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.
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 | 4,843+ | Longest-running show. |
75 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 | 243+ | 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 | 15,785+ | |
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 | 13,203 | |
69 years | 64 | Face the Nation (CBS News) | CBS | November 7, 1954 | present | 3,000+ | |
Length | Number of seasons | Series | Network | First broadcast | Last broadcast | Number of episodes | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
57 years | 57 | Guiding Light (CBS Daytime) [9] | 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. |
60 years | 58 | General Hospital (ABC Daytime) | ABC | April 1, 1963 | present | 15,134+ | Television's longest running drama series. As of January 11, 2023 [10] |
54 years | 54 | As the World Turns (CBS Daytime) | CBS | April 2, 1956 | September 17, 2010 | 13,858 | |
54 years | 54 | The Wonderful World of Disney [11] | ABC | October 27, 1954 | June 11, 1961 | 1,224 | |
NBC | September 24, 1961 | August 16, 1981 | |||||
CBS | September 26, 1981 | May 3, 1983 | |||||
ABC | February 2, 1986 | May 22, 1988 | |||||
NBC | October 9, 1988 | August 26, 1990 | |||||
Disney Channel | September 23, 1990 | August 25, 1996 | |||||
ABC | September 28, 1997 | December 24, 2008 | |||||
December 12, 2015 | present | ||||||
53 years | 54 | NFL on CBS | CBS | September 30, 1956 | January 23, 1994 | 5,000+ | 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 | ||||||
58 years | 50 | Days of Our Lives (NBC Daytime) | NBC, Peacock | November 8, 1965 | present | 14000+ | Days of our Lives moved from NBC to the Peacock streaming service September 12, 2022 [12] |
Length | Number of seasons | Series | Network | First broadcast | Last broadcast | Number of episodes | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
56 years | 49 | Washington Week [13] | NET, PBS | February 23, 1967 | present | 2,000+ | |
55 years | 56 | 60 Minutes (CBS News) | CBS | September 24, 1968 | present | 2500+ | |
54 years | 53 | Sesame Street | NET | November 10, 1969 | May 8, 1970 | 4666 [note 1] | Longest-running children's show. [14] 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 HBO Max. |
PBS | November 9, 1970 | present | |||||
HBO | January 16, 2016 | November 1, 2020 | |||||
HBO Max | November 21, 2020 | Present | |||||
53 years | 50 | Monday Night Football | ABC | September 21, 1970 | December 26, 2005 | 641+ | 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. |
January 9, 2016 | Present | ||||||
ESPN | September 11, 2006 | present | |||||
53 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 | 45 | Masterpiece Theatre | PBS | January 10, 1971 | present | ||
51 years | 46 | The Price Is Right (CBS Daytime) [15] | CBS | September 4, 1972 | present | 8,000+ | Longest-running game show. |
50 years | 49 | The Young and the Restless (CBS Daytime) | CBS | March 26, 1973 | present | 10,200+ | |
49 years | 42 | Nova | PBS | March 3, 1974 | present | 698 | |
51 years | 43 | Great Performances | PBS | November 4, 1972 | present | ||
45 years | 45 | Wide World of Sports (ABC Sports) | ABC | April 29, 1961 | August 2006 [16] | ||
43 years | 43 | One Life to Live (ABC Daytime) | ABC | July 15, 1968 | January 13, 2012 | 11,096 | |
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. |
48 years | 41 | The Victory Garden [17] | PBS | April 16, 1975 | present | ||
48 years | 46 | Saturday Night Live [18] | NBC | October 11, 1975 | present | 745 | Is the longest-running sketch comedy show on American television. |
48 years | 40 | PBS NewsHour [19] | PBS | October 20, 1975 | present | ||
48 years | 40 | Good Morning America | ABC | November 3, 1975 | present | 9,914+ | |
48 years | 40 | Austin City Limits | PBS | January 3, 1976 | present | The 1st episode was a one-off filmed in 1974 and broadcast in 1975. It became a regular series in 1976. | |
48 years | 40 | Live from Lincoln Center | PBS | January 30, 1976 | present [20] | ||
45 years | 40 | Nightly Business Report | PBS/American Public Television syndication/CNBC | January 22, 1979 | December 27, 2019 |
