General Hospital: Temporary Writing Team Brought In To Keep Series on the Air During WGA Strike
Paul Dailly
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One of TV's most iconic daytime soap operas might feel very different as new episodes roll out.
General Hospital brought in a team of temporary writers to write fresh episodes of the ABC series after the inventory of scripts written prior to the WGA strike ran out.
The daytime sudser is considered the first soap opera to take such a measure, with shows like Days of Our Lives and The Young and the Restless thought to have many more episodes in the can.
Shannon Peace, who serves as a breakdown writer on the series, explained the situation via Instagram.
"Starting next week, the show will be penned exclusively by scab writers, which is heartbreaking," she wrote earlier this month.
"Daytime writers face a unique conflict during strikes."
"We hate to see our characters and storylines handed over to 'writers' who cross the picket line," Peace added.
"But we're also keenly aware that stopping production could spell the demise of soap operas."
Peace shared that beginning today (Tuesday, July 25, 2023), the show's storylines will be in the hands of the temporary writing team.
"Starting Tuesday, the writing team of GH will be watching alongside fans to see what happens … for the sake of the fans, I hope the show is in capable writing hands," she continued.
"But I have to also acknowledge the pain of knowing that characters we've developed, relationships we built and stories we planned are being handled by others."
"Still, my hope is that if you love GH, you'll continue to watch. You can morally support the writers AND keep the show [on] the air! 🙏🏾.”
While many fans probably won't know much about the ins and outs of the WGA strike, the show will probably feel different with a different team.
It raises a lot of questions about the plots that have been ongoing because the new team could change things significantly, and it could have an impact on the show's longevity.
The WGA strike got underway on May 2, showing no signs of resolution. Until the studios offer a fair deal to the writers, this won't come to an end.
General Hospital will be able to produce new episodes because the SAG-AFTRA strike doesn't affect the performers on the show.
As a result, it will be one of the few series on the air when fresh episodes of other shows run out.
What are your thoughts on the series being able to continue production?
Are you on board?
Hit the comments.
Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.
