Long Runners

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"The world may end in 2012, but this show won't." —Bart Simpson (on blackboard), The Simpsons, "Once Upon a Time in Springfield"

Shows which have somehow passed the test of time. There is a clue in here for what people want to watch and listen to. Some of these shows began with bad ratings or went through creative slumps, but got here thanks to Network to the Rescue (and avoiding Screwed by the Network). Some of these shows are even Older Than Television. More than a few are plagued with Missing Episodes, huge archival gaps or archives of poor technical quality – especially in the early years.

See also Print Long Runners, Video Game Long Runners, Long Runner Tech Marches On, Long Runner Lineup, Show of Theseus, and Webcomics Long Runners. Contrast Short Runners.

Thanks to the power of the Wiki Magic, most of the ages given below for active shows and franchises are dynamic and update themselves automatically. If you spot a work that has aged out of the category it's in, please move it into the right one. If a work fits better in a subcategory's page (like print, music, games or web comics), move it there. Likewise if a work which was ongoing when it was added to this page has finally ended, please replace the markup which calculates its age with its end date and final age -- and move it into the right category if it needs it.

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Examples of Long Runners include:

Literally Older Than Television

This category is for works that predate the invention of television in 1928 -- 96 years ago.

• The Economist magazine – 180 years ago: It has been published continuously since it was founded in September 1843.
• The original Folies Bergère in Paris - 155 years ago. The cabaret/music hall opened in 1869 and has run shows continuously since.
• Ringling Bros, Barnum & Bailey Circus – 146 years: As a live show, it (or its predecessors) ran 1871-2017; there were also a pair of feature films (The Greatest Show on Earth in 1952 and The Greatest Showman in 2017) and a short-lived US TV series (30 episodes, ABC, 1963). The original shows pre-date the motorcar fad (which Karl Friedrich Benz started with the Benz Patent Motorcar in 1885), arriving in each community on their own special train.
• Felix the Cat – 105 years ago: The longest lasting cartoon character in history, making his début in 1919 (and if we count an even earlier prototype short, it may even be 1917) having appeared in over 150 theatrical cartoons, decades worth of comics, hundreds of TV cartoons, two movies (1998 and 2004), and the two TV revivals The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat and Baby Felix. He appeared in the funny pages with Betty Boop (another long runner) in 1984-88, he is still appearing in merchandise today. And he had a cartoon series planned for 2013. In fact, one of the very first TV broadcasts featured Felix way back in 1928. Meow!
• The Grand Ole Opry – 99 years ago: Airing weekly on Nashville radio station WSM (AM) since 1925, with an edited version of the program being carried on national radio and television outlets since the 1940s.
• Radioavisen – 97 years ago: Daily news broadcast on Danmarks Radio (DR) starting August 1, 1926. At first with two daily programs, gradually with more. Now there is a Radioavis every hour. Aired nationwide since 1927.

At least 90 years but not Older Than Television

• Music and the Spoken Word – 95 years ago: Weekly broadcast of music by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir (and a short sermon), which started in 1929.
• Hamburger Hafenkonzert (Hamburg harbour concert) – 94 years ago: Broadcast weekly on NDR in Germany since June 1929 — even through World War II.
• Pause Signal Danmarks Radio (DR) – 92 years ago: This little tune first aired on August 28, 1931 and has since been used to fill up short spaces between programs. The tune is a melody from the 1300s, the oldest known Danish folk melody. Irregular scheduling, yet frequently heard for decades. Nowadays used as regular broadcast only on one channel (P5), the tune has become waiting music on DR's telephone system, and since early 2009 the signal that calls the audience to the second half of concerts in the broadcaster's new concert hall.
• Hockey Night in Canada – 92 years ago: Began airing on radio in November 1931 and moved to television in November 1952 (the first year of regular television broadcasts in Canada), and is the world's longest-running sports show.
• The Metropolitan Opera – 92 years ago: Airs a radio broadcast season each year. Although going since Christmas of 1931 (and broadcast in January 1910 over experimental radio broadcasts), unlike The Guiding Light it only airs episodes during a season and is not continuous.

