General Hospital (show)

General Hospital (commonly abbreviated GH) is an American soap opera broadcast on the ABC television network during the day and on SOAPnet each weeknight. It is the longest-running serial produced in Hollywood, having been taped at The Prospect Studios (formerly ABC Television Center West) and the Sunset-Gower Studios, as well as the longest-running entertainment program in ABC television history. General Hospital also holds the record for most Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Drama Series, with 10 wins.

Set in the fictional city of Port Charles, New York, General Hospital debuted on April 1, 1963, the same day that rival network NBC launched its own medical daytime drama, The Doctors. General Hospital originally aired for a half-hour, until the network expanded it to 45 minutes in 1976, and then to a full hour in 1978. The serial was created by soap writers Frank and Doris Hursley, a husband-and-wife team.

Show history
Launched in 1963, the show initially focused on the lives of the staff at Port Charles General Hospital. Storylines ultimately branched out to cover the relationships of various Port Charles families. The 1981 wedding of Luke and Laura, played by Anthony Geary and Genie Francis, was the most watched event in daytime serial history.

Title sequence
Since the series' debut in 1963, General Hospital has had five opening title sequence packages and six theme songs.

During 1963-1967, the ABC announcer says "GENERAL HOSPITAL...brought to you by [product name]"; when the show moved to color on October 30, 1967, until circa early 1970s, announcer Ed Chandler would say, "GENERAL HOSPITAL in color". During the end of each scene just seconds before commercial break, Chandler would say "We'll return to GENERAL HOSPITAL in just a moment"; that announcement was phased out in the early 1970s. During 1973 to 1976, Chandler would simply say "General Hospital".

For the closing sequence, Chandler's original line from late 1963-circa 1970s was, "This is Ed Chandler inviting you to tune in tomorrow (Monday) and every weekday for GENERAL HOSPITAL". It was changed during circa 1973, to "This is Ed Chandler inviting you to tune in every day, Monday through Friday for GENERAL HOSPITAL." This spiel was used until July 1976. Since 1976, the only show announcements are the daily sponsor tags by ABC staff announcers ("General Hospital, brought to you by..."), that until the late 1990s immediately preceded the title at the end of the opening sequence. Currently, these announcements are done on network bumpers after the first scene. Beginning in July 1976, the rotating staff of ABC announcers took over the first mid-program bumper ("General Hospital will continue in a moment"), but the second would have no announcement. This mid-bumper format would remain unchanged for 20 years. Then, from 1996 until 1999, various GH cast members would voice the first mid-bumper ("General Hospital will continue in just a moment"). Also, from late 1996 to September 1999, various cast members (but most often Ingo Rademacher) would introduce next-episode previews off camera. Since the fall of 1999, mid-bumpers and previews have been done on network graphics. In mid 2008, due to tight budgets, ABC cut the next episode promos.

Main crew members

 * Producers: Jill Farren Phelps (Executive Producer), Mary O'Leary, Mercer Barrows, Michelle Henry, Deborah Genovese
 * Directors: Matthew Diamond, Joseph Behar,Danielle Faraldo, Craig McManus, William Ludel, Phideaux Xavier, Scott McKinsey, Owen Renfroe, Penny Pengra, Christine Magarian, Ron Cates, Peter Fillmore, Ronald C. Cates, Dave MacLeod
 * Head Writer: Robert Guza, Jr.
 * Associate Head Writer/Script Editor: Elizabeth Korte
 * Story Consultant: Brian Frons
 * Breakdown Writers: Jim Reitzel, Michael Conforti, Heidi Ploen, Sasha Cartullo, Nathan Fissel, David Goldschmid, Meg Bennett
 * Script Writers: Susan Wald (playwright), Michele Val Jean, Mary Sue Price, Tracey Thomson, Karen Harris, Elizabeth Korte
 * Casting Directors: Mark Teschner, Gwen Hillier
 * Former Notable Crew Members: John William Corrington, Lewis Arlt , Lynda Myles , Alan Pultz , Judith Pinsker , Joseph Behar , Stephanie Braxton , Norma Monty , Frank South , Ralph Ellis , Shelley Curtis , Hope Harmel Smith

Setting
The series is set in the fictional city of Port Charles, New York. Port Charles is a small to midsized city located in Upstate New York. Contained within the setting are locations such as the General Hospital which gives its name to the series, Jake's - a bar run by the character Coleman, and the Metro Court Hotel. The fictional world of Port Charles contains its own police department, the Port Charles Police Department, and a CIA-type intelligence agency, the World Security Bureau.

