'General Hospital' holds special place in hearts of loyal East Coast fans

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- "General Hospital" is the longest-running American soap opera still in production, and earlier this year, it taped its 13,000th episode. Every single one of those episodes has been produced on the West Coast, but it's always held a special place in the hearts of fans here on the East Coast.

"General Hospital's" home may be located in L.A. and taped on a Hollywood studio lot that dates back to the dawn of the movies, but even casual fans of the show know the action takes place in Port Charles -- a fictional town located somewhere in New York State. And there's nothing casual about the reactions of fans here in the city to their beloved "G.H."

"New Yorkers are not shy at all, no!" says Finola Hughes who plays Anna Devane.

"They'll yell at you from across the street, from three cars back at a read light, so it's amazing, and there's nothing like it," says Jason Thompson, better known as Dr. Patrick Drake on the show. "Soap opera fans are second to none in the world because of their passion.

Thompson has learned to answer back when people call "Patrick" or "Dr. Drake," and the line between their fictional characters and the real people they are, can get blurred -- especially when their characters are involved in very intense story lines.

Their fates depend on the writers, of course. The actors have very little say in what happens to their characters on-screen, but off-screen, for a performer new to the show, fans can provide crucial reassurance.

"I was a little worried because there are fans out there who are 'Oh my gosh, a new character again?'" says Vinessa Antoine who plays Jordan Ashford. "And right away, I didn't get that. They accepted me. And it was 'I really quite like what you're doing.'"

This month, I've had the fun of learning first-hand just how loyal fans really are to "G.H." They've tweeted others to watch my reports and given links to our stories to those outside our viewing area. So I say to all: Keep those tweets and Facebook likes coming!