'General Hospital' Making Big Primetime Move for 60th Anniversary

General Hospital is going big for a big anniversary in 2024. TV Insider reports that the long-running soap opera will be celebrating its 60th anniversary next year, and ABC will be honoring it in a big way. The network will air an hour-long primetime special, General Hospital: 60 Years of Stars and Storytelling, on Thursday, Jan. 4 at 10 p.m. ET on ABC, streaming the next day on Hulu. The series initially premiered on Apr. 1, 1963.

The hour-long special will feature fan-favorite cast members from the show's long run and looking back at behind-the-scenes moments, bloopers, a fan tribute, and more. Among the stars taking part in the special are Maurice Benard, Jane Elliot, Genie Francis, Finola Hughes, Kelly Monaco, and Laura Wright. On top of having cast members on the special, celebrity guests will also be joining in. Reigning Dancing With the Stars champ and pro Val Chmerkovskiy, Emma Samms, Stephen A. Smith, Rick Springfield, and Amber Tamblyn will be participating.

The 60th anniversary is just the latest milestone that General Hospital will celebrate. The soap aired its record-breaking 15,000th episode in June 2022, and there is no indication that the series will be ending any time soon. It's currently the longest-running scripted drama and longest-running American soap opera in production. Even 59 years in, the show is still managing to pull out surprises. Most recently, General Hospital aired a new episode on Thanksgiving, which was only the second time the show has done that since 2003. With the upcoming special airing primetime, it will surely be one to watch.

General Hospital was created by Frank and Doris Hursley, with Frank Valentini currently serving as executive producer and showrunner. Chris Van Etten and Dan O'Connor are the co-head writers. Valentini also executive produces General Hospital: 60 Years of Stars and Storytelling, which is directed by Ashley Gorman. Michelle Henry and Mary-Kelly Weir are co-executive producers on the special, which is produced by ABC.

Fans old and new will want to tune into the General Hospital anniversary special. Although it won't be premiering on the soap's actual anniversary, it will be a great way to kick off 2024. Make sure to watch General Hospital: 60 Years of Stars and Storytelling, featuring plenty of stars, tributes, bloopers, memories, and more, at 10 p.m. ET on Thursday, Jan. 4 only on ABC. If you miss it or want to watch it again, it will be streaming on Hulu the following day.