The 16,000th episode of “General Hospital” airs today on ABC.
The episode sees Jason Morgan (Steve Burton) return to the show’s hometown of Port Charles, New York, and Anna (Finola Hughes) and Valentin (James Patrick) reunite. Joining the staff is new surgeon Dr. Tristan Roberts (Dean Geyer), named for longtime “General Hospital” cast member Tristan Rogers, who died in August of last year. Rogers played Robert Scorpio on the show from 1980-2025.
Currently in its 64th year, “General Hospital” is the longest-running scripted American drama, and longest-running American soap opera currently in production.
“General Hospital” premiered in 1963, and the soap also holds the distinction for the show with the most outstanding Daytime Emmy wins (18). Nominations for the 53rd Daytime Emmy Awards will be announced Tuesday, July 14.
In its long history, “General Hospital” has played host to a number of starry guests. Elizabeth Taylor appeared in the episode where Luke (Anthony Geary) and Laura (Genie Francis) married, with Scorpio as Luke’s best man. The 1981 episode drew an audience of 30 million viewers. More recently, John Oliver took his turn 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 the Prospect Studios lot in Los Angeles on June 1.
The show was created by Frank and Doris Hursley. Frank Valentini is the executive producer, and Elizabeth Korte and Chris Van Etten are co-head writers.
“General Hospital” airs weekdays on ABC and streams later on Hulu.