General Hospital is celebrating its 62nd anniversary.
The only remaining ABC soap aired on April 1, 1963, and has entertained daytime viewers since.
The episode will feature a special dedication at General Hospital on Tuesday, April 1, to honor Dr. Monica Quartermaine (Leslie Charleson) and her legacy.
Laura (Genie Francis) will give the speech as the hospital celebrates the Dr. Monica Quartermaine Cardiac Wing.
It’s a nod to Monica and her work at the hospital and to Leslie Charleson, the longest-running General Hospital cast member before her death earlier this year.
Here’s what we know about the special anniversary episode.
Genie Francis discusses the anniversary episode
In the recent TVGuide issue, Genie Francis spoke about the 62nd anniversary of General Hospital, a place she’s called home on and off for four decades.
She told the publication that she took great “pride” in giving the speeches because her character, Mayor Laura Collins, shares similar sentiments about General Hospital.
Genie has been part of the show since the late 1970s and enjoys the “historical” aspect of Port Charles.
The episode was written hoping that Leslie Charleson would be well enough to appear, but that was not the case. There was some shifting of gears after the episode had been written, but it worked out in the end.
Viewers had noticed plenty of mentions of Monica on-screen, but she hadn’t appeared on set since December 2023.
Monica Quartermaine tribute episode is in the works
After news of Leslie Charleson’s death in January, the General Hospital writers got to work on a special tribute episode for the actress.
She was such a force on the show, and something special to honor her was a no-brainer.
It’s unclear when the episode will air, but there was confirmation something was in the works. There are rumblings that the Nurses Ball is returning for May sweeps, which could coincide with that.
After seeing what General Hospital did to remember Jacklyn Zeman after her passing, we expect great things for Leslie and Monica Quartermaine.
Many of Leslie’s friends and co-stars celebrated her life on what would have been her 80th birthday. Wally Kurth (Ned Quartermaine) was there along with Steve Burton (Jason Morgan), Lisa LoCicero (Olivia Falconeri), Jane Elliot (Tracy Quartermine), Ian Buchanan (Duke Lavery), and Finola Hughes (Anna Devane).
While the anniversary episode won’t have all the elements the writers hoped for, it is something General Hospital viewers should look forward to watching.
General Hospital airs weekdays on ABC.