15 Longest Running TV Shows Ever Ranked By Duration

15 Longest Running TV Shows Ever, Ranked By Duration

Contents

1 15 Longest Running TV Shows Ever, Ranked By Duration

These shows may not be known as some of the greatest in television history, but they’ve definitely stuck around longer than most shows in TV history.

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Some shows have been running so long that even your grandparents remember watching them. From children’s shows to daytime television, there are plenty of examples of series that have kept trucking along down through the decades, becoming icons in their own right.

Even long-running modern hits (like Supernatural or Grey’s Anatomy), can’t hold a candle to the shows on this list. We’ve updated it with a few more shows that have stood the test time, in more ways than one! All shows are prioritized by years running, as opposed to episode count.

Updated on June 5th, 2020 by Derek Draven: As mentioned in the updated intro, we’ve gone back and added on 5 more shows that either enjoyed a monumentally long run, or are still in production, to this very day. Many of these shows have spanned multiple generations, which says a lot for their longevity and ability to connect with an ever-changing fan base!

15 The Simpsons – 32 Years (Still In Production)

This animated family has slogged through the decades unabated, and given multiple generations a reason to laugh. The Simpsons originally began on the Tracey Ullman Show as a series of short sketches in 1987, before entering syndication as a full-fledged animated series in ’89.

First the talk of high school kids enveloped in Bartmania, the show soon branched out to adults who appreciated its sarcastic humor and mature storylines. The show would inspire future animated franchises like Family Guy and South Park, both of which have enjoyed very long runs.

14 Doctor Who – 41 Years (Still In Production)

Doctor Who’s adventures have been a staple of British culture ever since the showed debuted in 1963. Renowned for its clever storylines, crazy tech-babble, and a Time Lord who can regenerate his dying body to pave the way for different actors to take the role, Doctor Who would circle the globe as a staple of the fantasy/sci-fi genre.

Classic “Who” ran from ’63 to 1989 before the BBC unceremoniously cut it off at the knees. Writer Russell T. Davies would bring it back in 2005 in a huge way by continuing the original show’s timeline, rather than opting for a reboot. This helped bring Doctor Who to a whole new generation of families.

13 All My Children – 43 Years (No Longer In Production)

This popular soap opera debuted in 1970 and ended in 2013, after finding a temporary new home on The Online Network. The show focused on characters living in a fictional Philadelphia suburb, and was one of the first daytime soaps to attract a rather large percentage of male viewers, at 30%.

After being canceled by ABC in 2011, the show was picked back up for a short time, dishing out another 40 episodes for a grand total of 10,755.

12 Saturday Night Live – 45 Years (Still In Production)

Lorne Michaels brought Saturday Night Live to late-night television back in 1975, and it has soldiered on to this day. The show broke hilarious comedic ground while tackling societal issues including race, class, and politics in a manner that both sides could enjoy.

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The show hit its peak in the 1990s thanks to the talents of comedians like Adam Sandler, Norm MacDonald, and Chris Farley. It’s responsible for launching the Hollywood careers of countless comedy personalities from Eddie Murphy, to Chevy Chase.

11 One Life To Live – 45 Years (No Longer In Production)

With more than 11.000 episodes in its 45-year runtime, this was one of the most compact daytime shows in TV history. It was also one of the first soap operas to feature some degree of diversity, breaking the mold of the sole focus on WASP wealthy families.

One Life To Live takes place in the imaginary city of Llanview, a district of Philadelphia. The series frequently centered on the wealthy Lord family, along with the blue-collar Polish American Woleks, the middle-class Irish Catholic Rileys, and the African-American Grays. It came to a conclusion in 2013.

10 The Young And The Restless – 47 Years (Still In Production)

After practically five decades and almost 12.000 episodes, this show is still going strong. The sister show of The Bold And The Beautiful (which did not make the cut, having premiered in 1987) initially centered on two principal families: the rich Brooks family and the working-class Fosters.

Subsequently to a succession of changes and departures in the early ‘80s, all the initial characters, excluding Jill Foster, were written off and substituted with original main families, the Abbotts and the Williamses. Notwithstanding these alterations, one narrative that has lasted through nearly the series’ full run is the vendetta between Jill Abbott and Katherine Chancellor, the most extensive enmity in American soap operas.

9 Emmerdale – 48 Years (Still In Production)

One of two British shows to make the list, this soap opera dates back to 1972 and still goes on (having reached nearly 9.000 episodes), considering that it is one of the most beloved daytime dramas in the UK, as well as one of the most popular shows on ITV.

