General Hospital (UK TV series) productions to fill in the extended schedules. Among the first of these shows, which were aimed at giving advertisers access to housewives, were the long-running rural soap "Emmerdale Farm" (YTV) and the twice-weekly medical drama "General Hospital". Set in a fictional Midlands town, the series followed the romantic and professional lives of its doctors and nurses. While the location and the characters names had been changed, in most other respects "General Hospital" was almost identical to its predecessor, "Emergency – Ward 10", a deliberate attempt to recreate its success. In 1975, after 270 twice-weekly episodes, "General Hospital" was given a
General Hospital aired on April 6, 2013, in honor of "General Hospital"s 50th anniversary. It focused on the entire history of the soap, including interviews of stars and clips from the series. On September 5, 2014, "General Hospital Now" was announced as a new Variety Show/Soap web series airing exclusively on ABC.com hosted by longtime cast member Nancy Lee Grahn featuring appearances by the rest of the General Hospital Cast as well as Special Guests beginning in January 2015. On May 15 and 18, 2015, "General Hospital" aired two live episodes as part of its 52nd anniversary celebration, using the hashtag #GHLive