Today, ABC will air the 16,000th episode of “General Hospital.”
In this episode, Jason Morgan (Steve Burton) returns to the show’s hometown of Port Charles, New York, and Anna (Finola Hughes) and Valentin (James Patrick) are reunited. A new surgeon, Dr. Tristan Roberts (Dean Geyer), joins the staff. The doctor is named after longtime General Hospital cast member Tristan Rogers, who passed away last August. Rogers played Robert Scorpio on the show from 1980 to 2025.
Now in its 64th year, “General Hospital” is the longest-running American scripted drama and the longest-running American soap opera currently in production.
“General Hospital” premiered in 1963, and the soap is also the show that won the most outstanding Daytime Emmy Award (18 times). Nominations for the 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, July 14th.
“General Hospital” has welcomed many famous guests over its long history. Elizabeth Taylor appeared in the episode where Luke (Anthony Geary) and Laura (Jeannie Francis) got married, and Scorpio served as Luke’s chaperone. The 1981 episode drew 30 million viewers. Most recently, John Oliver appeared on the show as a helicopter-riding, gun-toting character in a series of episodes earlier this month.
The cast, crew, and creative team celebrated the 16,000th episode with a cake-cutting ceremony on June 1st on the grounds of Prospect Studios in Los Angeles.
The show was created by Frank and Doris Hursley. Frank Valentini will serve as executive producer, and Elizabeth Korte and Chris Van Etten will serve as co-writers.
“General Hospital” airs weekdays on ABC and then streams on Hulu.
