Port Charles

History

Plans to spin off General Hospital were announced in December 1996. ABC had previously passed on a spin-off idea proposed by former head writer Claire Labine. The new series, tentatively titled GH2, was to focus on interns at the medical school across from General Hospital. General Hospital executive producer Wendy Riche was hired for the same role on the new series and partnered with married soap opera writers Carolyn and Richard Culliton to co-develop the concept.

The Cullitons served as head writers from the debut until November 1997. Riche described the show as multigenerational.

The series was later named Port Charles and would star Jon Lindstrom and Lynn Herring reprising their General Hospital roles. It premiered with a two-hour prime time special on June 1, 1997, and began its regular 12:30 p.m. Eastern timeslot the next day, replacing The City.

The series also featured the return of General Hospital characters Scott Baldwin and Karen Wexler. After the premiere, it was initially unclear if Lindstrom, Herring, and Shriner would remain, but they were later confirmed to stay.

Cast of characters

Popular characters such as Lucy Coe, Kevin Collins, and Scott Baldwin moved from General Hospital to Port Charles at the start. New characters were introduced as doctors and interns at the local medical school, including brothers Joe and Frank Scanlon, Matt Harmon, Julie Morris-Devlin, Eve Lambert, Karen Wexler, Chris Ramsey, and Jake Marshak. Debbi Morgan portrayed the resident in charge of the interns, Dr. Ellen Burgess, a departure from her well-known nice character Angie Hubbard.

As storylines became less centered on the interns, many actors left. The series then introduced younger characters for supernatural storylines, including Alison Barrington, Caleb Morley, Livvie Locke, and Rafe Kovich, who proved popular with fans and critics.

When the series ended in 2003, Kin Shriner returned to General Hospital, while Lynn Herring was not offered a place back. Several younger actors took roles on other shows: Michael Easton was cast as John McBain on One Life to Live, and Kelly Monaco transferred to General Hospital in the newly created role of Sam McCall. It was said that the supernatural elements would have made it difficult to integrate Livvie into General Hospital.

Reception

The series received mostly positive reviews from critics. The Tuscaloosa News compared the early months favorably to General Hospital, noting an auspicious start. Many critics initially felt the series would not succeed, but it later proved a critical success, particularly during the vampire storylines. The Star-News reviewed the "Tainted Love" arc as riveting, with well-placed edginess.

The fast-paced style was called edgy, unpredictable, and extreme. The Vindicator described the addition of fantasy elements such as time travel and vampires as making the show the Dark Shadows of its time, with ratings low but continuing to grow. ABC Soaps in Depth's list of 100 Greatest Daytime Couples included Rafe and Alison at number 92 and Caleb and Livvie at number 34. In 2003, the series was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series.

Zap2it included it on its list of The Best and Worst TV Spinoffs since 1990, noting it never gained the traction of its parent show despite supernatural attempts and contained story arcs. Entertainment Weekly included it on their list of "15 Soap Operas We've Loved, Lost", mentioning the shift from a simple spin-off to vampires and werewolves.