“General Hospital: 60 Years of Stars and Storytelling” (10 p.m., ABC, TV-14) salutes the longest-running American daytime drama still in production. “GH” debuted in April 1963, when Kennedy was president, well before most Americans could find Vietnam on a map.
“General Hospital” brings to mind a scene from the 1950 backstage melodrama “All About Eve,” when the deliciously cynical critic Addison DeWitt dismisses television as “nothing but auditions.”
Over the years and decades “GH” has been a launching pad, or at least a steady paycheck, for actors including John Stamos, Meghan Markle, Mark Hamill, Kristin Davis, Demi Moore, Eva Longoria, Amber Tamblyn, Ricky Martin and others.
While some stars emerged from the series, others declared themselves such fans that they had themselves written in to the show’s elaborate plot. They include Elizabeth Taylor, George Takei and more recently James Franco.
I don’t claim to be a critical snob on the level of Addison DeWitt, but I can safely say I’ve never seen a single episode of “General Hospital.”
That said, nobody could escape the “Luke and Laura” mania that gripped pop culture in 1981. The characters’ (Anthony Geary and Genie Francis) wedding was watched by more than 30 million viewers, making it the largest audience in the history of daytime soaps. TV Guide has ranked it among the top 10 TV events ever, daytime or prime time. Right up there with the “Who Shot J.R.?” hysteria that had millions glued to prime time’s “Dallas” just a few months before.
Over 60 years and some 15,000 episodes, “GH” has so worked its way into the culture that other series have either mentioned it or offered parodies. On the medical series “House,” Hugh Laurie’s character is addicted to a series (“Prescription Passion”) modeled on “GH.” Series as varied as “The Goldbergs” and “Virgin River” have depicted characters watching the soap.
At the same time, it says something that this tribute arrives only after the two-hour “Golden Bachelor” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) wedding special. A sign that romantic “reality” shows have eclipsed the soap opera, leaving just a sturdy few like “General Hospital” behind.
— Speaking of enduring soap operas, “Casey Anthony’s Parents: The Lie Detector Test” (9 p.m., A&E, Lifetime, TV-14) revisits the murder of Caylee Anthony some 16 years ago, a murder distant enough in time to have been endlessly discussed on MySpace.
In an early case of social-media justice, Casey, Caylee’s mother, was quickly anointed as the most-hated woman in the world, a verdict echoed on cable by such legal experts as Nancy Grace, Greta Van Susteren and Geraldo Rivera. Anthony was tried, acquitted, convicted and condemned more times that I ever cared to follow, leaving a tale of fabrications behind her.
She was recently the subject of a whole docuseries on Peacock, and made allegations of sexual abuse against her father, an emotional trauma that may explain her pattern of falsehoods. She also suggested that her father may be Caylee’s true killer.
Hence, the need for a lie-detector questioning that arrives with a built-in “reveal” as old as tabloid TV itself.
— AMC+ and Sundance Now stream the fantasy series “Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale,” set in a bucolic village where sorcerers practice their arts. What can go wrong?
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— Bash’s therapist wants to try a new approach on “Transplant” (9 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
— Anthony Anderson and his mother host the musical guessing game “We Are Family” (9 p.m., Fox, r, TV-PG).
CULT CHOICE
Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are upstaged by a pug in the 1997 comedy “Men in Black” (9 p.m., WE).
SERIES NOTES
Skipping grades on “Young Sheldon” (8 p.m., CBS, r, TV-PG) … A not-so-speedy trial on “Law & Order” (8 p.m., NBC, r, TV-14) … “Hell’s Kitchen” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14) … Arbor day on “Ghosts” (8:30 p.m., CBS, r, TV-PG).
On two episodes of “Ghosts UK” (CBS, TV-PG): uninvited guests (9 p.m.); snowfall (9:30 p.m.) … Bravo teams up with British forces on “SEAL Team” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14) … “Dateline” (10 p.m., NBC, r, TV-14).
LATE NIGHT
Rachel Maddow and Gracie Abrams appear on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (11:35 p.m., CBS, r) … Jimmy Fallon welcomes Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Chloe Flower and the Roots on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC, r) … Zac Efron, Jason Mantzoukas and Queens of the Stone Age appear on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (11:35 p.m., ABC, r) … Don “D.C.” Curry, Derrick Cameron, Sheryl Underwood and Arnez J. appear on “Comics Unleashed With Byron Allen” (12:35 a.m., CBS).