At least 80 years

• Julehilsen til Grønland (Christmas greetings to Greenland) – 91 years ago: Danmarks Radio first aired this in 1932 as a way for people in Denmark to send greetings to friends and family in Greenland and vice versa.
• CBS World News Roundup – 86 years ago: Made its first broadcast on March 13, 1938 as a special report on the Anschluss; still runs every day at 8:00 AM EST. It surpassed Guiding Light's record on November 8, 2010, and is now listed as the longest continuously-running program in any medium.
• Superman – 85 years ago: First appeared in Action Comics in June 1938. Many years, radio, TV and film spinoffs later he's still one of the most popular fictional characters ever.
• The National Research Council Time Signal – 84 years ago: Heard at 1:00 PM ET every day since November 5, 1939 on the CBC radio network.
• Desert Island Discs – 82 years ago: Has been airing on BBC Radio since 29 January 1942, making it the longest-running program in the history of British broadcasting. It still uses the original theme tune, Eric Coates' "By the Sleepy Lagoon" (with overdubbed seagull noises), and has only had four regular presenters (Roy Plomley, Michael Parkinson, Sue Lawley, Kirsty Young).

At least 70 years

• Meet the Press – 78 years ago: Weekly on television since November 6, 1947; debuted on radio in 1945 as American Mercury Presents: Meet the Press.
• Arbeidsvitaminen (Work vitamins) – 78 years ago: A music programme on AVRO in the Netherlands. The longest running daily radio show in the world, having started in February 1946.
• Sports Report on BBC Radio – 76 years ago: Running since 1948, still uses its original Ear Worm of a theme tune.
• Guiding Light: 72 years, 7 months, 26 days (57 of those on television), from January 25, 1937 to September 19, 2009. It was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest continuously-running program on any medium, in any genre, until the CBS World News Roundup broke its record in November 2010. It would take a listener over eighteen months, 24 hours a day, to listen to it from beginning to end (although the large number of Missing Episodes from the first 40 years would make such an archive binge impossible). It may be the largest single work of fiction in human history.
• Giro 413 – 74 years ago: Has aired weekly on Danmarks Radio (DR) since January 8, 1950 as a family program to which people donate money collected at celebrations such as wedding anniversaries and 50th birthdays. Listeners also request songs. DR in turn donates the money collected to a variety of charities.
• The Archers – 73 years ago: Has run since 1951 on BBC radio, and is now the world's longest-running extant Soap Opera in any medium (since the cancellation of Guiding Light).
• Hallmark Hall of Fame – 72 years ago: Airing on various networks since December 1951.
• Today – 72 years ago: NBC morning news show, running daily in the US since January 1952.

