General Hospital

General Hospital Takes Multiple Weeks at No. 2 In Coveted Ratings Demographic

Published by

Michael Maloney

5 years ago

If you think General Hospital has been firing on cylinders lately, well, you’re not alone. The ABC serial has taken the No. 2 spot (or higher) in the coveted 18-49 female demo in the Nielsen ratings for four weeks in a row, according to the latest numbers.

General Hospital: On The Rise

For the week ending December 22, 2019, GH was tied with The Young and the Restless for the top spot in the category of Women viewers aged 18-49 (aka W18-49) among daytime dramas. Each show earned a 0.47. For the week ending December 29, 2019, GH came in second place among soaps with a 0.43 in W18-49.

This streak continued into the New Year. For the week ending January 5, 2020, GH came in second place among daytime dramas in W18-49 with a 0.47. And, most recently, for the week ending January 12, 2020, GH again came in second among daytime dramas with a 0.48 rating.

Around Port Charles

What’s been going on the last few months in Port Charles that gave GH this boost? During Christmas week, GH did a special episode based on A Christmas Carol, spotlighting much of the cast including Michael Easton (Finn) as Ebeneezer. The show also wrapped up the Franco (Roger Howarth) as Drew storyline, restoring Franco’s memories to the body in which he was born.

Viewers have seen Nikolas (Marcus Coloma) make his presence known — first, he saved Ava (Maura West) from a watery death and then he had a dramatic reunion with Laura (Genie Francis). We’ve seen the return of Nelle (Chloe Lanier) on a more regular basis. Brad (Parry Shen) fretted over the fate of Lucas (Ryan Carnes).

Also, Sam (Kelly Monaco) was sprung from prison. Sonny (Maurice Benard) shared some poignant scenes with Gladys (the terrific Bonnie Burroughs). And, of course, Valentin (James Patrick Stuart) and Nina (Cynthia Watros) had another ill-fated trip to the altar.

And we’ve seen more than a few veterans popping up, including Monica (Leslie Charleson), Felicia (Kristina Wagner), Mac (John J. York), and Lucy (Lynn Herring). The return of the legendary Jane Elliot as Tracy has also been quite the treat. Clearly, head writers Chris Van Etten and Dan O’Connor know what they’re doing! General Hospital airs weekdays on ABC. Check local listings for air times.