''General Hospital: Night Shift'', stylized as ''NIGHTSHIFT'', is an American

prime time Prime time, or peak time, is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for television shows. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...

serial that first aired on

Soapnet Soapnet was an American basic cable network owned by the Disney–ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. The network's programming was oriented towards the soap opera genre; on launch, Soapnet carried primetime encores of ABC' ...

for a 27-episode run from July 12, 2007, to October 21, 2008. A

spin-off Spin-off, Spin Off, Spin-Off, or Spinoff may refer to: Entertainment and media *Spinoff (media), a media work derived from an existing work *''The Spinoff'', a New Zealand current affairs magazine * ''Spin Off'' (Canadian game show), a 2013 Canad ...

of the

ABC Daytime ABC Daytime (sometimes shortened to ABC-D or ABCD) is a division responsible for the daytime television programming block on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC Network and syndicated programming. The block has historically encompassed soap o ...

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera created by Frank and Doris Hursley which has been broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC since April 1, 1963. Originally a half-hour seria ...

'',"''GH'' Spinoff Planned For SOAPnet." - SoapCentral.com
February 12, 2007. 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 Scott Frons (born June 15, 1956) is an American television executive and the former president of ABC Daytime. He is an adjunct professor at the UCLA Anderson School of Management and founder of Frons Consulting LLC. Education Frons earned a ...

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 ( Smith; November 2, 1961 – December 7, 2019) was an American soap opera producer. Biography Born Lisa Smith in Westchester, New York, de Cazotte was the daughter of Charles and Beatrice Smith and grew up in Dobbs Ferry, New ...

would serve as

Executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...

for season two, joined by

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 A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio ...

Sri Rao.Reynolds, Mike
"SoapNet Swings Into Second ''Night Shift''." MultiChannel.com
May 25, 2008. The 14 new episodes of ''Night Shift'' began taping in high-definition 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 ''General Hospital'', the first being the 30-minute daytime serial ''

Port Charles ''Port Charles'' (commonly abbreviated as ''PC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from June 1, 1997, to October 3, 2003. It was a spin-off of the series ''General Hospital'', which has been running since 1963 and takes p ...

'', which ran on ABC from June 1997 to October 2003. Season two of ''Night Shift'' also aired on

DirecTV DirecTV, LLC is an American Multichannel television in the United States, multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary service is a digital Satellite television, s ...

The 101 Network Audience Network (formerly known as Freeview from 1999 until 2005, and as The 101 Network from 2005 until 2011) was an American pay television channel that was owned by AT&T. It featured a mix of original and acquired series, specials, and featur ...

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 ''GH'' core families." ''Night Shift'' storylines, however, did not directly intersect with those on ''General Hospital''.

Cast

Main

Kimberly McCullough Kimberly Anne McCullough (born March 5, 1978) is an American actress and television director. She is best known for her role as Robin Scorpio on the soap opera ''General Hospital'', a role which she originated at age seven, playing the characte ...

as Dr.

Robin Scorpio Robin Scorpio is a fictional character from the ABC Daytime soap opera ''General Hospital'' and its primetime SOAPnet spin-off '' General Hospital: Night Shift'', originated and portrayed by Kimberly McCullough on and off for over 30 years sinc ...

* Jason Thompson as Dr.

Patrick Drake Patrick Drake is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera ''General Hospital'', a protagonist in both seasons of its prime time SOAPnet spin-off '' General Hospital: Night Shift'' and one half of on-screen couple Patrick Drake and Robin Scorpi ...

Sonya Eddy Sonya Eddy (June 17, 1967 – December 19, 2022) was an American actress. She was best known for playing Epiphany Johnson in the American American Broadcasting Company, ABC soap opera ''General Hospital'' (2006—2022) for which she won a posthu ...

Epiphany Johnson ''General Hospital'' is the longest-running American television serial drama, airing on ABC. Created by Frank and Doris Hursley, who originally set it in a general hospital (hence the title), in an unnamed fictional city. In the 1970s, the city ...

Billy Dee Williams William December Williams Jr. (born April 6, 1937) is an American retired actor, novelist and painter. He has appeared in over 100 films and television roles over six decades. He is best known for portraying Lando Calrissian in the ''Star Wars ...

Toussaint Dubois Toussaint Dubois (October 8, 1762 – May 10, 1816) was a Montreal born person and American soldier who joined with Lafayette to fight for American independence in the American Revolutionary War. Biography Toussaint DuBois was born Oct. 8 17 ...

Dominic Rains Dominic Rains (; born Amin Nazemzadeh, , March 1, 1982) is an Iranian-American actor, best known for his roles in independent films, including '' The Taqwacores'' (2010), '' A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night'' (2014), as well as Dr. Crockett Marcel ...

(season 1) and

Ethan Rains Ethan Rains (born Iman Nazemzadeh; February 19, 1981, in Tehran, Iran) is an Iranian Americans, Iranian American actor, best known for his portrayal of Leo Julian, Dr. Leo Julian on the second season of SOAPnet's ''General Hospital: Night Shift'' ...