At least 60 years

• Tagesschau – 71 years ago: The news programme has aired in the same 20:00 time slot on NWDR in Germany since Boxing Day 1952; it went to being broadcast seven days a week in 1961. The programme now serves as ARD's flagship news brand.
• Agatha Christie's theatrical play The Mousetrap – 71 years ago: Has been running on the West End since November 1952, pausing only for seven months in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Panorama – 71 years ago: Current affairs show airing on the BBC since 1953. Presently the longest-running program in the history of British television.
  • The German version of Panorama – 63 years ago: Produced by NDR and also called Panorama. Has aired on Das Erste since 1961.
• The Major League Baseball Game of the Week – 71 years ago: Ran on various networks from 1953–93; has aired on FOX since 1996.
• Brain of Britain – 71 years ago: Britain's longest-running quiz program in any medium, began as a segment of What Do You Know? on BBC Radio in 1953, and has been a standalone program on Radio 4 since 1967. It has only had three regular presenters: Franklin Engelmann from 1953–72, Robert Robinson from 1973-2008, and Russell Davies since 2009.
• Face the Nation – 70 years ago: Airing weekly on CBS since 1954.
• The Tonight Show – 70 years ago: Airing on NBC since 1954.
• Matysiakowie – 68 years ago: Polish radio drama airing weekly since 1956.
• Eurovision Song Contest – 68 years ago: Since 1956.
• The Sky at Night – 67 years ago: Airing once a lunar cycle since April 1957, longest-running show still with its original presenter. Patrick Moore has missed the sum total of one episode, and then only due to food poisoning. Moore is now wheelchair-bound, so the show comes from his home and has a number of co-presenters)
• Telediario – 66 years ago: A Spanish daily news program which started running in September 1957; its title has become synonymous with "TV news" in Spain.
• Today (AKA The Today Programme) – 66 years ago: British news daily, on BBC Radio running since October 1957. There is a (probably apocryphal) story that if a British nuclear submarine commander failed to receive the Today program three days in a row, they were to assume Britain had been nuked and open their sealed orders.
• Blue Peter – 66 years ago: (4,000+ episodes since 1958, the longest-running children's show ever)
• Come Dancing – 66 years: The BBC televised ballroom dancing competition, originally ran from 1949–95, with intermittent specials in 1996 and 1998. Its revival with celebrity contestants as Strictly Come Dancing has aired since 2004.
• Studio Sport – 65 years ago: Dutch sports program, celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2009.
• Supergirl – 65 years ago: Created in May 1959, and has been an important part of the DC universe since. The character has starred in solo books and anthologies, and shows up in movies, TV shows, and cartoons.
• The Walt Disney anthology television series – 65 years ago: Nine different series airing continuously since the premiere of Walt Disney's Disneyland in 1954 and most recently incarnated as The Wonderful World of Disney.
• The Nature of Things – 63 years ago: Science documentary series on CBC since November 1960; hosted continuously by zoologist and environmentalist David Suzuki since 1979.
• Coronation Street – 63 years ago: ~7,500 episodes since December 1960
• It's Academic – 63 years ago: Washington, D.C. televised academic game show, continually produced since 1961; listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running quiz show in television history.
• Four Corners – 62 years ago: Australian current-affairs show, running since August 1961
• University Challenge – 62 years ago: On ITV from 1962-87 with Bamber Gascoigne, and on BBC2 since 1994 with Jeremy Paxman; British television's longest-running quiz show.
• Ireland's The Late Late Show – 61 years ago: Since July 1962, has only had three regular presenters (Gay Byrne (1962–99), Pat Kenny (1999-2009), Ryan Tubridy (since 2009)). Not to be confused with the American The Late Late Show, which has "only" been running since 1995.

