GENERAL HOSPITAL's Prime-Time Special Preview

GH is proving itself for ready for prime-time, with a brand-new special, GENERAL HOSPITAL: 60 YEARS OF STARS & STORYTELLING set to air on ABC on Thursday, January 4 at 10pmET.

Laura Wright (Carly) reveals that the special was shot in December, while cast and crew alike were simultaneously hard at work on the emotional episodes surrounding Bobbie’s death. “We all wanted to make it great and everyone worked really hard,” she says. “I can only imagine how the producers and directors [managed] because I don’t think they slept for three weeks!”

While the show is keeping much of the surprises in store under wraps, one-time DANCING WITH THE STARS champ Kelly Monaco (Sam) teased that the special will feature her reunion with DWTS pro Val Chmerkovskiy, her partner when she competed in the series’s all-star edition. (Chmerkovskiy notched his own GH cameo back in 2012.) On social media, she posted, “I put my dancing shoes back on for the GH primetime special!”

Fans should also expect to see a wide swath of GH’s current stars, including Quartermaine mansion residents (below, l. to r.) Rena Sofer (Lois), Wally Kurth (Ned), Jane Elliot (Tracy) and Lisa LoCicero (Olivia), alongside special guests like Amber Tamblyn, who launched her career as Emily Bowen-Quartermaine.

And Kurth won’t be the only leading man decked out in a tux, as this preview photo of (from l.) Dominic Zamprogna (Dante), Josh Swickard (Chase) and Donnell Turner (Curtis) proves.

Lynn Herring (Lucy) tells Digest that the special is can’t-miss. “It is so full of history and love,” she raves. “It was such a gift to get to do it. If you are a real fan, you will be honored for sticking with us through the 60 years. You’ll understand why your heart was always with us and why it stayed with us for all these years. It’ll make you feel, as a viewer, part of the team of GH because you went through all of this with us. It just made me feel so tied to the people that have watched us all these years. It’s like we’re all in this amazing tapestry together.”