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.

This film, television or video-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it with reliably sourced additions.

Contents

30 seasons or more

Number of
seasons		 Series Network First broadcast Last broadcast Number of
episodes
60 Hallmark Hall of Fame[1] NBC December 24, 1951 December 17, 1978 353
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 present
52 The Wonderful World of Disney ABC October 27, 1954 June 11, 1961 1,224
NBC September 24, 1961 August 16, 1981
CBS September 26, 1981 May 3, 1983
ABC February 2, 1986 May 22, 1988
NBC October 9, 1988 August 26, 1990
Disney Channel September 23, 1990 August 25, 1996
ABC September 28, 1997 December 24, 2008
44 Washington Week[2] NET, PBS February 23, 1967 present 2,000
42 60 Minutes CBS September 24, 1968 present
37 Monday Night Football ABC September 21, 1970 December 26, 2005 550+
ESPN August 14, 2006 present
37 Masterpiece Theatre PBS January 10, 1971 present
36 Saturday Night Live NBC October 11, 1975 present 702 (as of September 22,2011)
35 Wall $treet Week with Louis Rukeyser[3] PBS November 20, 1970 June 24, 2005
34 NOVA PBS March 3, 1974 present 620
33 Firing Line Syndicated 1966[4] 1971 240
PBS 1971 December 26, 1999
33 The Victory Garden PBS April 16, 1975 present
32 Inside the NFL HBO September 1977 February 6, 2008
Showtime September 10, 2008 present
31 Austin City Limits PBS 1976 present
31 Live from Lincoln Center PBS January 30, 1976 present[5]
30 Live from the Met[6] PBS 1977 present[5]

20-29 seasons

Number of
seasons		 Series Network First broadcast Last broadcast Number of
episodes
29 20/20 ABC June 6, 1978 present
28 This Old House PBS 1979 present 690+
28 Mystery! PBS February 5, 1980 present
25 Camera Three CBS January 22, 1956 1979
PBS 1979 July 1, 1980
25 Nature PBS October 10, 1982 present
25 Frontline PBS January 17, 1983 present 490+
24 The Real World[7] MTV May 21, 1992 present 436
23 COPS FOX March 11, 1989 present 970+
23 The Ed Sullivan Show[8] CBS June 20, 1948 June 6, 1971
23 The Simpsons[9] Fox December 17, 1989 present 495
23 Crossfire CNN 1982 June 3, 2005
22 National Geographic Explorer[10] Nickelodeon 1985 1986
WTBS/TBS 1986 1999
CNBC 1999 2001
MSNBC[11] 2001 2005
National Geographic 2005 present
22 Larry King Live CNN June 3, 1985 2010
22 Grand Ole Opry Live[12] TNN April 20, 1985 August 2001
CMT August 2001 2003
GAC[13] 2003 present
22 Ted Mack and the Original Amateur Hour[14] 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
21 Sneak Previews[15] PBS 1975 1996
21 Sábado Gigante[16] Univisión May 20, 1986 present
20 The Red Skelton Show NBC September 30, 1951 June 21, 1953
CBS September 22, 1953 June 23, 1970
NBC September 14, 1970 August 29, 1971
20 Gunsmoke[17] CBS September 10, 1955 September 1, 1975 635
20 Law & Order[18] NBC September 13, 1990 May 24, 2010 456
20 NFL Primetime ESPN 1987 present
20 New Yankee Workshop PBS January 1988 present
20 48 Hours[19] CBS January 2, 1988 present
20 America's Most Wanted Fox February 1, 1988 present
20 Biography[20] A&E April 6, 1987[21] August 2006
Biography Channel August 2006 present[22]
20 Evans and Novak[23] CNN September 1982 November 9, 2002
20 Moneyline CNN June 1, 1980 2000
20 America's Funniest Home Videos ABC November 26, 1989 present 400+

