ARTICLE: Patrick Mulcahey and Elizabeth Korte Named New Co-Head Writers at ‘General Hospital’, Replacing Outgoing Writers Chris Van Etten and Dan O’Connor

[Errol]

ABC is going in a different direction with “General Hospital,” it was announced on Monday.

Patrick Mulcahey is returning to the fold as the show’s new co-head writer working alongside veteran writer Elizabeth Korte, who has been with the show since 1994 and has held various positions ever since, including her previous position as script editor and historian. Mulcahey and Korte are replacing co-head writers Chris Van Etten and Dan O’Connor, whose scripts will air into March.

In mid-December, immediately following the show breaking its own record with 16 wins for Outstanding Daytime Drama Series during “The 50th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards,” Nathan Varni, the current series executive in charge of the show’s production who handles matters from the network level, made note that despite the show winning awards, his goal for the new year was to win back “lapsed viewers.” In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Varni said, “We have a lot of work to do but we’re all ready to work hard for YOU!”

Varni’s post received approximately 145,000 views since it was published last month.

Following the months-long writer’s strike that ended in late September, Van Etten and O’Connor’s names reappeared in the show’s credits starting with the Monday, December 18, 2023 episode. One week later, we reported the series had hit a new season low among Total Viewers, with just 1.915 million people tuning in. This marked the fifth time overall the series had gone below the two million viewers mark this season, but the first with material written by the show’s regular writers. 

Since then, the show has seen three consecutive weeks of growth, each above the two million viewer mark. In fact, during the week of January 8-12, 2024, the most recent week in which Nielsen data is available, “General Hospital” hit a new season high with 2.192 million viewers tuned in, marking the third consecutive week of gains among Total Viewers which amounted to the show adding +277,000 viewers over the same three week period.

That said, the Women 18-49 and Women 25-54 sales demographics are what sell ad rates for daytime programming and keep the lights on. Among Women 18-49, “General Hospital” is experiencing its worst season ever, with just a 0.2 rating in the demo. During the week of January 8-12, 2024, the show marked its sixth consecutive week where it tied its series low. The other two remaining network soaps – “The Young and the Restless” and “The Bold and the Beautiful” – also hit or are tying their series low in the demo, each with a 0.3 rating. In the case of “The Bold and the Beautiful,” this is the show’s 28th straight week tying its series low.

Van Etten had been the co-head writer of “General Hospital” since October 2017, replacing Jean Passanante, who decided to retire after 25 years working as a writer. Van Etten worked alongside the show’s remaining co-head writer, Shelly Altman, through much of 2019 until she also retired, leaving the door open for O’Connor to replace her. O’Connor began his tenure as co-head writer in November 2019.

Prior to head writing at “General Hospital,” Van Etten had been a breakdown writer at the show since May 2012, joining the writing staff, which was at the time led by former “One Life to Live” head writer Ron Carlivati (now at “Days of our Lives”). At “One Life to Live,” Van Etten was the assistant to the show’s executive producer, Frank Valentini, from 2001-2003 before he changed positions and became a writer’s associate. Soon after, he was promoted to the position of continuity supervisor before being named an associate head writer in August 2005. By November 2006, Van Etten had become a breakdown writer at the New York-based daytime drama series.

Also getting his start in daytime at “One Life to Live,” O’Connor was a writer’s associate from 2007-2011. Like Van Etten, O’Connor later joined Carlivati’s writing team at “General Hospital” in 2013, where he held the dual role of associate head writer and breakdown writer before being named co-head writer.

The last time “General Hospital” won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing Team for a Daytime Drama Series was in 2009 under the show’s then-head writer Robert Guza, Jr., whom both Mulcahey and Korte worked under throughout the latter part of the 1990s.

Mulcahey’s writing career began in 1979 as a scriptwriter for the series “Texas.” He joined the writing team of “The Bold and the Beautiful” in 2005 and worked as a scriptwriter and story consultant there until 2019.

Note: The post Patrick Mulcahey and Elizabeth Korte Named New Co-Head Writers at ‘General Hospital’, Replacing Outgoing Writers Chris Van Etten and Dan O’Connor appeared first on the Soap Opera Network website.

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[Soapsuds]

Patrick Mulcahey material starts airing in April?

[janea4old]

Errol said above "co-head writers Chris Van Etten and Dan O’Connor, whose scripts will air into March."

[Errol]

 

Depending on the specific date in March (unknown at this time), it's expected Mulcahey and Korte's material would begin the next day, which would likely be in March, too. But again, it all depends on the specific date in March we're talking about. We'll soon find out.

[Khan]

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Why is it that every time I think I can walk away from these soaps for good, they up and do something to pull me back in?

[Soapsuds]

ABC is probably seeing what Errol saw in the ratings. GMA3 is tanking badly and GH is just barely hanging on. Their only hit is The View.  ABC is probably thinking what are we going to put in place for two hours?

I'm shocked Patrick is returning to daytime and as a HW. He's too good.

You should see his interview from the Locher Room. It's very insightful.

Unless @BetterForgotten wants to give a summary of the interview.

[Taoboi]

OMG!!! Wooooow!!! Patrick is such a GET.

 

So...in.

[Khan]

I would, if I could get past the technical issues.

And IA that Mulcahey is too good for daytime.  It's a shame no primetime or streaming series has ever snapped him up.

[Juliajms2]

Because you have been watching soaps a good chunk of your life and you still hope they can be good again? That's why I'm still watching. Those ratings are shockingly bad though. I don't know how much longer any of these shows can limp along on network TV.

[Khan]

IOW, I'm too stupid to live.

[AbcNbc247]

[Khan]

"The Organization"::Michael Corleone::soap operas::Khan.

Edited January 25 by Khan