ABC
Back in May, General Hospital confirmed that veteran soap scribe Patrick Mulcahey was out as co-head writer, a position he had held alongside Elizabeth Korte since January 2024. At the time, the show made no formal announcement of its head-writing succession plan, as material scripted by Korte and Mulcahey was slated to air well into the summer.
Now, GH is confirming to Digest that Chris Van Etten is assuming the role of co-head writer alongside current Co-Head Writer Elizabeth Korte. Additionally, GH Script and Breakdown Writer Cathy LePard, whose pre-GH TV credits include The Fix, Seventh Heaven and Safe Harbor, has been promoted to associate head writer.
The first episode scripted by the new team will air on Thursday, August 8th, 2024.
Executive Producer Frank Valentini said in a statement issued to Digest, “No one knows General Hospital and its history more than Elizabeth and Chris. Cathy joined the show in 2023, and her talent and love for the genre has been a tremendous asset to this team. We look forward to this dynamic writing combination continuing the legacy of the show and giving our fans much to look forward to.”
The Write Stuff
Van Etten, a longtime soap viewer before he ever got his first daytime job, began his career at One Life to Live under former head writer Ron Carlivati (who just recently left Days of our Lives) and eventually followed him and the show’s executive producer, Frank Valentini, to GH after OLTL was cancelled in 2012. On July 24, 2015, Carlivati was replaced by Jean Passanante and Shelly Altman. In July 2017, after Passanante retired, Van Etten was named co-head writer and paired with Altman. In 2019, Dan O’Connor, who had come to GH from OLTL at the same time as the others, took over for Altman once she retired. Both co-head writers were let go this past January when Mulcahey was tapped to take over and named Korte as his co-head writer.
Early in his last stint as co-head writer at GH, Van Etten told Digest, “It’s really daunting taking over any kind of leadership role on a show like this that has such a history, but also I have such a history with — apart from my professional relationship with it.” Things will be very different for him this time. After all, he has many years on the show in that same position and wasn’t out of that job for very long.
Korte, a longtime member of GH’s writing team for decades, began back in 1994, holding various positions on the writing staff. Among them, she had a stint as co-head writer in 2001 and in 2008 began as script editor, a position she held until being made co-head writer. In 2007, she co-created the GH spinoff GH: Night Shift with Robert Guza, Jr., and worked with Guza as the show’s co-head writer.
The new team is certainly kicking off their tenure at a pivotal time in many characters’ lives, as Sonny’s psychological crisis deepens and Kristina, TJ and Molly reel from the death of the baby girl Kristina was carrying on their behalf, among other dramatic goings-on. What are your hopes for the new head-writing regime? Sound off in the comments below!
