List of longest-running American primetime television series
This is a list of the longest running U.S. primetime television series , ordered by the number of broadcast seasons offered by a U.S. broadcast network or cable network in prime time on the show's original run. Broadcast syndication that could have been scheduled by local stations in prime time have been omitted.
Longest-lasting series
Series shaded in light blue are in production.
50 seasons or more
Number of
Series
Genre/subject
Network
First broadcast
Last broadcast
Number of
69
Hallmark Hall of Fame [ 1] Anthology
NBC
December 24, 1951
December 17, 1978
260
CBS
November 14, 1979
April 30, 1981
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 24, 2011
ABC
November 27, 2011
April 20, 2014
Hallmark Channel
November 30, 2014
present
58
The Wonderful World of Disney [ 2] Anthology
ABC
October 27, 1954
June 11, 1961
2,207
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 25, 1990
CBS
September 23, 1990
December 1, 1996
ABC
September 28, 1997
December 24, 2008
December 12, 2015
present
Disney+
May 20, 2020
present
57
60 Minutes News magazine
CBS
September 24, 1968
present
2500+
55 (NFL seasons)
Monday Night Football Sports, football
ABC
September 21, 1970
December 26, 2005
718 (games)
ESPN
August 14, 2006
present
53
Sábado Gigante [ 3] Spanish programming
Univisión
August 5, 1962 (Chile)
May 20, 1986 (United States)
September 19, 2015
51
Nova Science
PBS
February 24, 1974
present
988 (December 18, 2024)
50
Austin City Limits Music
PBS
January 3, 1976
present
900
Number of
Series
Genre/subject
Network
First broadcast
Last broadcast
Number of
50
Saturday Night Live Variety show
NBC
October 11, 1975
present
978
48
Masterpiece [ 4] Anthology
PBS
January 10, 1971
present
46
20/20 News magazine
ABC
June 6, 1978
present
500+
47
Survivor Reality competition
CBS
May 31, 2000
present
688
46
This Old House Home improvement
PBS
February 20, 1979
present
1,136
43
Live from Lincoln Center Music
PBS
January 30, 1976
present[ 5]
251
42
Inside the NFL Sports, football
HBO
September 22, 1977
February 6, 2008
Showtime
September 10, 2008
February 24, 2021
Paramount+
September 7, 2021
April 5, 2023
The CW
September 9, 2023
present
43
Frontline Public affairs
PBS
January 17, 1983
present
813
43
Nature Documentary
PBS
October 10, 1982
present
615
40
The Challenge Reality game show
MTV
June 1, 1998
present
558
National Geographic Explorer [ 6] Documentary
Nickelodeon
April 7, 1985
February 1986
233
WTBS/TBS
February 1986
September 1999
CNBC
September 1999
October 2001
MSNBC [ 7] October 2001
July 2004
National Geographic Channel
July 8, 2004
present
36
The Woodwright's Shop Woodworking
PBS
1979
2017
468
36
The Victory Garden Gardening
PBS
April 16, 1975
2010
36
48 Hours [ 8] Documentary/news magazine
CBS
January 2, 1988
present
991[ 9]
36
Cops [ 10] Reality
Fox
March 11, 1989
May 4, 2013
1,206
Spike / Paramount Network
September 14, 2013
May 11, 2020
Fox Nation
October 1, 2021
present
36
The Amazing Race Reality competition
CBS
September 5, 2001
present
418
35
Wall Street Week [ 11] News, economics
PBS
November 20, 1970
June 24, 2005
36
American Experience Documentary
PBS
October 1, 1988
present
380
36
The Simpsons [ 12] Animated sitcom
Fox
January 14, 1990[ 13]
present
781
35
America's Funniest Home Videos Reality, comedy
ABC
November 26, 1989
present
790
37
POV Documentary
PBS
July 5, 1988
present
400+
34
Firing Line Public affairs
Syndication
1966[ 14]
1971
1,504
PBS
1971
December 26, 1999
June 22, 2018
present
The Real World [ 15] Reality
MTV
May 21, 1992
January 4, 2017
Facebook Watch
June 13, 2019
August 29, 2019
33
Dateline NBC [ 16] News magazine
NBC
March 31, 1992
present
33
Dancing with the Stars Reality competition
ABC
June 1, 2005
November 22, 2021
503
Disney+
