ABC Prepares “General Hospital” for Its End By Killing Off Main Character
ABC Daytime is just about over. They announced today that they’re writing out a major “General Hospital” character. Kimberly McCullough, 33, has been on the show on and off since 1985, starting as a child.McCullough’s character, Robin Scorpio, became infected with HIV in the late 1980s from her boyfriend. Now it seems “GH” will likely kill her off from AIDS–and this should make everyone everywhere pretty angry since AIDS deaths have been reduced greatly over the years. The Robin character was a symbol of hope.
McCullough joins Jonathan Jackson, another young actor with a long history on the show, heading for the exits. “General Hospital” is only weeks away from its cancellation notice, as it will be replaced by Katie Couric‘s talk show in September 2012. ABC has successfully destroyed its fifty year history of soaps in the afternoon, loyal viewers, and consistency. “All My Children” is gone. “One Life to Live,” which has had a big resurgence this year, ends on January 13, 2012.
Congratulations to Brian Frons, the ABC exec who over saw the dismantling. He masterfully figured out ways to drive fans from the shows in order to lower their ratings, and kill them. The good news is, whoever’s left watching ABC daytime will know how to cook a chicken and how to execute a wine reduction. This is valuable information.
The question now is where Prospect Park Productions–run by Jeff Kwatinetz and Rich Frank–will ever be able to bring any of the ABC soaps to the internet as promised and planned. Recent reports indicate that they don’t have the funding to pull it off. “All My Children” star Susan Lucci says no one from Prospect Park has contacted her since September 8th. It may be that Prospect Park never had the money to back up their plans.
Janet
Did they really kill Robin off? Maybe another Casidine trick?
Marie
i was a hugh oltl fan and a gh fan i didn’t know until today that they where getting rid of gh also. the way they ended oltl with victor being alive was mean. but we still had gh now we won’ even have that. i don’t know what abc is thinking. i recorded oltl everyday and couldn’t wait to watch it same with gh don’t they realize at abc that people work and can’ i’ t watch the shows when they are on during work hours but thanks to the dvr i never missed an episode. i agree soapnet we need you to pick up or soaps please helllllppppppp. we don’t need more cooking shows that’s what food network is for and we don’t need katie curic for sure. hope abc goes down too for taking away our beloved soaps.
eva
taking GH for a talk show that most likely will not last, is ridiculous…… people may think that all women do is sit in front of the t.v waiting for soaps. not the case at all. we have growen up with these soaps….. do we really need another talk show???? com on ABC…. katie isn’t gonna stay for ever, she gets bored!!! not a good decision at all….
Allison Pike
I boycott ABC and have since One Life To Live was cancelled. I recently dropped the cable package that included “SoapNet” too. I would boycott their sponsors but since I don’t watch that network at all – I don’t know who still advertises there. ABC DayTime Programming Director really blew this. There is so many other networks to watch I don’t miss ABC at all.
Mary Jo
I can’t really come up with anything else to say that wasn’t written above. I will NOT watch the Chew or that other idiotic thing they put on..The Revolution. Katie Couric hasn’t quite been successful on any other network. I will boycott ABC and will encourage others to do so. I guess I learn to watch Days of Our Lives and The Young and Restless. I can’t wait for ABC to fail in it’s daytime programming!!!
Jeannine
Why would ABC take the best show they have on the network, what to put the Bachelor on a stupid show that I don’t know how it stayed on all these years. Leave GH on the air so me and my daughter could keep watching it together. Katie Courtic sucks she couldn’t make it on the evening news what makes ABC think she could make it on daytime television.
Elvira Nina
HOW COULD U DO THIS TO ME! IM GONA KILL MYSELF! I GOT NOTHIN ELSE TO LIVE FOR! WAT AM I GONA DO WIT MY LIFE NOW? WAT AM I GONA DO?
PLEEEEEEEASE DONT DO THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Elvira Nina
ALL THE ABC DAYTIME SHOWS THAT ARE ON THE AIR ARE A SNOOZEFEST! THEY SUCK! WHO CARES ABOUT THE STUPID CHEW & REVOLUTION WHAT A PIECE OF CRAP SHOWS! Y DO U THINK WE WOULD CARE TO WATCH THIS CRAP? WE CAN WATCH COOKING SHOWS ON THE FOODNETWORK! Y TAKE ME SOAPS OFF FOR THAT GARBAGE? I KNO HOW TO COOK i DONT NEED THAT CRAP SHOW!
