There have been more changes behind the scenes at General Hospital as former head writer Chris Van Etten is back co-head writing the show alongside Elizabeth Korte.
The long-running soap opera confirmed Van Etten’s return to Soap Opera Digest on Wednesday, August 7, after eagle-eyed fans of the show spotted changes to the end credits. In addition, General Hospital script and breakdown writer Cathy LePard has been promoted to associate head writer.
This is all going down just as the show has been airing some explosive storylines: Sonny Corinthos’ (Maurice Benard) mental state continues to deteriorate, Ric Lansing (Rick Hearst) and Morgan Corinthos (Bryan Craig) are set for returns, and comatose Lulu could be about to wake up.
As previously reported, back in May, former co-head writer Patrick Mulcahey was released from his position just a little over three months into the role. The show did not officially announce Mulcahey’s replacement, though reports had surfaced that Van Etten had returned to the series.
Van Etten previously served as co-head writer back in 2017 following Jean Passanante’s retirement. Van Etten shared head writer duties with Shelly Altman until her retirement in 2019. Dan O’Connor then took over from Altman and served as co-head writer alongside Van Etten until January 2024, when both were let go.
“No one knows General Hospital and its history more than Elizabeth and Chris,” General Hospital’s executive producer, Frank Valentini, said in a statement, per Soap Opera Digest. “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.”
Van Etten previously worked as a writer on One Life to Live from 2005 until joining General Hospital in 2012. Korte has been a long-time member of the General Hospital writing staff dating back to 1994. Meanwhile, LePard has written for The Fix, Seventh Heaven, and Safe Harbor.
What will this latest shake-up mean for the show? It remains to be seen, but the Van Etten and Korte team take over the soap at an interesting time. Let us know your thoughts on this new writing team shake-up in the comments below.