September 19, 2022
present
ABC
September 26, 2023
present
32
WWE Monday Night Raw Professional wrestling
USA
January 11, 1993
September 18, 2000
1651
TNN / Spike
September 25, 2000
September 26, 2005
USA
October 3, 2005
present
Number of
Series
Genre/subject
Network
First broadcast
Last broadcast
Number of
29
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel Monthly sports news magazine
HBO
April 2, 1995
December 19, 2023
320
28
The Bachelor Romance, reality
ABC
March 25, 2002
present
297
28
America's Most Wanted Reality
Fox
February 7, 1988
June 18, 2011
1,101
Lifetime
December 2, 2011
October 12, 2012
Fox
March 15, 2021
present
29
Antiques Roadshow Bargain hunt
PBS
January 1, 1997
present
27
Live from the Met [ 17] Music
PBS
1977
present[ 5]
95
26
South Park Animated sitcom
Comedy Central
August 13, 1997
present
328
26
Mystery! Anthology
PBS
1980
2006
26
Grand Ole Opry [ 18] Music
TNN
April 20, 1985
August 2001
CMT
August 2001
2003
GAC [ 19] 2003
2011
26
Big Brother Reality competition
CBS
July 5, 2000
present
936
25
Camera Three Anthology
CBS
January 22, 1956
1979
PBS
1979
July 1, 1980
25
What's My Line? [ 20] Panel game show
CBS
February 16, 1950
September 3, 1967
CBS : 876
Syndication
September 1968
September 3, 1975
25
Nick News [ 21] Children's news program
Nickelodeon
April 18, 1992
December 15, 2015
June 29, 2020
present
26
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit [ 22] Crime drama
NBC
September 20, 1999
present
560
24
The Ed Sullivan Show [ 23] Variety show
CBS
June 20, 1948
June 6, 1971
1,068
24
Concentration Game show
NBC
August 25, 1958
March 20, 1973
3,770 (1958–1973)
Syndication
September 10, 1973
September 8, 1978
NBC
May 4, 1987
August 30, 1991
23
Crossfire Talk/news program
CNN
1982
June 3, 2005
September 9, 2013
August 6, 2014
24
Law & Order [ 24] Crime drama
NBC
September 13, 1990
May 24, 2010
510
February 24, 2022
present
22
E! News [ 25] Entertainment newscast
E!
September 1, 1991
present
7,500+
22
Investigative Reports Reality
A&E
September 27, 1991
2004
23
Family Guy Animated sitcom
Fox
April 11, 1999[ 26]
February 14, 2002[ 27]
426
May 1, 2005
present
22
Ted Mack and The Original Amateur Hour [ 28] Reality
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
American Idol Reality
Fox
June 11, 2002
April 7, 2016
699
ABC
March 11, 2018
present
21
The New Yankee Workshop Western woodworking
PBS
January 1988
June 27, 2009
284
22
NCIS Military police procedural
CBS
September 23, 2003
present
476
20
NFL Primetime Sports, football
ESPN
1987
present
20
Biography [ 29] Documentary
A&E
April 6, 1987[ 30]
August 2006
Biography Channel
August 2006
present[ 31]
20
The Red Skelton Show Variety show
NBC
September 30, 1951
June 21, 1953
672
CBS
September 22, 1953
June 23, 1970
NBC
September 14, 1970
August 29, 1971
20
Gunsmoke [ 32] Drama
CBS
September 10, 1955
March 31, 1975
635
20
Moneyline Editorial
CNN
June 1, 1980
November 11, 2000
21
American Dad! Animated sitcom
Fox
May 1, 2005[ 33]
September 21, 2014
378
TBS
October 24, 2014
present
21
Grey's Anatomy [ 34] Drama
ABC
March 27, 2005
present
438
Number of
Series
Network
First broadcast
Last broadcast
Number of
19
ESPN Sunday Night Football [ 35] ESPN
November 8, 1987[ 36]
January 1, 2006
19
Lassie CBS
September 12, 1954
March 21, 1971
591
Syndication
October 7, 1971
March 24, 1973
19
America's Got Talent NBC
June 21, 2006
present
461
18
ESPN Major League Baseball [ 37] ESPN / ESPN2 [ 38]
April 15, 1990
present
17
Outside the Lines ESPN
1990
present
17
Showbiz Today CNN
October 29, 1984
2001
17
USA Tuesday Night Fights USA
March 30, 1982
1998
17
Capital Gang CNN
September 7, 1988
2005
17
Criminal Minds CBS
September 22, 2005
February 19, 2020
344
Paramount+
November 24, 2022
present
17
Unsolved Mysteries NBC
January 20, 1987[ 39]
