Things are looking, if not rosy, at least stable at ABC’s daytime sudser “General Hospital” as the show enters it’s 50th year. It’s a nice change, according to star Anthony Geary (Luke Spencer). “I think we were all pretty emotional to get 24 [Emmy] nominations when we were so shaky a year ago… We’ve been living on death row.”
The turnaround is due in part to the expiration of “One Life to Live.” In addition to snapping up stars like Michael Easton (John McBain), “GH” also snagged executive producer Frank Valentini, who pushed to make the show more palatable to today’s audiences. “Being an outsider, I think sometimes it’s easier to come in and see what needs to be there,” Valentini said. “I think it’s much more my taste for the show to go a little bit faster. There were some key characters missing, certain archetypes I thought was important for the show.”
The move to integrate “OLTL” characters into the show also gave fans of that show a reason to switch. “There are some broken hearts out there,” Easton admitted. “I think they’ve been really accepting. ‘One Life to Live’ people are slowly coming over. I don’t know if they’re excited to see me, but I’m excited to see them.”
The cast also seemed positive about “General Hospital” moving into a new time slot. “I like the way we’re being positioned with the other shows,” Valentini said. “I know the network is doing a big push for us.”
Whether that will include a push related to “Dancing with the Stars: All Stars” has yet to be announced. Kelly Monaco (Samantha McCall), who won the first season of the show, seems like a likely candidate to return. But Monaco was staying mum. “I would just like to say if I’m here tomorrow and you’re here tomorrow, I’ll give you a high five,” she joked with one reporter. “If I told you, in good old daytime fashion, I would have to kill you.”