General Hospital
716091
225735162
2008-07-15T03:50:30Z
74.77.198.81
/* Cast */
{{otheruses|General hospital}}
{{Infobox Television Soap Opera
| show_name = General Hospital
| image = [[Image:general-hospital-siren.jpg|240px]]
| caption = <small>''General Hospital'' [[Intertitle]]</small>
| network = [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] , [[SOAPnet]]
| creator = [[Frank and Doris Hursley]]
| executive_producer = [[Jill Farren Phelps]]
| head_writer = [[Robert Guza, Jr.]]
| longest-running castmember = [[Rachel Ames]]
| distributor = [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
| first_aired = [[April 1]] [[1963]]
| last_aired = present
| run_time = 60 minutes <br> (45 minutes from [[July 26]], [[1976]] – [[December 30]], [[1977]]) <br> (30 minutes from [[April 1]], [[1963]] – [[July 23]], [[1976]])
| alternate_titles = GH
| num_episodes = 11,600 (as of [[July 9]], [[2008]])
| country = {{USA}}
| imdb_id = 0056758
| tv_com_id = 316
| website = http://www.generalhospital.com/
}}
'''''General Hospital''''' (commonly abbreviated '''''GH''''') is the longest-running [[ABC Daytime]] [[United States|American]] [[soap opera]] broadcast on the [[American Broadcasting Company]] television network. It is also the longest-running serial produced in [[Hollywood]] (having been taped at the Prospect Avenue ABC Television Center West and Sunset-Gower Studios). It holds the record for most Outstanding Drama Series at the Daytime Emmys, with 10 wins.
Set in the fictional city of [[Port Charles, New York (Fictional City)|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 (1963 TV series)|The Doctors]]''. The show 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.
''General Hospital'' is credited for starting several trends in the soap opera genre in the 1980s,{{Fact|date=June 2008}} most notably that of the fast-paced action-adventure plotlines that were remarkably different from the more traditional domestic and social issues that had been the sole focus of most soap operas during the previous decades. In 2003, when ''GH'' was celebrating its 40th anniversary, ''[[TV Guide]]'' named it "The Greatest Soap Opera of All Time."{{Fact|date=June 2008}} In addition, ''GH'' was also named as one of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine's "Top 100 Television Shows of All Time."{{Fact|date=June 2008}}
==Show history==
{{Main|History of General Hospital}}
Launched in 1963, the show's storylines revolve around the fictional city of [[Port Charles, New York]], and the staff at its General Hospital. Initially focusing on the romances of the hospital staff, storylines branched out to cover relationships of various families such as the Hardys, the Webbers, the Spencers, the wealthy Quartermaines, and the noble Cassadines. ''General Hospital'' popularized the concept of the soap opera [[supercouple]], with [[Luke and Laura]]. Their wedding was the most watched event in daytime serial history. Other storylines have followed an action-adventure format, with con artists and mafia bosses, spies and corporate intrigue, and travel to far-off lands, but nearly all stories have some connection to either an injury or illness at the Hospital, or one of the doctors or nurses who work there.
==Cast==
{{seealso|List of General Hospital cast members}}
{{seealso|List of General Hospital characters}}
''General Hospital'' has made a name for itself for bringing back fan favorites, sometimes decades after their original appearance. Over the years, such performers as [[Jane Elliot]], [[Vanessa Marcil]], [[David Lewis (actor)|David Lewis]], [[Kin Shriner]], [[Genie Francis]], [[Anthony Geary]], [[Jack Wagner]], [[Tyler Christopher]], [[Tristan Rogers]], [[Emma Samms]], [[Finola Hughes]], [[Kimberly McCullough]], [[Rick Springfield]], [[Steve Burton]], and [[Sarah Brown (actress)|Sarah Brown]] have returned to the show. Several current storylines involve characters that are the fictional children of older characters, and the actors who played the original characters are sometimes brought back to play the parents or grandparents.