September 5, 1997
611
CBS
November 13, 1997
June 11, 1999
Lifetime
July 2, 2001
September 20, 2002
Spike
October 13, 2008
April 27, 2010
16
Bleach Cartoon Network (Toonami)
October 5, 2004
March 27, 2012
16
Ghost Hunters Sci Fi Channel / Syfy
October 6, 2004
October 26, 2016
251 (+ 12 specials not included)
A&E
August 21, 2019
May 27, 2020
Discovery+
December 31, 2021
March 19, 2022
Travel Channel
October 1, 2022
present
16
MTV Unplugged MTV
November 26, 1989
present
16
Booknotes C-SPAN
April 2, 1989
December 5, 2004
801
16
The Lawrence Welk Show [ 40] ABC
July 2, 1955
September 4, 1971
15
Supernatural The CW
September 13, 2005
November 19, 2020
327
15
ER NBC
September 19, 1994
April 2, 2009
331
15
I've Got a Secret CBS
June 19, 1952
April 3, 1967
CBS (1952–1967): 680[ 41]
15
The Jack Benny Program CBS
October 29, 1950
September 15, 1964
260
NBC
September 25, 1964
September 10, 1965
15
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation CBS
October 6, 2000
September 27, 2015
337
Number of
Series
Network
First broadcast
Last broadcast
Number of
14
World Poker Tour Fox Sports Networks
March 30, 2003
present
420
14
Armstrong Circle Theatre NBC
June 6, 1950
June 1957
370
CBS
October 1957
August 28, 1963
14
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet [ 42] ABC
October 10, 1952
September 3, 1966
435
14
Bonanza [ 43] NBC
September 12, 1959
January 16, 1973
432
14
Dallas CBS
April 2, 1978
May 3, 1991
357
14
Knots Landing CBS
December 27, 1979
May 13, 1993
344
14
An Evening at the Improv A&E
February 3, 1982
January 1, 1996
14
Video Soul BET
June 26, 1983
1997
14
NCIS: Los Angeles CBS
September 22, 2009
May 21, 2023
323
15
Bob's Burgers Fox
January 9, 2011
present
286
13
Private Screenings TCM
1995
2010
28
13
King of the Hill Fox
January 12, 1997
September 13, 2009
259
14
Mystery Science Theater 3000 KTMA
November 24, 1988
May 28, 1989
230
The Comedy Channel
November 18, 1989
February 2, 1991
Comedy Central
June 1, 1991
May 18, 1996
Sci Fi Channel
February 1, 1997
August 8, 1999[ 44]
Netflix
April 14, 2017
November 22, 2018
Gizmoplex
May 6, 2022[ 45]
present
13
Tim Russert CNBC
1994
2008
12
American Horror Story FX
October 5, 2011
present
132
12
The Big Bang Theory
CBS
September 24, 2007
May 16, 2019
279
12
To Tell the Truth CBS
December 18, 1956
September 6, 1968
12
CBS Reports CBS
October 27, 1959
September 7, 1971
12
My Three Sons ABC
September 29, 1960
September 2, 1965
380 (184 in black-and-white, 196 in color)
CBS
September 16, 1965
August 24, 1972
12
NYPD Blue ABC
September 21, 1993
March 1, 2005
261
12
Wild America PBS
1982
1996
120
12
Murder, She Wrote CBS
September 1, 1984
May 19, 1996
264 (+ 4 TV movies)
12
Hawaii Five-O CBS
September 26, 1968
April 26, 1980
281
12
Don Francisco Presenta Univision
October 10, 2001
January 30, 2012
12
Two and a Half Men CBS
September 22, 2003
February 19, 2015
262
12
Bones Fox
September 13, 2005
March 28, 2017
246
12
Curb Your Enthusiasm HBO
October 15, 2000
April 7, 2024
120 (plus 1 special)
Number of
Series
Network
First broadcast
Last broadcast
Number of
11
Murphy Brown
CBS
November 14, 1988
May 18, 1998
260
September 27, 2018
December 20, 2018
11
Kraft Television Theatre [ 46] NBC
May 7, 1947
October 1, 1958
650
11
The Voice of Firestone NBC
September 5, 1949
June 1954
ABC
June 1954
June 1959
ABC
September 1962
June 16, 1963
11
You Bet Your Life NBC
October 5, 1950
June 29, 1961
529 + 1 unaired
11
The Andy Williams Show CBS
1957
1959
NBC
1962
1971
11
The Carol Burnett Show CBS
September 11, 1967
March 29, 1978
279
11
M*A*S*H CBS
September 17, 1972
February 28, 1983
256
11
Happy Days ABC
January 15, 1974
May 8, 1984
255
11
Cheers NBC
September 30, 1982
May 20, 1993
275 (including three double-length episodes and a triple-length finale)
