TV
Port Charles (ABC 1997-2003, Jay Pickett, Charles Keating)
A spin off from General Hospital that launched with a prime time special on 1 June 1997. The show focused on the lives of three characters from GH:- Scott Baldwin, Lucy Coe and Kevin Collins. The doctors were resident at GH and one early plot strand had them being targeted by a serial killer called the General Homicide killer.
In the first few years, Port Charles got a reputation for focusing most of its energies on the medical school program, setting more of its main action at Port Charles’ General Hospital than was seen on the parent show, General Hospital. As it evolved, it turned its focus to stories with gothic intrigue that included themes such as forbidden love, vampires, and life after death. It also abandoned the basic open-ended writing style used on all other daytime dramas in December 2000, instead creating thirteen-week story arcs. This type of storytelling is a staple of Latin telenovelas. It also allowed the cast, crew, and writing staff to only work six months out of the year.
production details
USA | ABC | 347×45 minutes | 30 minutes | 1 June 1997 – 3 October 2003
Creators: Carolyn Culliton, Richard Culliton, Wendy Riche
KIN SHINER as Scott Baldwin
LYNN HERRING as Lucy Coe
JON LINDSTROM as Kevin Collins
JENNIFER HAMMON as Dr Karen Wexler-Cates
LISA ANN HADDEY as Dr Eve Lambert
MICHAEL DIETZ as Dr Jospeh Parnell Scanlon
JAY PICKETT as Francis Xavier Scanlon
NOLAN NORTH as Dr Chris Ramsey
MITCH LONGLEY as Dr Matt Harmon
ROB HILLIS as Dr Jake Marshak
DEBBI MORGAN as Dr Ellen Burgess
ANASTASIA HORNE as Lark Madison
EDWARD ALBERT as Dr Bennett Devlin
GEORGE ALVAREZ as Det Alex Garcia
LESLIE CHARLESON as Dr Monica Quartermaine
JAMIE FARR as Ernie
ERIN HERSHEY as Alison Barrington
JOSEPH KELL as Zach Owens
LISA LORD as Nurse Grace Sullivan