List of longest-running American broadcast network television series
Appearance
(Redirected from List of longest running U.S. broadcast network television series)
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
Series shaded in light blue are currently in production. |
Length | Number of seasons |
Series | Network | First broadcast | Last broadcast | Number of episodes |
Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
76 years | 70 | 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+ | |
70 years | 70 | ABC World News Tonight (ABC News)[6] | ABC | October 12, 1953[7] | present | 15,722+ | |
69 years | 69 | The Tonight Show[8] | NBC | September 27, 1954 | present | 13,299 | |
69 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 | |||||
69 years | 64 | Face the Nation (CBS News) | CBS | November 7, 1954 | present | 3,000+ | |
67 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
Length | Number of seasons |
Series | Network | First broadcast | Last broadcast | Number of episodes |
Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
58 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 | |||||
55 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 | |
54 years | 53 | Sesame Street | NET | November 10, 1969 | May 8, 1970 | 4666[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 at Season 51 when the show moved to Max. |
PBS | November 9, 1970 | present | |||||
HBO | January 16, 2016 | November 1, 2020 | |||||
Max | November 21, 2020 | present | |||||
53 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 | |||||
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. | |
53 years | 53 | Masterpiece[16] | PBS | January 10, 1971 | present | ||
51 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 | |
51 years | 51 | Great Performances | PBS | November 4, 1972 | present | ||
50 years | 51 | Nova | PBS | March 3, 1974 | present | 975 |
40–49 years
Length | Number of seasons |
Series | Network | First broadcast | Last broadcast | Number of episodes |
Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
48 years | 49 | Saturday Night Live[18] | NBC | October 11, 1975 | present | 968 | Longest-running sketch comedy show on American television. |
48 years | 40 | PBS NewsHour[19] | PBS | October 20, 1975 | present | ||
48 years | 45 | Good Morning America | ABC | November 3, 1975 | present | 9,914+ | |
48 years | 50 | Austin City Limits | PBS | January 3, 1976 | present | 900 | 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 | 40 | 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 | 44 | 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 | |
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 | Nature | PBS | October 10, 1982 | present | 615 | |
41 years | 42 | Frontline | PBS | January 17, 1983 | present | 813 | |
41 years | 41 (syndicated) | 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 |
30–39 years
Length | Number of seasons |
Series | Network | First broadcast | Last broadcast | Number of episodes |
Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
39 years | 40 | Jeopardy! | Syndication | September 10, 1984 | present | 9,000 | |
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 | |
37 years | 29 | Hometime | PBS | November 1, 1986 | present | ||
36 years | 36 | 48 Hours[26] | CBS | January 2, 1988 | present | 991[27] | |
35 years | 35 | American Experience | PBS | October 1, 1988 | present | 366 | |
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 | 35 | Professional Bowlers Tour (ABC Sports) | ABC | January 6, 1962[28] | 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 |
34 years | 35 | Wall Street Week with Louis Rukeyser[29] | PBS | November 20, 1970 | June 24, 2005 | ||
34 years | 35 | Evening at Pops | PBS | July 12, 1970 | August 29, 2004 | ||
35 years | 41 | The Victory Garden[30] | PBS | April 16, 1975 | 2010 | ||
34 years | 27 | Ciao Italia with Mary Ann Esposito[31] | PBS / National Educational Telecommunications Association syndication | October 1, 1989 | present | Longest-running cooking program. | |
34 years | 35 | America's Funniest Home Videos | ABC | November 26, 1989 | present | 790 | |
34 years | 35 | The Simpsons[32] | Fox | January 14, 1990[33] | present | 768 | Longest-running animated series, longest-running sitcom and longest-running scripted primetime series. |
33 years | 23 | Law & Order | NBC | September 13, 1990 | May 24, 2010 | 501 | |
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 |
20–29 years
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 | 30 (through 2023 season) | Fox NFL Sunday | Fox | September 18, 1994 | present | ||
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 | 1305 | |
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 Red Skelton Show | NBC | September 30, 1951 | June 1953 | 672 | |
CBS | September 1953 | June 1970 | |||||
NBC | September 1970 | August 1, 1971 |
See also
- List of longest-running United States television series
- List of longest-running U.S. cable television series
- List of longest-running U.S. primetime television series
- List of longest-running U.S. first-run syndicated television series
- List of longest-running television shows by category
- List of longest-running Philippine television series
- List of longest-running UK television series
- List of longest-running Australian television series
- List of television series canceled after one episode
- List of television series canceled before airing an episode
Notes
- ^ 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
- ^ Only its time on television is counted here; it began on radio (as American Mercury Presents: Meet the Press) in 1945
- ^ NBC News
- ^ CBS Television News 1948–51, Douglas Edwards with the News 1951–63
- ^ Originally Hallmark Playhouse radio series, was Hallmark Television Playhouse (1951–54)
- ^ "Hallmark Hall of Fame Has Rough Start on ABC". 28 November 2011.
