Jump to content

List of longest-running American broadcast network television series

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a list of the longest-running U.S. broadcast network television series, ordered by the number of broadcast seasons.

To qualify for this list, the programming must originate in North America, be shown on a United States national (not regional) television network, and be first-run (as opposed to a repackaging of previously aired material or material released in other media). For this list, series that were available only on a local or regional basis are excluded. The "number of seasons" total does not include cable broadcasts or series in syndication.

Over 60 years

[edit]
Series shaded in light blue are currently in production.
Length Number of
seasons 		Series Network First broadcast Last broadcast Number of
episodes 		Notes
77 years 77 Meet the Press (NBC News)[1] NBC November 6, 1947[2] present 3,600+ Longest-running show.
76 years 72 CBS Evening News (CBS News)[3] CBS May 3, 1948 present 16,400+ Longest-running network newscast.
72 years 69 Hallmark Hall of Fame[4] NBC December 24, 1951 December 17, 1978 260 Not broadcast on a regular schedule, with only a limited number of productions per year.
CBS November 14, 1979 April 30, 1980
PBS February 9, 1981 May 6, 1981
CBS December 1, 1981 January 29, 1989
ABC April 30, 1989 April 23, 1995
CBS December 10, 1995 April 13, 2011
ABC[5] November 27, 2011 April 20, 2014
Hallmark Channel November 30, 2014 present
72 years 70 Today (NBC News) NBC January 14, 1952 present 18,000+
71 years 71 ABC World News Tonight (ABC News)[6] ABC October 12, 1953[7] present 15,722+
70 years 70 The Tonight Show[8] NBC September 27, 1954 present 13,343
70 years 58 The Wonderful World of Disney[9] ABC October 27, 1954 June 11, 1961 1,224
NBC September 24, 1961 August 16, 1981
CBS September 26, 1981 September 24, 1983
ABC February 1, 1986 May 21, 1988
NBC October 8, 1988 August 26, 1990
CBS September 23, 1990 December 1, 1996
ABC September 28, 1997 December 24, 2008
December 12, 2015 present
Disney+ May 20, 2020 present
70 years 64 Face the Nation (CBS News) CBS November 7, 1954 present 3,000+
68 years 64 NFL on CBS CBS September 30, 1956 January 23, 1994 6,133[citation needed] CBS originally broadcast NFL games from 1956 to its merger with the AFL in 1970. It continued to broadcast NFC regular and playoff games as well as the Super Bowl until 1994 when CBS lost the rights to broadcast these games to Fox. The network returned its football broadcasts by 1998 after CBS acquired the rights to broadcast AFC regular and playoff games from NBC. It also airs Super Bowl matches and between 2014 and 2017, Thursday Night Football alongside NBC in 2016 and 2017 and the NFL Network.
September 6, 1998 present
61 years 58 General Hospital (ABC Daytime) ABC April 1, 1963 present 15,000[10] Television's longest-running drama series.

50–59 years

[edit]
Length Number of
seasons 		Series Network First broadcast Last broadcast Number of
episodes 		Notes
59 years 50 Days of Our Lives (NBC Daytime) NBC November 8, 1965 September 9, 2022 14,430[11]
Peacock[12] September 12, 2022 present
57 years 57 Guiding Light (CBS Daytime)[13] CBS June 30, 1952 September 18, 2009 15,762 Longest-running dramatic series of any genre. Longest-running daytime drama. While its television debut was on June 30, 1952, The Guiding Light's first incarnation was as a radio show, which premiered on January 25, 1937.
57 years 49 Washington Week[14] NET February 23, 1967 October 1970 2,000+
PBS October 1970 present
56 years 56 60 Minutes (CBS News) CBS September 24, 1968 present 2500+
54 years 54 As the World Turns (CBS Daytime) CBS April 2, 1956 September 17, 2010 13,858
55 years 54 Sesame Street NET November 10, 1969 May 8, 1970 4701[note 1] Longest-running children's show.[15] While Sesame Street remains on the PBS schedule with second-run rights, new episodes now premiere on HBO Max and become available to PBS nine months later. This formerly applied to HBO from 2016 until 2020, starting from Season 51 when the show moved to (HBO) Max.
PBS (PBS Kids) November 9, 1970 present
HBO January 16, 2016 November 1, 2020
(HBO) Max November 21, 2020 present
54 years 50 NBC Nightly News (NBC News) NBC August 3, 1970 present NBC has had an evening broadcast since 1948, starting with Camel News Caravan, lasting until 1956, when it was replaced by Nightly News' predecessor, the Huntley-Brinkley Report.
54 years 55 (NFL seasons) Monday Night Football ABC September 21, 1970 December 26, 2005 718 (games) Since 2016 and 2018 respectively, ABC has simulcast ESPN's coverage of its NFL Wild Card playoff game and the Pro Bowl. In 2020, ABC simulcasted three select ESPN Monday Night Football games. Starting in 2021, ABC will get expanded broadcast rights, including exclusive games, Week 18 Saturday doubleheader simulcasts, and Super Bowl rights. Per NFL Policy, all games that are broadcast via cable or satellite television on a Pay TV Network must also be made available on over-the-air television stations in each participating team's local market.
ESPN September 11, 2006 present
ABC January 9, 2016 present
53 years 53 Masterpiece[16] PBS January 10, 1971 present
52 years 53 The Price Is Right (CBS Daytime)[17] CBS September 4, 1972 present 9,000+ Longest-running game show.
51 years 49 The Young and the Restless (CBS Daytime) CBS March 26, 1973 present 12,500
52 years 51 Great Performances PBS November 4, 1972 present
50 years 51 Nova PBS March 3, 1974 present 975

