On July 12, 2007 the cable network Soapnet launched their much hyped spin-off of ABC's daytime drama General Hospital to the best rating the network had ever seen. For weeks before that initial episode, the PR promised us a gritty, late-night soap that would show viewers what happened in the hospital after the sun went down.
Though based at the Port Charles hospital, with many of the same characters as the daytime show, the thirteen episodes of Night Shift never left the hospital (unlike GH) and their storylines were completely independent of the daytime show, with little to no crossover. In some ways, that it made enjoyable and accessible to the viewer who didn't follow General Hospital, but for those of us who did watch both the daytime serial and the weekly night time series, it was a huge distraction at times.
One of the few crossover storylines was the premise to get Dr. Robin Scorpio and Dr. Patrick Drake assigned to the Night Shift. It occurred during the final week on GH before the premiere when the doctors operated on a patient without health insurance, defying a direct order from chief of staff Dr. Ford. Their punishment was to work the next thirteen Saturday nights in the ER to repay the hospital for the expenses incurred.
Epiphany was also crossed over to the spin-off show, no real explanation given, and that first night in the ER brought Jason and Spinelli in to General for treatment, when Jason's sidekick shot himself in the foot. When it looked like Spinelli was going to be charged for reckless endangerment, Jason stood up and took the blame. In episode two, "Skin Deep," he was sentenced to community service at the hospital, making him a fixture there for the remaining twelve episodes.
Along with those chosen regulars from daytime there were two new doctors, three student nurses, and a janitor who was played by the legendary Billy Dee Williams to make up the core cast. With a style that attempted to blend the genres of soap opera with night time serial medical drama, we were introduced to new patients and new stories every week. Some plots wrapped up within a single episode, others arced through two or three episodes, and one, the mystery of the angel of death, lasted the whole season.
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Article comments
1 - Patti
General Hospital Nightshift has only two good episodes. The first episode and the last one. The writing is awful and all over the place. The promos hinted at an exciting triangle between Jason,Robin and Patrick. That never happens but it would of made the show more interesting. There are not alot of medical cases and for a show suppose to be set in the ER, they are hardly in the ER. The most interesting medical cases are Stacy, the HIV positive pregnant women. She is in critical condition and being escorted to the OR by Nurse Leyla who ditches her patient in the elevator with a kid and mob enforcer because she sees a man with an obvious head wound who speaks her native language. She is hailed as the hottest and smartest nurse after that, while the caring nurse Regina is called a disgrace to the African American race. If you think these things will be dealt with, it's not. The show wants you to agree with them. The second cases is heart patient Maxie. At the end of one episode she is coding, after that you never see her again at all. They reference that she is fine and out of the hospital. The Mcdreamy of the hospital, Dr. Drake, is anything but. He's more of a Mcsleazy with no depth or point of view. The pairings lack chemistry and the show makes a mockery of the nursing profession with poor peformances from those actresses and by giving a complete falseness of what is a priority and a nurses role. Billy Dee Williams is greatly underused and the only stand out performances are Kent Master King, Kimberly Mccullough and Steve Burton.
2 - Connie Phillips
Patti --
There certainly were some drop stories through the course of the season. You mention the one with Maxie, there was also the one I mentioned with the mysterious "Barrett." I think some of that can be attributed to the show finding it's way. Some of it, yes, was just the quality of telling a story from beginning to end. The daytime show is suffering from the same problem with it's text-message killer storyline and Epiphany's heart attack.
I disagree with you that Dr. Drake is supposed to be a McDreamy. I think they've always portrayed him as a dog - plain and simple. Yes, he makes young nurses and some doctors swoon, but it never takes long for them to realize he's commitment phobic and damaged by his mother's death and his father's abandonment.
Regina struggled with the nursing program. Not everyone can get through school easily. She was haunted by the abortion she had and a case of low self-esteem. Dr. Julian helped her through the rough times.
They did make Leyla the 'bad guy' in the break up of Patrick and Robin, and she made a mistake with Stacy. Sometimes people make bad choices and have to live with the consequences. If I remember correctly, in the weeks following she was dealt with on the professional level and she wrestled with her guilt.
I think because this was a weekly show that aired at night, people tuned in expecting to see a Grey's Anatomy or ER. It was never meant to be that. It was always meant to follow the soap opera formula with the freedoms of night time cable.
3 - Anna
I never, ever saw Leyla struggle with her guilt, nor did she receive any backlash on a professional level. She was coddled by the male doctors and the arrogant Dr.Patrick Drake let her pick his surgical team, for God's sake. Also, Robin had to apologize to HER, when Robin was the only one concerned about Stacey and had suggested a C-section weeks earlier, which would have saved her life.
Night Shift just reeked on every level.
4 - Kimball
I didn’t have a problem with the STORIES not crossing over from Night Shift to GH and vice-versa. My problem was with how the RELATIONSHIPS between the characters were manipulated on Night Shift.
Jason and Robin had hardly spoken to each other for almost a decade on GH, but on Night Shift they were all buddy buddy. It seemed so fake and came out of left field. How did they find this new, happy place after all this time?
Spinelli was smitten with Lulu on GH, but on Night Shift he was head over heels for his Angel of Mercy Jolene. Huh? Leyla was more blatant about her pursuit of Patrick on Night Shift, whereas on GH she was portrayed as being caught in the middle of a Robin/Patrick feud and being uncomfortable about it.
I hated those glaring inconsistencies and enjoyed the series less because of them. The characters could have maintained the same traits and relationships, but been involved in different stories. There was no need to totally warp the canvas dynamic.
5 - Brie
I must say that I was not expecting nightshift to turn out the way that it did. I honestly thought that we would see more of Jason Thompson and Kimberly McCullough (Patrick and Robin's) characters together. I was a bite disappointed but now looking back I guess they had to go through all the nurse Leyla crap, Robin wanting to adopt a baby in order to get to where they are now, engaged and parents.
Also, Steve Burton (Jason Morgan) Spinelli (Bradford Anderson) Laniey (Kent Masters King)and Robin (KMc) all had a wonderful storylines. Spinelli was brillant and super funny.
Overall this was a great season.