Discover the latest comings and goings in General Hospital, including recasts, returns, and new storylines, as well as the soap opera’s impressive legacy and enduring popularity.
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General Hospital Comings and Goings 2023
As of 2023, there have been several comings and goings at General Hospital. Here’s a detailed summary of the cast changes:
General Hospital Returning Cast Members:
Brad Schmidt: Brad Schmidt is making a return to General Hospital as the character Book, who is currently an inmate at Pentonville. It’s worth noting that Brad Schmidt previously portrayed a recast for the character Brando on June 7, 2022. Now, he’s back in a different role, and viewers can expect to see him on the show during the week of July 24.
Ella Lentini: A new addition to the cast, Ella Lentini, is making her debut on General Hospital as Betty Rutherford, the new nanny for Ava Jerome (portrayed by Maura West). Her scenes with Ava are likely to bring interesting developments to the storyline.
Daisy Wang: Daisy Wang is joining the General Hospital cast as Mandy, a nurse at Ferncliff. Her patient at the facility is Sasha Gilmore (played by Sofia Mattsson). She first appears on the show during the week of July 24.
Kendrick Cross: Kendrick Cross is back on the show reprising his role as Detective Bennett, a PCPD investigator who works on Curtis Ashford’s shooting case. His return is sure to add more intrigue to the ongoing investigation.
Alley Mills: Veteran actress Alley Mills is returning to General Hospital as Heather Webber, a character known for her complex and often devious past. She will first be seen on the show during the week of July 17.
General Hospital Outgoing Cast Members:
Maurice Hall: Actor Maurice Hall is leaving General Hospital as Gordon Stevens. His character’s departure will be permanent, as his on-screen persona, Gordon, meets his end after Dex discovers his dead body.
Walt Willey: Walt Willey, known for his role as Jackson Montgomery on All My Children, made a special appearance on General Hospital in the role of Jackson Montgomery. His scenes aired during July, but his stint on the show has come to an end.
Nicholas Alexander Chavez: Nicholas Alexander Chavez, who portrayed Spencer Cassadine, is temporarily exiting General Hospital. He will be starring in the second season of Netflix’s anthology series, Monster, playing one of the Menedez brothers. During his absence, the show will not recast the role of Spencer.
Lexi Ainsworth: Lexi Ainsworth, who previously portrayed Kristina Corinthos on General Hospital, has left the show. Her role has been taken over by Kate Mansi, known for her work as Abigail Deveraux DiMera on Days of our Lives. Kate Mansi made her first appearance as Kristina during the week of May 22.
Emma Samms: Emma Samms, who portrayed Holly Sutton, has also left the show. Her storyline came to a conclusion, and her character was sent to a burn clinic for her safety after working for Victor.
Dan Buran: Actor Dan Buran is departing from General Hospital as his character, Linc Brown, is arrested at the Nurses’ Ball for being a sexual predator.
General Hospital
General Hospital, often abbreviated as GH, is a renowned American daytime television soap opera with a remarkable history. It holds the Guinness World Record for being the longest-running American soap opera in production and the second longest in American history after Guiding Light. Additionally, it ranks as the world’s third longest-running scripted drama series still in production, following British serials The Archers and Coronation Street, and is the second-longest-running televised soap opera.
The show made its debut on the ABC television network on April 1, 1963, and has since become an iconic program. Created by Frank and Doris Hursley, the series was initially set in a hospital in an unnamed fictional city but was later established in Port Charles, New York, during the 1970s.
Notably, General Hospital is the longest-running serial produced in Hollywood and holds the distinction of being the longest-running entertainment program in ABC television history. It has won an impressive 14 Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Drama Series, a testament to its enduring popularity and quality.
From its inception, General Hospital featured actors John Beradino and Emily McLaughlin, who remained with the show until their passings in 1996 and 1991, respectively. Rachel Ames joined a year later and holds the record as the longest-serving actress on an ABC soap opera, appearing continuously on the show from 1964 to 2007.
Throughout its history, General Hospital has centered its storylines around two prominent families: the Quartermaines and the Spencers. In the late 1970s, it became the most-watched daytime soap opera and gained significant success in the early 1980s, partly due to the immensely popular “supercouple” Luke and Laura. Their wedding in 1981 drew a staggering 30 million viewers, making it the highest-rated hour in American soap opera history.
The show has also been notable for featuring numerous high-profile celebrity guest stars, including Roseanne Barr, James Franco, and Elizabeth Taylor. Time magazine recognized General Hospital as one of the “100 Best TV Shows of All-Time” in 2007. In a significant milestone, the series transitioned to high-definition television broadcasting on April 23, 2009, becoming the first ABC soap opera to do so.
General Hospital’s importance in television history was further solidified on September 17, 2010, when it became the oldest American soap opera following the conclusion of CBS’s As the World Turns. As other soap operas faced cancellations, General Hospital remained the last one standing on ABC after January 13, 2012, following the cancellation of All My Children and One Life to Live.
The show has continued to captivate audiences, celebrating its 50th anniversary on April 1, 2013, and reaching its 15,000th episode on June 22, 2022. Its enduring legacy and success have solidified General Hospital’s place as an iconic and beloved staple in American television.
General Hospital Broadcast
During the 1960s, General Hospital faced competition from other TV shows, such as To Tell the Truth and The Secret Storm on CBS. However, its ratings began to decline in the 1970s, especially when NBC’s Another World became highly popular. The show also had to contend with CBS’s successful game show The Price Is Right.
Due to continued mediocre ratings, ABC considered canceling General Hospital. However, the network decided to give it another chance in 1978 by expanding the show from 45 minutes to a full hour. The producers were given six months to improve the ratings.
Gloria Monty was brought in as the new executive producer, and her collaboration with head writer Douglas Marland led to a remarkable turnaround. By 1979, General Hospital became the most-watched daytime drama, making an impressive comeback from the brink of cancellation. One of the show’s most iconic moments was the wedding of Luke and Laura on November 17, 1981, which drew approximately 30 million viewers, featuring a memorable appearance by Elizabeth Taylor as Helena Cassadine.
From 1979 to 1988, General Hospital remained the number one soap opera in the ratings, competing against game shows and low-rated soaps on NBC and Guiding Light on CBS. Although briefly dethroned by Guiding Light in 1984, General Hospital’s popularity continued even after the departure of popular actors Anthony Geary and Genie Francis in the mid-1980s.
Despite its peak success in the 1980s, General Hospital faced preemptions in certain markets, impacting its viewership. It maintained strong ratings, but its viewership gradually declined from the early 1990s onward. It usually ranked between third and fifth place in the Nielsen ratings, with CBS’s The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful taking the top spots.
Rumors of cancellation surrounded General Hospital for some time, but ABC decided to keep the show on the air, canceling the lower-rated talk show The Revolution instead in 2012. The soap opera moved to the 2 p.m. timeslot starting in September 2012. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, General Hospital suspended production and aired previously banked episodes and vintage repeats. Production resumed in July 2020, and new episodes began airing in August of the same year.
Throughout its long and storied history, General Hospital has experienced ups and downs but has managed to maintain a devoted fanbase and its place as a significant fixture in American television history.
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Categories: General
Source: HIS Education