40–49 years

[edit]
Length Number of
seasons 		Series Network First broadcast Last broadcast Number of
episodes 		Notes
49 years 50 Saturday Night Live[18] NBC October 11, 1975 present 975 Longest-running sketch comedy show on American television.
49 years 40 PBS NewsHour[19] PBS October 20, 1975 present
49 years 45 Good Morning America ABC November 3, 1975 present 9,914+
48 years 50 Austin City Limits PBS January 3, 1976 present (over) 1,000 The 1st episode was a one-off filmed in 1974 and broadcast in 1975. It became a regular series in 1976.
46 years 46 20/20 ABC June 6, 1978 present 500+
45 years 45 CBS News Sunday Morning CBS January 28, 1979 present
45 years 45 Wide World of Sports (ABC Sports) ABC April 29, 1961 August 2006[20]
45 years 46 This Old House PBS February 20, 1979 present 1,136
44 years 38 Nightline[21] ABC March 24, 1980 present
43 years 35 Noticiero Univision[22] Univision June 1, 1981 present
43 years 43 One Life to Live (ABC Daytime) ABC July 15, 1968 January 13, 2012 11,096
42 years 43 Live from Lincoln Center PBS January 30, 1976 2019[23] 251
42 years 42 Nature PBS October 10, 1982 present 615
41 years 41 All My Children (ABC Daytime) ABC January 5, 1970 September 23, 2011 10,712 While the show has ceased airing as a television series it is still in production. As of April 29, 2013 the show had resumed airing now as a web series on the internet. It can be seen through Hulu, iTunes, and YouTube.
41 years 42 Frontline PBS January 17, 1983 present 813
41 years syndication: 42
Wheel 2000: 1
Celebrity WoF: 4 		Wheel of Fortune (syndicated) Syndicated September 5, 1983 present 8,000+
40 years 40 Nightly Business Report PBS January 22, 1979 December 27, 2019 10,680
40 years 41 Jeopardy! Syndication September 10, 1984 present 9,000+

30–39 years

[edit]
Length Number of
seasons 		Series Network First broadcast Last broadcast Number of
episodes 		Notes
37 years 29 The Bold and the Beautiful CBS March 23, 1987 present 9,000[24]
37 years 36 The Woodwright's Shop[25] PBS 1979 2017 481
38 years 29 Hometime PBS November 1, 1986 present
36 years 36 48 Hours[26] CBS January 2, 1988 present 991[27]
36 years 36 American Experience PBS October 1, 1988 present 378
35 years 36 Cops Fox March 11, 1989 May 4, 2013 1,175
Spike / Paramount Network September 14, 2013 May 11, 2020
Fox Nation October 1, 2021 present
35 years 27 Ciao Italia with Mary Ann Esposito[28] PBS / National Educational Telecommunications Association syndication October 1, 1989 present
35 years 35 Professional Bowlers Tour (ABC Sports) ABC January 6, 1962[29] June 21, 1997
35 years 35 Search for Tomorrow (CBS and NBC Daytime) CBS September 3, 1951 March 29, 1982 9,130
NBC March 26, 1982 December 26, 1986
35 years 35 Another World (NBC Daytime) NBC May 4, 1964 June 25, 1999 8,891 Longest-running continuous title sequences on television
35 years 41 The Victory Garden[30] PBS April 16, 1975 2010
34 years 35 Wall Street Week with Louis Rukeyser[31] PBS November 20, 1970 June 24, 2005
34 years 35 Evening at Pops PBS July 12, 1970 August 29, 2004 Longest-running cooking program.
34 years 35 America's Funniest Home Videos ABC November 26, 1989 present 790
34 years 36 The Simpsons[32] Fox January 14, 1990[33] present 774 Longest-running animated series, longest-running sitcom and longest-running scripted primetime series.
34 years 24 Law & Order NBC September 13, 1990 May 24, 2010 509
February 24, 2022 present
33 years 33 Mister Rogers' Neighborhood NET February 19, 1968 October 1970 895
PBS October 1970 August 31, 2001
32 years 43 MotorWeek[34] PBS 1982 present 1,929
32 years 32 Dateline NBC[35] NBC March 31, 1992 present
31 years 31 Lamp Unto My Feet CBS November 21, 1948 January 21, 1979
30 years 30 American Bandstand[36] ABC August 5, 1957 November 5, 1987 4,134
30 years 30 Live from the Met[37] PBS 1977 2007
30 years 30 (through 2023 season) Fox NFL Sunday Fox September 18, 1994 present