- ^ 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
- ^ "Early TV Anchors | Poynter". Archived from the original on 2015-02-20. Retrieved 2014-07-30.
- ^ Includes the various permutations and re-brandings over the years, including The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
- ^ 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
- ^ Various citations concerning the 15,000 episode of General Hospital:
- Pennacchio, George (May 12, 2022). "Daytime drama General Hospital celebrates a major television milestone: 15,000 episodes". KABC-TV. United States: ABC Owned Television Stations. Archived from the original on May 13, 2022. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
- SOD (June 16, 2022). "National B&B and GH Preemptions". Soap Opera Digest. United States: American Media, Inc. Archived from the original on June 16, 2022. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
As a result, GH's show's 15,000th episode, which was originally slated to air on Friday, June 17, and due to a previous preemption was going to air on Monday, June 20, is now scheduled to air on Tuesday, June 21.
- Eades, Chris (June 21, 2022). "GH Is Preempted Today". Soaps In Depth. United States: Bauer Media Group. Archived from the original on June 22, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
Unfortunately, as was expected, General Hospital is preempted on June 21 for ongoing news coverage of the hearings on the attack on the Capitol Building.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Originally The Guiding Light. Only its time on television is counted here; it began on radio January 25, 1937.
- ^ Originally Washington Week in Review
- ^ 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.
- ^ Originally Masterpiece Theatre
- ^ Originally The New Price Is Right; longest-running game show in American television history.
- ^ Originally NBC Saturday Night
- ^ 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
- ^ Weekly broadcasts ended January 1, 1997; irregular airings afterward; officially ended with the absorption of ABC Sports into ESPN
- ^ Evolved from The Iran Crisis – America Held Hostage (1979–80)
- ^ Originally titled "Noticiero SIN" when Univision was known as SIN (Spanish International Network).
- ^ Not currently on a regular schedule
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
9k Episode
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Broadcast only in North Carolina, 1979–81
- ^ Also called 48 Hours Investigates
- ^ "48 Hours on CBS". TV Guide. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
- ^ "Schenkel Going Out on a Roll". New York Daily News.
- ^ Became Wall Street Week with Fortune after original host was fired in 2002
- ^ Jim Crockett's Victory Garden, 1975–79
- ^ 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.
- ^ Only its time as its own television 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.
- ^ Sneak peek airing December 17, 1989
- ^ Also syndicated, 1982–present
- ^ Also known as Dateline (day of week it airs), Dateline With Stone Phillips
- ^ Continuation of Bandstand, which aired on WFIL 1952–57
- ^ Also known as The Metropolitan Opera Presents
- ^ Continuation of series that aired 1962–85 on Chile's Canal 13
- ^ Host: Tom Snyder 1995–99, Craig Kilborn 1999–2004, Craig Ferguson 2004–2014, James Corden 2015-2023
- ^ Reruns aired in syndication, 1984–92
- ^ Started in 2008, Mystery! was absorbed into Masterpiece (the former Masterpiece Theatre) and airs under the banner Masterpiece Mystery!
- ^ Morning 1979–82
- ^ Aired as Toast of the Town until 1955
- ^ Local transmission only (WCET), 1972–96
- ^ Originated on radio as Major Bowes' Original Amateur Hour, 1934–46
- ^ Originally GrandStand, then changed name to reflect year; was also NFL Live 1987–97
- ^ Originally ABC Press Conference; succeeded in time slot by This Week
- ^ Originally Opening Soon at a Theater Near You (1975–77); Sneak Previes Goes Video 1989–91