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 was named Port Charles, New York. The series premiered on April 1, 1963. The following is a list of characters that have appeared on the soap opera in 2016, by order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by executive producer Frank Valentini and head writers Jean Passanante and Shelly Altman.