In its 62-year history, gh has won numerous Daytime Emmy Awards, establishing itself as a benchmark within the soap opera genre. Despite its focus on the staff and patients of a fictional hospital, the series has ventured into romance, action-adventure, and even the occasional horror (blood). General Hospital has always been at the forefront of medical drama and continues to set the standard for its competitors.
The first episodes of the show debuted on April 1, 1963. Set in the fictional midsized Eastern city of Port Charles, the show centered around Dr. Steve Hardy (John Beradino) and Nurse Jessie Brewer (Emily McLaughlin). It wasn’t until 1964 that General Hospital started to garner a following when the character of Flight Attendant Audrey March (Rachel Ames) came on the scene.
As the show continued to expand and grow in popularity, it began to take on a different feel than other daytime soaps of its time. The characters started to develop more depth and the writers began tackling serious medical issues like AIDS and cancer.
By the 1990s, the GH writers created one of the most memorable and enduring love stories in soap opera history with Stone Cates (Michael Sutton) and Robin Scorpio (Kimberly McCullough). Their story was not only a major success, but it also sparked a movement within the entertainment industry to address AIDS and sexual health on primetime television.
General Hospital has since been a part of the ABC family, winning multiple Daytime Emmys along the way. With a large cast of veteran actors still making regular appearances, it hasn’t lost sight of its legacy and continues to keep audiences interested by exploring the lives of its characters.
With the departure of executive producer Ron Hale, the show struggled through some difficult times, but when Valentini took over as head writer in 2012, he leaned into the series’ past and brought back many former stars. While some have only made guest appearances, others are still part of the front-burner stories.
GH may have room for improvement, but it’s still a great soap that’s worth watching. As long as they keep up the pacing, we’ll be here for them. Now if they can just get rid of that pesky Gio reveal!