Length | Number of seasons | Series | Network | First broadcast | Last broadcast | Number of episodes | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
45 years | 38 | 20/20 | ABC | June 6, 1978 | present | ||
45 years | 37 | CBS News Sunday Morning | CBS | January 28, 1979 | present | ||
44 years | 36 | This Old House | PBS | February 20, 1979 | present | 786+ | |
44 years | 36 | The Woodwright's Shop [21] | PBS | 1979 | present | 429+ | |
43 years | 36 | Nightline [22] | ABC | March 24, 1980 | present | ||
35 years | 35 | Professional Bowlers Tour (ABC Sports) | ABC | January 6, 1962 [23] | 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 |
42 years | 35 | Noticiero Univision [24] | Univision | June 1, 1981 | present | ||
41 years | 34 | Nature | PBS | October 10, 1982 | present | 440+ | |
40 years | 34 | Wheel of Fortune (syndicated) | Syndicated | September 5, 1983 | present | ||
41 years | 33 | Frontline | PBS | January 17, 1983 | present | 520+ | |
34 years | 35 | Wall Street Week with Louis Rukeyser [25] | PBS | November 20, 1970 | June 24, 2005 | ||
34 years | 35 | Evening at Pops | PBS | July 12, 1970 | August 29, 2004 | ||
33 years | 33 | Mister Rogers' Neighborhood | NET | February 19, 1968 | October 1970 | 895 | |
PBS | October 1970 | August 31, 2001 | |||||
32 years | 33 | MotorWeek [26] | PBS | 1982 | present | ||
39 years | 32 | Jeopardy! | Syndication | September 10, 1984 | present | 6,829+ | |
31 years | 31 | Lamp Unto My Feet | CBS | November 21, 1948 | January 21, 1979 | ||
30 years | 30 | American Bandstand [27] | ABC | August 5, 1957 | November 5, 1987 | 4,134 | |
30 years | 30 | Live from the Met [28] | PBS | 1977 | 2007 | ||
37 years | 30 | Sábado Gigante [29] | Univision | April 12, 1986 | September 19, 2015 | 2,800+ | Longest-running imported TV show. |
37 years | 29 | Hometime | PBS | November 1, 1986 | present | ||
36 years | 29 | The Bold and the Beautiful | CBS | March 23, 1987 | present | 6,500+ | |
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 | 29 | Captain Kangaroo [30] | 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! [31] | PBS | February 5, 1980 | 2008 | ||
36 years | 36 | 48 Hours [32] | CBS | January 2, 1988 | present | 991 [33] | |
35 years | 35 | American Experience | PBS | October 1, 1988 | present | 366 | |
34 years | 35 | Cops | Fox | March 11, 1989 | present | 1,175 | |
Paramount Network | |||||||
Fox Nation | |||||||
34 years | 27 | Ciao Italia with Mary Ann Esposito [34] | PBS/National Educational Telecommunications Association syndication | October 1, 1989 | present | Longest-running cooking program. | |
34 years | 35 | The Simpsons [35] | Fox | December 17, 1989 | present | 760 | Longest-running animated series, longest running sitcom and longest running scripted primetime series. |
34 years | 26 | America's Funniest Home Videos | ABC | November 26, 1989 | present | 500 | |
32 years | 25 | Charlie Rose | PBS | September 30, 1991 | November 17, 2017 | ||
31 years | 24 | Dateline NBC [36] | NBC | March 31, 1992 | present | 1,700+ | |
25 years | 25 | WWE SmackDown | UPN (1999-2006), MyNetworkTV (2008-2010), SyFy (2010-2015), USA Network (2015-2019), FOX (2019-Present) | April 29, 1999 | present | 1274+ | |
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 [37] | CBS | September 2, 1963 | January 9, 1987 | ||
30 years | 23 | The Late Show | CBS | August 30, 1993 | present | 3,796+ | ...with David Letterman , ... with Stephen Colbert |
23 years | 23 | The Ed Sullivan Show [38] | 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 [39] | PBS | 1976 | 1999 | ||
23 years | 23 | Reading Rainbow | PBS | June 6, 1983 | November 10, 2006 | 155 | |
29 years | 22 | Fox NFL Sunday | Fox | September 18, 1994 | present | ||
29 years | 20 | The Late Late Show [40] | CBS | January 9, 1995 | present | 3,468+ | |
22 years | 22 | The Original Amateur Hour [41] | 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 [42] | NBC | 1975 | 1997 | ||
21 years | 21 | Issues and Answers [43] | ABC | 1960 | 1981 | ||
21 years | 21 | Sneak Previews [44] | 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 | Law & Order | NBC | September 13, 1990 | May 24, 2010 | 456 | |
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 |
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