Luke and Laura: Still the Ultimate TV Wedding

Nov. 14, 2006 — -- Few things get couch potatoes as misty as a TV wedding. We shared in the joy when Monica and Chandler became more than "Friends." And everyone was just a little curious to see how the Bradys became a bunch.

But when Luke and Laura tied the knot 25 years ago on "General Hospital," it was a cultural phenomenon that still reverberates through American society. And it's more than the fact that 30 million Americans -- the most ever for a daytime drama -- watched the event.

"'Today, we've really seen the soap-ification of prime time TV," says Marc Berman, TV critic at Mediaweek.

"Shows like 'Grey's Anatomy,' 'The O.C.,' 'The Sopranos,' they're all modern versions of soap operas, and in many ways, "General Hospital" paved the way in the early '80s, when they added younger stars, hipper storylines and better production.

"And it all culminated with that big wedding."

Over the years, many TV critics have predicted the end of the daytime soap opera -- and they had good reason to be pessimistic.

Shows like "General Hospital," "All My Children," and "Guiding Light" could be seen as dinosaurs. These daytime staples have now been on the air for decades. "Guiding Light" started on TV in 1952, and had been on the radio as far back as 1937.

Moreover, through the years, these shows have been largely supported by an adult female audience, who are more apt to be working during the day, when the soaps air.

In fact, by late 1978, low ratings had brought "General Hospital" to the brink of cancellation. That's when executive producer Gloria Monty took the helm of the ABC show and transformed it into the No. 1 daytime drama.

"Suddenly, it became more hip for a high school girl to watch 'General Hospital' when she came home from school," says Lynn Leahey, editorial director of Soap Opera Digest.

"Luke and Laura really pointed the way that those shows would go. It reconfigured TV history."

Part of "General Hospital's" new appeal was an influx of young stars. In the early 1980s, the show catapulted Rick Springfield -- better known as Dr. Noah Drake -- to pop stardom. Demi Moore got her start on the show. And Elizabeth Taylor was such a fan, she signed on for a cameo.