| | General Hospital (1963) General Hospital is the longest-running ABC Daytime American serial broadcast on the American Broadcasting Company television network. It is also the longest-running serial produced in Hollywood (having been taped at the Prospect Avenue ABC Television Center West and Sunset-Gower Studios). Set in the fictional city of Port Charles, New York, General Hospital debuted on April 1, 1963, the same day that rival network NBC launched its own medical daytime drama, The Doctors. The show originally aired for a half-hour until the network expanded it to the unusual length of 45 minutes in 1976, and then to a full hour in 1978. The serial was created by soap writers Frank and Doris Hursley, a husband-and-wife team. General Hospital is credited for starting several trends in the soap opera genre in the 1980s, most notably that of the 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. The General Hospital of today centers on Kelly's diner, Sonny Corinthos' penthouse the Quartermaine house and sometimes the Hospital. Once a show based around the hospital and it's employees it is now centered on the mob. Maurice Bernard headlines the show about some of the residents of the fictitious town of Port Charles, NY. Stories focus on Sonny and how his life affects the people around him, mainly his wife Carly, his main hit man/best friend Jason Morgan (formally Quartermaine) and Sonny's recently acquired 21-year-old sister Courtney. Other story lines that may be featured will focus on the quirky Quartermaines, which include Skye, AJ, Ned, Edward, and Emily. Promising story lines on the show at the moment are the stories of Elizabeth Webber and Ric Lancing and the current Teen storyline.
Status : Running  | | Running Time : 1 hour | | Premiered : April 01, 1963 | | Number of Episodes : 11371 | | Language : English | | TV Station : ABC | | Country : United States | | Picture Format : NTSC (480i) | | Audio Format : Stereophonic Sound | | Camera Setup : Multi-Camera setup | | Caption : Closed Caption | | Genre : Drama | | Age Rating : PG-13 |
|
|
