List of longest-running American cable television series

Last updated

This is a list of the longest running United States cable television series, ordered by number of broadcast seasons.

Contents

To qualify for this list, the programming must originate in North America and shown nationally in the United States and be first-run (as opposed to a repackaging of previously aired material or material released in other media). For the purposes of this list, series that were available only on a local or regional basis will be excluded, along with hybrid broadcast/cable networks such as The WB 100+/The CW Plus. For series that originated on U.S. broadcast networks (or broadcast syndication) and then was picked up by a national cable network, only the amount aired nationally on cable as original programming is represented here.

A season for the purpose of this article is defined as a given year, not a production cycle (as in America's Next Top Model ) which is defined as a season by the network or the program's distributor; for instance, multiple series on Food Network (e.g. Chopped ) count each production cycle as a season rather than classing them by year.

List

Series shaded in light blue are currently in production.

25 or more seasons

Number of
seasons		SeriesNetworkFirst broadcastLast broadcastNumber of
episodes
48 Inside the NFL HBO September 22, 1977February 6, 2008
Showtime September 10, 2008February 23, 2021
Paramount+ September 7, 2021April 5, 2023
The CW September 9, 2023present
43 SportsCenter ESPN September 7, 1979presentOver 60,000
43 Washington Journal [1] C-SPAN October 7, 1980present
42–43 NASCAR on ESPN ESPN / ESPN2 19812002
20072014
40–41 Gilad's Bodies in Motion ESPN19831994
Fox Sports 19941995
Discovery Health 19952004
FitTV 20042011
Discovery Fit & Health 2011present
40 The Challenge [2] MTVSeptember 28, 1997present545
38–39 National Geographic Explorer [3] Nickelodeon 19851986233
WTBS / TBS 19861999
CNBC 19992001
MSNBC [4] 20012005
National Geographic 2005present
39 Grand Ole Opry Live [5] TNN April 20, 1985August 2001
CMT August 20012003
GAC [6] 20032011
39 Sunday NFL Countdown [7] ESPNSeptember 7, 1985present
36–37 College GameDay ESPNSeptember 5, 1987present
36–37 NFL Primetime ESPN1987present
37 Biography [8] A&E April 6, 1987 [9] August 2006
Biography Channel August 2006present [10]
35 Bobby Jones Gospel BET January 27, 1980July 31, 2016
34 NBA on TNT TNTNovember 4, 1989present
33 The Real World [11] MTV May 21, 1992January 4, 2017614
Facebook Watch June 13, 2019August 29, 2019
32 WWE Raw USA January 11, 1993September 18, 20001636
TNN/Spike TV September 25, 2000September 26, 2005
USAOctober 3, 2005present
32 The Ultimate Fighter Spike TV January 17, 2005December 3, 2011150+ (including 23 live Ultimate Finales)
FX March 9, 2012April 9, 2013
Fox Sports 1 September 4, 2013present
30 Baseball Tonight ESPNMarch 19, 1990present
30 Outside the Lines ESPN1990present
30 Power Rangers Fox Kids August 28, 1993August 10, 2002973
ABC Kids September 14, 2002November 15, 2003
Jetix (ABC Family)February 14, 2004July 10, 2005
Jetix (Toon Disney)July 16, 2005November 14, 2005
Jetix (ABC Family)February 2, 2006
Jetix (Toon Disney)February 20, 2006August 14, 2006
Jetix (ABC Family)August 20, 2006
Jetix (Toon Disney)September 18, 2006November 3, 2008
ABC KidsMarch 7, 2009August 28, 2010
NickelodeonFebruary 7, 2011April 17, 2021
Netflix June 15, 2021September 29, 2023
30 Moneyline [12] CNN June 1, 1980November 11, 2009
29 Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel HBO April 2, 1995December 19, 2023320
29 Barefoot Contessa Food Network November 30, 2002December 19, 2021297
28 The Sports Reporters ESPN [13] October 2, 1988May 7, 2017
27 Your World with Neil Cavuto Fox News ChannelOctober 7, 1996present
26 ESPN SpeedWorld ESPNJanuary 14, 1979November 19, 2006
26 South Park Comedy Central August 13, 1997present328
26 Fox & Friends Fox News Channel February 1, 1998present
25 Larry King Live CNNJune 3, 1985December 18, 20106,120 [14]
25 Nick News [15] Nickelodeon April 18, 1992December 15, 2015
June 29, 2020present

