GENERAL HOSPITAL’s Top 10 Couples of All Time
In its nearly six decades on television, GENERAL HOSPITAL has proven it knows all about love in the afternoon. The soap has produced many supercouples over the years that are still beloved by fans today. Join us as we count our way down to the greatest of all time!
10. Liz & Lucky
How They Met: Elizabeth was a newcomer at Port Charles High when she first laid eyes on sister Sarah’s handsome suitor, Lucky. However, Liz’s efforts to make her sibling rival look back didn’t exactly make herself look good.
How They Knew It Was Love: It was Lucky who found Liz in the park after her brutal rape and became her rock during the effort to discover her assail- ant’s identity. On Valentine’s Day a year later, they declared their relationship “a permanent lock” in a church that was empty but for their love.
Their Biggest Obstacle: Liz was devastated when told that her future plans had literally gone up in smoke — Lucky had perished in a fire!
Their Wildest Adventure: As it turned out, Helena and Faison had staged Lucky’s demise, but they might as well have done it for real. Helena’s brainwashing had turned the poor guy’s warm heart ice cold — and she’d stolen his memories, too!
The Moment of Truth: Although they eventually married twice, proving true Lucky’s promise that “there will never be another girl for me,” drugs proved to be a too-enticing mistress for the cop after he suffered a spinal injury. For that matter, so did his supplier, Maxie.
A Happy Ending? Sadly, the kidnapping of their son, Jake, and having the child subsequently struck “dead” by Lucky’s drunk-driving dad, Luke, put a final fork in the couple’s union.
9. Anna & Duke
How They Met: Duke had been using his ritzy nightclub to launder money when he crossed paths with Port Charles’ beautiful police commissioner, single mom Anna.
Their Biggest Obstacle: Duke tried to leave the Mob to be with Anna, only to wind up shot, temporarily paralyzed, imprisoned, and pursued by a woman he’d always thought was his sister.
Their Wildest Adventure: Not long after Duke and his beloved Anna wed, the bride’s kidnapping forced the groom to rejoin the Mob, and the boss’ obsessive daughter, Olivia, caused the expectant mom to miscarry. Testifying put the family in danger, so Duke faked his death, only to be replaced by an imposter who later did bite the bullet.
The Moment of Truth: Although the real Duke tried to reconnect with Anna and reinvent his life, he wound up running the Corinthos crime organization. For Anna, slapping handcuffs on him wasn’t nearly as sexy as it could have been.
A Happy Ending? Sharing a tango at the Nurses Ball prompted the former lovers to also remember their shared history. But before they could run away together, Duke was murdered.
8. Lois & Ned
How They Met: Brooklyn- born band manager Lois was a smitten kitten after seeing rocker Eddie Maine strut his stuff on stage. She wasted no time taking him on as both a client and a spouse.
Their Biggest Obstacle: Eddie lied about three very important things: He didn’t always wear leather pants, he was really Quartermaine heir Ned, and he had another bride, Katherine! Instead of admitting that he’d popped the question twice, Ned got caught when an enlightened Lois popped out of a cake to wish “the other Mrs. Ned Ashton” a happy birthday.
Their Wildest Adventure: Ned and Lois’ subsequent church wedding was glorious, but their marriage was not. Lois learned that her hubby was as untrustworthy as his family when he outed her BFF Brenda’s beau, Sonny, as a mobster.
The Moment of Truth: Ned tried to distance himself from the quarrelsome Qs for the sake of his pregnant wife but wound up taking over the family business from his mother, Tracy. So Lois decided he could lie in the bed that he’d made… all by himself!
A Happy Ending? Although Lois considered reconciling for the sake of their daughter, overhearing Ned blackmailing his cousin, Justus, over murdering Damian prompted her to beat it back to Bensonhurst.
7. Robin & Patrick
How They Met: When her ex, Jason, needed a brain surgeon, Robin wanted only the best. That’s why she brought in fellow doctor Patrick — whose ego was as enormous as his talent — and became the object of his hot pursuit.
Their Biggest Obstacle: Patrick didn’t want to commit to a relationship, let alone a life battling the HIV that he was exposed to by a patient. However, an HIV-positive Robin helped him through his fears, and they went on to become lovers, parents, and eventually, husband and wife.
