General Hospital

Once upon a time there was a "story" that brought the kids home from school just to see it. It was called "DARK SHADOWS", but then later another soap did the same thing, it was called GENERAL HOSPITAL. In the early 80's this show managed to rise above it's soapiness with sharp writing and novel concepts that attracted the younger viewers female AND male. Throughout the 80's and early 90's GH managed to ride on that loyal fan base. But during the last 7-8 years GH has struggled mainly due to LOUSY WRITING. The current scribes seem to think the audience wants to watch heroic crime-lords break the law and beloved characters die horribly. It's a shame that this once cutting edge show has devolved into a show about a mobster, his moll and his cardboard cut-out henchman. ABC should either fire the current writers and producers or PULL THE PLUG on this terminal soap.

General Hospital is a long running soap opera that had wonderful leadership with Gloria Monty and Wendy Riche and amazing writers like Claire Labine. Also great performances by John Beradino,Rachel Ames, Tony Geary,Genie Francis,Tristan Rogers,Finola Hughes,Kimberly Mccullough,Vanessa Marcil,Alicia Leigh Willis and Billy Warlock.

Tristan Rogers and Finola Hughes were incredible as Robert and Anna in the 80s and 90s where GH was filled with action,adventure and romance.

The highlight of the 1990s included storylines of the family. BJ Jones's death, Monica Quartermaine fighting breast cancer, Stone and Robin's love story and their AIDS storyline. Plus the amazing chemistry and connection that made Sonny&Brenda soulmates.

GH hit a rough patch in 2000-2001 with many backstage changes but it is improving in 2002. One of the most promising current storylines is the AJ Quartermaine and Courtney Matthews relationship. Billy Warlock and Alicia Leigh Willis have phenomenal chemistry that makes watching in 2002 a must.

General Hospital used to be a great show. Back in the late-70's and early 80's..it was THE SOAP to watch.

In the early 90's, when Claire and Matthew Labine took over head writing duties, General Hospital spotlighted so many fantastic, heartwrenching, and honest stories. I mean, what fan of this show will EVER forget Stone and Robin's love story. Stone, dying of AIDS-blind due to it...takes his last glimpse of his love, Robin by a window and hapilly says "I can see you"...then passes away. Or will the forget the Breast Cancer storyline, when Monica cuts her bandages off to see that she has no breast, and she just begins to cry uncontrollably. Or, the revolutionary and GUTSY storyline when young Maxie is dying from a heart condition, and is need of a transplant. At the same time...her cousin Barbara Jean (B.J.) is rendered brain dead in a school bus accident. Tony and Bobbie decide to donate her organs. Meanwhile Felicia (Maxie's mom), gets the news that a donor heart has been found. So she goes to Bobbie happy that they have found a heart for her daughter. Her happiness turns to horror when she finds Bobbie crying. Instantly, Felicia knows...

"Noooo. Not Barbara Jean. Not Barbara Jean's heart."

And she collapses to the floor, crying. I cry now as I think about it, and this was ten years ago. And then the scene where Tony hovers over Maxie, as she recovers from the transplant. And he leans down and places his ear over her chest to hear the beating heart that belonged to his deceased daughter. Oh man...

This was OUTSTANDING TELEVISION!

Sadly, GH has regressed so much under the watch of Bob Guza, Jr. I don't care what anyone says....it's BLASPHEMY to put a Spencer with a Cassadine!!! To me...this show is long gone. With the loss of some of my favorite actors (Johnathan Jackson, Amber Tamblyn, Kimberly McCullough, Sarah Brown), and some truly horiffic writing, storylines and pairings....I can never watch this show with the same enthusiasm as I did ten and twenty years ago. For me though...there are few saving graces for this show. The Quartermaines': John Ingle...whom not only has filled the shoes of David Lewis' "Edward Quartermaine" character...but has greatly improved on the original (and this is saying A LOT, as David Lewis was FANTASTIC as Edward), Leslie Charleson, Stuart Damon, Anna Lee, Jane Eliot (always a good watch when she returns from time to time), and Robin Christopher (GREAT). Maurice Benard as "Sonny" still delivers the goods. And of course, Tony Geary as "Luke Spenser". I just wish the material was better. Sadly, unless the Labines come back, or someone can be the second coming of Gloria Monty...I'll just be a viewer on occasion.

Back in September, I thought GH was finally starting to improve but sadly that was a brief improvement and it is now downhill. Soap Operas have similar storylines sometimes but General Hospital only has the same recycled storylines. The show is predictable and boring. General Hospital has a large and wonderful cast including Robin Christopher, Nancy Lee Grahn, Tony Geary, Rebecca Herbst, Leslie Charleson, Billy Warlock, Stuart Damon, Chad Brannon and so many others. Yet General Hospital seems to waste this large ensemble cast and only use them to prop up four characters, known as the drab four (Sonny,Carly,Jason and Courtney) by some fans. General Hospital has turned into a wanna be Sopranos. They hardly ever showcase the hospital or the families. They have backburned older characters or gotten rid of them, like original cast member Rachel Ames (Audrey Hardy). The show now puts down the police and strong women like Alexis, Elizabeth, Monica and Carly. The writing is god awful and the pairings lack chemistry and are forced, especially the pairing of Jason and Courtney. Alicia Leigh Willis's Courtney showed promise in the beginning but without Billy Warlock's AJ the character and actress is a disaster. Nancy Lee Grahn's Alexis was once a strong independent lawyer who is now reduced to dressing like a man to see her daughter. General Hospital is now the worst show. It is appalling.

General Hospital needs to write better for it's women, for the police and for all it's characters. They need storylines about family, love, adventure and storylines that are not about the mob. They need couples with actual chemistry that sizzle like Steve Burton and Rebecca Herbst's Jason and Liz, Zander and Emily or Alexis with either Luke, Ned, or Cameron. Ted King's return as Lorenzo Alcazar is a great move but GH does not need more characters. It needs balance, and great writing.

I'm so tired of people saying that General Hospital is just a stale old soap opera. GH has been a staple of ABC's daytime lineup for 39 years. It's 3rd in the ratings and I think that ain't half bad considering it's age. The Alexis, Sonny, Carly triangle is a masterpiece destined to go down in GH's extremly long history. The actors and actresses who portray the characters on the show are fantastic and so are the writers. I get very upset when people say that it's a stale soap. So when GH tries to do something exciting and fun people say that it is not true soap storytelling. Just like the revival of the Cassidines (Helena, Stavros). I thought that that was a great storyline. In closing I would just like to say that General Hospital is on the track to taking back the ratings crown from The Young and the Restless. Your the greatest GH!!!!