As one example, [[Kimberly McCullough]] was the child actress who in the 1980s played [[Robin Scorpio]], the daughter of jet-setting spies [[Robert Scorpio]] ([[Tristan Rogers]]) and [[Anna Devane]] ([[Finola Hughes]]). On [[October 12]] [[2005]], McCullough returned to her role, this time as a grown-up Robin who had finished medical school and was now working at General Hospital. Her storyline was interwoven with that of Dr. [[Noah Drake]], who was played by rock star [[Rick Springfield]] for four episodes, after an absence since 1983. The return proved popular, and he is now on recurring status. Noah's return also allowed for a new character, his son Dr. [[Patrick Drake]] (played by [[Jason Thompson (actor)|Jason Thompson]]), who has a striking resemblance to Springfield.
Another major return occurred on [[January 27]] [[2006]], when the presumed dead [[Robert Scorpio]] ([[Tristan Rogers]]) returned to Port Charles. His beloved wife [[Holly Sutton Scorpio|Holly Sutton]] (played by [[Emma Samms]]) also returned on [[February 21]] [[2006]].
[[John Ingle]], who played [[Edward Quartermaine]], left his role at ''[[Days of our Lives]]'' to return to ''General Hospital''. After a contract dispute, he was briefly replaced by [[Jed Allan]] in [[March 2004]], but Allan was not as popular with the fans (stating that he was the "wrong Edward" for the tribute to [[Lila Quartermaine]] and her portrayer, [[Anna Lee]]), and Ingle returned to the role on [[April 18]] [[2006]].
[[Finola Hughes]] has returned to the role of [[Anna Devane]] several times, with the first being [[May 12]] [[2006]].
One of the biggest announcements was in [[June 2006]], when it was learned that [[Genie Francis]] would return to the role of [[Laura Spencer]]. Francis returned to the show for six weeks, for the 25th celebration of [[Luke and Laura|Luke and Laura's]] wedding. She returned on [[October 26]], with Laura being brought out of a [[catatonic]] state with an experimental medicine. On [[November 16]], Luke and Laura remarried, and a few weeks later Francis again departed. The storyline explained this by saying that Laura's medicine was only temporary, as she would return to Shadybrook back into a catatonic state on [[November 22]], though she still remains a presence in the show. Laura charged her daughter, [[Lulu Spencer]] ([[Julie Marie Berman]]), with trying to prove Laura's innocence of killing [[Rick Webber]].
It was then later revealed that Scott Baldwin (who has returned to the show) was actually the one guilty of killing Rick Webber. However, Lulu has yet to announce it in fear of destroying her father when he realizes that he caused Laura's catatonia when he told her that she killed Rick Webber.
Another major announcement was in [[December 2007]], when it was learned that [[Sarah Brown (actress)|Sarah Brown]] (ex-Carly) would return to the show as a member of the Zacchara crime family, [[Claudia Antonia Zacchara|Claudia Zacchara]]. She first aired on [[January 31]] [[2008]].
One of the biggest returns of [[2008]] came in July 2008 when it was announced that [[Genie Francis]] would reprise her role of [[Laura Spencer]] in a brief stint. She will emerge from her [[catatonic]] state due to her immense love for her daughter. This comes at a time when her daughter, [[Lulu]] ([[Julie Marie Berman]]) need her the most. Her first air date is [[August 26]] [[2008]].
==Crew==
{{Main article|List of General Hospital crew}}
==Budget==
As of January 2007, the show has a 1.35 million dollar weekly budget or 270,000 per episode budget.{{Fact|date=April 2008}}
==Title sequence==
{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;"
|-----
|colspan=2|Since the series' debut in 1963, ''General Hospital'' has had only four opening [[title sequence]]s and theme songs.