At least 50 years

• Encyclopedia Brown – 61 years ago: The books began appearing in 1963. New ones were being published as late as 2011.
• General Hospital – 61 years ago: Over 10,000 episodes since 1963; inspired a Novelty Pop Hit General Hospi-Tale.
• The Price Is Right – 61 years: 1956–65, then since 1972; originally hosted by Bill Cullen {1956-65}, then Bob Barker {1972-2007}, then Drew Carey {2007-}
• Letter From America – 58 years: On BBC Radio from 1946-2004, ending when Alastair Cooke retired less than a month before his death.
• Horizon – 60 years ago: The BBC pop-science programme has been running since 1964.
• The Magic Roundabout – 60 years ago: The original French version has been running since 1964.
• Match of the Day – 60 years ago: Started in 1964, survived in various forms and now has a spin-off and magazine.
• Chick Tracts – 56 years: Written by Jack Chick until his death in 2016.
• Days of Our Lives – 59 years ago: Running since 1965.
• Ideas – 59 years ago: Anthology series on CBC Radio since 1965
• Star Trek – The entire franchise was born 59 years ago. Breaking it down as of 2024, its TV incarnations have run for a total 22 years (1966–69; 1973–74; 1987-2005), plus 45 years on film. Not to mention dozens (hundreds?) of books, both fiction and non-fiction, published since the days of the the original series.
• Vecernicek – 59 years ago: A Czech bedtime story program that has been running every evening since 1965, even with the opening unchanged for all these years.
• The 700 Club – 58 years ago: Religious program airing since 1966 on WYAH, in national syndication since 1974, and on CBN since 1977; well-known as one of two CBN / Family Channel shows remaining on FOX Family / ABC Family (it, Living the Life, the annual day-long CBN telethon, and the channel's "Family" title were all stipulations when Pat Robertson sold the network in 1998). Has been hosted by Robertson since its inception.
• Play School – 58 years ago: Australian children's show, running since 1966 and isn't going anywhere any time soon.
• Ultra Series – 58 years ago: Japanese Tokusatsu series that began in 1966. So far, over 1,200+ episodes and seven movies.
• W-Five – 58 years ago: Airing since 1966, longest-running newsmagazine program in North America.
• The World at Six – 58 years ago: Flagship dinner-hour newscast on CBC Radio One since 1966.
• As the World Turns – 54 years: Ran from 1956-2010; 13,858 episodes.
• Just a Minute – 57 years ago: On BBC Radio 4 since 1967. Still presented by the original chairman, Nicholas Parsons, although the original regular panelists have all passed away (Kenneth Williams in 1988, Derek Nimmo in 1999, Peter Jones in 2000, and Clement Freud in 2009). The Swedish version of the program, På Minuten, has aired since 1969 (with a hiatus from 1988-94).
• Lupin III – 57 years ago: Manga came around in 1967, three TV shows aired on 1971-1972, 1977-1980 and 1984-1985 respectively, six movies were made (A live-action one in 1974, five animated ones in 1978, 1979, 1985, 1995 and 1996) along with three OAVs (in 1987, 2002, and 2008) and, to top it all off, TMS Entertainment is still producing annual TV-specials since 1989.
• 60 Minutes – 56 years ago: Continuously on CBS since 1968.
• As It Happens – 56 years ago: Current events and interviews program on CBC Radio since 1968
• A Question of Sport – 56 years ago: Kicked off in 1968, making it the oldest Panel Game in existence and arguably the longest continually running Game Show (while The Price Is Right has run for five more years overall and started twelve years earlier, it also spent seven years off the air). It has only had four regular presenters (Stuart Hall (1968–69), David Vine (1970–78), David Coleman (1979–97), and Sue Barker (1997-present)).
• Sabado Gigante – 53 years : Started in June 1962 (as Gran Show Dominical before moving from Sunday to Saturday in 1966), Channel Hopped from Chile's Canal 13 to Univision in 1986; longest-running variety show in the world, presented by its original presenter, "Don Francisco" (Mario Kreutzberger), until its final airing in 2015.
• Anpanman – 55 years ago: Made in part of a magazine in 1969, went to picture books in 1973, then became big on an anime called Soreike! Anpanman, plus being the leader in the largest number of characters in any animated program. Creator Takashi Yanase still works on the series as well.
• The Fantasticks – 52 years: ran off-Broadway from 1960-2002; was revived in 2006 and ran until 2015 (with a six-month hiatus in 2008).
• Scooby-Doo – 54 years ago: Multiple series; at least one series was in first-run almost every year from 1969–91 and since 2002, plus one or more direct-to-video movies each year since 1998.
• The Sooty Show – 52 years: British children's TV favourite ran roughly from 1952-2004 under slightly different title changes and presenters. There are currently plans for a revived new series.
• Sazae-san – 54 years ago: Began in October 1969, and is the Guinness World Record certified longest-running animated series ever.
• Sesame Street – 54 years ago: 4,000+ episodes since 10 Nov 1969. Multiple adaptations exist for other countries; there are also a few real streets named after the TV show.
• The Doctor Demento Show – 54 years ago: Barret Hansen first took on the Dr. Demento persona in 1970 on Pasadena station KPPC-FM, although it would be another four years before his show was nationally syndicated. It shifted to online streaming-only distribution in 2011.
• Monday Night Football – 53 years ago: Running continuously since September 21, 1970, until 2005 on ABC, currently on ESPN.
• Radio Rochela – 51 years: Venezuelan longest-running comedy show. Began as a sketch section in a variety show in 1959, got its own timeslot in 1961, and ran almost uninterruptedly until 2010, only ending because their networks' closing.
• Tatort – 53 years ago: Known as Scene of the Crime in the USA. A German-language detective series which began airing in November 1970 on Das Erste in West Germany, in 1972 on ORF 2 in Austria, and from 1990-2001 and again starting in 2011 on SF1 in Switzerland. Over 800 episodes have been produced, although the regional ARD broadcasters, ORF, and SF all contribute locally-produced episodes to the series, so that rather than having one central cast and location, different episodes will feature different casts and settings. Its East German counterpart Polizeiruf 110 has aired over 320 episodes since June 1971, on Fernsehen der DDR until 1990 and on Das Erste following the re-unification. Both shows share a timeslot in The Berlin Republic.
• All Things Considered – 53 years ago: News magazine program airing on NPR since 1971, airing its first instalment just months after NPR itself began broadcasting.)
• Die Sendung mit der Maus – 53 years ago: German Edutainment Show for children, airing since 1971
• Masterpiece Theatre – 53 years ago: has aired on PBS since 1971, although it's just called Masterpiece now; its sister program, Mystery! {now known as Masterpiece Mystery}, has aired since 1980.
• Emmerdale (formerly Emmerdale Farm) – 52 years ago: British soap opera (began in 1972)
• Great Performances – 52 years ago: PBS performing arts series, airing since 1972.
• I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue – 52 years ago: Has been running on BBC Radio 4 since 1972. Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden have been regular panellists since the very beginning (except for occasional breaks due to medical problems or other commitments), and Barry Cryer has been a regular panellist since the second series after alternating with Humphrey Lyttelton in the moderator's chair for the first series.
• Jeopardy! – 52 years: (12 years with Art Fleming {1964-75 and 1978-79}, 26+ years with Alex Trebek {1984–Present})
• Mazinger Z – 52 years ago: Manga came around in 1972. An anime show and a second, manga series parallel to the original one were made in that same year, two sequels and several movies in that same decade, a related animé show (God Mazinger) in the eighties, an OVA series and movie in 2001 and a reboot in 2009. And then you have to count several alternate manga versions and one-shots produced throughout four decades. And this year the creator has stated he intends to make more Mazinger manga and anime.

