generalI just rewatched GH's 35th Anniversary Special that aired in 1998, and what the show potrayed about itself is so much different than what they try to make us believe the show is about today. It makes me so annoyed that the core families and romance aren't highlighted on the show anymore, and we're all supposed to believe that it was always a show centered on the mob. It's called General HOSPITAL for a reason, it started in a hospital lol. Nothing to do with the mob.
Then:
Tony Geary’s intro:
"Over the last 35 years the drama at General Hospital extended from affairs of the heart to fantasy filled adventures around the world. Through it all the show has remained true to its original premise, to explore the spectrum of human relations – hope and despair, kindness and deception, love and hate."
Genie Francis:
"I think the core of General Hospital is Steve Hardy, John Beradino. The wonderful thing about the show is how we have honored our own history. There are a few major families on this show and we see them through generations. Now we have his(Steve Hardy’s) grandchildren on the show." (clip of Elizabeth with Audrey)
They talk about the Hardys, Webbers, Quartermaines, Spencers, Scorpios, and Cassadines.
Anthony Geary’s conclusion:
"As we move toward General Hospital 2000 and perhaps the next 35 years, the show remains vital and true to its core – its characters. It’s a tribute not only to the GH of today, but to all those writers, producers and actors; everyone behind the camera on whose broad shoulders we stand. But most of all - it’s a tribute to you – our audience.
GH may not be the world as we know it, but it has become a place on the map of our hearts. The cast of characters spanning over three decades are now like friends and family. Their history is one with ours, their victories and defeats, their loves and hopes – sometimes undistinguishable from our own. For 35 years, it’s been a hell of a ride."
Now:
SoapWatch:
'Does this mean the end of the mob violence? Is this the start of kinder, gentler GH?'
''We're not going to make them all go in the garment business. That is not what this story is about,'' Guza says. ''The show is about romance during wartime, for lack of a better term. We have the highest stakes possible because people can be killed. We're not going to ignore that. We're not going to go away from that. But we're going to make them very, very aware of the consequences and make them try to deal in nonviolent ways.''
Soap Opera Weekly:
GUZA: "In terms of being too violent, that's fair. But we are a show whose central characters are mobsters and have always been mobsters. 
Tony Geary's character came on this show as Frank Smith's runner from the mob. So this is not something that started with me. Is it too violent? Yeah, probably. But it is the nature of the characters and the stories you have to tell. But the question of glorifying it is a different issue, and you and I have talked about this a lot. We work very hard around here to show the consequences of violence to our characters. We want to say, ‘If you choose this lifestyle, it is going to come back to haunt you.' Sonny is arguably one of the most haunted characters in all of daytime, precisely because he doesn't die but the people around him do."
**IMO GH has forgotton about what it's really supposed to be about - the families and characters we've loved for so long who are disappearing with this new GH. What happened to families, romance, fun, and meaningful stories of substance? What happened to everyone getting together for good causes like the Nurse's Ball and the Pediatric Ward Christmas Party?
