30 Of The Longest-Running TV Shows
It’s no surprise that some TV shows have been on-air for an incredible amout of time. Some shows have been running so long that they’re enjoyed by multiple generations of the same family.
From soap operas and talk shows to children’s programs and animated series, here are 30 of the longest-running TV shows, ranked by duration.
30. Hee Haw
Hee Haw was one of the longest-running variety shows in television history, airing from 1969 through 1993 for a total of 26 seasons.
The series was a comedy variety show based around country music. The cast starred country music superstars Roy Clark and Buck Owens as the main musical hosts.
29. The Edge Of Night
Soap opera The Edge Of Night aired for 28 years and even survived a cancelation by one network. The show went on to play for nine more years on a rival network.
Rather than romance and love stories, the show focused on crime stories—more than any other soap of its time.
CBS, The Edge of Night (1956-1984)
28. Love Of Life
Love Of Life was another soap opera unlike most others. The series was a morality tale about two sisters, one good and the other bad, and their relationship. Eventually though, the soap phased out the bad sister and turned into more of a basic soap with love stories, tragic deaths, betrayals, and more.
The show ran for 29 years with 7,315 episodes.
27. The Phil Donahue Show
The Phil Donahue Show was a staple of daytime television, offering a serious look at issues people deal with every day—unlike today’s talk shows that focus more on controversial or celebrity discussions.
Donahue was actually a news reporter who wanted to do something bigger. His show ran for 29 years, from 1967 to 1996.
WDTN, The Phil Donahue Show (1967-1996)
26. Captain Kangaroo
Captain Kangaroo was a children's television show that aired for 29 years from 1955 to 1984. It featured a series of educational and entertaining segments, with regular appearances by puppets, guest stars, and friends.
At the time that it came to an end, it was the longest-running TV show aimed at children in the history of television.
CBS, Captain Kangaroo (1955-1984)
25. WWE Monday Night Raw
One of the longest-running prime time episodic television shows in television history is WWE Monday Night Raw. Before this, most wrestling shows were on Saturdays. Then, in 1993, Vince McMahon launched the prime-time show. The first episode featured names like Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker—making it an instant hit.
After 31 years , the show is still going strong. In 2025, it moves to Netflix, making it the first live weekly wrestling show from a major promotion to stream on a streaming service.
Netflix, WWE Monday Night Raw (1993-)
24. The Late Show
The Late Show was created as a rival late-night talk show after David Letterman was supposed to replace Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show, but NBC passed him up for Jay Leno instead.
Letterman left the network, signed with CBS, and they created The Late Show. It began in 1993 and is still running today, 31 years later.
23. The Simpsons
The animated series The Simpsons has been going strong for 34 years and counting. It started in 1989 and has become one of the longest-running animated TV shows in the world.
The writers are credited with being fairly on-point when depicting current events, and some people even believe they can predict future events.
22. Columbo
Columbo was a crime drama TV series about a shrewd detective, Columbo, in the LAPD. The series is noted for its unique format where the audience sees the crime unfold and watches Columbo piece together the clues to catch the culprit.
It successfully ran for 35 years from 1968 through 2003.
21. Search For Tomorrow
Search For Tomorrow was a long-running American daytime soap opera that aired for 35 years, from 1951 to 1986. The series followed the life of Joanne Gardner, who was portrayed by Mary Stuart throughout the entire 35 seasons and over 9,000 episodes.
NBC, Search for Tomorrow (1951-1986)
20. Another World
Another World was another classic American soap opera. It premiered in 1964 and aired for 35 years until 1999. The series revolves around the complex lives and relationships of the residents of Bay City—featuring love, betrayal, and family dynamics.
NBC, Another World (1964-1999)
19. The Bold And The Beautiful
The daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful, which centered around the glamorous lives of the Forrester family in Los Angeles, ran for a whopping 36 years and had over 8,000 episodes—making it one of the series with the highest episode counts as well as one of the longest-running TV shows.
CBS, The Bold and the Beautiful (1987-)
18. Casualty
Casualty is a long-running British medical drama series that premiered in 1986 and is still going strong today after 37 years. The series offers a glimpse into the fast-paced world of the emergency department at Holby City Hospital.
When it comes to primetime medical dramas, the longest-running TV show in the world is Casualty, with over 1,200 weekly episodes.
17. EastEnders
EastEnders is a British soap opera that has aired in the UK since 1985. It’s been airing for 37 years and continues today.
The show was an immediate hit, with over 30 million watching the 1986 Christmas Day episode, and was even responsible for electricity spikes when millions of people went to make a cup of tea after the closing credits.
16. Late Night
Late Night is another late-night talk show with David Letterman as the host. It began airing in 1982, offering comedic takes on major news stories, interviews with celebrities, and the occasional sketches and other segments.
Over its 40-year history, Late Night has been hosted by David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, and Seth Meyers.
As of today, it has been running for 41 years, and it’s still going.
15. All My Children
All My Children is another soap opera that ran for a very long time—43 incredible years, to be exact. The show focused on the lives, loves, and challenges of residents in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania.
It debuted in 1970 and ended in 2013 after switching networks. It was the first daytime soap to attract a large percentage of male viewers, at 30%.
