General Hospital: Night Shift
Encyclopedia
General Hospital: Night Shift is an American prime time
Prime time
Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...

 serial that first aired on SOAPnet
SOAPnet
SOAPnet is an American cable television channel that broadcasts current and past soap operas and primetime dramas, along with some original programming. The channel launched on January 20, 2000, and is owned by Disney-ABC Television Group, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...

 for a 13-episode run from July 12, 2007 to October 4, 2007. A spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...

 of the ABC Daytime
ABC Daytime
ABC Daytime is a programming block on the ABC Network which has historically encompassed soap operas, game shows and talk shows.-Schedule:...

 soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...

 General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....

, the show is SOAPnet's first original scripted drama series and follows the nighttime adventures of familiar and new characters around the hospital. As of March 2008, the first season of the series was "SOAPnet's most watched series ever," with ABC Daytime and SOAPnet President Brian Frons
Brian Frons
Brian Frons is an American television executive, and president of ABC Daytime.- Educational background :Frons holds a Master of Science degree in Communications from Syracuse University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the State University of New York at Fredonia.-Television...

 noting that Night Shift drew more than 1 million new viewers to the channel during its first season. With its reruns gaining higher ratings than those of General Hospital on SOAPnet, a second season was expected, though Frons noted that the same crew producing two shows had taken its toll.

It was announced in May 2008 that Lisa de Cazotte
Lisa de Cazotte
Lisa de Cazotte is an American soap opera producer.-Biography:A graduate of Fordham University, de Cazotte was previously known as Lisa S. Hesser before her marriage to French documentary producer Antoine de Cazotte....

 would serve as Executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...

 for season two, joined by Head writer
Head writer
A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits, but in prime time series this function is generally performed by an...

 Sri Rao http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20060502n03. The 14 new episodes of Night Shift began taping in high-definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...

 in June 2008, with the series airing Tuesdays at 11 p.m. and premiering on July 22, 2008. SOAPnet said the second season "will feature new and returning characters as well as the return of 'legacy' characters from GH. In addition, the continuity between story lines on Night Shift and GH will match." The second season finished its run on October 21, 2008.

Night Shift is the second spin-off series for GH, the first being the 30-minute daytime serial Port Charles
Port Charles
Port Charles was a daytime soap opera which aired on ABC from June 2, 1997 to October 3, 2003. It is a spin-off of the serial General Hospital, which has been running since 1963 and takes place in the fictional city of Port Charles, New York...

, which ran on ABC from June 1997 to October 2003.

Season 2 also aired on DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...

's The 101 Network in 2008.

Overview

Prior to its premiere, SOAPnet had announced that Night Shift would "delve deeper into the relationships, friendships and medical cases seen at the hospital." It was noted that unlike General Hospital itself, the stories on Night Shift would be "self-contained and wrap up during each weekly one-hour episode," as well as being "understandable to viewers who do not watch General Hospital." With the goal "to attract younger viewers to both SOAPnet and General Hospital," characters would be "plucked from General Hospital's history" and "be mostly younger characters with ties to GHs core families." Night Shift's storylines, however, did not directly intersect with those on General Hospital.

Contract cast

Actor Character
Bradford Anderson
Bradford Anderson
Bradford William Anderson is an American actor best known for his role as the young hacker criminal Damian Millhouse Spinelli Bradford William Anderson (born September 21, 1979) is an American actor best known for his role as the young hacker criminal Damian Millhouse Spinelli Bradford William...

 
Damien Spinelli
Amanda Baker
Amanda Baker (actress)
Amanda Baker is an American actress. She is best known for portraying Jolene Crowell on General Hospital: Night Shift in 2007 and Babe Carey Chandler on All My Children from 2007 to 2008...

 
Jolene Crowell
Nazanin Boniadi
Nazanin Boniadi
Nazanin Boniadi is a British Iranian actress currently living and working in the US.-Early life:...

 
Leyla Mir
Leyla Mir
Leyla Mir is a fictional character that premiered on the SOAPnet drama series, General Hospital: Night Shift, and crossed over into the parent series General Hospital. She was portrayed by Nazanin Boniadi.- Character History :...

