Derk Cheetwood

General Hospital (often abbreviated as GH) is an American daytime television soap opera.

It is listed in Guinness World Records as the longest-running American soap opera in production, and the second in American history after Guiding Light.

Concurrently, it is the world's third longest-running scripted drama series in production after British serials The Archers and Coronation Street, as well as the world's second-longest-running televised soap opera still in production.

General Hospital was the second soap to air on ABC (after the short-lived Road to Reality, which aired for several months during the 1960–61 season).

General Hospital premiered on the ABC television network on April 1, 1963.

General Hospital is the longest-running serial produced in Hollywood, and the longest-running entertainment program in ABC television history.

It holds the record for most Daytime Emmy Awards for Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, with 14 wins.

The show was created by husband-and-wife soap writers Frank and Doris Hursley, who originally set it in a hospital, in an unnamed fictional city.

General Hospital was created by Frank and Doris Hursley and premiered on April 1, 1963, replacing the canceled game show Yours for a Song.

Launched in 1963, the first stories were mainly set at General Hospital in an unnamed midsized Eastern city.

Storylines revolved around Steve Hardy (John Beradino) and his friend, Nurse Jessie Brewer (Emily McLaughlin).

Jessie's turbulent marriage to the much-younger Phil Brewer (originally portrayed by Roy Thinnes; lastly by Martin West) was the center of many early storylines.

They were joined a year later by Rachel Ames who remains to date the longest serving actress on an ABC soap opera, having been continuously on the show from 1964 to 2007.

In 1964, a sister soap was created for General Hospital, The Young Marrieds; it ran for two years and was canceled because of low ratings.

In 1964 Audrey Hardy (Rachel Ames), a flight attendant and sister of Nurse Lucille (Lucille Wall), came to town, and was the woman who won Steve's heart.

In the 1970s, the city was named Port Charles, New York.

Ever since the late 1970s, most of the storylines have revolved around the Quartermaine family and the Spencer family.

The first stories were mainly set on the seventh floor of General Hospital, in an unnamed midsize Eastern city (the name of the city, Port Charles, would not be mentioned until the late 1970s by headwriters Eileen and Robert Mason Pollock. ). "They had this concept of the show that it was like a big wagon wheel – the spokes would be the characters and the hub would be the hospital", John Beradino (Steve Hardy) later reflected to Entertainment Weekly in 1994.

By the end of the 1970s, General Hospital was facing dire ratings when executive producer Gloria Monty was brought in to turn the show around.

Monty is credited with creation of the first supercouple, Luke and Laura, played by Anthony Geary and Genie Francis.

Taped at The Prospect Studios, General Hospital aired for a half-hour until July 23, 1976.

The series was expanded from 30 minutes to 45 minutes on July 26, 1976, and then to a full hour on January 16, 1978.

From 1979 to 1988, General Hospital had more viewers than any other daytime soap opera.

It rose to the top of the ratings in the early 1980s in part thanks to the monumentally popular "supercouple" Luke and Laura, whose 1981 wedding brought in 30 million viewers and remains the highest-rated hour in American soap opera history.

The soap opera is also known for its high-profile celebrity guest stars who have included, among others, Roseanne Barr, James Franco and Elizabeth Taylor.

During the 1980s, the series featured several high-profile action, adventure, and some science fiction-based storylines.

Location shooting at sites including Mount Rushmore in South Dakota; Niagara Falls; Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee; Atlantic City, New Jersey; Big Bear and Avalon (Catalina Island), California; and San Antonio, Texas are some that propelled the story.

The end of their hour wedding on November 17, 1981, was the most-watched event in daytime serial history.

After Gloria Monty first left the series in 1987, General Hospital entered into a transitional phase that lasted until Wendy Riche took the position of executive producer in 1992.

Under Riche, the show gained critical acclaim for its sensitive handling of social issues.

In 1994, Riche started an annual Nurses' Ball, a fundraiser and HIV/AIDS awareness event both on the show and in real life.

Later that year, a heart transplantation storyline involves the death of eight-year-old B. J. Jones (daughter of Dr. Tony Jones and Bobbie Spencer) in a bus crash and the subsequent donation of her heart to her dying cousin Maxie Jones.

Shortly afterwards, Monica Quartermaine (Leslie Charleson) begins a long battle with breast cancer, which leads to her adopting Emily Quartermaine, the orphaned young daughter of Monica's friend from treatment.

From its beginning, General Hospital starred John Beradino and Emily McLaughlin, and both actors stayed with the show until their deaths in 1996 and 1991, respectively.

General Hospital also spawned the daytime series Port Charles (1997–2003) and the primetime spin-off General Hospital: Night Shift (2007–2008).

In 2007, the program was listed as one of Time magazine's "100 Best TV Shows of All-Time".

On April 23, 2009, General Hospital began broadcasting in high-definition television, making it the first ABC soap opera to make such a transition.

General Hospital became the oldest American soap opera on September 17, 2010, following the final broadcast of CBS's As the World Turns.

On April 14, 2011, ABC announced the cancellation of both All My Children and One Life to Live, leaving General Hospital as the last remaining soap opera airing on the network after January 13, 2012.

The show celebrated its 50th anniversary on April 1, 2013, and its 15,000th episode on June 22, 2022.