20–24 seasons

Number of
seasons		SeriesNetworkFirst broadcastLast broadcastNumber of
episodes
24 ESPN Major League Baseball [16] ESPN / ESPN2 [17] April 15, 1990present
24 The Daily Show Comedy Central July 22, 1996present3,873
24 WCW Saturday Night [18] WTCG/WTBS/TBS December 17, 1976 [19] August 19, 2000
23 Crossfire CNN June 25, 1982June 3, 2005
September 9, 2013August 6, 2014
23 Inside the Actors Studio Bravo June 12, 1994January 11, 2018277
Ovation October 13, 2019December 15, 2019
22 E! News [20] E! September 1, 1991present7,500+
22 Real Time with Bill Maher HBO February 21, 2003present645
21 Reliable Sources CNNMarch 7, 1992August 21, 2022
21 Modern Marvels History January 1, 1995April 11, 201521
21 The O'Reilly Factor [21] Fox News ChannelOctober 7, 1996April 19, 20175,321
21 Around the Horn ESPN November 4, 2002present4,491 [22]
21 Pawn Stars History July 19, 2009present675
21 Style with Elsa Klensch CNN June 1, 1980January 2001
20 NFL Matchup ESPN / ESPN2 [23] September 5, 1993present
20 Monday Night Countdown ESPNSeptember 6, 1993present
20 Evans and Novak [24] CNNSeptember 1982November 9, 2002
20 Deadliest Catch Discovery Channel April 12, 2005present331
20 Keeping Up with the Kardashians E!October 14, 2007June 10, 2021280 + 6 specials
20 Total Request Live MTV September 14, 1998November 16, 20082,254
October 2, 20172019

15–19 seasons

Number of
seasons		SeriesNetworkFirst broadcastLast broadcastNumber of
episodes
19 Squawk Box CNBC August 7, 1995present
19 ESPN Sunday Night Football [25] ESPN November 8, 1987 [26] January 1, 2006
19 NASCAR on TBS TBSFebruary 27, 1982October 8, 2000
18 Golf Central Golf Channel January 17, 1995present
18 The Real Housewives of Orange County Bravo March 21, 2006present320
18 Showbiz Today [27] CNN October 29, 19842002
17 E! True Hollywood Story E!March 29, 1996November 23, 2021501
17 Fox News Live Fox News 1999February 24, 2008
March 6, 2021present
17 WNBA on ESPN ESPN June 23, 1997present
17 MythBusters Discovery Channel September 23, 2003March 5, 2016296
Science Channel November 15, 2017February 28, 2018
17 USA Tuesday Night Fights USA October 1, 1982August 25, 1998
17 Capital Gang CNNSeptember 7, 19882005
16 NFL Films Game of the Week [28] ESPN1997December 29, 2007
16 Hardball with Chris Matthews [29] America's Talking 19911996
CNBC 19971999
MSNBC 1999February 28, 2020
16 Booknotes C-SPAN April 2, 1989December 5, 2004801
16 MTV Unplugged MTVNovember 26, 1989present
16 Good Eats Food Network July 7, 1999April 2, 2011256
August 25, 2019July 6, 2020
Discovery+ February 18, 2021
16 It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia FX August 4, 2005December 20, 2012170
FXX September 4, 2013present
16 Ghost Hunters Sci Fi Channel / Syfy October 6, 2004October 26, 2016251 (+ 12 specials not included)
A&E August 21, 2019May 27, 2020
Discovery+ October 31, 2021March 19, 2022
Travel Channel October 1, 2022present
15 Monday Night Countdown ESPNSeptember 6, 1993present
15 The Real Housewives of Atlanta BravoOctober 6, 2008present320
15 Ninjago [30] Cartoon Network January 14, 2011October 25, 2020210 (+4 pilot episodes, 1 special and several shorts)
Netflix March 7, 2021October 1, 2022

