Here's the surprising connection between General Hospital and Will Trent

While General Hospital has been on the air for an impressive 62 years, the detective series Will Trent is only in its third season, with a fourth greenlit for the fall. But that’s no slight on the fledgling show, as every TV series has to start somewhere. Being as long-lived as GH, the daytime series has certainly influenced viewers over the years, leaving an impression. That impression wasn’t lost on several people who work on the newer show. (Find out what the significant changes between the Will Trent book and TV show are.)

Can this be a crossover?

On Instagram, ABC’s official Instagram page for Will Trent posted, “@willtrentabc 🤝 #GeneralHospital | Everybody loves a good drama and we can’t wait to watch #WillTrent tonight at 8/7 on @ABC. Stream on Hulu. #GH.” Along with that was a pic that included an image of its star, Ramón Rodríguez, with the name “Will,” the character’s dog Betty, with its name, and the title of the show appearing over the iconic hospital used on GH as the establishing shot.

What made the picture so familiar was that it was done in the style of the 1990s General Hospital opening, complete with a soft red haze overlaid on it, and the same fonts. It’s from season three, episode 14, titled A Funeral Fit for a Quartermaine. According to IMDb, the description is, “After his grandmother dies, Rafael [Antwayn Hopper] seeks Will's help, making them face their troubled histories while dealing with current deadly threats.”

Jophielle Love, who played Violet Finn on GH, and currently plays Cooper on WT, commented, “And you never know what familiar face you might see! 😊.” The episode aired on Tuesday, April 15.

It’s an homage

According to TV Insider, Rafael’s grandmother was an ardent GH fan, and the characters “need to give their General Hospital-loving caretaker a funeral fit for the soap’s former matriarch Lila Quartermaine.” Rafael’s grandmother was played by iconic actress Marla Gibbs, who garnered innumerable laughs on the classic sitcom, The Jeffersons. She had taken in Will as a foster child during his formative years, giving him the family he was searching for.

On GH, Lila was played by the venerable Anna Lee, who was beloved both on and off screen. Producer Liz Heldens explained the soap connection: “We have a few GH fans on the writing staff. I used to watch it with my grandmother pretty religiously. We put that idea into the first episode of the season and then doubled down on the idea in this episode.”

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The outlet went on to explain that there’s “a reveal from Will and Rafael’s past that would make Port Charles proud.” What could that be? You’ll have to watch the episode to find out! (Take a look at what's coming up for GH's 62nd anniversary.)

You can watch new episodes of General Hospital and Will Trent on ABC and Hulu.

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