Their Wildest Adventure: Robin sang the blues after giving birth, but that setback proved to be nothing compared to the arrival of Patrick’s ex, Lisa. The vixen’s bag of tricks included seduction, poison, and abduction, and she used all of those tactics in her attempts to get Patrick for herself, only to wind up dead.
The Moment of Truth: When Jason again fell ill, Robin and Patrick worked together to help, but she was thought to have died in the lab explosion that ensued. The grieving widower eventually moved on, only to have Robin turn up alive!
A Happy Ending? Robin’s captor, Helena, and her loyalty to Jason nearly came between this couple, but they were meant to be. Craving a fresh start, they moved to California and grew their family.
6. Felicia & Frisco
How they Met: Aztec princess Felicia had dressed up as a boy in her ef for ts to reclaim a family heirloom: a ring that musician Frisco had purchased. As it turned out, they both loved adventure, and they found it — as well as romance — while on a treasure hunt together.
Their Biggest Obstacle: Instead of settling down after their wedding, Frisco became a WSB agent, an assassin and, as will happen, presumed dead. When he later turned up alive, Felicia was about to marry the man who’d been programmed to kill, of all people, him!
Their Wildest Adventure: Although Frisco got back the woman to whom he’d once crooned “Lady Of My Heart,” he also had a tempting “lady” in his other life as a spy, and “she” lured him away. Re-turning when their daughter, Maxie, needed a heart transplant, Frisco won Felicia away from then-fiancé Mac.
The Moment of Truth: When Frisco abandoned his family again, Mac helped Felicia raise her kids and continued do- ing so after she joined Frisco on his WSB adventures. But the murder of younger daughter Georgie prompted Felicia to remain in town and grieve with Mac.
A Happy Ending? Frisco proposed to Felicia during the 2013 Nurses Ball, say- ing in a song that she was still “all I need.” But she knew that he also needed his spy games and instead married Mac.
5. Brenda & Sonny
How They Met: Brenda had no idea that the dimpled hunk that she’d just met was working for mobster Frank Smith. But she got a clue when he was shot while helping break his boss out of jail and subsequently crashed into her car!
Their Biggest Obstacle: Brenda lost Sonny’s trust when he caught her wearing a wire. Likewise, she struggled to understand when he married the beautiful daughter of a Puerto Rican crime boss in exchange for the godfather’s help in dodging racketeering charges. Sonny and Brenda eventually reunited and set a wedding date, but how could she ever forgive him for leaving her standing in the rain for her own protection?
Their Wildest Adventure: The couple’s journey eventually became about the obstacles to their relationship — namely her love for corporate raider Jax and his for Carly, the woman with whom he started a family. There were also a few years in there where Brenda was believed to be dead but was actually being cared for by arms dealer Luis (the first of the Alcazar brothers we met).
The Moment of Truth: It was after Brenda was kidnapped by the Balkan that she and Sonny found their way back to each other. This time, her telling the truth about a secret — the connection between her son and his eldest — sealed the deal.
A Happy Ending? Despite his dogged efforts, Sonny was unable to bring the violence in his life to heel. Fearing for her child’s safety, Brenda took the boy and left. Although she later gave Sonny a last chance to follow, he let her get on that plane alone.
4. Laura & Scotty
How They Met: Lesley’s daughter, Laura, was at her mom’s place of work when she met cocky law student, Scotty. Smitten, he made her his young bride.
Their Biggest Obstacle: Laura took a job at the Campus Disco and developed an intense connection with her boss, Luke. Despite the fact that he raped her on the night he was sure his life was ending, Laura ran off with him on adventures that left them bonded forevermore.
Their Wildest Adventure: Scotty attempted to win Laura back by supporting her takeover of Deception Cosmetics and even took her to Hollywood, where they had fun reenacting famous movie scenes. But it was when he had to rescue her and others (including Luke) from the Cassadines that Scotty finally got to be Laura’s hero.
The Moment of Truth: Laura’s adoptive dad, Rick, had conspired with Scotty to bury in her psyche the fact that she’d accidentally killed Rick’s mistress! But when Laura’s memory flooded back, Rick wound up dead (oops!), and Scotty finally got rid of rival Luke, who confessed to cover for their mutual love.