At least 40 years

• The Las Vegas Folies Bergère – 49 years: One of the original Las Vegas showgirl extravaganzas, inspired by the original Folies Bergère in Paris, it opened in 1959 at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino and closed a few months shy of what would have been its 50th anniversary in 2009.
• Marketplace – 51 years ago: Consumer advocacy program on CBC-TV, loathed by manufacturers nationwide since October 1972.
• Mastermind – 51 years ago: British quiz show airing since September 1972; from 1972-97 on BBC1 with Magnús Magnússon, 1998-2000 on BBC Radio 4 with Peter Snow, 2001-02 on Discovery with Clive Anderson, and 2003–present on BBC2 with John Humphrys
• The Young and The Restless – 51 years ago: Over twelve thousand episodes from 26 Mar 1973 to June 1, 2021... and counting.
• Dungeons & Dragons – 50 years ago: Has been around since 1974.
• NOVA – 50 years ago: PBS science program produced by WGBH-TV Boston, airing since 1974
• Pobol y Cwm – 49 years ago: Welsh-language Soap Opera, The BBC's longest-running television soap began in October 1974 and is still going.
• The Fifth Estate – 49 years ago: CBC-TV newsmagazine program, since 1975.
• Fresh Air – 49 years ago: Interview show, locally on WHYY Philadelphia since 1975, nationally on NPR since 1987.
• Good Morning America – 49 years ago: ABC weekday morning show, airing since 1975.
• Panel Quiz Attack 25 – 49 years ago: Japanese quiz show, has been on the air since 1975.
• Quirks and Quarks – 49 years ago: General-interest science program on CBC Radio since 1975.
• Saturday Night Live – 49 years ago: Premièred October 11, 1975 and is still going with more than 800 episodes (and that's not even counting the clip shows and anniversary episodes) in its first 45 completed seasons. Survived cast changes, writer changes, executive producer changes (with Lorne Michaels, who was executive producer from 1975 to 1980, left for five years, then returned in 1985, as the most prominent), four directors (Don Roy King is the current director), three announcers [with Don Pardo as their most-used], Seasonal Rot leading to threats of cancellation in its 6th, 11th, and 20th seasons, several rival sketch shows that aired alongside it, fickle fans, cynical critics, seven cast member deaths (John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Danitra Vance, Michael O'Donoghue, Chris Farley, Phil Hartman, and Charles Rocket ), four writers' strikes (with the 2007-08 one being the most recent), eight Presidential administrations (starting with Gerald Ford), controversial events behind the scenes (Nora Dunn's boycotting the Andrew "Dice" Clay episode, Chevy Chase's fight with Bill Murray backstage, Garrett Morris' cocaine-induced nervous breakdown after being forced to play a monkey in a Canadian The Wizard of Oz parody, etc), and a boatload of modern historical events and pop culture trends that have changed society for better and worse (some of which were mocked by SNL).
• Super Sentai – 49 years ago: Multiple series, spanning at least 1975-1977, 1979–Present Whether it counts depends on the definition of a "show", since each year the program in the time slot is set in a different world with a different team of superheroes (or "rangers") in color-coded uniforms who ride giant transforming and combining robots. It does have a series of crossover films between different teams set outside the television continuity (the Super Sentai Versus Series) and the 35th series, Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger, was a year-long crossover involving all the previous teams. If you count it, it's the longest running sci-fi program in the world just by number of years, and the fact that it airs an episode a week with no Summer break (nearly 1,800 episodes and counting) means it vastly exceeds most rivals' lengths in total airtime, including Doctor Who.
• The Victory Garden – 49 years ago: PBS gardening program, airing since 1975
• What? Where? When? – 49 years ago: The original Russian version of Million Dollar Mind Game, since 1975.
• Wheel of Fortune – 49 years ago: Since January 6, 1975 on NBC, CBS, and in syndication.
• Yeralash – 49 years ago: (1975-), a Soviet/Russian comedy show for kids.
• Glass Mask – 48 years ago: The manga has been running since 1976. Has had several animé adaptations, the oldest ran during 1984 and the newest in 2005 (not counting the dorama, the Noh play, etc.)
• Oke no Monshou – 48 years ago: Shoujo manga by Chieko Hosokawa, has been running ever since 1976 just like Glass Mask. Had a short video drama as well.
