Set in the fictional city of Port Charles, New York, "General Hospital" debuted on April 1, 1963, the same day that rival network NBC launched its own medical daytime drama, "The Doctors". The show originally aired for a half-hour until the network expanded it to the unusual length of 45 minutes in 1976, and then to a full hour in 1978. The serial was created by soap writers Frank and Doris Hursley, a husband-and-wife team.