(season 2) as Dr. Leo Julian * Bradford Anderson as Damien Spinelli (season 1) *

Amanda Baker 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. Baker reappeared on June 4 and 29, 2009 as a g ...

Jolene Crowell '' General Hospital: Night Shift'' is a prime time spin-off of the American ABC Daytime soap opera ''General Hospital''.Nazanin Boniadi Nazanin Boniadi (; ; born 1980) is a British actress and activist. Born in Tehran and raised in London, she attended university in the United States, where she landed her first major acting role as Leyla Mir in the soap opera ''General Hospita ...

Leyla Mir ''General Hospital'' is the longest-running American television serial drama, airing on ABC. Created by Frank and Doris Hursley, who originally set it in a general hospital (hence the title), in an unnamed fictional city. In the 1970s, the city ...

(season 1) * Steve Burton as Jason Morgan (season 1) * Kent King as Dr. Lainey Winters (season 1) * Ron Melendez as Dr. Andy Archer (season 1) * Minae Noji as Dr. Kelly Lee (season 1) *

Angel Wainwright An angel is a Spirit (supernatural entity), spiritual (without a physical body), heaven, heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with Bird wing, bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the Transce ...

as Regina Thompson (season 1) *

Azita Ghanizada Azita Ghanizada (born ) is an American television, film and stage actress. She is known for her work on the television series '' Alphas'', and the Broadway musical '' The Kite Runner''. In addition to her acting work, Ghanizada is also the fou ...

as Dr. Saira Batra (season 2) * Adam Grimes as Dr. Kyle Julian (season 2) *

Tristan Rogers Tristan Rogers (born 3 June 1946) is an Australian actor. He is best known for playing Robert Scorpio on the ABC soap opera ''General Hospital'' and for voicing Jake in Walt Disney Pictures' '' The Rescuers Down Under''. He is currently starri ...

Robert Scorpio Robert Scorpio is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera ''General Hospital'', played by actor Tristan Rogers. Casting Tristan Rogers originally played the role from December 2, 1980 through February 25, 1992. The popularity and longevity o ...

(season 2) * Antonio Sabàto, Jr. as

Jagger Cates ''General Hospital'' is the longest-running American television serial drama, airing on ABC. Created by Frank and Doris Hursley, it originally was set it in a general hospital (hence the title), in an unnamed fictional city. In the 1970s, the ...

(season 2) *

Carrie Southworth Carrie Southworth is an American actress, model, and businesswoman who portrayed Claire Simpson on the SOAPnet prime time serial '' General Hospital: Night Shift'' in 2008. She is also the co-founder of a personalized children's book company launc ...

as Dr.

Claire Simpson Claire Simpson is a British film editor. For her work on Oliver Stone's ''Platoon'' (1986), she won the Academy Award for Best Film Editing and was nominated for '' The Constant Gardener'' (2005), while her work on both films won her the BAFTA ...

(season 2)

Guest

* John J. York as

Mac Scorpio Mac Scorpio is a fictional character from ''General Hospital'', an American soap opera on the ABC network. The role was originated by John J. York in February 1991. He was introduced as the brother of Robert Scorpio, and later became the guard ...

Season one

Season two

Episodes

Season 1 (2007)

Season 2 (2008)

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 Demography () is the statistics, statistical study of human populations: their size, composition (e.g., ethnic group, age), and how they change through the interplay of fertility (births), mortality (deaths), and migration. Demographic analy ...

, women age 18–49.Becker, Anne
"SOAPnet's ''Night Shift'' Premiere Breaks Ratings Records." ''Broadcasting & Cable''.
July 13, 2007. 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 (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...

, 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'' (''B&C'', or ''Broadcasting+Cable'') was a telecommunications industry monthly trade magazine and, later, news website published by Future US. Founded in 1931 as ''Broadcasting'', subsequent mergers, acquisitions and ...

'' notes the significance of this fact considering "only 64 million homes carry the network, compared to the 94 million that carry

USA The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

, 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.

Reception

Season one

In 2007, soap opera critic

Marlena De Lacroix Connie Passalacqua Hayman is an American journalist and educator. Passalacqua Hayman has written on a number of topics, but is noted for her reporting and critical analysis of daytime soap operas. Career Passalacqua Hayman started her soap jour ...

noted the initially high ratings but called the series an "incoherently written and produced mess," going on to declare that "''Night Shift'' only redeeming aspect and its real legacy to daytime is its bravura casting. Casting directors

Mark Teschner Mark Teschner is an American casting director. Career A native New Yorker, Mark Teschner has been the Casting Director of ABC Daytime's ''General Hospital'' since 1989. He has been described by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as "an actor's casting dir ...

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 is an American digital media In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...

'' 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 The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...

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 prime time 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 The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

on February 12, 2008.''General Hospital: Night Shift'': The Complete First Season - Amazon.com
Retrieved on February 15, 2009.

References

External links

Official site

''GH: Night Shift'' - SoapCentral.com
{{General Hospital: Night Shift 2007 American television series debuts 2008 American television series endings 2000s American drama television series 2000s American medical television series American television soap operas American television spinoffs American English-language television shows General Hospital Soapnet original programming Television series by Disney–ABC Domestic Television