‘General Hospital’: 10 Surprises Fans Can Expect for the 60th Anniversary
For six decades and counting, ABC’s only remaining soap opera General Hospital has graced the television screens of millions, from Luke (Anthony Geary) and Laura’s (Genie Francis) iconic wedding to the most recent takedown of villain Ryan Chamberlain (Jon Lindstrom). And on April 1st, 2023, GH will celebrate a milestone not many daytime dramas have achieved.
With the 60th anniversary of General Hospital fast approaching, spoilers have begun trickling from the soap about just what to expect during the festivities that kick off on March 29th, 2023, starting with a special tribute to a real-life loss and ending with the possible return of a GH legend.
It was in December 2022 that the news broke about the sudden passing of actor Sonya Eddy, who played Nurse Epiphany Johnson on GH for 17 years, including starring on the soap’s spin-off General Hospital: Night Shift. Eddy was also well-known for her memorable role as Rebecca DeMornay on Seinfeld.
GH will honor the late actor and her unforgettable character in a tribute episode airing on March 29th, 2023, which will simultaneously kick off the 60th anniversary and feature celebrity guest stars who were close to the actor.
It wouldn’t be a special occasion for the hospital without a Nurses Ball, and after the COVID-19 pandemic put the annual event on hold for a few years, it’s finally back and expected to be bigger than ever with Maxie (Kirsten Storms) taking the reigns from a presumed dead-but-may-return Lucy (Lynn Herring).
The Nurses Ball is expected to honor those Port Charles has lost, including Epiphany and Dr. Britt Westborne (Kelly Thiebaud), while others like Chase (Josh Swickard) and Eddie Maine (Wally Kurth) will lend their musical talents to the ball that always raises awareness for HIV and AIDS in honor of legacy character Robin Scorpio (Kimberly McCullough).
Aside from the Nurses Ball, the 60th anniversary has been pegged by the show as a moment when “icons of Port Charles unite to stop a legendary threat from the past,” as reported by TV Line. It’s unknown just what threat it will be, but it can only be assumed it’s a Cassadine.
Badass soap opera icons like Laura Collins, Anna Devane (Finolas Hughes) and Felicia Scorpio (Kristina Wagner) have already been plotting their revenge on Victor Cassadine (Charles Shaughnessy) for all the havoc he’s wreaked on the city since he returned, but with Sonny (Maurice Benard) receiving new deadly threats from a foe, anyone past villain could show up for the anniversary episodes.
From Mario Lopez to ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith to rockstar Rick Springfield, GH has been welcoming celebrity guest stars to Port Charles since the 80s when Elizabeth Taylor originated the role of Helena Cassadine for a three-episode stint, and the 60th anniversary is expected to be star-studded.
Chandra Wilson – who has appeared on the soap three times as three different characters since 2014 – will be returning for the Nurses Ball as her fashion editor character Sydney Val Jean, while Yvette Nicole Brown will make her GH debut for the tribute to her real-life friend Sonya Eddy.