During 1963-1967, the ABC announcer says "GENERAL HOSPITAL...brought to you by [product name]", when the show moved to color in 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. Mid-program breaks featured no voiceover announcements from 1976-1996, but from 1996-1999 had various ''GH'' cast members saying "''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.
|-----
|align="center"|<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Black White GH.jpg|150px]] --><br>[[April 1]] [[1963]] - [[July]] [[1973]]
|'''Original Black and White'''
In the early episodes of 1963, ''General Hospital'' used a scene of doctors and nurses in the hospital, which then freezes and turns into a negative image, with the title appearing in the Craw Clarendon Condensed font (which remained the same until 1993). Accompanying this was a delightful, rather expansive piano piece by Kip Walton.
|-----
|align="center"|[[Image:Gh1984.jpg|150px]] <br>[[July]] [[1973]] - [[March 31]] [[1993]]
|'''The Speeding Ambulance'''
The exterior shot of the hospital in the opening and ending credits is the General Hospital of the Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, located just east of Downtown Los Angeles. This shot was used from July 1973 to 1993, and remained relatively unchanged between those years. The sequence's theme song was led prominently by George Wright's piano theme from no later than April 1975 until July 23, 1976, with the ambulance entering the hospital, then the show's title zooms towards us. Then, on July 26, 1976, the theme music was changed to Autumn Breeze by Jack Urbont, with the horns throughout the opening sequence (the 1975 opening sequence remains the same, and the lettering of the show's title was smaller). It is one of the longest running soap opera theme/visuals in history, with only the 1970-1990 theme/visuals of ''[[All My Children]]'' and ''[[Days of our Lives]]''' 1972-93 package ahead of it. The sequence was used until the last episode of ''General Hospital'' with the Autumn Breeze theme aired on [[March 31]] [[1993]].
The closing credits during this long era were done over nearly the same exterior of the LA County-USC, the main difference here being a blue-sky/cloud visual, as opposed to the opening having a clear, sunny sky. Occasionally a closer pan of the hospital was used, but it became more common in the early 1980s and was used almost exclusively from 1983 until 1993. The Craw Clarendon Condensed credits continued the tradition of carding dayplayers one at a time on most days, with the actors' name on top, the "as" on the middle line and character name below. On Fridays or during special storylines, a long crawl credits format also remained. Copyright notice first appeared at the end of all episodes in 1980. With the major ending sequence modernization in 1983, the end credits became smaller, the carded dayplayer setup now used the long-crawl formatting with the actors' name followed by periods, with character below, and the copyright notice used a new font combo to finally include "All Rights Reserved" below it.
|-----
|align="center"|[[Image:Generalhospital1994.jpg|150px|]] <br>[[April 1]] [[1993]] - [[August 27]] [[2004]]
|'''[[Dave Koz|Faces of the Heart]]'''
[[Wendy Riche]] made her most visible change as she decided to retire the long-running 1976 opening in favor of something new. The new opening, Faces Of The Heart by [[Dave Koz]], debuted at the beginning of the first episode on [[April 1]], [[1993]] that marked General Hospital's thirtieth anniversary. The theme begins with a heartbeat rhythm played on a bass guitar as we dissolve to a shot of an ambulance. That, in turn, dissolves into a tinted, letterboxed view of the exterior of the LA County-USC Medical Center. This is followed by a series of video headshots of all the contract cast members, either solo or in pairs, against a black background. After every few clips, there is an action clip from the show. At the end of the sequence, we go back to the letterboxed, tinted hospital exterior and the title of the show in Goudy Bold type. For the 32nd Anniversary week in April 1995, the theme was remixed with a longer version with a reprise at the end, also the cast montage had a major update, which several cast members received new footage and new Puerto Rico actions scenes were added. On [[April 1]] [[2003]], the show's 40th anniversary, the characters’ first names were added to the opening.