Steve Burton  Jason Morgan
Sonya Eddy
Sonya Eddy
Sonya Eddy is an American actress. She majored in Theatre and Dance at UC Davis and received her B.A. in 1992. Eddy is a licensed vocational nurse .-Career:...

 
Epiphany Johnson
Kent King  Dr. Lainey Winters
Kimberly McCullough
Kimberly McCullough
Kimberly Anne McCullough is an American actress, dancer, and director. She is best known for her longtime role as Robin Scorpio on the soap opera General Hospital, a role which she originated at the age of 7, playing the character from 1985-1996...

 
Dr. Robin Scorpio
Robin Scorpio
Dr. Robin Scorpio-Drake is a fictional character from the ABC soap opera General Hospital and its prime time SOAPnet spin-off General Hospital: Night Shift, originated and portrayed by Kimberly McCullough since 1985. The character came to mainstream attention when she was diagnosed as HIV-positive...

Ron Melendez Dr. Andy Archer
Minae Noji  Dr. Kelly Lee
Dominic Rains
Amin Nazemzadeh
Dominic Rains is an Iranian-American actor, best known for his portrayal of 9-11 hijacker Ziad Jarrah in the 2006 made-for-television movie, Flight 93. Dominic is the brother of Iranian actor Ethan Rains.From 12 July 2007 to 4 October 2007, Rains appeared as Dr...

 
Dr. Leo Julian
Jason Thompson
Jason Thompson (actor)
Jason Craig Thompson is a Canadian actor. He joined the cast of the American daytime drama General Hospital in December 2005 as arrogant yet brilliant neurosurgeon Dr. Patrick Drake...

 
Dr. Patrick Drake
Angel Wainwright  Regina Thompson
Billy Dee Williams
Billy Dee Williams
William December "Billy Dee" Williams, Jr. is an American actor, artist, singer, and writer.-Early life:Williams was born in New York City, New York, the son of Loretta...

 
Toussaint Dubois

Notable guest cast

Actor Character
Adrian Alvarado
Adrian Alvarado (actor)
Adrian Alvarado is an American actor on the soap operas General Hospital and General Hospital: Night Shift.Born April 18, 1976.-Roles:*Sleepless Nights *Strong Medicine*General Hospital...

 
Cruz Rodriguez
Danny Arroyo  Pablo Garcia
Julie Marie Berman  Lulu Spencer
Lulu Spencer
Lesley Lu "Lulu" Spencer is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital. She is the daughter of supercouple Luke and Laura Spencer. She has notably been portrayed by Julie Marie Berman, who debuted in the role in November 2005...

Maurice Benard
Maurice Benard
Maurice Benard is an American actor. He is known primarily for his portrayal of romantic mobster Michael "Sonny" Corinthos, Jr. on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital, a role he has portrayed since 1993.-Career:...

 
Sonny Corinthos
Sonny Corinthos
Michael "Sonny" Corinthos, Jr. is a fictional character on the popular ABC soap opera General Hospital. Maurice Benard has played the role, that of a manic depressive Mob boss living in Port Charles, since the character's storyline originated on August 13, 1993...

Wendy Braun
Wendy Braun
Wendy Allison Braun is an American film and television actress.Braun was born in Northbrook, Illinois, just outside of Chicago. She began acting at age 12, where she performed in many school plays. She graduated early from Indiana University to pursue an acting career in Hollywood...

 
Iris Sneed
Kiko Ellsworth
Kiko Ellsworth
Kiko Ellsworth is an American actor. Ellsworth is best known for his portrayal of Jamal Woods in the now defunct ABC daytime drama, Port Charles. In March 2007, Ellsworth returned to daytime television in the role of Stan Johnson on another ABC daytime drama, General Hospital...

 
Stan Johnson
Richard Gant
Richard Gant
Richard E. Gant is an American film and television actor. His credits include the films Rocky V , as a possessed cornoner in Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday , Deadwood, Babylon 5, Special Unit 2, NYPD Blue, Living Single, Posse and Charmed...

 
Dr. Russell Ford
Jason Gerhardt  Coop Barrett
Rebecca Herbst
Rebecca Herbst
Rebecca Herbst is an American actress, best known for playing nurse Elizabeth Webber on the daytime drama General Hospital, a role she originated on August 1, 1997, and Suzee, an alien on the Nickelodeon show, Space Cases.- Personal background :Herbst was born in Encino, California. Her parents...

