GENERAL HOSPITAL Renewed! THE REVOLUTION Canceled

There is more good news in "The Year of the Soap" as GENERAL HOSPITAL has received a cancellation reprieve (for now). Some of the GH cast tweeted about a "one year renewal" today although ABC has said multiple times in the past that it owns its shows and does not do "renewals" for them. Deadline.com is reporting that ABC is canceling low-rated THE REVOLUTION and keeping GENERAL HOSPITAL on the air!

ABC will keep its only remaining daytime drama General Hospital on the air while canceling freshman talk show The Revolution. The news ends months of speculation about what will happen to the venerable soap whose long-time 3 PM slot will be taken over by Katie Couric’s new syndicated talk show in the fall.

With Katie joining ABC’s daytime lineup, General Hospital and new lifestyle series The Chew and The Revolution, which replaced canceled soaps All My Children and One Life To Live, have been competing for two slots, with Disney-ABC TV Group president Anne Sweeney stating early on that the two stronger performers will make the cut. Revolution, which currently occupies the 2 PM time period that will lead to Katie in most markets, never found its legs ratings-wise and will end its run at the beginning of July.

ABC is not ready to lock in its daytime schedule for next season yet, it would make sense to keep The Chew at 1 PM and put GH at 2 PM as a lead-in for Katie on the ABC stations, the core station group that will carry Couric’s new syndicated talker.