General Hospital Head Writers Out

There’s been an earthquake in Port Charles, metaphorically speaking.

General Hospital insiders confirm to TVLine that head writers Chris Van Etten and Dan O’Connor will be departing the ABC serial. They will be replaced by current GH script editor Elizabeth Korte and celebrated soap vet Patrick Mulcahey (GH, Santa Barbara, Guiding Light).

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The behind-the-scenes switch comes just weeks after GH celebrated its 60th anniversary with a splashy ABC primetime special, one that announced the return of fan favorite Steve Burton (aka Jason). It also comes a little more than a month since the sudser won its third consecutive Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series.

Mulcahey worked at GH in the mid-to-late ’90s, first as a script writer, then as a breakdown writer before becoming associate head writer

The new material from Korte/Mulcahey will begin airing in March.

GH, which premiered on April 1, 1963, is the longest-running scripted drama and the longest-running American soap opera currently in production.

An ABC rep declined to comment for this story.

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