'General Hospital' to celebrate 60 years with prime-time special Thursday on ABC

There is something special coming to TV for "General Hospital" fans, past and present.

The show celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2023, and on Thursday night "GH" is heading to prime time for a look back at all the soapy goodness that's made the show so iconic in the world of daytime drama.

Emma Samms and Amber Tamblyn are just two of the familiar faces you'll be seeing on "General Hospital: 60 Years of Stars and Storytelling."

"It's going to be be incredible," said Katelyn MacMullen, who plays Willow on the show. "There's some amazing people involved and it's going be a great, great show -- I know it!"

The special goes down memory lane for a look at the show's long history -- its dramatic and wild storylines and those iconic moments, including the wedding of Luke and Laura in 1981, when 30 million viewers tuned in to watch.

"General Hospital" is the longest-running scripted drama, and it's also the longest-running soap opera still in production.

"It's amazing, all the great actors I've been able to work with," said the leading man who plays Sonny Corinthos, actor Maurice Benard. He said the show has "been half my life -- 30 years. And it's like a second family."

Brooke Kerr, who plays Portia, said: "I just watching them talk about the history, some things that I didn't quite know. And it put the pieces together for me, for colleagues that I've worked with in the past few years but didn't quite know every details of their storyline. So it's nice for me as well."

Rena Sofer, who plays Lois, recently returned to the show. "It's going to be a really beautiful gift, right, to the fans," she said, "because that's basically what this episode of prime-time TV is about, is a gift to the fans to say, 'We couldn't have been here for 60 years if it wasn't for you.'"

Some reporters at KABC-TV are even part of "GH's" 60-year history. News anchor Ellen Leyva has been on the show, and entertainment guru George Pennacchio been on the red carpet at the Nurses Ball several times, covering the arrivals.

"General Hospital: 60 Years of Stars and Storytelling" airs Thursday night at 10/9c on ABC, right after "The Golden Wedding," and Friday on Hulu.