General Hospital
General Hospital
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General Hospital

5.8
Yr 1963
Status Returning Series
Soap
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Series Brief

Overview

Families, friends, enemies and lovers experience life-changing events in the large upstate New York city of Port Charles, which has a busy hospital, upscale hotel, cozy diner and dangerous waterfront frequented by the criminal underworld.

Status

Latest

  • John Oliver concludes guest arc on General Hospital — July 6, 2026 (tvinsider.com)
Critical Reception

What critics are saying

Score 88 /100

Premiering in 1963, General Hospital was created to capitalize on the popularity of prime-time medical dramas like Dr. Kildare and Ben Casey. Set in the fictional upstate New York town of Port Charles, the series initially focused on the daily personal and professional lives of the doctors, nurses, and patients at the local hospital.

The show expanded dramatically under executive producer Gloria Monty, transitioning into an hour-long format and incorporating high-stakes adventure storylines. This era introduced the romance between Luke Spencer and Laura Webber, an iconic storyline that captured the public's imagination, became a cultural phenomenon, and led to the coining of the television term "supercouple."

Though debuted alongside competing medical soaps like NBC's The Doctors, General Hospital far outlasted its peers. Having run for over six decades, retrospectives highlight its remarkable longevity and massive cultural imprint on daytime television.

“Luke Spencer and Laura Webber, whose iconic romance captured the audience's attention and became a cultural phenomenon, leading to the coining of the term 'supercouple.'”

“Both networks were attempting to capitalize on the popularity of prime-time medical dramas such as Dr. Kildare and Ben Casey.”

“The Doctors ran for nearly 20 years, but General Hospital has lasted three times as long — and counting!”

Transmission Paths

Where to Watch

YouTube TV
US
ITVX
UK
Hulu
US
Show 1 more
fuboTV
US
Why fans love it

General Hospital has remained a consistent fixture in television since 1963. Its longevity comes from a commitment to the rhythm of daytime drama where personal lives are perpetually tied to the professional pressures of a busy hospital. Characters cycle through crises that range from typical medical emergencies to the volatile underworld politics of Port Charles.

The production maintains a specific tension between domestic stability and high-stakes danger. This duality allows actors like Maurice Benard to inhabit roles that span decades, evolving through grief, romance, and rivalry. By grounding surreal narrative shifts in the familiar settings of an upscale hotel or a local diner, the show keeps its emotional stakes clear. It is a dense, ongoing archive of melodrama that requires zero context to feel the weight of its established history.

Featured Players

Cast

Credited 75
Regulars 3
Longest run 4390 eps
Maurice Benard
Maurice Benard
as Sonny Corinthos
1501 episodes
Billy Miller
Billy Miller
as Jason Morgan
501 episodes
Nancy Lee Grahn
Nancy Lee Grahn
as Alexis Davis
1499 episodes
Jophielle Love
Jophielle Love
as Violet Barnes
245 episodes
William deVry
William deVry
as Julian Jerome
500 episodes
Emme Rylan
as Lulu Spencer Falconeri
499 episodes
Maura West
as Ava Jerome
702 episodes
James Patrick Stuart
James Patrick Stuart
as Valentin Cassadine
539 episodes
Show 67 more
Rebecca Herbst as Elizabeth Webber 1203 episodes Scarlett Fernandez as Charlotte Cassadine 249 episodes Finola Hughes as Anna Devane 702 episodes Donnell Turner as Curtis Ashford 947 episodes Anthony Montgomery as Andre Maddox 249 episodes Rebecca Budig as Hayden Barnes 251 episodes Dominic Zamprogna as Det. Dante Falconeri 500 episodes Robert Palmer Watkins as Dillon Quartermaine 499 episodes Jane Elliot as Tracy Quartermaine 249 episodes Chad Duell as Michael Corinthos 747 episodes Roger Howarth as Robert "Franco" Baldwin 499 episodes Jon Lindstrom as Kevin Collins 256 episodes Michelle Stafford as Nina Reeves Clay Lansing Cassadine 499 episodes Carolyn Hennesy as Diane Miller 253 episodes Sonya Eddy as Epiphany Johnson 249 episodes Kin Shriner as Scott Baldwin 501 episodes Hayley Erin as Kiki Jerome 501 episodes Jacklyn Zeman as Bobbie Spencer 249 episodes Vinessa Antoine as Police Commissioner Jordan Ashford 499 episodes Lexi Ainsworth as Kristina Corinthos-Davis 249 episodes Michael Easton as Dr. Hamilton Finn 499 episodes Kathleen Gati as Liesl Obrecht 282 episodes Matt Cohen as Dr. Griffin Munro 499 episodes Marc Anthony Samuel as Felix DuBois 249 episodes Chloe Lanier as Janelle Benson / Nelle Hayes 499 episodes Lynn Herring as Lucy Coe 500 episodes Perry Shen as Brad Cooper 249 episodes Laura Wright as Carly Spencer 1199 episodes Ryan Carnes as Lucas Jones 250 episodes John J. York as Mac Scorpio 249 episodes Leslie Charleson as Dr. Monica Bard Webber Quartermaine 499 episodes Nathan Parsons as Ethan Lovett 254 episodes Risa Dorken as Nurse Amy Driscoll 499 episodes Genie Francis as Laura Williams Vining Webber Baldwin Spencer 700 episodes Jon Lindström as Kevin Collins 250 episodes Maurice Bernard as Sonny Corinthos 246 episodes Briana Henry as Jordan Ashford 246 episodes Steve Burton as Jason Morgan 246 episodes Tamara Braun as Dr. Kim Nero 988 episodes Cynthia Watros as Nina Reeves 990 episodes Jonathan Jackson as Lucky Spencer 2632 episodes Jacob Young as Lucky Spencer 769 episodes Robin Christopher as Skye Chandler 2799 episodes Greg Vaughan as Lucky Spencer 1533 episodes Lindsey Pearlman as Margaret 'Maggie' McMorris 544 episodes Marcus Coloma as Nikolas Cassadine 787 episodes Nicholas Alexander Chavez as Spencer Casssadine 739 episodes Tyler Christopher as Nikolas Cassadine 4390 episodes Stephen Martines as Nikolas Cassadine 769 episodes Evan Hofer as Dex Heller 990 episodes Kate Mansi as Kristina Corinthos-Davis 501 episodes Alexa Havins as Lulu Spencer 251 episodes Eden McCoy as Josslyn Jacks 202 episodes Josh Swickard as Harrison Chase 202 episodes Ryan Paevey as Nathan West 518 episodes Kelly Monaco as Sam McCoy Morgan 747 episodes Kirsten Storms as Maxie Jones 251 episodes Lisa LoCicero as Olivia Falconeri Quartermaine 500 episodes Wally Kurth as Edward "Ned" Lawrence Ashton Quartermaine 500 episodes Haley Pullos as Molly Lansing-Davis 250 episodes Kristina Wagner as Felicia Jones Scorpio 250 episodes Katelyn MacMullen as Willow Tait 202 episodes Kelly Thiebaud as Britt Westbourne 50 episodes Paige Herschell as Jacinda Bracken 42 episodes Nazneen Contractor as Justine Turner 71 episodes Erika Slezak as Veronica Bard 19 episodes Andrew Hawkes as Ross Cullum 27 episodes
Signal Match

Similarity

Where General Hospital overlaps with other shows, and exactly what they have in common.

Keyword Cloud

Keywords

medical drama
Technical Sheet

Details

First Aired
April 01, 1963
Status
Returning Series
Origin
US
TMDB Votes
217