 
Elizabeth Webber
Elizabeth Webber
Elizabeth Spencer may refer to:*Lady Elizabeth Spencer , wife of Henry Herbert, 10th Earl of Pembroke*Elizabeth Spencer, Baroness Hunsdon*Elizabeth Spencer , American novelist...

Alla Korot
Alla Korot
Alla Korot is an American actress and dancer.Korot was born in Odessa, Ukrainian SSR to Elena and Alex Korot. Korot and her family immigrated to the United States in 1977, and she subsequently grew up in San Francisco. Before acting, she performed for Ballet Celeste International with her family...

 
Stacey Sloan
Lindze Letherman
Lindze Letherman
Lindze Lanae Letherman is an American actress. She is known for her role as Georgie Jones Quartermaine on General Hospital.-Career:...

 
Georgie Jones
Georgie Jones
Georgianna "Georgie" Jones is a fictional character on the popular ABC soap opera General Hospital. She is the daughter of supercouple Frisco and Felicia Jones. Georgie was portrayed by actress Lindze Letherman, who first appeared on the show in September 2002 and left in December 2007...

Graham Shiels  Cody Paul
Cody Paul
Cody Paul is a fictional character on the SOAPnet drama series, General Hospital: Night Shift. He is an Iraq war veteran with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. He's being treated by Dr. Lainey Winters. The character has also crossed over to General Hospital, where it was revealed that he's a former...

Kirsten Storms
Kirsten Storms
Kirsten Renee Storms is an American actress. Her biggest break came when she was cast as Isabella "Belle" Black in the NBC soap opera Days of our Lives from 1999 to 2004....

 
Maxie Jones
Maxie Jones
Mariah Maximilliana "Maxie" Jones is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital currently portrayed by Kirsten Storms. She is the oldest daughter of supercouple Frisco and Felicia Jones. In 2009, Storms was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for her role of Maxie Jones...

Roy Vongtama
Roy Vongtama
Roy Vongtama is an American professional actor as well as a Board certified Radiation oncologist. He resides in Santa Monica, CA.-Acting:Acting since 2001, Vongtama first appeared on ABC's reality show The Ultimate Love Test...

 
Dr. Boyd
John J. York
John J. York
John Joseph Robert York is an American actor. Although York has made appearances on such television shows as Dynasty, Family Ties, and 21 Jump Street, he is most recognizable for playing the role of Malcolm "Mac" Scorpio on the daytime soap opera General Hospital...

 
Mac Scorpio
Mac Scorpio
Malcolm "Mac" Scorpio is a popular long running fictional character on the ABC daytime soap opera General Hospital. The role was originated by John J. York in February 1991 and is still currently portrayed by him. He is the ex-husband of Felicia Cumming Scorpio-Jones and the adoptive father of...



Contract cast

Actor Character
Sonya Eddy
Sonya Eddy
Sonya Eddy is an American actress. She majored in Theatre and Dance at UC Davis and received her B.A. in 1992. Eddy is a licensed vocational nurse .-Career:...

 
Epiphany Johnson
Azita Ghanizada
Azita Ghanizada
Azita Ghanizada is an Afghan American actress in the United States who has appeared in a number of television series. Born in Kabul, Afghanistan, her family fled her native country when she was still a baby in the wake of the Soviet war in Afghanistan. They travelled to the United States and were...

 
Dr. Saira Batra
Adam Grimes
Adam Grimes
Adam Grimes is an American actor. He was born in Burlington, Vermont.Grimes is best known for his portrayal of Kyle Julian on the American soap opera General Hospital: Night Shift. He joined the cast for the second season as the younger brother of Dr. Leo Julian...

 
Dr. Kyle Julian
Kimberly McCullough
Kimberly McCullough
Kimberly Anne McCullough is an American actress, dancer, and director. She is best known for her longtime role as Robin Scorpio on the soap opera General Hospital, a role which she originated at the age of 7, playing the character from 1985-1996...

 
Dr. Robin Scorpio
Robin Scorpio
Dr. Robin Scorpio-Drake is a fictional character from the ABC soap opera General Hospital and its prime time SOAPnet spin-off General Hospital: Night Shift, originated and portrayed by Kimberly McCullough since 1985. The character came to mainstream attention when she was diagnosed as HIV-positive...

