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General Hospital Soap Opera Part 6 New millennium, mob era (2001–11) In 2001, Wendy Riche left the program after nine years as executive producer, later recalling: Riche was replaced by Jill Farren Phelps. During the first few months of her tenure, a number of "dark" storylines took place which earned a negative reaction for Phelps and new head writer Megan McTavish.[43] In the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks, ABC executives ordered less violence and warfare, causing rewrites and plot abandonments.[43] One story, dubbed "Endgame," involved the culmination of the feud between the Spencer family and Cassadine family, a storyline which had begun in 1981 when Luke and Laura infamously defeated Mikkos Cassadine's weather machine. In the revival storyline, Helena Cassadine revives her deceased Stavros Cassadine, who had been frozen through the use of cryogenics. The original script had Helena threaten the Spencers along with the rest of Port Charles with a biotoxin, which was quickly deemed inappropriate and dropped.[43] In 2001, Sarah Brown left the show and was replaced by Tamara Braun, however the coupling of Sonny and Carly remained popular. Original supercouple Luke and Laura finalize their divorce in 2001, meanwhile a bus accident that disrupted the Nurses Ball, an on-screen and real-life fundraiser for AIDS research. This marked the end of the annual event, that had been running since 1994, for the time being.[44] General Hospital aired its 10,000th episode on April 17, 2002, with an episode that revolved around the show's longest-running cast member, Rachel Ames. The episode commemorated her character Audrey March Hardy, celebrating her 10,000th shift as a nurse at the hospital. The episode was notable for showcasing the show's long history in a series of clips and montages. Negative response to the series was seen in 2002 with the abrupt departure of Genie Francis (who plays Laura Spencer) due to contract negotiations. To facilitate Francis's exit, Laura kills her stepfather Rick Webber, leading to her mental breakdown and state of catatonia. Francis told USA Today, "I am not comfortable with the way it ended at all. They destroyed Laura."[45] However, ratings remained stable after Francis's departure and climbed when Vanessa Marcil returned as Brenda Barrett in a five-month stint which lasted into the early months of 2003. Also in 2003, fan favorite character Tracy Quartermaine returned with her now teenaged Dillon Quartermaine. From 2003 to 2004, many long tenured cast members were taken off contract.[46] In 2003, Rachel Ames, the longest-running character after more than 35 years, was taken off contract and put on recurring status.[47] Around the same time, Brad Maule, who played Tony Jones, and Shell Kepler, who played Amy Vining, were also moved to recurring status. Also in 2003, Anna Lee was moved to recurring status after 25 years as Lila Quartermaine.[48] During the same time, John Ingle, who played Lila's husband Edward Quartermaine, was fired from the show. The producers soon rescinded their decision and asked him to stay on a recurring status, but Ingle had accepted the role of Mickey Horton on Days of Our Lives, and Edward was recast with Jed Allan. Kin Shriner was also let go, who had been with the show on and off since 1977. Other popular characters, such as Bobbie Spencer (Jacklyn Zeman) and Felicia Jones (Kristina Wagner) also began to see less screentime. As the series dropped to number four, it continued to be known for violent storylines, often focused on organized crime.[49] 2004 marked the beginning of the series' month-long sweeps storylines. That February, the Port Charles Hotel Fire story saw the cast trapped in the burning hotel, including a location shoot involving a helicopter. During the ordeal, Edward suffers a heart attack, Courtney rescues a lady who later rewards her with large sums of money, and Scott Baldwin is presumed dead. That summer, while the 2004 Summer Olympics were screening on rival channel NBC, the show launched another major storyline that involved a masked serial killer terrorizing the Quartermaine mansion for five episodes. The storyline was seen as an attempt to lure NBC soap opera viewers, especially due to the similarities to the recent serial killer storyline that had taken place on rival NBC soap Days of Our Lives. In General Hospital's version, the killer is revealed to be Mary Bishop, attempting to kill Emily Quartermaine but killing Sage Alcazar instead. Mary is the widow of Nikolas's doppelgänger Connor, who tries to convinces Nikolas that he is actually her husband while he's experiencing amnesia. Emily tries to make him see the truth, causing Mary's rampage. The confrontation ends with Nikolas shooting Mary, who later dies in the hospital when her medications are switched by Lorenzo Alcazar, seeking revenge for the death of his niece Sage. The year ends with the wedding of Emily and Nikolas. The first half of 2005 saw many cast changes for General Hospital. In April, Tamara Braun left the series, and the role of Carly was recast with former One Life to Live star, Jennifer Bransford. By the fall, Bransford was let go and replaced by former Guiding Light actress Laura Wright. Earlier that May, Kristina Wagner opted to leave the role of Felicia Jones and was replaced with former Another World star Sandra Ferguson.[50] Also that month, the character of Maxie Jones was recast with former Days of Our Lives star Kirsten Storms, who took over for Robyn Richards, the main portrayer of Maxie since 1993.[51] The character was slightly aged and introduced in a revisit to the 1994 heart transplant story as Maxie's health falls near-death. 2005 also saw the continued decline in ratings, leading to budget cuts and product placement advertising across all soaps. In February 2005 it was reported that General Hospital viewership was down 23% year-over-year.[31] In early 2005, Michael Corinthos and his siblings are kidnapped, and Michael's death is faked by his biological father A. J. Quartermaine. The story culminates in what appears to be Michael murdering his father, until Dr. Asher Thomas is revealed to be the apparent killer. Also in 2005, Nikolas Cassadine's doppelgänger Connor Bishop Nikolas' wife Emily, eventually contributing to their divorce. Nikolas gets involved with Courtney Matthews, who is in the midst of a shaky marriage with Jasper Jacks, and they conceive a . In October 2005, Lucas Jones, played by Ben Hogestyn, began to announce his homosexuality to his friends and family, but the storyline was ultimately dropped when Hogestyn left the series and the character was written off.[52] The November sweeps involved a large train wreck, and was the first story for Laura Wright as Carly. At the same time Kimberly McCullough reprised her role as Robin Scorpio, bringing along 1980s character Dr. Noah Drake, played by Rick Springfield, on a recurring status.[53] Robin is soon romantically paired with Noah's Patrick Drake, played by newcomer Jason Thompson. The following February sweeps saw General Hospital quarantined due to an encephalitis virus outbreak. While the virus killed off long-time character Tony Jones (Brad Maule) and Courtney Matthews (Alicia Leigh Willis). other veteran characters made guest appearances that year. The story briefly brought back Robert Scorpio, played by Tristan Rogers, who reunites with his Robin after years of being presumed dead. Anna Devane (Finola Hughes) returned in May for the first of several brief guest stints. In the summer of 2006, the series focused on the issue of unplanned pregnancy and featured Lulu Spencer (Julie Marie Berman)'s decision to have an abortion. The show worked closely with the National Campaign to Prevent Pregnancy to make the dialogue realistic, and the storyline saw ratings rise in female teenagers.[54] In November, Genie Francis reprised Laura Spencer for the November sweeps; the character temporarily awakened from her catatonic state for an emotional reunion with her family. Laura and Luke Spencer remarry on the 25th anniversary of their 1981 historic wedding before Laura returns to catatonia. Francis won her first Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for this performance. |
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