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List of longest-running American primetime television series

(Redirected from List of longest running U.S. 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

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Series shaded in light blue are in production.

50 seasons or more

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Number of
seasons		 Series Genre/subject Network First broadcast Last broadcast Number of
episodes
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
56 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 975 (May 22, 2024)
50 Austin City Limits Music PBS January 3, 1976 present (over) 1,000

30–49 seasons

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Number of
seasons		 Series Genre/subject Network First broadcast Last broadcast Number of
episodes
50 Saturday Night Live Variety show NBC October 11, 1975 present 973
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 682
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
42 Frontline Public affairs PBS January 17, 1983 present 813
42 Nature Documentary PBS October 10, 1982 present 615
40 The Challenge Reality game show MTV June 1, 1998 present 545
39 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 1,175
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 378
36 The Simpsons[12] Animated sitcom Fox January 14, 1990[13] present 773
35 America's Funniest Home Videos Reality, comedy ABC November 26, 1989 present 790
34 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
33 The Real World[15] Reality MTV May 21, 1992 January 4, 2017 614
Facebook Watch June 13, 2019 August 29, 2019
32 Dateline NBC[16] News magazine NBC March 31, 1992 present
33 Dancing with the Stars Reality competition ABC June 1, 2005 November 22, 2021 499
Disney+ September 19, 2022 present
ABC September 26, 2023 present
32 WWE Monday Night Raw Professional wrestling USA January 11, 1993 September 18, 2000 1641
TNN / Spike September 25, 2000 September 26, 2005
USA October 3, 2005 present

20–29 seasons

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Number of
seasons		 Series Genre/subject Network First broadcast Last broadcast Number of
episodes
29 Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel Monthly sports new 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
28 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 935
25 Camera Three Anthology CBS January 22, 1956 1979
PBS 1979 July 1, 1980
25 What's My Line?[20]
(network version) 		Panel game show CBS February 16, 1950 September 3, 1967 CBS: 876
Syndication: 1,320
Total: 2,196
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 557
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)
975 (1973–1978)
1,020 (1987–1991)
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 507
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] 425
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 471
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 368
TBS October 24, 2014 present
21 Grey's Anatomy[34] Drama ABC March 27, 2005 present 436

15–19 seasons

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Number of
seasons		 Series Network First broadcast Last broadcast Number of
episodes
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
Syndication (1972–1973): 39
CBS (1976): 4
Oxygen (2000–2001): 120[41]
GSN (2006): 40
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

12–14 seasons

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Number of
seasons		 Series Network First broadcast Last broadcast Number of
episodes
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 281
13 Private Screenings TCM 1995 2010 27
13 King of the Hill Fox January 12, 1997 September 13, 2009 259
13 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)

10–11 seasons

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Number of
seasons		 Series Network First broadcast Last broadcast Number of
episodes
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

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Notes

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  1. ^ Originally Hallmark Playhouse radio series, was Hallmark Television Playhouse (1951–1954)
  2. ^ 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
  3. ^ Continuation of series that aired 1962–1985 on Chile's Canal 13
  4. ^ Originally Masterpiece Theatre
  5. ^ a b Not currently on a regular schedule
  6. ^ Host: Tom Chapin (1985–1988), Robert Urich (1988–1995), Bob Ballard (1988–1995), Boyd Matson (1995–2003), Michael Fay (2001), Lisa Ling (2003–)
  7. ^ Show renamed National Geographic Ultimate Explorer, 2003–2005
  8. ^ Also called "48 Hours Investigates"
  9. ^ "48 Hours on CBS". TV Guide. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
  10. ^ ‘Cops Beyond The Bust’: Spike Sets Special To Mark 1,000th Episode Of ‘Cops’ Deadline Hollywood, July 26, 2017.
  11. ^ Became Wall Street Week with Fortune after original host was fired in 2002
  12. ^ Longest-running primetime animated program in the United States
  13. ^ Sneak peek airing December 17, 1989
  14. ^ Pilot taped April 4, 1966
  15. ^ According to MTV, 18th season begins November 22, 2006
  16. ^ Also known as Dateline (day of week it airs), Dateline With Stone Phillips
  17. ^ Also known as The Metropolitan Opera Presents
  18. ^ Oldest continuously running radio program, airing on WSM radio, Nashville, Tennessee
  19. ^ As Grand Ole Opry Live!
  20. ^ Longest-running game show in primetime network television; first-run syndication 1968–1975
  21. ^ Previously Nick News W/5 and Nick News with Linda Ellerbee
  22. ^ Roots, Kimberly (2018-05-10). "SVU Renewed for Season 20 at NBC". TVLine. Retrieved 2018-05-14.
  23. ^ Aired as Toast of the Town until 1955
  24. ^ 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.
  25. ^ Previously E! News Daily and E! News Live
  26. ^ Sneak peek airing January 31, 1999
  27. ^ "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.
  28. ^ Originated on radio as Major Bowes' Original Amateur Hour, 1934–1946
  29. ^ Originated on CBS
  30. ^ Reran CBS originals, 1984–1987
  31. ^ Rebroadcast A&E originals, 1999–2006
  32. ^ 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.
  33. ^ Sneak peek airing February 6, 2005
  34. ^ 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.
  35. ^ Moved to NBC in 2006, at which time Monday Night Football moved from ABC to ESPN
  36. ^ Sunday Night Football shared with TNT, with TNT getting the first half of the season, ESPN the second half, 1990–1997
  37. ^ Includes Sunday Night Baseball, Wednesday Night Baseball, etc.
  38. ^ ESPN2 started broadcasting major league baseball games in 2002 in addition to those offered by ESPN
  39. ^ Includes series of specials, Jan. 1987 to May 1988
  40. ^ Originally The Dodge Dancing Party; first-run syndication 1971–1982; reruns have been airing since 1982 on various PBS stations
  41. ^ Ryon, Ruth - Hot Property Column, Los Angeles Times, March 9, 2003
  42. ^ Longest running live-action sitcom.
  43. ^ First US network series to film all its episodes in color
  44. ^ official end of series, although one "unofficial" episode (Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders) was shown on September 12, 1999
  45. ^ Pre-release date, March 4, 2022
  46. ^ Also known as Kraft Mystery Theatre (1958); another series of the same name ran concurrently on ABC, 1953–1955
  47. ^ Longest-running family drama on television, per Reuters article about 7th Heaven finale
  48. ^ On CBS radio 1946–1956
  49. ^ Originated on CBS Radio, 1947
  50. ^ The first series to be shown on four US broadcasting networks
  51. ^ Longest-running science fiction series in the United States.
  52. ^ Cancellation announced by Sci Fi Channel, August 21, 2006
  53. ^ The Alfred Hitchcock Hour 1962–1965
  54. ^ One episode wasn't aired on network TV, but was included in later syndication packages
  55. ^ 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.
  56. ^ Originally aired locally in Los Angeles, 1947–1950
  57. ^ 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.
  58. ^ 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.
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