15-19 seasons

Number of
seasons		 Series Network First broadcast Last broadcast Number of
episodes
19 ESPN Sunday Night Football[24] ESPN November 8, 1987[25] January 1, 2006
19 P.O.V. PBS July 5, 1988 present
19 The American Experience PBS October 1, 1988 present 220+
18 Baseball Tonight ESPN March 19, 1990 present
18 ESPN Major League Baseball[26] ESPN, ESPN2[27] April 15, 1990 present
19 The Amazing Race[28] CBS September 5, 2001 present 190
17 What's My Line?[29] (network version) CBS February 16, 1950 September 3, 1967
17 Lassie[30] CBS September 12, 1954 March 21, 1971
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 The Capital Gang CNN September 7, 1988 2005
16 MTV Unplugged MTV November 26, 1989 November 10, 2005[31] 108
16 Booknotes C-SPAN April 2, 1989 December 5, 2004
16 The Lawrence Welk Show[32] ABC July 2, 1955 September 4, 1971
16 E! News[33] E! September 1, 1991 present
16 Investigative Reports A&E September 27, 1991 present
16 Dateline NBC[34] NBC March 31, 1992 present
15 ER NBC September 19, 1994 April 2, 2009 331
15 I've Got a Secret CBS June 19, 1952 April 3, 1967 350+
15 South Park Comedy Central August 13, 1997 present 214
15 Concentration NBC August 25, 1958 March 23, 1973 3,796
15 The Jack Benny Program CBS October 29, 1950 September 15, 1964 343
NBC September 25, 1964 September 10, 1965
15 WWE Monday Night Raw USA January 11, 1993 September 18, 2000 953
TNN/Spike TV September 25, 2000 July 30, 2005
USA August 6, 2005 present

10-14 seasons

Number of
seasons		 Series Network First broadcast Last broadcast Number of
episodes
14 The Adventures of
Ozzie and Harriet[35]		 ABC October 10, 1952 September 3, 1966 435
14 Bonanza[36] NBC September 12, 1959 January 16, 1973 430
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 Marty Stouffer's Wild America PBS 1982 1996 120
14 Video Soul BET June 26, 1983 1997
14 Nick News Nickelodeon 1983 1997
13 Big Brother CBS July 5, 2000 present 412
13 King of the Hill FOX January 12, 1997 September 13, 2009 255
13 Real World/Road Rules Challenge MTV September 28, 1997 present
13 Armstrong Circle Theatvre NBC June 32, 1950 June 1557
CBS October 1957 August 28, 1963
13 The 20th Century[37] CBS October 20, 1957 January 4, 1970
13 Dallas CBS April 2, 1978 May 3, 1991 357
13 Unsolved Mysteries NBC January 20, 1987[38] September 5, 1997 560+
CBS November 13, 1997 June 11, 1999
Lifetime July 2, 2001 September 20, 2002
Spike TV[1] October 13, 2008 present
13 Tim Russert CNBC 1994 present
12 To Tell the Truth CBS December 18, 1956 September 6, 1968
12 CBS Reports CBS October 27, 1959 September 7, 1971
12 The Lucy Show[39] CBS October 1, 1962 September 2, 1974
12 My Three Sons ABC September 29, 1960 September 2, 1965
CBS September 16, 1965 August 24, 1972
12 NYPD Blue ABC September 21, 1993 March 1, 2005 261
12 Murder, She Wrote CBS September 1, 1984 May 19, 1996 264
12 Hawaii Five-O CBS September 26, 1968 April 26, 1980 284
12 Private Screenings TCM January 1, 1996 present
12 Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel HBO 1995 present
12 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit NBC September 20, 1999 present 270+
11 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation CBS October 6, 2000 present 229+
11 Kraft Television Theatre[40] NBC May 7, 1947 October 1, 1958
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 429
11 The Andy Williams Show CBS 1957 1959
NBC 1962 1971
11 The Carol Burnett Show CBS September 11, 1967 March 29, 1978 278
11 M*A*S*H CBS September 17, 1972 February 28, 1983 251
11 Cheers NBC September 30, 1982 May 20, 1993 273
11 The Danny Thomas Show ABC September 20, 1953 1957 351
CBS 1957 September 14, 1964
11 Frasier NBC September 16, 1993 May 13, 2004 265
11 All That Nickelodeon September 6, 1994[41] October 22, 2005
11 Married... with Children Fox April 5, 1987 June 9, 1997 259
11 The Jeffersons CBS January 18, 1975 July 23, 1985 255
11 7th Heaven[42] WB/CW August 26, 1996 May 13, 2007
11 Antiques Roadshow PBS January 1, 1997 present
11 Arthur Godfrey and His Friends CBS January 12, 1949 April 28, 1959
10 Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts[43] CBS December 6, 1948 July 21, 1958
10 Studio One[44] CBS November 7, 1948 September 29, 1958
10 The Arthur Murray Party[45] 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
10 Stargate SG-1[46] Showtime July 27, 1997 May 17, 2002 215[47]
Sci Fi June 7, 2002 2007[48]
10 Alfred Hitchcock Presents[49] NBC October 2, 1955 June 26, 1960 366
CBS September 25, 1960 June 26, 1962[50]
NBC September 20, 1962 July 3, 1964
CBS October 5, 1964 May 10, 1965
10 Nashville Now TNN March 1, 1983 January 1, 1993
10 Murphy Brown CBS November 14, 1988 May 18, 1998 247
10 Friends NBC September 22, 1994 May 6, 2004 236
10 JAG NBC September 1, 1995 May 22, 1996[51] 227
CBS January 3, 1997 April 29, 2005
10 Beverly Hills, 90210 Fox October 4, 1990 May 17, 2000 296
10 Pantomime Quiz[52] 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 U.S. Steel Hour ABC October 27, 1953 June 21, 1955
CBS July 6, 1955 August 13, 1963
10 Smallville The WB October 16, 2001 May 11, 2006 218
The CW September 28, 2006 May 13, 2011
10 Law and Order: Criminal Intent NBC September 30, 2001 May 21, 2007 189+
USA October 4, 2007 present
10 Family Guy Fox January 31, 1999 (original)
May 1, 2005 (revival)		 February 14, 2002 (original)
present (revival		 170+

