General Hospital is considered a legendary soap opera for multiple reasons, being the longest-running drama currently on air and celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2023. But for now, GH has another major milestone to celebrate.
Filmed in May and airing on ABC on June 22, 2022, the beloved soap premiered its 15,000th episode that featured a memorable story, some iconic veteran charactersportrayed by their veteran actors, and heartwarming nods to years past in the form of flashbacks and a special song.
Centers Around A ‘GH’ Legend
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General Hospital’s 15,000th episode acted as a standalone, meaning the entire storyline would be wrapped up within the 60 minutes it aired, and regular storylines would pick up in the following episode.
To mark this momentous occasion for the soap, the episode centered around one of GH’s most legendary characters: Laura Collins. Better known as Laura Spencer, the woman who now goes by Mayor Collins had all of Port Charles rally around her when an anonymous op-ed threatened her position as mayor.
The Episode Begins Outside The Set
General Hospital has been filmed on sets at The Prospect Studios in Los Angeles, California for decades, and avid GH Viewers may have noticed something that made the 15,000th episode extra special when it opened with Laura pulling up to the hospital.
When Laura gets out of her car with its New York license plate, she looks up at a big, blue sign that reads “General Hospital” before walking into the famous building. But rather than filming on a set, that scene took place outside the actual Prospect Studios, giving viewers a glimpse of the actual entrance sign the production cast and crew walk by every day.
Almost Every Cast Member Appeared
Episode Number 15,000 is one surely no actor would want to miss, and fortunately for those who play in Port Charles, hardly anyone did. The episode featured what appeared to be almost every contract player currently on the soap, as well as a few notable recurring ones.
A total of 33 characters appeared in this legendary episode, including nine vets from the 70s and 80s, several beloved characters from the 90s and 2000s, and two younger actors who are new to the scene and wowing viewers.
Flashbacks Galore
Flashbacks are typical in soaps to remind viewers of important story details, memories, or major character revelations. And sometimes, flashbacks serve as an unexpected walk down memory lane.
For the 15,000th episode, GH flashed back not only to Laura and Scotty’s 1979 wedding (not to be confused with Luke and Laura’s iconic wedding in 1983), as well as a scene from over 40 years ago of Laura fighting over Scotty with Bobbie Spencer.
“Faces Of The Heart”
General Hospital has had a lot of opening sequences and theme songs over its six decades on ABC, but its best-known one was to the tune of “Faces of the Heart” by jazz musician Dave Koz.
While the show hasn’t used this song in their intro since 2012, due to its nostalgic nature for such a special episode, a piano instrumental of “Faces of the Heart” can be heard playing in the background of the final scene which showcases almost every character from the episode, including several GH vets.
Jeff Kober Guest Stars
After appearing in popular shows like The Walking Dead and Sons of Anarchy, actor Jeff Kober made his way to daytime in 2020 when he debuted in the role of Cyrus Renault, a brand-new character with ominous plans for Port Charles and a secret relation to Laura.
After wreaking havoc on the city for two years, Cyrus got arrested, not to be seen again until resurfacing for the show’s 15,000th episode, where it’s revealed he was behind the hateful op-ed in an attempt to vote his half-sister out of office.
The Unexpected Preemption
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General Hospital is known for filming roughly six weeks ahead of airtime, and after filming the 15,000th episode in early May, it was originally scheduled to air on ABC on June 17, 2022, but unexpected preemptions pushed it back to June 21, 2022.
With fans excited about the special episode after Monday, June 20’s promo, they were met with utter disappointment and rage come June 21 when national news preempted the episode yet again, leaving viewers having to wait another day to celebrate.
Longest-Running American Soap Opera On Television
Although CBS ‘ Guiding Light still holds the record for the longest-running soap opera – running for 15 years on the radio before airing for another 57 years on television, totaling 72 years on air with over 18,000 episodes – General Hospital is quickly catching up.
With its 15,000 episodes airing for almost 60 years on ABC, GH has become the longest-running American soap opera to air on television, still beat out by UK soap opera Coronation Street, which remains the world’s longest-running soap opera with its 62 years on the air.
Cake-Cutting Ceremony
It was May 12, 2022, when the General Hospital The set was full of cast and crew to commemorate the show’s milestone with balloons, a cake-cutting ceremony, and photo props that read # GH15K.
At the party was head writer Frank Valentini, joined by dozens of cast members from the special episode, as well as a few who did not appear, including Katelyn MacMullen, Cynthia Watros, and Sofia Mattsson.