It has been reported on soapcental.com, in Soap Opera Digest, and Soap Opera Weekly that SOAPnet has ordered at least 13 episodes of a General Hospital spinoff. Rather than a daily serial, this spinoff, tentatively titled “Night Shift”, will be a weekly 1-hour program. The goal is to generate interest in both SOAPnet and General Hospital. Soapcentral.com says that the characters will be younger, with ties to GH’s core families.

Which leads me to wonder, who would be a good character selection for this new show?

Immediately, I thought of Maxie and Georgie Jones. Both girls have been involved in front-burner storylines in the past year, but neither seems to be doing much now. OK, so Maxie is still annoying everyone she sees. Perhaps both could develop more depth and be able to have more interesting stories, stories that go beyond finding the “perfect man of the moment”, which is what both seem relegated to on General Hospital.

Another good option would be Serena Baldwin. If I remember correctly, she played prominently into many stories on the first GH spinoff, Port Charles. It seems that she would be a good one to learn more about on this new series.

And what about characters that had briefly appeared on GH, but did not fit well onto the canvas? One that comes to mind very quickly is Sarah Webber. She is a doctor, so it would make sense for her to be working a night shift at GH. And then there is Brooklyn Ashton. If these stories are going to take place after hours, as it sounds, a nightclub singer might fit in well.

Then there are characters who left the show, but did not have children. What id they had children after leaving? Could you imagine Sean and Tiffany’s child coming back to town? Or Jimmy Lee Holt? His offspring could be the Quartermaine “problem child” on the new series.

This is one show I do wish I could watch. Unfortunately, the cable system in my area doesn’t carry SOAPnet. I’ll have to rely on reviews from those of you who do get the station, as well as what is written on-line and in the soap magazines.

In the meantime, who do you think would make a good addition to the Night Shift cast? Stop by the forums and let us all know who you would like to see on Night Shift.