11 (all episodes filmed in black-and-white)
The Danny Thomas Show ABC
September 20, 1953
1957
90 (MRFD )
253 (TDTS )
343 (total)
24 (MRFG )
CBS
1957
September 14, 1964
11
Frasier NBC
September 16, 1993
May 13, 2004
264
11
Married... with Children Fox
April 5, 1987
June 9, 1997
259
11
The Jeffersons CBS
January 18, 1975
July 23, 1985
253
11
7th Heaven [ 47] The WB
August 26, 1996
May 8, 2006
243
The CW
September 25, 2006
May 13, 2007
11
Modern Family ABC
September 23, 2009
April 8, 2020
250
11
Will & Grace NBC
September 21, 1998
April 23, 2020
246
10
The Goldbergs ABC
September 24, 2013
May 3, 2023
229
10
Arthur Godfrey and His Friends CBS
January 12, 1949
April 28, 1959
10
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts [ 48] CBS
December 6, 1948
July 21, 1958
10
Studio One [ 49] CBS
November 7, 1948
September 29, 1958
10
The Arthur Murray Party [ 50] ABC
July 20, 1950
September 1950
DuMont
October 1950
March 1951
ABC
April 1951
May 1952
CBS
July 1952
August 1952
NBC
October 1953
September 1955
CBS
April 1956
September 1956
NBC
July 1957
September 6, 1960
10
General Electric Theater CBS
February 1, 1953
September 16, 1962
302
10
Stargate SG-1 [ 51] Showtime
July 27, 1997
May 17, 2002
214 + 2 DVD films
Sci Fi
June 7, 2002
2007[ 52]
10
Alfred Hitchcock Presents [ 53] NBC
October 2, 1955
June 26, 1960
268 (Alfred Hitchcock Presents )
93 (The Alfred Hitchcock Hour )
361 (total)
CBS
September 25, 1960
June 26, 1962[ 54]
NBC
September 20, 1962
July 3, 1964
CBS
October 5, 1964
May 10, 1965
10
Nashville Now TNN
March 1, 1983
January 1, 1993
Unknown
10
Friends NBC
September 22, 1994
May 6, 2004
236 (+ 1 special)
10
JAG NBC
September 1, 1995
May 22, 1996[ 55]
227
CBS
January 3, 1997
April 29, 2005
10
Beverly Hills, 90210 Fox
October 4, 1990
May 17, 2000
293
10
Pantomime Quiz [ 56] CBS
July 1, 1950
August 1951
NBC
January 1952
March 1952
CBS
July 1952
May 1952
CBS
July 1952
August 1953
DuMont
October 1953
April 1954
CBS
June 1954
August 1954
ABC
January 1955
March 1955
CBS
July 1955
July 1957
ABC
April 1958
September 1959
10
The United States Steel Hour ABC
October 27, 1953
June 21, 1955
315
CBS
July 6, 1955
August 13, 1963
10
Smallville [ 57] The WB
October 16, 2001
May 11, 2006
217[ 58]
The CW
September 28, 2006
May 13, 2011
10
Law & Order: Criminal Intent NBC
September 30, 2001
May 21, 2007
195
USA
October 4, 2007
June 26, 2011
10
CSI: Miami CBS
September 23, 2002
April 8, 2012
232
See also
Lists of longest running American shows by broadcast type:
Lists of longest running shows internationally:
List of shortest running shows:
Notes
^ Originally Hallmark Playhouse radio series, was Hallmark Television Playhouse (1951–1954)
^ 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^ Continuation of series that aired 1962–1985 on Chile 's Canal 13
^ Originally Masterpiece Theatre
^ a b Not currently on a regular schedule
^ Host: Tom Chapin (1985–1988), Robert Urich (1988–1995), Bob Ballard (1988–1995), Boyd Matson (1995–2003), Michael Fay (2001), Lisa Ling (2003–)
^ Show renamed National Geographic Ultimate Explorer , 2003–2005
^ Also called "48 Hours Investigates"
^ "48 Hours on CBS" . TV Guide . Retrieved February 1, 2014 .^ ‘Cops Beyond The Bust’: Spike Sets Special To Mark 1,000th Episode Of ‘Cops’ Deadline Hollywood , July 26, 2017.^ Became Wall Street Week with Fortune after original host was fired in 2002
^ Longest-running primetime animated program in the United States
^ Sneak peek airing December 17, 1989
^ Pilot taped April 4, 1966
^ According to MTV, 18th season begins November 22, 2006
^ Also known as Dateline (day of week it airs) , Dateline With Stone Phillips
^ Also known as The Metropolitan Opera Presents
^ Oldest continuously running radio program, airing on WSM radio, Nashville, Tennessee
^ As Grand Ole Opry Live!