Throughout the run of this opening the following characters appeared: AJ Quartermaine, Alan Quartermaine, Alexis Davis, Amy Vining, Angel Sorel, Audrey Hardy, Bill Eckert, Bobbie Spencer, Brenda Barrett, Cameron Lewis, Carly Corinthos, Chloe Morgan, Courtney Matthews, Damian Smith, Dara Jensen, Dillon Quartermaine, Edward Quartermaine, Elizabeth Webber, Emily Quartermaine, Faith Rosco, Felicia Scorpio-Jones, Georgie Jones, Gia Campbell, Hannah Scott, Helena Cassadine, Holly Sutton, Jagger Cates, Jason Morgan, Jasper Jacks, Jenny Eckert, Jerry Jacks, Juan Santiago, Julia Barrett, Justus Ward, Karen Wexler, Katherine Bell, Keesha Ward, Kevin Collins, Kristina Cassadine, Laura Spencer, Lila Quartermaine, Lily Rivera Corinthos, Lois Cerullo, Lorenzo Alcazar, Lucky Spencer, Lucy Coe, Luke Spencer, Lydia Karenin, Mac Scorpio, Marcus Taggert, Mary Mae Ward, Meg Lawson, Melissa Bedford, Miguel Morez, Miranda Jamison, Monica Quartermaine, Ned Ashton, Nikolas Cassadine, Paul Hornsby, Ric Lansing, Robin Scorpio, Roy DiLucca, Ruby Anderson, Ryan Chamberlain, Sam McCall, Sarah Webber, Scott Baldwin, Sean Donely, Skye Quartermaine, Sly Eckert, Sonny Corinthos, Stavros Cassadine, Stefan Cassadine, Steve Hardy, Stone Cates, Summer Halloway, Tiffany Hill, Tom Hardy, Tony Jones, Tracy Quartermaine, V Ardanowski, and Zander Smith.
For awhile, the end credits remained in the same Craw Clarendon Condensed type used in past years. Now, however, the long crawl was done over stills from that day's episode. The "beauty shot" stills continued in the fall of 1993 when the end credit font was changed to match the typeface of the new ''General Hospital'' logo. From March 1996 to September 1999, each end credit segment was done in smaller lettering on a separate card for each still. The separate card setup is still used in the end titles shown on SoapNet rebroadcasts, but the credits are done over a shot of the hospital.
|-----
|align="center"|[[Image:General-hospital-siren.jpg|150px]] <br>[[August 30]] [[2004]] - Present
|'''Sirens'''
During the May 2004 sweeps, [[ABC Daytime]] began a significant re-branding process. New graphics and new promotional bumpers were created, and the visuals in the new promos were incorporated into new openings that were unveiled on all three ABC soaps in subsequent weeks. On [[August 30]], [[2004]], GH unveiled a new opening that incorporated many of the character visuals used in a new set of ABC Daytime promos and bumpers that debuted in May 2004. The nods to the show’s past seem quite minimal in this new opening as we get only an extremely brief glimpse of an ambulance and an almost equally brief upward pan of the hospital exterior. This new opening sequence ends with a shot of the male cast members clad in tuxedos and posing against a white background, with [[Anthony Geary]] walking out of the shot, followed by the title of the show. The title appears in white letters in a single line across the screen against a black background, which is framed by letterboxing.
This opening has so far included, Sonny Corinthos, Carly Corinthos Jacks, Reese Marshall, Jason Morgan, Sam McCall, Jasper Jacks, Courtney Matthews, Nikolas Cassadine, Emily Quartermaine, Elizabeth Webber, Lucky Spencer, Jesse Beaudry, Maxie Jones, Diego Alcazar, Lorenzo Alcazar, Skye Chandler Quartermaine, Luke Spencer, Lulu Spencer, Dillon Quartermaine, Georgie Jones, Brook Lynn Ashton, Alexis Davis, Ric Lansing, Faith Rosco, Justus Ward, Lainey Winters, Robin Scorpio, Patrick Drake, Alan Quartermaine, Monica Quartermaine, Edward Quartermaine, Tracy Quartermaine, Ned Ashton, Lois Cerullo, Michael Corinthos, Bobbie Spencer, Cooper Barrett, Jerry Jacks, Mac Scorpio, Rachel Adair, Steven Lars Webber, Kate Howard, Damian Spinelli, and Logan Hayes.
