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General Hospital is the longest-running daytime soap opera on the American ABC television network, and is also the longest-running soap opera produced in Hollywood. The show debuted on April 1, 1963, the same day that rival network NBC launched its own medical soap opera, The Doctors. The show originally aired for a half-hour until the network expanded it to 45 minutes in 1976, and then to an hour in 1978. The serial was created by soap writers Frank and Doris Hursley, a husband-and-wife team. The show is often credited for starting several trends in the soap opera genre in the 1980s, most notably that of the supercouple and 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. 
HistoryThe first stories were mainly set at a general hospital in Port Charles, a fictional New York town, and revolved around manly doctor Steve Hardy (John Beradino) and his nurse Jessie Brewer (Emily McLaughlin). Steve was chief of Internal Medicine on the hospital's seventh floor and dedicated his life to healing and caring for the sick, ably assisted by Nurse Jessie. Jessie's turbulent marriage to the much younger Dr Phil Brewer was the center of many early storylines. Over the years, Phil became renowned for his philandering, with Jessie constantly forgiving her errant husband for his affairs. The seemingly neverending cycle of separation and reconciliation between the two finally ended in 1974, when Dr Phil Brewer was murdered. Another nurse, Lucille March (Lucille Wall), brought her sister, flight attendant Audrey (Rachel Ames) to town; slowly but surely, she romanced Dr. Hardy, eventually marrying him three times. While there was no overt tension, Jessie was disappointed as there had always been an air of sexual tension between her and Steve. It was never acted upon, as they remained close friends until Jessie (and actress Emily McLaughlin) died in 1991. Steve Hardy himself died five years later when his portrayer, John Bernadino passed away in 1996. The show was glacially paced and low-rated in the earlier years, save for one relatively high-rated and fast-paced plot in 1971. In this storyline Audrey was accused of murdering her son's babysitter and General Hospital was briefly elevated to the number one position, beating long time ratings giant As the World Turns. However, the success was shortlived. Due to relatively easygoing choices in storyline, the show almost always lost out to rival medical soap The Doctors, which was considered by many to be more daring. Although TIME noted that the acting performances were decent, an article on the soap genre, in 1976, panned General Hospital's minimal budget for settings and props, calling it not unlike a high school production. Faced with cancellation threats in 1978, ABC brass brought on Gloria Monty as Executive Producer. Monty had much experience in the genre from directing The Secret Storm for years. Under her tutelage, General Hospital bounced back from the brink and subsequently became the highest-rated American soap opera, from 1979 to 1988. Monty stayed as Executive Producer until 1987, only to return in 1991 and 1992. Thanks to Monty, the show is perhaps most famous for the supercouple pairing of Luke Spencer and Laura Webber (Anthony Geary and Genie Francis). While the show had managed to be saved from cancellation thanks in part to a plot where Laura accidentally murdered her much older lover, David Hamilton, it wasn't until Laura was paired with Luke that General Hospital became the phenomenon that it was for most of the 1980s. Their wedding in November 1981 was the highest rated episode of any Daytime Soap Opera in the United States. The show has also created other popular pairings in Holly Sutton and Robert Scorpio (Emma Samms and Tristan Rogers) as well as Duke Lavery and Anna Devane (Ian Buchanan and Finola Hughes), and the show's focus began to drift away from the original hospital setting onto a series of action-adventure plots, most of which were highly successful with the show's audience. In the 1990s, the show gained critical acclaim for its sensitive handling of social issues, most notable of which were the heart transplant storyline which involved the horrific death of eight year old BJ Jones (in a bus crash and the subsequent donation of her heart to her dying cousin Maxie), Monica Quartermaine (Leslie Charleson)'s bout with breast cancer and the love story of Stone Cates (Michael Sutton) and Robin Scorpio (Kimberly McCullough), which was tragically shortened by Stone's death from the AIDS virus, and followed by storylines in which Robin had to deal with being HIV positive as a result of her and Stone's relationship. While General Hospital has had, for many years, plots that have been widely considered preposterous (the town of Port Charles was going to be placed under a deep freeze by maniacal Mikkos Cassadine; luckily, Luke and Laura saved the town just in time), arguably, the most tired plot among fans today is the constant emphasis on the mafia and character Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard). He, his wife Carly (Tamara Braun), his confidante Jason (Steve Burton), and Sonny's sister Courtney (Alicia Leigh Willis) have received the lion's share of airtime for years now. Fans have been deeply divided by this turn of events, as many like the four characters while others resent their constant use. Noticing the unrest among fans, head writers Robert Guza, Jr. and Charles Pratt, Jr. have shied away from using solely these characters in their traditional roles (when they have been shown, their love lives have been ripped apart, instead focusing on entanglements with other romantic interests). ABC aired its 10,000th episode on April 17, 2002. Other notable entertainers that have appeared on General Hospital include: Demi Moore as Jackie Templeton, Jack Wagner as Frisco Jones, Elizabeth Taylor as the original Helena Cassadine, Ricky Martin as Miguel Morez, and Rick Springfield as Dr. Noah Drake. CastCurrent cast members
Recurring cast members
AwardsThe show, as well as many of its actors and crew, have been nominated for many dozens of awards, winning on many occasions. Some of the more noted major awards (Daytime Emmy Awards, Soap Opera Digest Awards, and Young Artist Awards) won are listed below. Daytime Emmy AwardsShow
Individuals
Soap Opera Digest AwardsShow
Individuals
Young Artist Awards
See also
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