^ Longest-running game show in primetime network television; first-run syndication 1968–1975
^ Previously Nick News W/5 and Nick News with Linda Ellerbee
^ Roots, Kimberly (2018-05-10). "SVU Renewed for Season 20 at NBC" . TVLine . Retrieved 2018-05-14 . ^ Aired as Toast of the Town until 1955
^ Longest-running live-action hour-long prime time entertainment program in the United States. While Gunsmoke has accumulated more episodes (635), 233 of its episodes were half-hour dramas. All of Law & Order's episodes have been one hour long.
^ Previously E! News Daily and E! News Live
^ Sneak peek airing January 31, 1999
^ "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein " originally aired on Adult Swim on November 9, 2003. It would later air on Fox on December 10, 2004.
^ Originated on radio as Major Bowes' Original Amateur Hour , 1934–1946
^ Originated on CBS
^ Reran CBS originals, 1984–1987
^ Rebroadcast A&E originals, 1999–2006
^ Longest-running live-action 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 February 6, 2005
^ Venable, Malcolm (2024-04-12). "How Shonda Rhimes Celebrated the 20th Season of 'Grey's Anatomy' — And Yet Another History-Making Moment for the Hit Show" . Shondaland . Retrieved 2024-04-17 . ^ Moved to NBC in 2006, at which time Monday Night Football ABC to ESPN
^ Sunday Night Football shared with TNT , with TNT getting the first half of the season, ESPN the second half, 1990–1997^ Includes Sunday Night Baseball , Wednesday Night Baseball , etc.
^ ESPN2 started broadcasting major league baseball games in 2002 in addition to those offered by ESPN
^ Includes series of specials, Jan. 1987 to May 1988
^ Originally The Dodge Dancing Party ; first-run syndication 1971–1982; reruns have been airing since 1982 on various PBS stations
^ Ryon, Ruth - Hot Property Column Los Angeles Times , March 9, 2003
^ Longest running live-action sitcom .
^ First US network series to film all its episodes in color
^ official end of series, although one "unofficial" episode (Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders
^ Pre-release date, March 4, 2022
^ Also known as Kraft Mystery Theatre (1958); another series of the same name ran concurrently on ABC, 1953–1955
^ Longest-running family drama on television, per Reuters article about 7th Heaven finale
^ On CBS radio 1946–1956
^ Originated on CBS Radio, 1947
^ The first series to be shown on four US broadcasting networks
^ Longest-running science fiction series in the United States.
^ Cancellation announced by Sci Fi Channel, August 21, 2006
^ The Alfred Hitchcock Hour ^ One episode wasn't aired on network TV, but was included in later syndication packages
^ One episode made its premiere on USA network as part of a JAG rerun package. The episode, planned to be the first of a two-part story, never aired on NBC before cancellation.
^ Originally aired locally in Los Angeles, 1947–1950
^ David Lambert (April 26, 2011). "The Complete Series on DVD: Timeframe, Packaging, New Extras and Answer to 'Why Not On Blu-ray?' . TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on April 29, 2011. Retrieved April 26, 2011 . ^ David Lambert (April 26, 2011). "The Complete Series on DVD: Timeframe, Packaging, New Extras and Answer to 'Why Not On Blu-ray?' . TVShowsOnDVD. Archived from the original on April 29, 2011. Retrieved April 26, 2011 .