• Quote Unquote – 48 years ago: That innocuous literary quiz that appears at lunchtimes, has been on BBC Radio 4 with the same host (Nigel Rees) since 1976.
• Antiques Roadshow – 47 years ago: The first specials appeared in 1977. The proper series started in 1977 and is still ongoing.
• Inside The NFL – 47 years ago: 1977-2008 on HBO, Showtime 2008-present
• The News Quiz – 47 years ago: Satirical Panel Game running on BBC Radio Four since 1977.
• One Life to Live – 44 years: (11,096 episodes from 1968-2012)
• This Week in Baseball – 47 years ago: (in syndication 1977-1998, on FOX 2000-present)
• Top Gear – 47 years ago: 1977-2001, 2002–Present; if you include Wheelbase, Top Gear has been running in one form or another since 1964.
• The House – 46 years ago: CBC Radio parliamentary affairs show, year-round since October 1977
• 20/20 – 46 years ago: ABC's US newsmagazine, airing since 1978.
• Bassie En Adriaan – 46 years ago: Since 1978.
• Doraemon – 46 years: (second longest-running animé ever, until recently with the same principal voice cast. Aired one season in 1973, then continuously on a different network since 1979. They tried canning it in 2005, an idea which lasted all of a month before it was Uncancelled.)
• Doctor Who – 45 years: Ran from 1963 to 1989, and again from 2005 onward.
• Top of the Pops – 42 years: Started in 1964; weekly show stopped in 2006, but lives on in special editions.
• Gundam – 45 years ago: 16 TV and OAV series', 11+ movies, more manga and video games (separate and original stories mind you, not just adaptations) than we dare to count, and good Lord, the model kits! If one were to watch every Gundam animated work continuously, not counting eating, sleeping, or bathroom breaks, the total runtime would last longer than Noah's voyage aboard the Ark, as there are literally over a thousand hours' worth of Gundam animated work.
• The Howard Stern Show – 45 years ago: Some incarnation of the show has existed since the late 1970s
• Morning Edition – 45 years ago: Airing on NPR since 1979.
• Question Time – 45 years ago: British current affairs debate show, running since 1979.
• Sports Center – 44 years ago: Celebrated its 30th anniversary September 7, 2009; runs for at least two hours every day {the latter of which is repeated throughout the following morning}, and quite a bit more as of August 2008. According to The Other Wiki, it stands above 31,000+ episodes, usually 60 or 90 minutes each.
• The Woodwright's Shop – 45 years ago: (1979-), an American woodworking show on PBS.
• All My Children – 41 years: 10,712 episodes from 1970-2011
• Depeche Mode – 44 years ago: 14 studio albums, six live albums, ten compilation albums, 15 box sets, 13 videos since 1980.
• Newsnight – 44 years ago: broadcast on the same channel since 1980 if you don't count its predecessor.
• Nightline – 44 years ago: ABC prime time US news program, airing since 1980.
• Romper Room – 41 years: 1953–94, in various local franchised versions. TVOntario ran a very similar programme as the Polka Dot Door (1971-1993), which initially was based heavily on the BBC (UK) version of Play School (1964-1988).
• This Old House – 44 years ago: PBS home improvement show, airing since 1980. Originally hosted by Bob Vila. Its spinoff program The New Yankee Workshop had a 20-year run in its own right, 1989-09.
• Entertainment Tonight – 43 years ago: Started in 1981 and is still in production.
• Golgo 13 – 40 years: 142 volumes spread across four decades; started in 1969.
• Jubilee! – 43 years ago: The sole remaining traditional showgirl revue in Las Vegas, has been running at Bally's Hotel and Casino since 1981.
• Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Kôen Mae Hashutsujo – 40 years: Called Kochikame for short, and for good reason — it's the longest continuously-running manga series in terms of number of volumes, though Golgo 13 beats it in years. Started in 1976 and ran until 2016, with 1,960 chapters collected in 200 tankoban volumes. It also has a 367-episode anime adaptation and two movies.
• Wetten, dass...? – 43 years ago: German language show, broadcast in Germany, Austria and Switzerland since 1981.
• The Dark Tower – 42 years ago: The first book was released in 1982. An Interquel taking place between books four and five was scheduled for release in 2012.
• Countdown – 42 years ago: (Britain; the first program on Channel 4, started in '82, 5000+ episodes)
• Late Night with... – 42 years ago: Since 1982- on NBC; hosted by David Letterman {1982-93}, Conan O'Brien {1993-2009}, and Jimmy Fallon {2009-}
• The comic Urbanus – 42 years ago: Since 1982.

