General Hospital is a daytime drama with a passionate fanbase. The show has been known to address controversial issues and has also had its fair share of on-set drama.
The soap opera often focuses on romantic relationships and medical emergencies. Its writers are responsible for crafting engaging stories that resonate with viewers.
1. The Ice Princess Storyline
When the movie first debuted, it was a huge success. It was a teen flick starring John Cusack and Kim Cattrall that brought a refreshing, yet lighthearted spin on the “mother-daughter drama” genre. The film featured everything a teenage girl could ask for: mother-daughter skating drama, popular girl-nerd drama, and cute boy-dorky girl drama. It also had a bit of The Cutting Edge, A Beautiful Mind and Bring it On thrown in for good measure.
The plot revolved around Casey Carlyle, a self-proclaimed physics-phenom whose dreams of Harvard are put on hold when she becomes obsessed with figure skating and her coach, Tina. The plot was a great way for the show to introduce several new characters. It also showed how much General Hospital was willing to push the boundaries when it came to its storylines.
General Hospital first premiered in 1963, and the early stories were set at an unnamed midsized Eastern city (the name Port Charles wouldn’t be mentioned until the late 1970s). The show mainly focused on Steve Hardy and his friend Nurse Jessie Brewer. In 1964, Audrey March (Rachel Ames), a former flight attendant and the sister of Jessie, joined the canvas.
When pediatrician Ryan Chamberlain (Jon Lindstrom) arrived in Port Charles in 1992, it was clear he was up to no good. His first meeting with Felicia Jones (Kristina Wagner) should have sent off alarm bells. He was both creepy and charming, which made it difficult for her to tell him apart. His lust for her was obvious, but he seemed just as desperate to keep his secret hidden. His plan would eventually put Port Charles into a deep freeze.
2. The Robin Scorpio Storyline
The scheming Robin Scorpio (Kimberly McCullough) is one of the most memorable characters to have graced the halls of General Hospital. In fact, she was the first person to ever reveal that Sonny Corinthos had HIV, which shocked the entire town.
When it comes to keeping secrets, Robin is a professional. She learned how to do it in the WSB and she’s used her skills throughout her time on the soap. She was the go-to gal to keep everyone in line and she even helped a few of her friends out of trouble, such as assisting with the malpractice suit against the mayor over Brianna Hughes’s (Sandra Bullock) death.
However, it was her love life that brought her to the end of her tether. When she discovered that Patrick (James Patrick Ryan) was having an affair with Lisa Spencer (Michelle Malick), it drove a wedge between them. She eventually broke up with him and took Emma back to her home.
But then a fire started at her house, and Robin blamed Lisa for it. As a result, she got a promotion at the WSB and moved into a new home with her daughter. She later found out that she was being stalked by Lisa. She even accused Lisa of kidnapping her and forcing her to jump in front of a car that she was driving.
In the end, Lisa got caught and thrown into jail. But despite all of this, Robin remained true to her beliefs and helped her parents through their struggles. She also helped find a cure for Jerry Jacks’ (Sebastian Roche) illness, and she was seen on Cassadine Island with Faison’s (Anders Hove) assistant, Dr. Obrecht (Kathleen Gati).
3. The Sonny Corinthos Storyline
Sonny Corinthos is one of the most popular characters in daytime soap opera history. Maurice Benard captivated viewers as the scheming mob boss, achieving super-couple status with Brenda Barrett (Vicky Richardson) in 1993. The pair was in and out of love triangles throughout the 1990s, reaching the pinnacle of their pairing at the end of the decade with teen heartthrob Miguel Morez (Corbin Bernsen).
After Gloria Monty left General Hospital in 1987, Wendy Riche was hired as executive producer, and the show gained critical acclaim for its sensitive handling of social issues. In 1994 the Nurses’ Ball was launched, a fundraiser and AIDS awareness event. A year later, the show introduced a recurring storyline about organ transplantation. A child dies, and a family member must donate their heart to save the child’s life. The series’ handling of this issue was groundbreaking for its time and it was the first of many such stories to be featured on the series.