Ethan Rains  Dr. Leo Julian
Tristan Rogers
Tristan Rogers
Tristan Rogers is an Australian–American actor. He is best known for playing Robert Scorpio on the ABC soap opera General Hospital...

 
Robert Scorpio
Robert Scorpio
Robert Xavier Scorpio is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital, played by actor Tristan Rogers. Robert's birthday is September 15.-Appearances:Tristan Rogers originally played the role from December 1980 through February 25, 1992...

Antonio Sabàto, Jr.
Antonio Sabàto, Jr.
Antonio Sabàto, Jr. is an American actor and model. Born in Italy and raised in the U.S., Sabàto first became known as a Calvin Klein model and for his role on the soap opera General Hospital. He continued appearing in films and television series throughout the 1990s and 2000s.-Early life:Sabàto...

 
Jagger Cates
Carrie Southworth
Carrie Southworth
Carrie Southworth is an American actress and model who portrayed Dr. Claire Simpson on the SOAPnet prime time serial General Hospital: Night Shift in 2008.-Biography:...

Dr. Claire Simpson
Jason Thompson
Jason Thompson (actor)
Jason Craig Thompson is a Canadian actor. He joined the cast of the American daytime drama General Hospital in December 2005 as arrogant yet brilliant neurosurgeon Dr. Patrick Drake...

 
Dr. Patrick Drake
Billy Dee Williams
Billy Dee Williams
William December "Billy Dee" Williams, Jr. is an American actor, artist, singer, and writer.-Early life:Williams was born in New York City, New York, the son of Loretta...

 
Toussaint Dubois

Notable guest cast

Actor Character
Chad Allen
Chad Allen (actor)
Chad Allen is an American actor. Beginning a prolific career as a child actor at the age of seven, Allen is a three-time Young Artist Award winner and GLAAD Media Award honoree, best known for rising to prominence as a teen idol during the late 1980s as David Witherspoon on the NBC family drama,...

 
Eric Whitlow
Cameron Boyce  Michael 'Stone' Cates Jr.
Leslie Charleson
Leslie Charleson
Leslie Charleson is an American actress most famous for her work in daytime television.-Biography:Charleson was born in Kansas City, Missouri. Her career began on short-lived soap A Flame in the Wind in 1964...

 
Dr. Monica Quartermaine
Monica Quartermaine
Dr. Monica Quartermaine is a fictional character on the popular ABC soap opera, General Hospital. She is a member of the wealthy Quartermaine family. Her various affairs and quarrels with her husband Dr...

Anthony Geary
Anthony Geary
Anthony Geary is an American actor. He has starred on the ABC daytime drama General Hospital as Luke Spencer from 1978 to 1984 and from 1993 to present.-Life and career:...

 
Luke Spencer
Luke Spencer
Lucas "Luke" Lorenzo Spencer, Sr. is a fictional character in the American television soap opera General Hospital, and has been played by Anthony Geary since 1978.-Early years :...

Finola Hughes
Finola Hughes
Finola Hughes is an English actress, television host, author and former dancer, best known for role as Anna Devane on the General Hospital, All My Children and General Hospital: Night Shift , and her role as Anna Devane's identical twin sister, Doctor Alexandra Devane Marick, on All My Children...

 
Anna Devane
Anna Devane
Anna Devane is a fictional character on the ABC soap operas General Hospital and All My Children...

Kathleen Noone
Kathleen Noone
Kathleen Noone is an Emmy Award winning American film, stage and television actress , best known roles for Ellen Shepherd Dalton on the daytime drama All My Children , Claudia Whittaker on the primetime drama Knots Landing and Bette Katzenkazrahi on the daytime drama Sunset Beach .-Life and...

 
Patricia Julian
John Reilly  Sean Donely
Sharon Wyatt
Sharon Wyatt
Sharon Wyatt is an American soap opera actress.Wyatt became known for her role as Tiffany Hill Donely on the popular soap General Hospital...

