Why General Hospital is not new on October 1 and October 2

Laura Wright as Carly dressed in black in General Hospital
Laura Wright in General Hospital (Image credit: ABC/Christine Bartolucci)

If you're a General Hospital fan who looks forward to your daily dose of chaos in Port Charles, we have some disappointing news to deliver. On Tuesday, October 1, and Wednesday, October 2, ABC will not be airing new episodes of the soap. So for those looking forward to seeing how the tense reunion between Lucky (Jonathan Jackson) and Elizabeth (Rebecca Herbst) will play out, you'll have to wait a bit. 

As far as why new episodes won't be airing to kick off October, the explanation is rather simple: the 2024 MLB playoffs. On October 1 and October 2, the Houston Astros and the Detroit Tigers are going head-to-head in a best-of-three American League Wild Card game series airing on ABC. Due to the format of the series, it's entirely possible that should one team win one game and the other team win the next, General Hospital will also be bumped on Thursday, October 3, for a deciding game 3. However, if one team manages to sweep the first two games, the soap will be back with a new episode on October 3 instead. 

Now circling back to the current storylines on General Hospital. Lucky and Elizabeth's reunion is not the only event primed to provide some must-watch daytime TV. Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn) has once again found herself in a legal firestorm as the prime suspect for John Cates' (Adam J. Harrington) murder, despite viewers seeing Sonny (Maurice Benard) do the dirty deed. Anna (Finola Hughes) and Jason (Steve Burton) appear to be headed down the road of an unexpected romance that's bound to face trouble when Carly (Laura Wright) catches wind. Although, Carly is looking at her own possible new shot at love with Brennan (Charles Mesure), that is even her scheming with Sonny doesn't get in the way. 

Then, of course, there's poor Lulu, who is still fighting for her life. With Lucky primed to be her new organ donor and Alexa Havins taking over the role of Lulu soon, there's a lot of anticipation building around the reemergence of the Spencer clan. But in that vein, where are Laura (Genie Francis) and Kevin (Jon Lindstrom)? 

We'd be remiss if we didn't bring up the countdown to Kelly Monaco's departure. The actress is parting ways with the role of Sam in the coming weeks, so every scene lately seems like a high-stakes situation with rumors swirling that the character of Sam will meet a deadly end. 

Some entertaining drama is in the foreseeable future in Port Charles and you don't want to miss a thing when new episodes pick back up. 

New episodes of General Hospital air on weekdays on ABC. If you miss an episode, you can catch up on Hulu.   

Terrell Smith

Terrell Smith has a diverse writing background having penned material for a wide array of clients including the federal government and Bravo television personalities.  When he’s not writing as Terrell, he’s writing under his pseudonym Tavion Scott, creating scripts for his audio drama podcasts. Terrell is a huge fan of great storytelling when it comes to television and film. Some of his favorite shows include The CrownWandaVision, Abbot Elementary and Godfather of HarlemAnd a fun fact is he's completely dialed into the TLC 90 Day Fiancé universe.