20–29 years

[edit]
Length Number of
seasons 		Series Network First broadcast Last broadcast Number of
episodes 		Notes
29 years 29 Love of Life CBS September 24, 1951 February 1, 1980 7,316
29 years 30 Sábado Gigante[38] Univision April 12, 1986 September 19, 2015 2,800+ Longest-running imported TV show.
29 years 28 The Late Late Show[39] CBS January 9, 1995 April 27, 2023 5,346
29 years 29 Captain Kangaroo[40] CBS October 3, 1955 December 8, 1984
28 years 28 The Edge of Night CBS April 2, 1956 November 28, 1975 7,420
ABC December 1, 1975 December 28, 1984
28 years 28 Mystery![41] PBS February 5, 1980 2008
25 years 25 Charlie Rose PBS September 30, 1991 November 17, 2017
25 years 26 WWE SmackDown UPN April 29, 1999 September 15, 2006 1318
The CW September 22, 2006 September 26, 2008
MyNetworkTV October 3, 2008 September 24, 2010
Syfy October 1, 2010 December 31, 2015
USA January 7, 2016 September 24, 2019
Fox October 4, 2019 present
24 years 24 Camera Three CBS January 22, 1956 January 21, 1979
PBS October 4, 1979 July 1, 1980
24 years 24 CBS Morning News[42] CBS September 2, 1963 January 9, 1987
23 years 23 The Ed Sullivan Show[43] CBS June 20, 1948 June 6, 1971 1,087
23 years 23 America's Most Wanted Fox February 1, 1988 June 18, 2011 940+
23 years 23 Lilias, Yoga and You[44] PBS 1976 1999
23 years 23 Reading Rainbow PBS June 6, 1983 November 10, 2006 155
22 years 22 The Original Amateur Hour[45] DuMont January 18, 1948 October 1949
NBC October 1949 September 1954
ABC October 1955 June 1957
NBC July 1957 October 1958
CBS May 1959 October 1959
ABC March 1960 September 26, 1960
CBS October 2, 1960 September 27, 1970
22 years 22 NASCAR on CBS CBS February 18, 1979 July 15, 2000
22 years 22 NFL on NBC[46] NBC 1975 1997
21 years 21 Issues and Answers[47] ABC 1960 1981
21 years 21 Sneak Previews[48] PBS 1975 1996
21 years 21 Cookin' Cheap PBS 1981 2002
21 years 21 The New Yankee Workshop PBS January 1988 June 27, 2009 284
20 years 20 The Doctors NBC April 1, 1963 December 31, 1982 5,280
20 years 20 The Secret Storm NBC February 1, 1954 February 8, 1974 5,195
20 years 20 The Red Skelton Show NBC September 30, 1951 June 1953 672
CBS September 1953 June 1970
NBC September 1970 August 1, 1971

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Season 44 (2013–2014) was the first time episodes were numbered in a seasonal order rather than the numerical and chronological fashion used since the show premiered. For example, episode 4401 means "the first episode of the 44th season", not "the 4401st episode" (it is in fact the 4328th episode).

