, he let a self-righteous slut like Carly on the show and made her the heroine! Thank God for Valentini and Carlivati- they have brought back classic storytelling, core families, and have a great reverence for the show’s history. I can’t believe that there are people online complaining about those two- obviously those people only joined GH AFTER 1996, and missed out on REAL quality storytelling from the first Monty era (1978-86) and the Riche/Labine era (1993-96).
I must also give tribute to the first era of GH (1973-72)- the days of Steve, Audrey, Jessie, Phil, Lucille, the Pinkhams, Taylors, Baldwins, and Dawsons under producer Jim Young. They started something wonderful that endured for half a century. I can’t wait to watch the Soapnet marathon to revisit old times of over 30 years. Here’s to 50 more years, GH!
Oops- I meant the first GH era of 1963-72- you get the idea!
Gloria Monty of course. Her vision brought the entire daytime genre into the modern era. She demonstrated that action/adventure stories work in daytime along with romance/relationship stories. Under her leadership they modernized the sets, did location shoots and improved the production value of daytime television. She, and Agnes Nixon with AMC and OLTL, created and led the daytime drama that resonated with the young people of that generation.
Hands down, the greatest GH EP in history is Gloria Monty. GH was under a cancellation notice when she saved it and brought it to #1. She kept the show #1 for almost a decade despite major actors leaving. She gave us adventure and love in the afternoon. She also created the Qs and 4 supercouples: Luke & Laura, Robert & Holly, Frisco & Felicia and Duke & Anna. I loved both Wendy and Frank as EPs, but no one can touch Gloria Monty.
My Favorite is Frank …Especially for saving it from cancelation and for the return of Lucy Coe!
Gloria Monty and her team of writers, hands down, the best ever. They knew how to find talent and write incredibly compelling adventure stories while at the same time show deep emotional character depth. No regime, including this one, comes even close to that level of talent.
Best moment ever for me : Carly and Tony in bed and Bobbie catches them! So soapy 😉
My favorite ep: Frank for the back to basics approach that has made it possible for us to wish for 50 more years. I will give a nod to Jill for one thing ; taking some risks. Im thinking of her decision to recast Carly with Tamara Braun ( the best Carly ever) and the risks she took with the mob… Most of tenure (ok like 90%) was terrible but she had a pair and that i wont deny.
It’s definitely Wendy Riche for me, she respected the iconic history of the 1980’s and blazed a new trail for GH with legendary stories like:
BJ/Maxie’s Heart transplant story
Robin and Stone Aids Story into the Jason and Robin love story
Monica’s Breast Cancer
The loss of Jason Quartermaine and creation of Jason Morgan
Turning Ned Ashton into a Rockstar and giving us Ned and Lois
Sonny and Brenda and the triangle with Jax which is IMO the best triangle in Daytime History
The return of Luke and Laura and the introduction of Lucky
Elizabeth Webber and the love story of Lucky and Elizabeth
The rebirth of the Cassadines
The adoption of Emily Quartermaine
The creation of Nikolas Cassadine
The creation of Carly Roberts
She created the best characters since the 1980’s in GH history with Lucky, Carly, Elizabeth, Nikolas, Jax, Brenda, Sonny, Emily, Lois, Stone, Jagger so much of what they reference and focus on today was created from two eras ~ the Gloria Monty and Wendy Riche eras on GH.
The whole 50th Anniversary is centered around the Nurses Ball which came to be under Wendy Riche and turned into a fan favorite event every year!!
The production was top notch with unforgettable locations like the Puerto Rico adventure, Ned and Lois in wedding attire on top the Brooklyn bridge, Luke and Laura return and almost go over the falls but a helicopter saves them, Jax’s malibu home….etc…
The last two GH primetime specials ~ Twist of Fate and the 35th Anniversary special which were both spectacular aired during Wendy Riche’s regime!!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE This time in GH history and regard it as my personal favorite. I think Frank and Ron are doing a great job but everything that’s great about the work they are doing is directly related to their dabbling in the Veterans and pulling characters and love stories from two different times in GH history ~ Wendy’s time and Gloria’s time. Everything new that Frank and Ron have created on their own aside from Todd/Carly and John/Sam has been a complete miss with me. So, I wouldn’t consider them up there with Wendy or Gloria yet but give them time because I might reflect differently on it someday.
Great post!
General hospital best executive producer to me is frank valentini
I’m pretty sure we can all agree that the title of best GH executive producer goes to ANYONE but Jill Farren Phelps. lol.
I personally loved Wendy, Gloria, and now I am so proud of Frank Valentini that he makes the list as well. I believe these three truly understood the staples of not on General Hospital, but of this genre. These three are ones, if you read interviews and such, that are highly praised by actors and you can see why. They run a ship of success in both ratings and quality.
I’m going with Wendy Riche for the best because it was during her time with the show that I became a viewer with the Stone storyline, Jax, the Quartermaines, Carly, Jason, Robin, Sonny, Brenda, and of course the Spencer/Cassadine war. However, Frank Valentini is doing an amazing job with the show today and continues to surprise me with how General Hospital feels like a more balanced show with romance, comedy, drama, vets, and less mob violence (which is okay in smaller doses).
Matthew Ashford. ? Sexier… “darker”… Masculine… love the facial hair… a steamier edge to Jack.
to go along with his “acting” Talent. his comedic, and sensitive father portrayal…
DAYS ? bring him back.
this would be a rebirth…. of Jack…. instead of the bumbling… ??? i’ll get flack for this…
but… he’d generate a rebirth of JENN…. Oye! Jennifer and Daniel… are killing… DOOL.
Why are u writing about dool ? Who cares !!
Wendy Riche – I hated when they gave Robin Aids but over the course of the storyline it has been educational and very heart warming. Kudos to the aids story line.
What time will this be on?
Kudos to frank and RON for bringing back the old GH we know and love but they are ridding on the coat tails of someone else’s work. Wendy riche and Claire labine were the 2 best EP of all time. Gloria Monty was amazing yes but when she came back the second time she took away the history she built in her hay day and almost destroyed the show with the Eckertt family and back burning the vets. As for JFP and Guza they were a ticking time bomb to daytime . Claire Labine deserves a huge shout out due to she and her pbenomi a
Phenomenal writing team but the trophy belongs to Wendy riche. And a little shout out to Brian frons get us head out of our ass u have destroyed daytime TV I don’t understand how ABC cuts u a weekly paycheck the only club u r President in is the talentless hack club u rate right up there with the weather men wrong on so many levels but still have a job.
Without Gloria Monti the show would never have attracted the audience it did. And aside from Luke and Laura’s on-the-run/wedding story line, Rick Springfield was a MAJOR reason young people tuned in and turned onto GH in numbers never seen before. Richard Dean Anderson aka MacGyver was pretty hot as Dr Jeff Webber in mid-70’s!