As the scheming mobster, Sonny was involved in some of the most iconic scenes in the show’s history. He rekindled his romance with Sam McCall and was forced to confess that he is the father of Alexis’s daughter Kristina when she is stillborn. He was also the father of Michael’s half-brother, and he helped to save A.J. Quartermaine’s life by donating his own stem cells.
His most vicious feud was with Jagger Cates, who framed him for murder and made him the scapegoat for his mother Karen’s drug-related death. Initially, Sonny tried to convince Jagger that he would take care of his business by going to prison, but eventually resorted to more drastic measures. Holding him at gunpoint, Sonny shot Jagger and brought the fight to a merciful end.
4. The Carly Corinthos Storyline
The daughter of one of soap opera’s most powerful mobster bosses, Carly Corinthos was always up for a good time. She enrolled in the nursing program at GH and quickly seduced her mother’s husband, Tony Jones. Then, on the rebound, she slept with A.J. Quartermaine and got pregnant. After she sparked a fight with A.J., he blackmailed her and convinced her to pass the baby off as his, Jason Morgan’s. Carly eventually figured out the truth and she and A.J. ended up married.
The marriage was strained when A.J.’s brother, Ric, returned to town and wanted to destroy him. He did so by putting Carly in jeopardy of losing her son. After she was pushed down the stairs at the Quartermaine mansion, resulting in a miscarriage, Ric tried to get her to sign a document declaring he was the father so he could take the child. Sonny came to her rescue and ended up granting Carly a divorce.
Later, Carly would become entangled in the plot to expose mobster Lorenzo Alcazar as the killer of Sage Evans and was shocked when she realized Jax had manipulated her into the situation. Her happiness with Sonny was short-lived, though, when Brenda Barrett (Josie Benson) arrived in Port Charles and was the target of a vicious attack.
Carly also sparked a short-lived romance with Johnny Zacchara (Michael Mealor), despite being engaged to Franco. But Carly found out that he was actually Kate’s twin, Connie Falconeri, who suffered from dissociative identity disorder and used the alias when he slept with her. Later, she was involved with Todd Manning and defended her son Morgan from a scheme by his father, Ava Jerome (Monica Keena). Carly sold a secret to Sonny and ended up getting tangled in the shady dealings of mob rival Cyrus Renault (Louise Lee). It would be her final fling when it was revealed that a doctor had harmed Michael and left him in a permanent coma.
5. The Franco Corinthos Storyline
When General Hospital launched in 1963, it focused on the romances of Port Charles doctors and nurses. Over the years, it branched out into the relationships of families such as the Webbers, Spencers, and Quartermaines. The show also became famous for its controversial storylines.
In 1975, a plot involving a babysitter whose throat was slashed caused outrage and led to a public apology from the show. Later, GH shattered ratings records when mobster Sonny Corinthos married Brenda Barrett (Vanessa Marcil). This was the first daytime supercouple in television history and one of the most popular GH storylines of all time.
General Hospital is also credited with being one of the first soap operas to tackle social issues. In 1994, the show began a tradition of holding an annual Nurses’ Ball to raise money and awareness for HIV/AIDS. The event is still held to this day and has become a major draw for fans.
The show also addressed mental health issues that were largely ignored on daytime television. In 1999, General Hospital debuted a storyline that explored Sonny’s bipolar disorder and showed how his condition affected his relationships with others. It was a groundbreaking storyline that paved the way for other soaps to follow suit and address a serious mental illness on screen.
Despite being threatened with cancellation numerous times throughout its early years, General Hospital managed to turn things around when Gloria Monty took over as executive producer in 1978. Along with headwriter Douglas Marland, who created longtime staples such as the Quartermaines and Spencers, Monty helped GH reach record-breaking ratings. The show has remained at the top of its ratings ever since. To this day, General Hospital is known for pushing the boundaries of what is considered acceptable in a daytime drama and is often ahead of its rivals when it comes to innovative plotlines.
