John Oliver Lands 2 Soap Arcs, Lifting General Hospital to a 15-Week Ratings High
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Aug 14
John Oliver Lands 2 Soap Arcs, Lifting General Hospital to a 15-Week Ratings High
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 14
Summary
John Oliver capped a two-month daytime TV run this week with a three-episode arc on Days of Our Lives, after earlier appearing in three General Hospital episodes as villain Z.
8 March set the move in motion: Oliver publicly asked soaps to write him a role with a ridiculous name and dramatic action, and both shows delivered on that pitch.
Days executive producer Ken Corday said the show squeezed Oliver into episodes already completed nearly a year earlier, relying on his TV experience to handle heavy script changes without disrupting story flow.
General Hospital hit its highest weekly audience in 15 weeks during Oliver’s cameo, while his Days appearance has also generated buzz for a genre now down to 5 daytime soaps from a 1970s peak of 19.