Upon its conception, the show was called Emmerdale Farm (until ’89) and it focused on the Sugden family of farmers who lived in the imaginary village of Emmerdale, Yorkshire. As the years went by, some main characters were killed off and new ones were introduced with more dramatic storylines.

8 Sesame Street – 51 Years (Still In Production)

After more than 4.500 episodes, this is easily one of the -if not the- most beloved children’s show of all time. The show is famous for its descriptions communicated via the routines of Jim Henson’s Muppets, and contains brief films, with comedy, and cultural contextualization.

The show’s purpose is to educate children about the world and relevant social issues in a way that is accessible and holds their attention, but is not demeaning or infantilizing. Some popular segments include “Bert & Ernie”, as well as “Elmo’s World”. Many famous guests have appeared on the show, like Michelle Obama and Lupita Nyong’o.

7 Sazae-San / サザエさん – 51 Years (Still In Production)

After more than five decades and 7.500 episodes, this Japanese anime for children holds the Guinness World Record for longest-running animated show ever. It is based on the manga series of the same name that was written and illustrated by Machiko Hasegawa, one of the first female manga creators.

The show focuses on Sazae Fuguta who lives with her husband Masuo and her family, as they navigate life in post-WWI Japan with humor and love. Sazae was quite a liberated woman who did not care about what society thought, because Machiko wanted her to reflect the then contemporary Japanese young woman.

6 As The World Turns – 54 Years (No Longer In Production)

Following nearly 14.000 episodes, this show was taken off the air in 2010 due to the ratings going down. Irna Phillips came up with As the World Turns as a spin-off show to her previous soap opera Guiding Light. The initial core family was the Hugheses, all medical and legal professionals or clergy (this became quite typical in soap operas later on).

The show moved on a very slow pace and was reluctant to introduce many new characters, as well as dabble with sensitive issues, something which earned it the reputation of being considerably conservative.

5 Days Of Our Lives – 55 Years (Still In Production)

The popularity of this show was not only the result of good old-fashioned soap opera recipes that attract audiences, but also of the hilarious -but still positive in outcome- marketing that it received from the most celebrated sitcom ever, Friends.

In its 14.000 episode run, many different cast members and characters have come and gone, but in the beginning the series focused on the misfortunes and victories of the affluent Horton family. Initially led by paterfamilias Dr. Tom Horton and his wife, housewife Alice, the Hortons persist as a major feature in the current narrative.

4 General Hospital – 57 Years (Still In Production)

With an overwhelming number of almost 15.000 episodes, this is the second-longest ever TV drama still in production (after Coronation Street) and ongoing since 1963. It has the record for highest number of Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Drama Series, with a total of thirteen wins.

While for the first few seasons (and when we say few, here we mean like 15) the show focused on the dealings of the doctors, nurses, and patients at the 7th floor of the General Hospital in an unnamed city (later called Port Charles), in following seasons it expanded its scope (although one could be sure that in one way or another a character would end up in the hospital).

3 Coronation Street – 60 Years (Still In Production)

With 60 years of runtime so far and a little more than 10.000 episodes, this is the longest TV drama still in production and the longest-running scripted British TV series. The successful and popular soap opera follows the lives of residents of Coronation Street in a working-class neighborhood in Weatherfield, an imaginary town somewhere in Greater Manchester.

It employs light-hearted humor mixed with social commentary and has dealt with issues like poverty and domestic abuse. The show is broadcasted -apart from the UK- in multiple countries, like the USA, Canada, and Australia.

2 The Tonight Show – 66 Years (Still In Production)

It’s hard to imagine, but this late-night talk show touched down way back in 1954, with original host Steve Allen taking up lead duties. Throughout the years, the show has been hosted by Jack Parr, Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien, and most recently, Jimmy Fallon.

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With an eye-watering 12,000 episodes under its belt, The Tonight Show has kept going, despite a drop in ratings during Fallon’s tenure. All evidence points towards it reaching its 70th anniversary, which is a monumental feat for a television show.

1 Guiding Light – 72 Years (No Longer In Production)

With a total run of 72 years (15 on the Radio and 57 on TV) and a staggering 18.262 episodes, this is the longest running drama series of all time (the creators even received a Guinness World Record for that). It was cancelled by CBS in 2009.

As one can imagine, many different cast members and writers passed through the show, making the storyline not strictly continuous; however, the show did eventually focus on four core families (Bauer, Spaulding, Lewis, and Cooper) and their schemes and plots in the town of Springfield (no relation to the Simpsons’ town).

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/longest-running-tv-shows-ever/

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