ABC developing real-life version of 'General Hospital'

[Marco Dane]

http://www.nypost.co...cozg1oaXxuDKMYI

ABC is developing a real-life version of “General Hospital” — with actual doctors and nurses filmed at an LA hospital — as a daytime show for next year.

The show quietly began taping recently at the famed UCLA Medical Center, a spokesman for ABC confirmed.

The show is in its “earliest, pilot stages,” said the official and is intended “either for syndication or maybe cable.”

The show, according to sources, will follow the private as well as working lives of white coats at the hospital.

ABC has been experimenting a lot with daytime TV in the past few years — trying to see if new kinds of shows can replace the age-old menu of talk, soaps and game shows.

Another experiment, “The Revolution,” never found any chemistry with “Project Runway” mentor Tim Gunn and “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” host Ty Pennington, and was quickly dropped.It has succeeded with “The Chew,” a multi-host show built around food and starring chef Mario Batali, which debuted last year and has been a surprisingly steady performer.

The idea of shaping the reality format for daytime TV has been kicked around by TV producers for a while now — though it’s rarely been tried.

NBC re-cut existing episodes of the “Real Housewives” franchise for an afternoon soap two years ago — but couldn’t make it work.

More importantly, if ABC were to syndicate the as-yet-untitled hospital show, it would have to make room somewhere in its daytime schedule.

The only syndicated show it currently airs is Katie Couric’s new talk show — which ABC also owns.

[Ryan Chamberlain]

As long as they don't cancel the real GH. My GH. I will totally watch this. They can come on back to back. It would be pretty awesome.

[Marco Dane]

At least it means ABC finally cares about GH/Soaps. I hope this means that Katie will be canceled soon.

[~bl~]

Katie is syndicated so this would have to be in the syndicated arm, otherwise it would either have to replace The View, The Chew or GH if it was a daytime show. We know they aren't cutting GMA.

[Ryan Chamberlain]

Scotty. May I tell you how much I love your avatar.

Lucy Coe is the ish!

[chicklitsandfantasies]

This doesn';t mean they care about soaps. This means they took note of the popularity of those ER shows on Discovery Health.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

It means they care about some sort of cheap reality television, and this sounds terrible.

[Ryan Chamberlain]

Like I said. If it's not GH's replacement. And, they put it on before or after GH. I think it'll be interesting.

But, if they think they can cut GH and put this on. And, then think us GH fans will eat it up with a spoon. Then that means ABC is smoking crack again.

[reallyhateskateonlost]

I'm sure it will be a big hit.

[Eric83]

LOL

[Gray Bunny]

Off-topic, but love the ornament Scotty! You and Eric83 are spreading alotta NeNe lovin' on this message board!

[SFK]

I bet this is going to be dry and boring as hell. Like the worst of Starting Over. Does ABCD think this is some sort of brilliant gap bridger between GH and their new move towards reality?

Meanwhile, doctors and hospitals are played out. If you're going to do a reality show, at least hit us with something we haven't seen already.

[Khan]

Such as the daily life and activities of a notorious soap opera message board?

[marceline]

Thank you. This isn't a "real life version of GH" (although mad props to the promotion person who came up with that angle). That's like saying Project Runway is the "real life version" of B&B.

For [!@#$%^&*] sake, at some point soap fans have to stop letting every marketing intern, blogger and !@#$%^&*] with a Twitter feed make them look stupid and gullible.

[DRW50]

This sounds about fifteen years out of date.