General Hospital 60th Anniversary: Sonya Eddy Tribute, Nurses Ball & Jane Elliot Returns as Tracy Quartermaine
The Doctor Is In
For exclusive news and updates, subscribe to our General Hospital Newsletter:
After hitting its 15,000th episode in 2022, General Hospital reaches another major milestone in 2023. The soap opera celebrates 60 years on-air in April, and ABC has just announced plans to commemorate the special occasion.
The General Hospital 60th anniversary is Saturday, April 1, but the celebrations will be begin a month earlier in March with a tribute episode to the late Sonya Eddy, who played nurse Epiphany Johnson from 2006 to 2022. Eddy died on December 19, 2022 at the age of 55. To honor the veteran cast member, General Hospital will air an episode dedicated to her in late March.
The anniversary celebrations kick off in earnest on Monday, April 3 with the return of the beloved General Hospital Nurses Ball. It is a fictional glamorous charity event complete with red-carpet fashion and musical performances from the illustrious citizens of Port Charles dedicated to HIV/AIDS awareness. This marks the first time the event has aired since 2020.
Following the ball’s return, celebratory festivities will continue as icons of Port Charles unite to stop a legendary threat from the past. Jane Elliot will reprise her role as Tracy Quartermaine in April as an added treat for fans.
The ABC daytime soap opera has tracked the ongoing lives of the diverse and evolving citizens of Port Charles, New York for decades. The series delivers the romance and high-flying adventures for which soap operas are known, but ABC says GH sets itself apart by regularly capitalizing on its setting “to present stories that speak to and enrich viewers’ lived experiences around the country.”
General Hospital won five Daytime Emmy Awards in 2022, including the Outstanding Drama Series, marking the show’s 15th and record-setting win in that category. The series stars Genie Francis, Maurice Benard, Finola Hughes, Kristina Wagner, Nancy Lee Grahn, Rebecca Herbst, Kelly Monaco, Laura Wright, Kirsten Storms, Dominic Zamprogna, Maura West, Chad Duell, Roger Howarth, Donnell Turner, Michael Easton, Eden McCoy, Cynthia Watros, Katelyn MacMullen, Sofia Mattsson, Amanda Setton, Brook Kerr, Nicholas Chavez, Avery Kristen Pohl, Cameron Mathison, Charles Shaughnessy, Tajh Bellow, Tanisha Harper, Tabyana Ali, Robert Gossett, Josh Kelly, Gregory Harrison, and Evan Hofer.
Marcus Coloma will not be returning as Prince Nikolas Cassadine. He took over the role from Nick Stabile in 2019 and could not complete filming his final scenes due to health concerns related to COVID-19.
General Hospital was created by husband-and-wife soap writers, Frank and Doris Hursley. Frank Valentini serves as executive producer and showrunner. Chris Van Etten and Dan O’Connor are co-head writers. The series is produced by ABC.
General Hospital, Weekdays, ABC