Drama series and performer categories

 * Drama Series: Gloria Monty 1981, 1984; Wendy Riche 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000; Jill Farren Phelps 2005, 2006, 2008
 * Lead Actor: Anthony Geary (Luke Spencer) 1982, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2008; Maurice Benard (Sonny Corinthos) 2003
 * Lead Actress: Finola Hughes (Anna Devane) 1991
 * Supporting Actor: Peter Hansen (Lee Baldwin) 1979; David Lewis (Edward Quartermaine) 1982; Gerald Anthony (Marco Dane) 1993; Steve Burton (Jason Morgan) 1998; Stuart Damon (Alan Quartermaine) 1999; Rick Hearst (Ric Lansing) 2004, 2007
 * Supporting Actress: Jane Elliot (Tracy Quartermaine) 1981; Rena Sofer (Lois Cerullo) 1995; Sarah Brown (Carly Benson) 2000; Vanessa Marcil (Brenda Barrett), 2003; Natalia Livingston (Emily Quartermaine), 2005; Genie Francis (Laura Spencer), 2007
 * Younger Actor: Jonathan Jackson (Lucky Spencer) 1995, 1998, 1999; Jacob Young (Lucky Spencer) 2002; Chad Brannon (Zander Smith) 2004
 * Younger Actress: Kimberly McCullough (Robin Scorpio) 1989, 1996; Sarah Brown (Carly Benson) 1997, 1998

Other categories

 * 2008 "Outstanding Achievement in Casting for a Drama Series"
 * 2007 "Outstanding Achievement in Casting for a Drama Series"
 * 2006 "Outstanding Drama Series Directing Team"
 * 2006 "Outstanding Achievement in Casting for a Drama Series"
 * 2006 "Outstanding Achievement in Hairstyling for a Drama Series"
 * 2005 "Outstanding Drama Series Directing Team"
 * 2004 "Outstanding Drama Series Directing Team"
 * 2004 "Outstanding Achievement in Makeup for a Drama Series"
 * 2003 "Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team"
 * 2004 "Lifetime Achievement 2003 "Outstanding Achievement in Multiple Camera Editing for a Drama Series"
 * 2002 "Outstanding Original Song"
 * 2000 "Outstanding Drama Series Directing Team"
 * 1999 "Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team"
 * 1999 "Outstanding Achievement in Makeup for a Drama Series"
 * 1999 "Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design for a Drama Series"
 * 1999 "Outstanding Original Song" (TIED with As the World Turns)
 * 1998 "Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design for a Drama Series"
 * 1996 "Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design for a Drama Series"
 * 1995 "Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team"
 * 1995 "Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design for a Drama Series"
 * 1982 "Outstanding Drama Series Directing Team"
 * 1981 "Outstanding Drama Series Directing Team"

Directors Guild of America

 * 1996, 1998, 2002, and 2004 "Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Daytime Serials"

Writers Guild of America

 * 1995, 1996, and 1998 "Daytime Serials"

Broadcast history
When ABC premiered General Hospital on April 1, 1963, the network placed it in the 1 p.m./12 Noon Central timeslot against local newscasts on NBC and CBS affiliates. But on the day before New Year's Eve that year, General Hospital assumed a place on the daytime schedule that, except for eighteen months between July 1976 and January 1978 when it ran as one half of a 90-minute bloc with One Life to Live between 2:30/1:30 and 4/3, it has maintained to this day, 3/2 Central.

During the 1960s, General Hospital earned decent ratings against the likes of To Tell the Truth and The Secret Storm on CBS, but there was a decline as the 1970s came, especially when NBC's Another World became highly popular; for two years, it also faced CBS' The Price is Right, already a major hit. After continued mediocrity in the Nielsen ratings, ABC was prepared to cancel General Hospital, but decided to give it a second chance in 1978 when it expanded the show to a full hour, from an experimental 45 minutes. However, the expansion came with an ultimatum to the producers that they had six months to improve the show's ratings. Gloria Monty was hired as executive producer, and on her first day, she spent an extra $100,000 re-taping four episodes. A miracle occurred and thanks to Monty, the show became the most watched daytime drama by 1979, marking a rare instance of a daytime serial's comeback from near-extinction. During the wedding of Luke and Laura Spencer on November 16, 1981, about 30 million people tuned in to watch them exchange vows and be cursed by Elizabeth Taylor's Helena Cassadine (later played by Constance Towers).

From 1979 to 1988, General Hospital remained number one in the ratings, competing against two low-rated soaps on NBC -- Texas and Santa Barbara -- and the long-running Guiding Light (GL) over on CBS (although, it should be noted, that for a brief period in the middle of 1984, Guiding Light experienced a renaissance and became the #1 soap, dethroning General Hospital from the top ratings spot, thanks to well-regarded storylines written by then-GL head writer Pam Long). For the most part, however, General Hospital continued to triumph, even after the departure of popular actors Anthony Geary and Genie Francis in the mid-1980s. Although The Young and the Restless took General Hospital's place as the highest-rated serial in 1989, General Hospital continued to maintain excellent ratings.