Dolores
I agree with everyone above. I’ve watched General Hospital since the late 60′s and yes Katie is very boring, along with the other dumb reality shows. Bad move ABC!!!!
carla roberts
is it true that you are cancelling general hospital? i haven’t watched the two shows you put on in place of all my children & one life to live and i promise you i will not watch whatever show you put in gh’s place. these reality shows are too ridiculous for words. i will just watch other channels during the day. someone at the top better wake up.
Mary Ellen Baffoni
How many more cooking – self improvement shows can we be enindated with, Soaps were an escape. So sad I don’t watch the shows that have taken over the slots for the previous replaced shows and here goes another one. Been an avid follower of Channel 7′s line up since 1968 and now no more!!!
Carol
I just found out about General Hospital being cancelled. Well ABC you have slipped below hell!!!!!!!! I WILL NOT WATCH ABC EVER AGAIN AND I WILL START NOT USING PRODUCTS THAT ADVERTIZE ON ABC!! Katie Couric? You have to be kidding me!!!!!!! ABC YOU SUCK!!!!!! I am SO SICK OF REALITY TV I COULD VOMMIT! It’s books and dvd’s for me from now on. Good bye ABC!!!!!
Lara
:( I am so disappointed… What are you thinking! That is the only show we look forward to watching. After a long day or just need a zonned out time to relax. Please don’t take that away from us. My daughters where looking forward to watch it also with there kids. Very sad please try to keep it on no matter what. Have a bless one General Hospital many good old times :]
Paula
I am so disappointed that you are taking G.H. off the air. I have watched it since Robin was a little girl. I thought the way you killed Robin was stupid. It would have been better to have her die from Aids. And just having Lucky go off to Ireland or where ever and leaving his two boys made no since at all. This just isn’t what his character would have done. I will never watch boring Katie Courie.
Paula
Rosemary
I agree with EVERYONE who the heck is going to watch Katie Couric? Not me that is for sure. Not the chew that is so BORING & the revolution is the goofiest show I ever see.
I think ya’ll need to bring our soapsback, if you can not, at least KEEP GH on. Forget Katie she really sucks. She needs to retire & enjoy her family. She of all people should have figured that out already…..
Vicki
To little to late, as once the Manning’s leave {save for Starr} OLTL fans WILL leave and the ratings will go back to what they were before they came on, which by the way were LOWER then OLTL. Wake up people!! the shows going away, as why are they bring back the majority of the old actors? but to wrap up story lines. Heck their even bringing back Frisco & Felicia. Its the grand finale. Why do you guys think they gave you the production team and writers who wrote OLTLs ending. So they could do the same with GH.
Sparrow
What the heck? Don’t any of you crybabies have jobs? Seriously…with everything going on in the world, this is what you’re outraged about?
becky
I have watched GH since I was 12. I am 50 now. Yes we need another reality show don’t we? Another cooking show? Hell, lets put on another talk show. Want a hint, get rid on Maury! That show is the same day, after day, after day, after, well you know. “Who’s baby is it”? DNA!!! Each program is the same. Let’s put on another “Judge Judy”. ABC is getting rid of the shows us “house wives” watch. No, not house wives; I stay up until 10 each weeknight to watch the show I missed that day. Even if they decide to keep it, without Robin, the show is still not worth a……
barbara Volonino
I have to agree with Jeannine and everyone else….we sure don’t need those stupid food show the chew and another talk show, katy courice ugh i really upset with it……. abc stinks
angie
abc is going to reget taking off the soaps. because their day ratings is going to drop.
rj
THANkYOU ABC once again u have freed me from the tv. U took all my chrildren and oltl away and i was free from the tube for two hours now taking off gh will free me even more from the tv THANKYOU
grandmasandi
Don’t know who the imbicile is that has canceled the soaps but if it were up to most of us women he’d be fired. The crappy shows they are being replaced with will never last or have nearly as many follower as the soaps. I for one have started watching other networks and will never watch the stupid shows they replaced the soaps with.