|}
==Main crew members==
*'''Producers:''' [[Jill Farren Phelps]] ([[Executive Producer]]), [[Mary O'Leary]], Mercer Barrows , Michelle Henry, Deborah Genovese
*'''Directors:''' [[Matthew Diamond]], [[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]]
*'''[[Creative Consultant|Story Consultant]]:''' [[Brian Frons|Brian Scott 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 (writer)|Karen Harris]], [[Elizabeth Korte]]
*'''[[Casting Director]]s''': [[Mark Teschner]], Gwen Hillier
*Former Notable Crew Members: [[John William Corrington]] , [[Lewis Arlt]] [http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0035218/], [[Lynda Myles]] [http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0617002/], Alan Pultz , [[Judith Pinsker]] [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1301702/], [[Joseph Behar]] [http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0066875/], [[Stephanie Braxton]] [http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0106187/], Norma Monty , Frank South [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0816041], Dana Herko , [[Ralph Ellis]] [http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0255034/], [[Shelley Curtis]] [http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0193506/], [[Hope Harmel Smith]]
==Awards==
===[[Daytime Emmys]]===
====Winners: Drama series and acting 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 Jacks|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 Jacks|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 Award" [[Anna Lee]]
*2004 "Lifetime Achievement Award" [[Rachel Ames]]
*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"
==Ratings/scheduling history==
When [[American Broadcasting Company|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|NBC's]] ''[[Another World]]'' became highly popular; for two years, it also faced [[CBS|CBS']] ''[[The Price is Right]],'' already a major hit. After continued mediocrity in the [[Nielsen ratings]], [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] was prepared to cancel ''General Hospital'', but decided to give it a second chance 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|Elizabeth Taylor's]] [[Helena Cassadine]] ([[Constance Towers|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 (TV series)|Texas]]'' and ''[[Santa Barbara (TV series)|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 [[1980s|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.
'''Daytime History: Highest Rated Week ([[November 16]] - [[November 20]], [[1981]])'''
'''(Household Ratings- Nielsen Media Research)'''
{| class="wikitable"
|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC"
! Position/Serial || Household Rating || (Time Slot) Network || Millions of Viewers
|-
|''1/General Hospital'' || 16.0 || (3-4pm) ABC || 30
|-
|''2/All My Children'' || 10.2 || (1-2pm) ABC || 13.9
|-
|''3/One Life To Live'' || 10.2 || (2-3pm) ABC || 13.7
|-
|''4/Guiding Light'' || 7.9 || (3-4pm) CBS || 8.3
|}
'''1995 Daytime Serial Ratings'''
{| class="wikitable"
|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC"
! Position/Serial || Avg. Millions of Viewers (Per Episode)
|-
|1/The Young And The Restless || 7.155
|-
|3/General Hospital || 5.343
|}
'''1979-1980 Season (HH Ratings) (Sept 79-Sept 80)'''
*'''1. [[General Hospital]] 9.9'''
'''1981-1982 Season (HH Ratings)'''
*1. '''General Hospital 11.2
*4. [[Guiding Light]] 8.0
'''1982-1983 Season'''
*1. '''General Hospital 9.8'''
*6. Guiding Light 7.4
'''1983-1984 Season'''
*1. '''General Hospital 10.0'''
*5. Guiding Light 8.1
'''1984-1985 Season'''
*1. '''General Hospital 9.1'''
*4. Guiding Light 7.5
'''1985-1986 Season'''
*1. '''General Hospital 9.2'''
*6. Guiding Light 6.8
'''1986-1987 Season'''
*1. '''General Hospital 8.3'''
*7. Guiding Light 6.3
'''1987-1988 Season'''
*1. '''General Hospital 8.1 (#1 in viewers)'''
*2. [[The Young And The Restless]] 8.1 (#2 in viewers)
*7. Guiding Light 6.2
'''1988-1989 Season'''
*1. The Young And The Restless 8.1
*2. '''General Hospital''' 7.5
*7. Guiding Light 6.2
'''1989-1990 Season'''
*1. [[The Young And The Restless]] 8.0
*2. '''General Hospital 7.4'''
*8. Guiding Light 5.4
==Cultural impact==
The popularity of ''General Hospital'' has caused it be parodied or referred to in other mainstream programs. For example, in the early 1960s, 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 (TV series)|House]]'', [[Gregory House|Dr. House]] enjoys ''General Hospital'' and watches it constantly. In the season three episode, [[Half-Wit (House episode)|Half-Wit]], House hides his blood test results under the name, "Luke N. Laura", referencing GH's legendary supercouple.