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Originally Hallmark Playhouse radio series, was Hallmark Television Playhouse (1951-1954)
  2. ^ Originally Washington Week in Review
  3. ^ Became Wall $treet Week with Fortune after original host was fired in 2002
  4. ^ Pilot taped April 4, 1966
  5. ^ a b Not currently on a regular schedule
  6. ^ Also known as The Metropolitan Opera Presents
  7. ^ According to MTV, 18th season begins November 22, 2006
  8. ^ Aired as Toast of the Town until 1955
  9. ^ Longest running prime time animated program in the United States.
  10. ^ Host: Tom Chapin (1985-1988), Robert Urich (1988-1995), Bob Ballard (1988-1995), Boyd Matson (1995-2003), Michael Fay (2001), Lisa Ling (2003-)
  11. ^ Show renamed National Geographic Ultimate Explorer 2003-2005
  12. ^ Oldest continuously running radio program, airing on WSM radio, Nashville, Tennessee
  13. ^ As Grand Ole Opry Live!
  14. ^ Originated on radio as Major Bowes' Original Amateur Hour, 1934-1946
  15. ^ Originally Opening Soon at a Theater Near You (1975-1977); named Sneak Previews Goes Video 1989-1991
  16. ^ Continuation of series that aired 1962-1985 on Chile's Canal 13
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ 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 were an hour long.
  19. ^ Also called 48 Hours Investigates
  20. ^ Originated on CBS
  21. ^ Reran CBS originals, 1984-1987
  22. ^ Rebroadcast A&E originals, 1999-2006
  23. ^ Other names: Evans, Novak, Hunt, and Shields (1998-2001), Novak, Hunt, and Shields (2001-2002)
  24. ^ Moved to NBC in 2006, at which time Monday Night Football moves from ABC to ESPN
  25. ^ Sunday Night Football shared with TNT, with TNT getting the first half of the season, ESPN the second half, 1990-1997
  26. ^ Includes Sunday Night Baseball, Wednesday Night Baseball, etc.
  27. ^ ESPN2 started broadcasting major league baseball games in 2002 in addition to those offered by ESPN
  28. ^ According to CBS.com, has two 13-week seasons per year, similar to Survivor
  29. ^ Longest-running game show in prime time network television; first-run syndication 1968-1975
  30. ^ First-run syndication (as Lassie and Timmy 1971-1974
  31. ^ New episodes sporadic after 2001
  32. ^ Originally The Dodge Dancing Party; first-run syndication 1971-1982; reruns have been airing since 1982 on various PBS stations
  33. ^ Previously E! News Daily and E! News Live
  34. ^ Also known as Dateline (day of week it airs), Dateline With Stone Phillips
  35. ^ Longest running live-action sitcom.
  36. ^ First US network series to film all its episodes in color
  37. ^ The 21st Century 1967-1970
  38. ^ Includes series of specials, Jan. 1987 to May 1988
  39. ^ Originally The Lucille Ball Show; was also Here's Lucy 1968-1974
  40. ^ Also known as Kraft Mystery Theatre (1958); another series of the same name ran concurrently on ABC, 1953-1955
  41. ^ "Special preview" airing, April 16, 1994
  42. ^ Longest-running family drama on television, per Reuters article about 7th Heaven finale
  43. ^ On CBS radio 1946-1956
  44. ^ Originated on CBS Radio, 1947
  45. ^ The first series to be shown on four US broadcasting networks
  46. ^ Longest-running science fiction series in the United States.
  47. ^ According to Sci Fi Wire
  48. ^ Cancellation announced by Sci Fi Channel, August 21, 2006
  49. ^ The Alfred Hitchcock Hour 1962-1965
  50. ^ One episode wasn't aired on network TV, but was included in later syndication packages
  51. ^ 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.
  52. ^ Originally aired locally in Los Angeles, 1947-1950