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Only its time on television is counted here; it began on radio (as American Mercury Presents: Meet the Press) in 1945
  2. ^ NBC News
  3. ^ CBS Television News 1948–51, Douglas Edwards with the News 1951–63
  4. ^ Originally Hallmark Playhouse radio series, was Hallmark Television Playhouse (1951–54)
  5. ^ "Hallmark Hall of Fame Has Rough Start on ABC". 28 November 2011.
  6. ^ ABC Evening News 1953–65 and 1967–78; Peter Jennings and the News 1965–67; World News Tonight 1978–2006; World News with Charles Gibson 2000–09
  7. ^ "Early TV Anchors | Poynter". Archived from the original on 2015-02-20. Retrieved 2014-07-30.
  8. ^ Includes the various permutations and re-brandings over the years, including The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
  9. ^ Disney anthology television series aired under a variety of titles, including Walt Disney's Disneyland, Walt Disney Presents, Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color, Disney's Wonderful World, Walt Disney, The Disney Sunday Movie, and The Magical World of Disney. The current title is The Wonderful World of Disney. See the main article for a complete broadcast history
  10. ^ Various citations concerning the 15,000 episode of General Hospital:
  11. ^ Fairman, Michael (September 9, 2022). "Days of our Lives Airs Last Episode of Its Historic Run on NBC; Heads Exclusively to Peacock Monday". michaelfairmantv.com. United States. Retrieved September 9, 2022. Friday marks the final airdate of Days of our Lives run on network television. For almost 57 years, and for 14,430 episodes.
  12. ^ Clifford, Kambra (August 3, 2022). "NBC drops Days of our Lives; soap now available for streaming only, exclusively on Peacock". Soap Central. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  13. ^ Originally The Guiding Light. Only its time on television is counted here; it began on radio January 25, 1937.
  14. ^ Originally Washington Week in Review
  15. ^ This only applies to the time that a children's program has broadcast nationwide. Technically a few other children's programs may have run longer in years/seasons than Sesame Street. Its just that some of those programs' seasons/years don't count as said programs weren't broadcast nationwide for their entire run.
  16. ^ Originally Masterpiece Theatre
  17. ^ Originally The New Price Is Right; longest-running game show in American television history.
  18. ^ Originally NBC Saturday Night
  19. ^ Previously The Robert MacNeil Report (1975), The MacNeil/Lehrer Report (1975–83), The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour 1975–95, The News Hour with Jim Lehrer 1995–2009
  20. ^ Weekly broadcasts ended January 1, 1997; irregular airings afterward; officially ended with the absorption of ABC Sports into ESPN
  21. ^ Evolved from The Iran Crisis – America Held Hostage (1979–80)
  22. ^ Originally titled "Noticiero SIN" when Univision was known as SIN (Spanish International Network).
  23. ^ Not currently on a regular schedule
  24. ^ SOD (April 17, 2023). "B&B Tune-In Alert". Soap Opera Digest. United States: American Media, Inc. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  25. ^ Broadcast only in North Carolina, 1979–81
  26. ^ Also called 48 Hours Investigates
  27. ^ "48 Hours on CBS". TV Guide. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
  28. ^ America's longest-running cooking show, running consecutive episodes and consecutive seasons. While some believe Julia Child's series to have run longer, Child and other appeared in series with different names, hosts. Ciao Italia has been on the air since 1989.
  29. ^ "Schenkel Going Out on a Roll". New York Daily News.
  30. ^ Jim Crockett's Victory Garden, 1975–79
  31. ^ Became Wall Street Week with Fortune after original host was fired in 2002
  32. ^ Only its time as its own show is counted here; it began on The Tracey Ullman Show as animated shorts. It is currently the longest-running prime time entertainment program with a consistent setting and recurring characters. While other prime-time shows have run longer, they are all news, sports, anthology or variety programs.
  33. ^ Sneak peek airing December 17, 1989
  34. ^ Also syndicated, 1982–present
  35. ^ Also known as Dateline (day of week it airs), Dateline with Stone Phillips
  36. ^ Continuation of Bandstand, which aired on WFIL 1952–57
  37. ^ Also known as The Metropolitan Opera Presents
  38. ^ Continuation of series that aired 1962–85 on Chile's Canal 13
  39. ^ Host: Tom Snyder 1995–99, Craig Kilborn 1999–2004, Craig Ferguson 2004–2014, James Corden 2015-2023
  40. ^ Reruns aired in syndication, 1984–92
  41. ^ Started in 2008, Mystery! was absorbed into Masterpiece (the former Masterpiece Theatre) and airs under the banner Masterpiece Mystery!
  42. ^ Morning 1979–82
  43. ^ Aired as Toast of the Town until 1955
  44. ^ Local transmission only (WCET), 1972–96
  45. ^ Originated on radio as Major Bowes' Original Amateur Hour, 1934–46
  46. ^ Originally GrandStand, then changed name to reflect year; was also NFL Live 1987–97
  47. ^ Originally ABC Press Conference; succeeded in time slot by This Week
  48. ^ Originally Opening Soon at a Theater Near You (1975–77); Sneak Previes Goes Video 1989–91
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_longest-running_American_broadcast_network_television_series&oldid=1253207340"