A Happy Ending? Laura’s mental health meltdown led Scotty to become her guardian while she spent years institutionalized. When she finally recovered, they resumed their relationship in Paris and eventually remarried. However, when word of Luke’s illness prompted Laura to leave, Scotty threw in the towel for the last time.
3. Sam & Jason
How They Met: Sam’s first encounter with Jason was as an enforcer for her then-lover, Sonny. When the crime boss went back to his wife, a pregnant Sam allowed Jason to claim paternity. Ironically, it was losing that child that brought them closer.
Their Biggest Obstacle: While attempting to rescue a kidnapped Sam, Jason’s history with traumatic brain injury resurfaced — he had a seizure and lost his memory for a second time. His health would always be a hurdle to overcome.
Their Wildest Adventure: In 2011, serial killer Franco was obsessed with Jason and taunted him by kidnapping Sam and strapping her to a bomb! Later, the couple were honeymooning in Hawaii when Franco nabbed and drugged Sam before forcing Jason to watch what appeared to be her rape.
The Moment of Truth: People near the Corinthos family tend to get shot, and when that happened to Sam, her fertility was affected. When Jason instead knocked up Elizabeth, it created a love triangle. Later, Sam had just learned that the child she’d finally conceived was Jason’s when he vanished into the harbor and was presumed dead.
A Happy Ending? Sam fell hard for and married Jason’s memory-impaired twin, only to be thrown for a loop when the real Jason escaped his captivity and returned home. It took months, but their deeper connection finally won out.
2. Carly & Sonny
How They Met: Upset upon learning that girlfriend Hannah was a Fed, Sonny enjoyed revenge sex with Carly, who’d left A.J. to be with Jason, only to find him dancing with Elizabeth! As it turned out, the hookup was worth repeating!
Their Biggest Obstacle: Fidelity turned out to be a real problem for the duo, who repeatedly began relationships with others, only to find the chemistry between themselves so impossible to ignore that they wed five times! Carly once explained it saying, “We’re a perfect match with a whole lotta kindling.”
Their Wildest Adventure: Carly’s attraction to dangerous men became an issue when she walked in on former lover Lorenzo with a gun to Sonny’s head. Soon after, the couple — ho at the time were married in name only — survived the Metro Court Hotel crisis staged by Lorenzo’s cohort Jerry, and celebrated by making love.
The Moment of Truth: Having their own son, Michael, get shot in Sonny’s warehouse and wind up comatose was more than Carly could take. Deciding that safety came first, the mama bear pushed her true love away.
A Happy Ending? Much like a pair of magnets, Sonny and Carly have difficulty staying apart, especially after a crisis. However, the death of their son, Morgan, finally helped them grasp the value of lost time.
1. Luke & Laura
How They Met: Luke got lost in the baby blues of the future Miss Star Eyes when she came to work at his disco, and he decided that he had to have her once before his number got punched, even if it was by force.
Their Biggest Obstacle: If their age difference wasn’t a barrier, the fact that a young Laura was already married was. However, the curly-haired rascal made her forget about that when they ran off together in search of a certain left-handed boy.
Their Wildest Adventure: They may have been risking their lives to ward off the evil Cassadines, find the Ice Princess and save the world from freezing, but tromping around an island felt almost like being in a tropical paradise to Luke and Lara. What’s more, their success in their mission led to the biggest wedding to ever hit Port Charles!
The Moment of Truth: Held captive on Cassadine Island and told that her husband was dead, Laura reluctantly wed Stavros and had his son. But upon learning the truth, she risked everything to escape and get back to Luke. Fortunately, much like their theme song, he hadn’t been able to go a day and not “think of Laura.”
A Happy Ending? Eventually, her desire to settle down and his need for adventure came between the pair. But anyone who had the pleasure of basking in the glow of their love will forever remember the experience. And as long as both are walking this planet, we might even hold out hope that someday, Luke and Laura will find their way back together.
For more GH features, keep reading the ABC edition of Soaps In Depth magazine.
This story originally appeared in our print magazine
