General Hospital

General Hospital, the multi Emmy Award-Winning drama series hailed by critics as the 'The Greatest Soap Opera of All Time', will celebrate 50 years of broadcasting in 2013. The tradition of passion, intrigue, and adventure takes place in the fictional town of Port Charles, set in upstate New York. The glamour and excitement of those who have come to find their destinies in this familiar seaport town intertwine with the lives, loves, and fortunes of beloved, well-known faces. And, as always, love and danger continue to abound whether on the docks, in the ER, at brownstones, or trespassing on Quartermaine property with contemporary story lines and unforgettable characters. In the past several years, General Hospital has been praised by national organizations for elevating the public awareness of several important social issues. It has received three SHINE awards for its continued contribution to the awareness of sexual responsibility. The Ryan White Foundation presented its 1996 Ryan's Angels Award to "General Hospital" for the moving and thorough examination of HIV/AIDS through the characters of Robin, Stone, and the Nurses' Ball. The show was further honored by the American Red Cross for its HIV/AIDS-related storylines. Several other prestigious awards have been bestowed upon "General Hospital" for confronting sexual child abuse, organ donation, and other social issues as well. The program inspired Port Charles, the spin-off series that premiered in June 1997, and ended October 2003. In 2007 the 3rd spin-off General Hospital: Night Shift premiered which revolves around the interns and the doctors working the night shift at the hospital and ended October 2008. GH has had lots of movie and tv stars (and those in the making) over the years such as Demi Moore, Jack Wagner, Vanessa Marcil, Elizabeth Taylor, Ricky Martin, Rick Springfield, John Stamos, among others, as well as other soap opera stars. General Hospital is the longest-running dramatic serial on the ABC Network, and is the longest-running daytime drama produced on the West Coast. In May of 2000, General Hospital made Daytime Emmy history as the only Daytime drama to ever receive the prestigious Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama series a record seven times, marking the show's fifth win in six years (1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, and 2000). It had also garnered the Emmy Award as Outstanding Daytime Drama Series in 1980-81 and 1983-84. In the 40th Anniversary Special Edition of TV Guide, General Hospital was hailed as the "All-Time Best Daytime Soap." General Hospital was created by Frank and Doris Hursley. General Hospital currently airs Monday-Friday (2:00-3:00 p.m., ET; & 1:00-2:00 p.m., PT) on the ABC Television Network. GH also reruns current episodes at 10pm, 3am, and 10am-as well as a weekend marathon on SOAPnet, the 24 hour Soap Opera Network.