Daniella
I’m so upset I could cry. I have been watching GH my whole life. Started with my grandmother in the 80′s when i was only 5 years old and its been a constant in my life ever since. Soaps are the one show everyday that you can rely on to be new and exciting. It’s a type of drama that me and many of my friends looked to for our daily release. Seeing the demise of this show come to an end by killing off some of GH’s most long time characters is a disgrace.
Scripted writing and talented actors/actress’s are soon to be extinct if we keep replacing it with reality garbage.
Betty
The network is making a huge mistake cancelling all the soaps. Who wants to watch Katie Couric? She is totally boring as well is the chew and the talk.
All the decisions must be made by MEN!
Gail
ABC, you gave up soaps to be just like every other channel. You now offer nothing different so why should I watch you? You gave up your uniqueness to become just another brick in the wall. Good job!
Jackie
If ABC cancels GH then I will never watch another ABC show again in my life. That is what channel block is for. I need my fix of Jason Q every day. Dang, he is one purty man!!!!!
Jackie
Sonny ain’t too bad of a fix every day either. We need our Jason and Sonny. Pleeeeaaaaaassssssseeeeeee grow a brain ABC. If you need me, I will take over programming for you, just give me a call. The grownups that don’t give a crap about those two crappy shows you have on during the day, well guess what? We pay the cable bills so you ought to be keeping the stuff we like to watch.
estellow29
In protest I do not watch those new talk shows, and I don’t like them and if I wanted to watch cook shows I can always watch The Food Network.
Bring back love and drama in the afternoon.
EW
Amanda
I too have been watching these shows for years. I have a DVR and I love General Hospital I also watched OLTL and AMC I stopped watching AMC due to what the producers were doing with the show it got lame. I will stop watching ABC daytime alltogether. CBS HAS IT GOING ON!!!! I watch Y&R and I also DVR Dr. PHil so like it was said prior I know how to cook and have no need for the chew and them trading off Jason & Sam for katie Couric sucks. Id like to know what ABC has to say for themselves.
BinFL
ABC’s making a big mistake by cancelling AMC, OLTL, and GH! I have enjoyed watching AMC and OLTL ever since they came on and was looking forward to be able to relax as I view them in my retirement after 30 years. Guess it won’t happen now. Thought you would at least leave GH on but no, you won’t even do that.
What are people that are home all day supposed to watch? The reality shows replacing the soaps are stupid. It’s like going to someone’s house and watching them cook! Not my idea of entertainment. Those of us who are diehard fans of those shows will never watch the garbage shows that have replaced them.
Who is going to buy the products advertised on those shows? NO ONE! Thanks ABC for trying to please your viewers! NOT!!!
Bird Mom
ABC has thrown away so much fun day time programing. Yes, some of the story lines were too crazy but it was fun to watch. My husband and I have been watching General Hospital since 1980 almost every day. Put Katie Couric on General Hospital that might be interesting.
Looks like we will be doing something else unless ABC keeps us watching with additional story lines at GH. I love Anna Davine, nice to see her character return and Luke to name a few. ABC sorry to say if you replace GH this is good bye. Bird Mom!!
MARGIE
One Life to Live for Maury and his DNA tests???? REALLY ABC???? what were you trying to accomplish?? If it is people leaving the ABC network you have accomplished that. I would have ABC on all afternoon. Now it is only on for General Hospital and then off it goes. Get rid of GH and you can count me out totally as a viewer. I am hoping Soapnet has the sense to pick up these millions of viewers.
Jack
This is just another example of why network TV is going to die. A great number of us despise the so-called reality shows and have quit watching. In an era where there are literally hundreds of cable channels, we don’t really need ABC or any of the rest. Over the air radio is so bad now that I have subscribed to Sirius/XM and will no longer listen to FM radio. The seemingly endless cancellation of scripted TV shows; replacing them with extremely stupid reality junk will spell the end of network TV. And you know what? I don’t think I care.
bren
Bad move on ABC’s part. The Chew, The Revolution are not entertaining at all. At least the soaps gave people something to watch and wind down to, at least it did me. Bad Bad Bad move. Not very happy with ABC.