12–14 seasons

Number of
seasons		SeriesNetworkFirst broadcastLast broadcastNumber of
episodes
14 SpongeBob SquarePants Nickelodeon July 17, 1999 [31] present303
14 Forensic Files [32] TLC April 23, 1996December 29, 1999406, including six hour-long specials
Court TV September 12, 2000December 24, 2007
truTV January 7, 2008June 17, 2011 [33]
14 Gold Rush Discovery Channel December 3, 2010present367
14 An Evening at the Improv A&E February 3, 1982January 1, 1996
14 SpeedWeek ESPN19841997
14 Video Soul BETJune 26, 1983September 1996
14 Road Rules MTVJuly 19, 1995September 27, 2004 [34]
14 Xplay [35] ZDTV / TechTV July 4, 199820041,516
G4techTV 20042005
G4 20052013
2021October 20, 2022
14 NASCAR on TNT TNT July 22, 2001July 13, 2014
13 Tim Russert CNBC 19942008
13 Private Screenings TCM 1995201027
13 Hannity & Colmes [36] Fox News ChannelOctober 7, 1996January 9, 2009
13 Gardening by the Yard HGTV 19962009
13 Mystery Science Theater 3000 [37] KTMA-TV November 24, 1988May 28, 1989230
The Comedy Channel November 18, 1989February 2, 1991
Comedy Central June 1, 1991May 18, 1996
Sci Fi Channel February 1, 1997September 12, 1999
Netflix April 14, 2017November 22, 2018
GizmoplexMay 6, 2022 [38] present
12 Monday Night Baseball ESPN April 7, 2002present
12 30 Minute Meals Food NetworkNovember 17, 2001November 9, 2019445+
12 BET's Top 25 BET September 22, 20012008
12 NASCAR on Speed Speed February 11, 2002August 16, 2013
12 When Calls the Heart Hallmark Channel October 19, 2013present119
12 American Sports Cavalcade TNN 19831995
12 Intimate Portrait Lifetime November 14, 1993October 3, 2005271

10–11 seasons

Number of
seasons		SeriesNetworkFirst broadcastLast broadcastNumber of
episodes
11 Closing Bell CNBC February 4, 2002present
11 Shameless Showtime January 9, 2011April 11, 2021134
11 Impractical Jokers TruTV December 15, 2011February 9, 2023261 (+40 specials)
TBS April 6, 2024present
11 Shepard Smith Reporting Fox News Channel August 12, 2002January 15, 2021
11 Aqua Teen Hunger Force
(alternate titles)		 Adult Swim September 9, 2001 [39] August 30, 2015139 (1 unaired)
November 27, 2023present
11 House of Style MTVMay 19892000
October 18, 2012
11 Talk Soup E! December 26, 1991May 17, 2002
11 The Howard Stern Show E!June 18, 1994July 8, 20051,550+
11 All That Nickelodeon January 21, 1995 [40] October 22, 2005210
June 15, 2019December 17, 2020
11 Imus in the Morning [41] MSNBCSeptember 2, 1996April 11, 2007
11 Paula's Home Cooking Food Network 20022013135+
11 On the Record Fox News Channel February 4, 2002November 11, 2016
11 Paw Patrol NickelodeonAugust 12, 2013present262
10 NFL Total Access NFL Network 2003May 17, 2024
10 American Morning CNN September 12, 2001December 30, 20112,688
10 Emeril Live Food Network October 6, 1997December 11, 2007
Fine Living July 7, 2008December 14, 2010
10 The Fairly OddParents NickelodeonMarch 30, 2001November 25, 2006172
February 18, 2008September 16, 2016
Nicktoons January 18, 2017July 26, 2017
10 Nashville Now TNNMarch 7, 1983October 15, 1993
10 NASCAR on TNN TNNMarch 3, 1991November 5, 2000
10 Stargate SG-1 [42] ShowtimeJuly 27, 1997May 17, 2002215 [43]
Sci Fi ChannelJune 7, 2002June 22, 2007 [44]
10 USA Up All Night USA NetworkJanuary 7, 1989March 7, 1998900+
10 Weather Center The Weather Channel March 10, 1998March 1, 2009
10 Adventure Time Cartoon NetworkApril 5, 2010September 3, 2018283

