New Podcast Alert: ‘Port Charles Rewind’ Takes A Second Look At Canceled Soap Opera
Port Charles Rewind, “an oddly specific rewatch podcast” for the short-lived spin-off of General Hospital is pretty damn dope. I highly recommend listening to this podcast.
Listen to Port Charles Rewind On Spotify
The premiere episode comes just as Port Charles celebrates the 25th anniversary of it’s premiere. While PC began as a traditional soap opera more like it’s predecessor when it launched in 1997, the series made a seismic shift in it’s format three years into it’s run.
The change in fall of 2000, saw the half-hour soap opera telling stories in a way that felt like a regular soap opera with some overarching ongoing plots that defined the core of the show. However PC flipped the genre on its head by giving viewers a type of resolution and closure that was revolutionary for daytime. New storylines from that point forwardwere told in thirteen week arcs that had a beginning, a middle and an end- unlike anything ever attempted before in soaps and a far cry from the often glacial pacing the genre notoriety.
The overhaul of PC didn’t stop there taking the innovative approach one step further with every week acting as a “chapter” in each “book”. The changes to the format improved the storytelling quality so that each day’s episode felt deliberate and necessary by offering closure to each plot development by the end of each half-hour. For the first time a soap could tell a story with a beginning, middle and an end- consistently offering viewers the usually elusive payoff for their committed viewership.
This defining moment is where Port Charles Rewind starts it’s journey- which is an excellent point for listeners to watch along with the podcast hosted by three of the most insightful and dynamic voices on Soap Twitter. The accessible nature of the podcast is a good reason to start listening especially if you are not a soap fan. At the same time, a soap fan curious how the genre could be approached differently will be equally entertained. The real treat is in listening to Suzy, Rae and Britt discuss the show from three unique perspectives.
- Suzy watched PC during it’s original run and her fondness only grew with the storytelling shift in 2000. She’s also a connosuier of the ABC Daytime universe like nobody I have ever known and her joy rewatching the show is infectious.
- Britt has been a GH fan going back to the heyday’s of the 90s who watched the show during the more traditional early days but fell off over the course of it’s run. Parts are familiar but much of what she’s seeing is new to her.
- Rae started watching GH much later- and never actually watched PC during it’s original run. Rae’s untainted experience brings a fresh perspective that listeners of the podcast are going to absolutely love- the girl has a reputation for legendary hot-takes.
Could there be a better recipe for a rewatch podcast?
The real treat for listeners really comes down to the dynamic between these women on a personal level. These three friends display a chemistry that can’t be manufactured- three likeminded individuals who have found community amidst the sometimes toxic environment of Soap Twitter and the often-demoralizing experience that comes with being a viewer of GH (I didn’t name this blog My Daytime Trauma for nothing).
I am lucky enough to have gotten to know the hosts of the podcast in the best way possible. From the trauma-bonding that is Soap Twitter complete with many unfiltered, hot-take filled, talk therapy sessions of Twitter Spaces and (my personal favorite) GH Watch Parties on Discord, that double as daily Mystery Science Theater 3000-style roasts of the show. I love these three wome, so I am a little bit biased.
I can’t guarantee you will get hooked on Port Charles after the first episode of the podcast. I do think there’s a very good chance you will get hooked on the hilarious insights of Suzy, Rae and Britt and end up coming back for more.