With drama in the OR and tension in the breakroom, the show is delivering the kind of stories that defined its golden age.

ABC General Hospital hasn’t abandoned its thrillers and global missions; it’s blending them with a renewed focus on the hospital itself.

When General Hospital debuted in 1963, it was part of a sea of soap operas that were on the air at the time. Its direct competition was another medical soap that also premiered on April 1 of that year, The Doctors. However, while ratings for The Doctors fizzled out by the late 1970s, causing its cancellation in 1982, GH soared into the stratosphere when executive producer Gloria Monty introduced action and adventure. But at its core, the show was about the medical staff, which was also very prominent in the 1980s, and now it’s starting to reclaim the mojo that made it great.

Rebuilding What Made It Iconic

Action? Check! Spies Joss (Eden McCoy) and Vaughn (Bryce Durfee) are facing a life-or-death situation currently.

Adventure? Check! Jason (Steve Burton) traveled the world to find a presumed-dead Britt (Kelly Thiebaud), and will most likely rescue the aforementioned spies when he springs into action on September 8.

Doctors who aren’t just healers, but stars? Meh. In the past few years, the show has had less to do with the lives of the doctors and more to do with corrupt politicians and mobsters.

And while those storylines are compelling by themselves, they need to work in tandem with the core hospital aspect of the show. Throughout the late 70s and 80s, the stories were intense and electric with surprisingly 𝓈ℯ𝓍y tales of high-stakes medical drama, personal rivalries, and sweeping romance. Lately, the show has slowly been bringing back that incredible atmosphere and camaraderie of the medical staff.

The Pulse of GH Is Back — And Stronger Than Ever

Back in the day, we had the stoic chief of staff, Dr. Steve Hardy (John Beradino); Dr. Noah Drake (Rick Springfield), who brought rock star swagger to Port Charles; and Dr. Monica Quartermaine (Leslie Charleson), who was as ambitious as she was passionate. They’ve been gone for quite some time, but we’re seeing the new generation rise to the occasion to bring back that intense hospital drama.

Dr. Lucas Jones (Van Hansis) is getting in everyone’s business with wisdom and compassion. Head Nurse Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst) has been working closely with him and trying to live up to the standards set by her predecessors. Dr. Portia Robinson (Brook Kerr) is the co-chief of staff and is dealing with insurmountable odds. Together, these characters, along with newcomers like Dr. Isaiah Gannon (Sawandi Wilson), have become the core group that’s propelling the show into the future.

The electricity between the medical characters has been slowly building, and it’s bringing back that feeling we got when we watched the show back in the day. With cliffhanger drama and interpersonal crises, this generation has finally arrived, and we’re happy to see GH firing on all cylinders once more. (Look back on decades of romance, surgeries, and super-villains.)