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Weekend editions are simulcast on the BBC Parliament channel with the name America This Week
  2. ↑ Originally Road Rules: All Stars
  3. ↑ Host: Tom Chapin (1985–1988), Robert Urich (1988–1995), Bob Ballard (1988–1995), Boyd Matson (1995–2003), Michael Fay (2001), Lisa Ling (2003-)
  4. ↑ Show renamed National Geographic Ultimate Explorer 2003–2005
  5. ↑ Oldest continuously running radio program, airing on WSM radio, Nashville, Tennessee; has aired on the digital over-the-air network Circle since January 4, 2020.
  6. ↑ As Grand Ole Opry Live!
  7. ↑ (not counting current Sunday evening version airing on ESPN+
  8. ↑ Originated on CBS
  9. ↑ Reran CBS originals, 1984–1987
  10. ↑ Rebroadcast A&E originals, 1999–2006
  11. ↑ Future seasons have aired on Paramount+
  12. ↑ Became Lou Dobbs Moneyline in 2001, Lou Dobbs Tonight in 2003
  13. ↑ Program rebroadcast later the same day on ESPNEWS
  14. ↑ "Larry King ends his record-setting run on CNN". CNN. December 17, 2010.
  15. ↑ Originally Nick News W/5 and later Nick News with Linda Ellerbee
  16. ↑ Includes Sunday Night Baseball, Wednesday Night Baseball, etc.
  17. ↑ ESPN2 started broadcasting major league baseball games in 2002 in addition to those offered by ESPN
  18. ↑ Previously Georgia Championship Wrestling (1972–1984), World Championship Wrestling (1984–1992)
  19. ↑ Date when WTCG was distributed nationally via cable (WTCG evolved into TBS). Broadcast on WTCG started January 1972.
  20. ↑ Previously E! News Daily and E! News Live
  21. ↑ Originally The O'Reilly Report
  22. ↑ @bhofheimer_espn (November 4, 2022). "The best of the best from @AroundtheHorn's first 20 years" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  23. ↑ Presently, each episode first airs on ESPN2 on Fridays, then is repeated on ESPN two days later
  24. ↑ Other names: Evans, Novak, Hunt, and Shields (1998–2001), Novak, Hunt, and Shields (2001–2002)
  25. ↑ Moved to NBC in 2006, at which time Monday Night Football moves from ABC to ESPN
  26. ↑ Sunday Night Football shared with TNT, with TNT getting the first half of the season, ESPN the second half, 1990–1997
  27. ↑ Also known as CNN Showbiz Today
  28. ↑ First-run syndication 1965–1997
  29. ↑ Originally Politics with Chris Matthews
  30. ↑ Originally Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu
  31. ↑ Sneak peek airing May 1, 1999
  32. ↑ Originally Medical Detectives
  33. ↑ Show is on hiatus and may return on a different network under the original title of "Medical Detectives". Old episodes were airing on Lifetime as of August 2011.
  34. ↑ The start of Season 15 has been announced for January 2008
  35. ↑ Previously GameSpot TV, Extended Play, and X-Play
  36. ↑ Successor series Hannity debuted January 12, 2009.
  37. ↑ Also known as MST3K
  38. ↑ Pre-release date, March 4, 2022
  39. ↑ Sneak peek airing December 30, 2000 on Cartoon Network
  40. ↑ Sneak peek airing April 16, 1994
  41. ↑ Simulcast of live program at WFAN New York
  42. ↑ Longest-running science fiction series in the United States.
  43. ↑ According to Sci Fi Wire Archived 2006-08-25 at the Wayback Machine
  44. ↑ Cancellation announced by Sci Fi Channel, August 21, 2006
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