==Spinoffs==
The success of the long-running soap opera has spawned one daytime spinoff in the [[United States of America|U.S.]], a primetime spinoff in the [[United Kingdom|U.K.]], and a primetime spinoff in the [[United States of America|U.S.]]
====General Hospital: U. K. series====
[[General Hospital (UK TV series)]] (1972-1979), which 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 primetime. 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 [[telenovelas]].
====[[General Hospital: Night Shift]]====
''[[General Hospital: Night Shift]]'' (2007) is the second American primetime spinoff of a daytime drama (the first being ''[[Our Private World]]'', a spinoff of ''[[As the World Turns]]''). It aired from [[July 12]] [[2007]] - [[October 4]] [[2007]] on [[SOAPnet]], a cable channel. According to a SOAPnet spokesperson, Night Shift "will delve deeper into the relationships, friendships and medical cases seen at the hospital." During the months leading up to Night Shift's debut, it was stated several times that GH and Night Shift's storylines would be separate, such as [[Steve Burton|Steve Burton's]] [[Jason Morgan|Jason]] was in police custody on GH, but was not on NS. However, after Night Shift aired its season 1 finale, most NS storylines were mentioned on GH.
ABC Daytime and SOAPnet President [[Brian Frons]] announced during a December 2007 interview with TV Guide's Michael Logan that there will be a second season of Night Shift. However, "Frons says he won't repeat the mistakes of Season 1, when plots didn't sync up with those on the mother ship. (Maxie, dying on one show, was a very busy slut on the other.) Frons admits the spin-off 'put a big strain on the GH team.' He'll bring in a new set of writers and producers to handle Season 2." It was also reported in June 2008 that [[Tristan Rogers]]<ref>http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-Editors-Blog/Soaps-News/Tristan-Rogers-General/800041800</ref> and [[Antonio Sabàto, Jr.]]<ref>http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-Editors-Blog/Soaps-News/Antonio-Sabato-Jr/800041781</ref> will join the cast in the second season as Robert Scorpio and Jagger Cates, respectively.
Several characters specifically created for Night Shift either debuted on GH, or later made the move. These include the following:
* [[Amanda Baker (actress)|Amanda Baker]] as [[Jolene Crowell]]
* [[Regina Thompson|Angel Wainwright]] as [[Regina Thompson]]
* [[Nazanin Boniadi]] as [[Leyla Mir]]
* [[Dominic Rains]] as [[Leo Julian|Dr. Leo Julian]]
* [[Andy Archer|Ron Melendez]] as [[Andy Archer|Dr. Andy Archer]]
* [[Cody Paul|Graham Shiels]] as [[Cody Paul]]
[[Nazanin Boniadi|Boniadi]] became a contracted cast member on GH in October 2007.
==Notes and references==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
*[http://abc.go.com/daytime/generalhospital/index.html Official Website]
*[http://tv.yahoo.com/general-hospital/show/86 "General Hospital"] at [http://tv.yahoo.com/ Yahoo! TV]
*[http://www.wubs.net/ General Hospital from Wubs.net]
*[http://www.soapdom.com/content/section/13/41/ Soapdom: General Hospital (GH)]
*[http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman73/gh.html Daytime Soap Operas General Hospital] - news, rumors, cast updates, polls
*[http://www.soapcentral.com/gh/scoop.php Scoop and Spoilers: SoapCentral.com ]
*[http://soapzone.com/gh/ SoapZone.com: General Hospital Site Menu]
* [http://freewebs.com/abcdaytimepics/ Pictures from all of the current ABC Daytime soap operas].
*[http://video.aol.com/video-category/general-hospital/3336 Full episodes of ''General Hospital'']
*[http://soapzone.com/newsroom.php/gh/news/21-Jan-2008 New opening sequence].
{{General Hospital}}
{{US daytime soaps}}
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