It’s about to heat up in Port Charles.
General Hospital co-head writers Chris Van Etten and Elizabeth Korte aren’t holding back when it comes to their vision for the long-running ABC soap.
The pair are teaming up for the first time after the show replaced Van Etten and former co-head writer Dan O’Connor last year. It then hired Korte and veteran soap writer Patrick Mulcahey, but Mulcahey’s tenure was short-lived, and Van Etten soon returned.
The pair teased fans with what to expect from General Hospital while they’re at the helm of the writers room, calling their version of Port Charles “volatile and sexy” in an interview with TV Insider published Wednesday, January 15.
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“It’s an incredible responsibility. We must honor the show’s history and the audience’s love for it, as well as the work of all those who preceded us — all while creating new story to challenge and grow its characters,” they elaborated. “We’re privileged to write for such a talented cast, many of whom have embodied their roles for decades. It’s humbling. We work daily to earn and maintain the trust of our audience and colleagues.”
Van Etten and Korte added that they never stop bouncing ideas off of each other, and sometimes, the crazier the better.
“We keep the atmosphere safe for voicing any idea, even the ludicrous ones. Sometimes when we rein it in, the ludicrous idea is the most exciting one,” they said. “There are times when our ideas are in conflict; but in those circumstances we have space to talk it through and find common ground such that we can proceed in a direction that speaks to the characters and to the larger canvas. We hear one another out and never feel handled.”
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Van Etten and Korte have a combined 35 years of experience in the General Hospital writers room, and Korte feels their longevity and working relationship will serve them in their current roles.
“I could not ask for a better collaborator and writing partner than Chris, who brings so much creativity, enthusiasm and experience to the task,” she said. “I hope that my history with the show enables me to understand the characters, to hear their voices clearly, to honor their complex history and to track off that history as we move them forward.”
As for Van Etten, he called it an “honor” to work with Korte, adding, “She has a steady hand, abundant empathy and an awesome imagination.”
General Hospital airs weekdays on ABC and can be streamed on Hulu.
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