Season 63 of “General Hospital” will premiere Monday, September 8 on ABC, the network announced this week.
The news comes as ABC’s Boston affiliate, WCVB, revealed plans to move the long-running daytime drama series back to 3:00 p.m., where it thrived for more than 25 years before sliding into the 2:00 p.m. time slot in September 2012, following ABC’s decision to cede the 3:00 p.m. time slot to its local stations in the hopes of launching “Katie,” the since-canceled and ratings challenged syndicated daytime talk show hosted by Katie Couric that ran for just two seasons and cost Disney $80 million to launch.
The time slot change for “General Hospital” will also see “The Jennifer Hudson Show,” which kicks off Season 4 on Monday, September 15, sliding up an hour, airing at 2:00 p.m., with the soap opera following as the new lead-in to the station’s “NewCenter,” which airs at 4:00 p.m.
WCVB becomes the ninth ABC affiliate to return “General Hospital” to its long-held time slot of 3:00 p.m. ET/2:00 p.m. PT.
In September 2014, seven of the eight ABC Owned Television Stations announced the switch back, including WABC in New York, KABC in Los Angeles, WLS in Chicago, WPVI in Philadelphia, KGO in San Francisco, KTRK in Houston, and WTVD in Raleigh-Durham. Meanwhile, KSAT in San Antonio was the sole non-ABC-owned station to make the switch at the time.
Note: “General Hospital” will continue airing at 2:00 p.m. ET/1:00 p.m. PT on ABC at the national level except for the affiliate stations noted above, where the show will air at 3:00 p.m. ET/2:00 p.m. PT.
According to a logline for Season 63, “General Hospital” continues its tradition of passion, intrigue and adventure that has depicted the ongoing lives of the diverse and evolving citizens of the fictional town of Port Charles set in upstate New York. The glamour and excitement of those who have come to find their destinies in this familiar seaport town intertwine with the lives, loves and fortunes of beloved, well-known faces. As always, love, danger and mind-blowing plot twists abound on the series, which features contemporary storylines and unforgettable characters.
Created by husband-and-wife soap writers Frank and Doris Hursley, “General Hospital” premiered on April 1, 1963, and remains both the longest-running scripted drama and the longest-running American soap opera currently in production. It holds the record for the most Outstanding Daytime Drama award wins, taking home the prestigious Daytime Emmy Award a record 17 times. The show is taped at the Prospect Studios in Hollywood, California, and has produced more than 15,000 episodes.
Notable faces who’ve appeared on the series throughout its run include Demi Moore, John Stamos, Jack Wagner, Mark Hamill, Rick Springfield, Ricky Martin, Amber Tamblyn, Emma Samms, Jonathan Jackson, Chandra Wilson and Richard Dean Anderson.
With the 1981 wedding of Luke and Laura Spencer (Anthony Geary and Genie Francis), “General Hospital” continues to hold the record for the most-watched and highest-rated individual episode in American soap opera history, with 30 million viewers tuning in.
In 2026, “General Hospital” will celebrate its 16000th episode.
Frank Valentini serves as the current executive producer. Elizabeth Korte and Chris Van Etten are the show’s co-head writers.
Note: Outside of the news, daytime soaps are the only genre that airs without breaks. In recent years, the networks began emphasizing seasons for soaps, treating them like all other programs on their schedule.
More specifically, while the show will celebrate its 63rd anniversary on April 1, 2026, the season number is based on the TV season as dictated by Nielsen.
The 2025-2026 season, which is what the article above refers to, will see the soap opera into its 63rd season on television.
“General Hospital” originally premiered during the 1962-1963 TV season.
