General Hospital (commonly abbreviated
GH) is an
American soap opera broadcast on the
ABC television network during the day and on
SOAPnet each weeknight. It is the longest-running serial produced in
Hollywood, having been taped at
The Prospect Studios (formerly ABC Television Center West) and the Sunset-Gower Studios, as well as the longest-running entertainment program in ABC television history.
General Hospital also holds the record for most
Daytime Emmy Awards for
Outstanding Drama Series, with 10 wins.
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.
General Hospital originally aired for a half-hour, until the network expanded it to 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.
