One Day. Three Soaps. A Battle That Took Aim at CBS

John Beradino starred on General Hospital as Dr. Steve Hardy, with Emily McLaughlin as Nurse Jessie Brewer, and Roy Thinnes as Jessie’s philandering husband, Dr. Phil Brewer.

April 1, 1963, wasn’t a joke—it was a turning point. In one bold programming move, two of the three major networks launched new daytime dramas on the same day, kicking off a fresh era of competition that would slowly chip away at CBS’s longtime dominance. NBC rolled out two entries while ABC introduced one—and together, they offered a snapshot of where the soap opera genre was headed.

NBC Takes Two Shots: One Miss, One Marathon

NBC came out swinging with Ben Jerrod, Attorney at Law and The Doctors—two very different bets on the future of daytime drama.

ABC Strikes Gold with General Hospital

While NBC experimented, ABC hit the jackpot. Created by Frank and Doris Hursley, General Hospital debuted as a straightforward hospital drama centered on both medical cases and personal relationships.