'General Hospital' is replacing head writers after recent cast shake-up
Port Charles is in for another shakeup General Hospital is preparing to say goodbye to head writers Chris Van Etten And Dan O'Connor.
Van Etten and O'Connor have been replaced in the long-running soap opera by Patrick Mulcahey and current General Hospital script editor Elisabeth Korteaccording to TVLine. Episodes previously written by Van Etten and O'Connor are expected to air until March before Mulcahey and Korte officially take over.
General Hospital fans should know Korte, who has been a member of the writing team since 1995. In 2001, she was also head writer before taking on the role of script editor. In total, Korte has worked on more than 1,000 episodes of the soap opera so far.
Mulcahey, meanwhile, started as a scriptwriter General Hospital before moving to the positions of associate head writer and breakdown writer from 1998 to 1999. Later he moved to The bald and the handsomewith over 900 episodes between 2005 and 2019.
All good things come to an end, even when it comes to television. Over the years, many television stars have suddenly left their roles, while others have been removed from a series without much notice. Anna Faris announced in September 2020 that she would be leaving CBS's Mother after starring as the lead character […]
As for Van Etten, he was promoted to head writer in 2017 before O'Connor joined him two years later. The writing duo led the charge as General Hospital won multiple Daytime Emmys, including its third consecutive trophy for Outstanding Daytime Drama Series in 2023.
Earlier this month, General Hospital celebrated its 60th anniversary. In addition to this major industry milestone, the series has also made headlines in recent months for a handful of surprising cast shakeups.
Roger Howarth left the series in November 2023 after his character, Dr. Austin Gatlin-Holt, was shot and killed. Howarth later recalled that a few weeks before his final episodes were filmed, he discovered that his ABC contract had not been renewed.
General Hospital has had numerous different cast members during its 60-year history, including some familiar faces. John Stamos got his start in soap opera with his role as Blackie Parish from 1982 to 1984. Although he was on the show for only two years, Stamos has spoken about the huge impact General Hospital had had. […]
“It took a while for me to realize that. And then I immediately realized how lucky I was that I had been able to do something I really love for over a decade, with people I really enjoyed working with,” he told Soap Opera Digest at the time. “I'm a lucky guy. I've had a great run and this was a decision made by people who make these kinds of decisions for a living.”
A month later, Eden McCoy was mysteriously replaced by Courtney Fulco as Josslyn Jacks. The role of Sam McCall was also recast Lindsay Hartley temporarily fill in for Kelly Monaco earlier this month. As for Maxie Jones, the character has looked a little different since the actress Nicole Pagi took over the role in December 2023 Kirsten Storms took a short break from the daytime soap opera.
Soap operas often change casts, but there seems to be something in the water in Port Charles on General Hospital. Eden McCoy, fresh off winning a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Young Performer in a Daytime Drama Series, was mysteriously replaced by Courtney Fulk as Josslyn Jacks in December 2023. Neither ABC nor […]
The most shocking casting news, however, was Steve Burton's return as Jason Morgan three years after he was fired from the show amid disputes over COVID vaccine mandates. The revelation came a day after Burton, 53, confirmed in a YouTube video that he had filmed his “final scenes” for Days of our lives after signing a one-year deal in 2023 to reprise his role as Harris Michaels on the soap.
“Congratulations, General Hospital,” Burton said in a pre-recorded clip that aired during ABC's primetime special General Hospital: 60 Years of Stars & Storytelling earlier this month. “Stay tuned – big things are coming to Port Charles.”