General Hospital Halts Production Over Coronavirus Fears

One of General Hospital’s most popular storylines was the water pathogen crisis in 2012 that had the hospital packed with patients. Now, the real-life coronavirus has prompted General Hospital to shutter production — temporarily.

General Hospital Halts Production

Deadline reports that General Hospital along with late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live and numerous other television programs in Hollywood, Canada, and New York will be stopping production for a while out of concerns for the spreading coronavirus.

GH will stop production starting Monday, March 16 through Friday, April 10. Because the show shoots several weeks in advance “the network says it does not anticipate any interruption in the broadcast of original episodes.”

Star William deVry (Julian) did his best to allay fans’ fears by revealing on Twitter how far ahead they are in shooting the beloved soap. “It’s ok folks. 7 weeks of @GeneralHospital in the can!! Ratings gonna be great. We hope!!”

GH has won 13 Daytime Emmys for Outstanding Drama Series. The show was headed for cancellation around 1977. The network hired producer Gloria Monty and head writer Douglas Marland to infuse the show with a new look and direction. By late 1979, the show had gone from the bottom of the ratings to the top. GH has been featured on the covers of People and Newsweek.

Over the years, the show has addressed topical issues including alcoholism, spousal abuse, HIV/AIDS, breast cancer, drug addiction, and Alzheimer’s disease. The show nearly swept all the acting categories at the Daytime Emmys with gold going to Maurice Benard (Sonny) for Outstanding Lead Actor, Vernee Watson (Stella) for Outstanding Supporting Actress, Max Gail (Mike) for Outstanding Supporting Actor, Haley Erin (ex-Kiki) for Outstanding Ingenue, and Patricia Bethune (ex-Mary Pat).

GH is executive produced by Frank Valentini; the head writers are Chris Van Etten and Dan O’Connor. The show was created by Frank and Doris Hursley. General Hospital (GH) airs weekdays on ABC. Check your local listings for airtimes.