 
Tiffany Hill
John J. York
John J. York
John Joseph Robert York is an American actor. Although York has made appearances on such television shows as Dynasty, Family Ties, and 21 Jump Street, he is most recognizable for playing the role of Malcolm "Mac" Scorpio on the daytime soap opera General Hospital...

 
Mac Scorpio
Mac Scorpio
Malcolm "Mac" Scorpio is a popular long running fictional character on the ABC daytime soap opera General Hospital. The role was originated by John J. York in February 1991 and is still currently portrayed by him. He is the ex-husband of Felicia Cumming Scorpio-Jones and the adoptive father of...



Ratings history

The premiere episode of Night Shift ranked as the SOAPnet's "most viewed telecast ever" with total viewers and in its target demographic
Demographics
Demographics are the most recent statistical characteristics of a population. These types of data are used widely in sociology , public policy, and marketing. Commonly examined demographics include gender, race, age, disabilities, mobility, home ownership, employment status, and even location...

, women age 18-49. The show was also SOAPnet’s most watched premiere with those groups and with women 18-34. According to Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...

, the series averaged 1 million total viewers, "posting 63% audience growth over its lead-in," and ranking as "the second most viewed cable program for the hour with women 18-49." Broadcasting & Cable
Broadcasting & Cable
Broadcasting & Cable magazine is a television industry trade magazine published by NewBay Media. Previous names included Broadcasting/Telecasting, Broadcasting and Broadcast Advertising, and Broadcasting...

notes the significance of this fact considering "only 64 million homes carry the network, compared to the 94 million that carry USA
USA Network
USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...

, the top network in the demo that night."
Night Shift doubled SOAPnet's time-period viewership from 2006 in total viewers and the women 18-49 demographic. The series averaged 833,000 viewers (and 381,000 among women 18-49) during its first season.

Season One

In 2007, soap opera critic Marlena De Lacroix noted the initially high ratings but called the series an "incoherently written and produced mess," going on to declare that "
Night Shifts only redeeming aspect and its real legacy to daytime is its bravura casting. Casting directors Mark Teschner
Mark Teschner
-Career:Has been in charge of ABC Daytime's General Hospital casting since 1989. He has been described by Rolling Stone magazine as "an actor's casting director" and TV Guide noted his "unparalleled track record for finding top new talent." He is a former vice president of the Casting Society of...

 and Gwen Hillier introduced a group of new actors who are universally talented and interesting. No brainless hunk or hunkette models typically hired en masse." In 2008, Ed Martin called the first season "a perfectly putrid spin-off of a soap opera that is now a mere shadow of its fantastic former self."

Season Two

Martin called the second season "a sophomore series that embodied almost everything that was sublime about its mother-ship back in its heyday." Michael Logan of TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...

wrote in October 2008 that although he did not enjoy the premiere episode of season two, "then the show got good. Really good." He ranked the spin-off above General Hospital itself, saying "it's indisputably superior to the mob-infested soap that spawned it." Logan added that "This late-night SOAPnet series is refreshingly retro, focusing as GH once did on the lives of doctors and their patients. (Imagine that!) The pleasures are many, from the frisky interplay of interns Claire and Kyle (she's straight, he's not) to the profoundly moving performances of Finola Hughes and Tristan Rogers as Anna and her cancer-stricken Robert." Michael Fairman called Rogers' performance "poignant" and noted that "if it could have been in Emmy
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...

 contention this year, it would stand among the best." Rogers himself said of the season, "Night Shift was a wonderful glimpse of what was possible to do with a daytime format and a primetime format, shot in HD, edited like a movie, and essentially brought up to date, which was subtle. It was written by Sri Rao, who really understood the genre. He really got it ... I think this is an issue of what goes on with the daytime soaps. There are not too many people out there now who want to take what history there is, and take it and build on it. I can see why they don’t want to do that, but on the other hand, I don’t think there is much point in changing history for the sake of change. If you have a really good reason to change it then do it, otherwise use it!" De Lacroix wrote that Season Two "expertly delivered traditional soap opera in a modern form while reinforcing love as the center of the medium, instead of devaluing it as so many soaps do today," adding that "All the characters on NS2 were intelligent adults, the way they used to be on soap operas before about a decade ago when most characters were rendered brainless and stupid."

DVD release

The complete first season of Night Shift was released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....

on February 12, 2008.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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