ABC, All My Children (1970-2013)
14. One Life To Live
One Life to Live was a daytime drama that explored the lives, relationships, and societal issues of the residents of the fictional town of Llanview. It was one of the first soap operas to feature such a heavy degree of diversity, breaking the mold of the sole focus on wealthy upper-middle class families.
As one of the most prolific daytime shows in TV history, it ran for a whopping 44 years between 1968 and 2012.
ABC, One Life to Live (1968-2013)
13. Doctor Who
Doctor Who has been a staple in British culture since the show began back in 1963. It’s widely known for its clever storylines, bombastic tech-babble, and a Time Lord who can regenerate his dying body. Actually, 13 different men and women have played the Doctor over the years.
The show circled the globe as the longest-running sci-fi TV show. It ran from 1963-1989, 1996, and then 2005-present.
12. Top Gear
Top Gear was an automotive TV series that started in 1977. It’s a talk show with a variety of hosts—the most famous included Noel Edmonds and Jeremy Clarkson.
Most Americans are more familiar with the US version, which debuted in 2002, but the UK one has aired for 46 years and counting. Despite controversy, the series was one of BBC's highest-rated in the 1980s and early 90s.
11. Saturday Night Live
As many may already know, Saturday Night Live has been around since 1975—and it's still going strong an incredible 48 years later.
The late-night TV variety sketch show broke hilarious comedic ground while tackling societal issues including race, class, and politics. It is also responsible for launching countless Hollywood careers of comedy personalities, from Eddie Murphy to Chevy Chase.
It is still ongoing as one of the longest-running TV shows in the world of sketch comedy, and still regularly produces headlines for its take on the world.
NBC, Saturday Night Live (1975-)
10. The Young And The Restless
Another incredibly popular soap opera, The Young and the Restless has been going strong for 50 years now, making its debut back in 1973. The show centered on two principal families: the rich Brooks family and the working class Fosters.
It has been the highest-rated daytime drama for 34 years. Even the show's spinoff series, The Bold and the Beautiful, has run for over three decades.
CBS, The Young and the Restless (1973-)
9. Emmerdale
Emmerdale is a British soap opera set in the fictional village of Emmerdale, in the Yorkshire Dales. The series explores the lives and drama of its rural community.
The show dates back to 1972 and is still on-air today, having reached over 9,000 episodes in 51 years.
Believe it or not, it was only intended to run for a mere three months.
8. Sesame Street
Sesame Street is easily one of the most beloved children’s shows of all time—in addition to being one of the longest-running TV shows.
The purpose of the show is to educate children about relevant world issues in ways that hold their attention, but its not demeaning or infantilizing.
It’s been on-air since 1969, and is still going today after 54 incredible years.
Sesame Workshop, Sesame Street (1969-)
7. Sazae-San / サザエさん
Sazae-San is a long-running animated Japanese children’s series that follows the everyday life of Sazae Isono, a cheerful housewife, and her extended family. After more than five decades (54 years), the show has over 7,500 episodes.
This Japanese anime holds the Guinness World Record for the longest-running anime TV show in the world.
6. As The World Turns
Another daytime opera dominating the TV screen is As the World Turns, which aired for 54 years. The series focused on the lives, loves, and trials of local families from the fictional town of Oakdale.
It ran from 1956 to 2010 and aired nearly 14,000 episodes. Sadly, it was taken off the air due to an ongoing drop in ratings.
The series has the longest total running time of any narrative TV show, running 13,736 hours.
CBS, As the World Turns (1956-2010)
5. Days Of Our Lives
American soap opera Days of Our Lives first premiered back in 1965, and is still going 58 incredible years later. The show is set in the fictional town of Salem and follows the interesting lives of local families.
While many cast members have come and gone, Susan Seaforth Hayes has the feat of appearing on the show in all seven decades Days of Our Lives has aired.
The series is set to continue on into 2025, continuing its reign as one of the longest-running TV series ever.
Peacock, Days of Our Lives (1965-)
4. General Hospital
At this point, you may think there couldn’t possibly be any shows that have run longer, but there is.
General Hospital has been on the air for a whopping 60 years, making its debut back in 1963. The show centers around the personal and professional lives of medical professions in the fictional town of Port Charles, New York.
It has over 15,000 episodes, and is considered one of the best modern soap operas and the second-longest-running TV show drama still in production
3. Coronation Street
Diehard fans have been waiting for this one to appear in the list. Coronation Street is a long-running fan favorite. This British soap opera first aired back in 1960 and is still going strong 64 years later.
The series delves into the lives of working class residents living in the fictional town of Weatherfield. It was recognized by Guinness World Records as the longest-running TV soap opera and one of the longest-running TV series of any genre.
ITV, Coronation Street (1960-)
2. The Tonight Show
Soap operas and talk shows seem to dominate this list. And coming in second is the ever-popular The Tonight Show.
The famous talk show premiered in 1954 and is still airing 69 remarkable years later. It’s known for its influential interviews, comedy sketches, and musical performances.
Throughout the years, the show has been hosted by some of the best talk show hosts of all time, including Jack Parr, Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, and most recently, Jimmy Fallon.
1. Guiding Light
With an incredible run of 72 years and a staggering 18, 262 episodes, the longest-running TV show in the world was Guiding Light—which also earned a Guinness World Record. The show centered on Reverend John Ruthledge and people whose lives revolved around him.
This American soap opera is actually the longest-running soap opera, and the fifth-longest-running program in all of broadcast history.
