General Hospital’s Last Patient: Katie Couric, Who Takes Their Time Slot

It’s curtains for “General Hospital.” ABC announced today that Katie Couric would get the soap’s 3pm time slot in September 2012. That means that the soap, which started airing in 1963, will join “All My Children” and “One Life to Live” on the scrap heap. Of course, “General Hospital” might get a mild reprieve if ABC’s other soap substitutes at 1 and 2 pm don’t pan out. But in the end, the destruction of ABC daytime dramas is now complete and sealed. It’s a mistake, of course, to have jettisoned decades of loyal viewership for the unknown, and all at the same time. But the party’s over. ABC made their Couric announcement at 1pm eastern, even though it was no surprise. There’s a lot of carping about former NBC chief Jeff Zucker as Katie’s exec producer, but frankly, this is what he does best. The show’s going to be a hit, even if it means “General Hospital” is sent to the morgue.