Ever since the 1991-1992 season of General Hospital, the show has had a steady decline in ratings. On and off they would be in between third and fifth place in the Nielsen Ratings, placing CBS's The Young And The Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful in first and second place, respectively. General Hospital still remains in between third and fifth place in the ratings to this day. During the 1990s General Hospital was put up against fellow soap opera, All My Children, CBS's As The World Turns and NBC's Days of our Lives.


 * Highest-rated week in daytime history (November 16 - November 20, 1981)
 * (Household ratings, Nielsen Media Research)


 * Years as #1 series

1988-1989 season
 * 1. The Young and the Restless 8.1
 * 2. General Hospital 7.5

1989-1990 season
 * 1. The Young and the Restless 8.0
 * 2. General Hospital 7.4

1989-1990 season
 * 1. The Young and the Restless 8.0
 * 2. General Hospital 7.4

1990-1991 season
 * 1. The Young and the Restless 8.1
 * 2. General Hospital 6.7

1995 ratings
 * 1. The Young and the Restless 7.155
 * 3. General Hospital 5.343

1996-1997 season
 * 1. The Young and the Restless 7.1
 * 4. General Hospital 4.8

1997-1998 season
 * 1. The Young and the Restless 7.0
 * 4. General Hospital 4.6

1998-1999 season
 * 1. The Young and the Restless 6.9
 * 4. General Hospital 4.3

1999-2000 season
 * 1. The Young and the Restless 6.8
 * 4. General Hospital 4.0

2000-2001 season
 * 1. The Young and the Restless 6.7
 * 3. General Hospital

2001-2002 season
 * 1. The Young and the Restless 6.3
 * 4. General Hospital 3.7

2002-2003 season
 * 1. The Young and the Restless
 * 3. General Hospital 3.5

2003-2004 season
 * 1. The Young and the Restless
 * 3. General Hospital 3.3

2004-2005 season
 * 1. The Young and the Restless
 * 4. General Hospital 3.2

2005-2006 season
 * 1. The Young and the Restless
 * 3. General Hospital

2006-2007 season
 * 1. The Young and the Restless 4.1
 * 3. General Hospital 2.6

Cultural influence
The popularity of General Hospital has caused it be parodied or referred to in other mainstream programs. For example, in the early 1990s, some episodes of GH were featured as "shorts" during the fourth season of the parody show Mystery Science Theater 3000. GH was also parodied/homaged in the song General Hospi-Tale by The Afternoon Delights, and in the film Tootsie, which took place among the cast and crew of a fictional soap opera program. In the FOX medical drama House, Dr. House enjoys General Hospital and watches it constantly. In the season three episode, "Half-Wit," House hides his blood test results under the name, "Luke N. Laura", referring to GH's legendary couple.

Famous Fans
General Hospital has many famous fans, including The Sopranos actor Vincent Pastore. World renound skier Kristi Leskinen is a devout fan of the show, along with actor Jason Gray-Stanford. Laura Wright, GH's Carly, was a huge fan of the show in the 1980's before joining the show in 2005. Motorcross driver Mike Metzger is also a fan of the program, rarely missing an episode.

Spin-offs
The success of the long-running soap opera has spawned one daytime spin-off in the United States and primetime spin-offs in the U.S. and the United Kingdom, including General Hospital: Night Shift on SoapNet.

General Hospital: U. K. series
The U.K. series General Hospital (1972-1979) did not feature any characters from the American show, but was modeled after its format. It started as a half-hour program broadcast in the afternoons, which was unusual for UK serials that normally aired in prime time. In 1975 it was expanded to an hour-long format and moved to Friday evenings.

Port Charles
Port Charles (1997-2003) was a daytime drama that initially featured interns in a competitive medical school program, and was known for having more action actually in the hospital than General Hospital itself. As the show evolved, it tended more towards gothic intrigue, including supernatural elements such as vampires and life after death. It also switched formats from an open-ended daytime serial to 13-week story arcs known as "books," similar to Spanish language telenovelas.

General Hospital: Night Shift
General Hospital: Night Shift (2007, 2008) is the second American prime time spin-off of a daytime drama (the first being Our Private World, a spin-off of As the World Turns). Its first season aired from July 12, 2007 to October 4, 2007 on SOAPnet, a cable channel owned by ABC. The series follows the nighttime adventures of familiar and new characters around the hospital. As of March 2008, the first season of the series was "SOAPnet's most-watched series ever," with ABC Daytime and SOAPnet President Brian Frons noting that Night Shift drew more than 1 million new viewers to the channel during its first season.

Fourteen new episodes of Night Shift began taping in high-definition in June 2008, with the series airing Tuesdays at 11 p.m. and premiering on July 22, 2008. SOAPnet said the second season "will feature new and returning characters as well as the return of 'legacy' characters from GH. In addition, the continuity between story lines on Night Shift and GH will match."