General Hospital seems poised to continue at ABC. Amid growing fears that the hit soap could take a page out of Days of Our Lives‘ book after that series moved from NBC to Peacock after 57 years, Craig Erwich, President of Disney Television Group, addressed General Hospital‘s future on ABC, confirming that the network remains “deeply committed” to the long-running soap.
“[GH is] absolutely a tremendous pride for us,” Erwich told Soap Hub following his Q&A session as part of the Winter press tour. “The show’s been on for 60 years. That is a remarkable achievement. And the great thing about General Hospital is that it’s on daily. It’s an opportunity for us to delight, entertain, and surprise people on a daily basis. The joy is to have an audience who has watched the show for 60 years; they’re now watching with their kids and grandkids.”
Originally premiering on April 1, 1963, and currently holding the Guinness World Record for the longest-running daytime soap opera in production, General Hospital was created by Frank and Doris Hursley, with Frank Valentini currently serving as executive producer and showrunner. Chris Van Etten and Dan O’Connor are the co-head writers. The series has been a staple of ABC’s daytime programming for the past six decades, recently celebrating its 60th anniversary with General Hospital: 60 Years of Stars and Storytelling.
“Because the stories are on, on a daily basis, they just become a part of people’s lives – and that’s the goal of ABC,” Erwich continued. “We’re very committed to the show. You saw the way that we celebrated the 60th [anniversary]. We do that because it’s a show we’re very proud of. We remain deeply committed to General Hospital.”
Erwich comments make it seem likely that not only will General Hospital be renewed, but the series will continue to air on ABC rather than make the move to streaming, a shift that fellow soap Days of Our Lives made in 2022. The beloved soap, set in the fictional town of Port Charles, in upstate New York, holds the record for most Daytime Emmy Awards for Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, with 14 wins. The cast includes Tabyana Ali, Tajh Bellow, Maurice Benard, Nicholas Chavez, Chad Duell, Michael Easton, Jane Elliot, Genie Francis, and more. In the past, actors such as John Stamos, Demi Moore, Rick Springfield, and even Elizabeth Taylor have appeared in the daytime soap. New episodes air weekdays on ABC. Episodes are also available to stream on Hulu.