At least 30 years

• Looney Tunes – 39 years: The original theatrical series ran from 1930-69. In that period it went through various directors, animators, producers, and not to mention characters. And that's not counting the various spin-offs, revivals, and movies. It didn't even stop for the darkest days of war as it had a duty to fulfill.
• Legends in Concert – 41 years ago: A celebrity impersonator revue, opened at the Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV in 1983 and ran there until 2009—when it moved next door to Harrah's Hotel and Casino and picked up where it left off. Sister productions in Atlantic City, NJ, Branson, MO, and Myrtle Beach, SC have all had decade-plus runs; the latter two are still performing.
• Young Wizards - 41 years ago: Series of Young Adult Urban Fantasy novels by Diane Duane
• Waratte Iitomo! – 41 years ago: A live-broadcast Japanese variety show, has been on the air since October, 1982. There has only been one host throughout its entire run, who holds a Guinness world record for longest continued hosting of a live television program.
• Family Feud – 41 years: (airing since 1976 on ABC {1976-85}, CBS {1988-94}, NBC {2008 specials}, and syndication {1977-85, 1988–95, 1999-)
• Frontline – 41 years ago: PBS public-affairs program, since 1983.
• Front Page Challenge – 38 years: (Canadian celebrity panel quiz show that ran from 1957–95.
• BattleTech – 40 years ago: A futuristic wargame; ownership has changed hands a few times since the original 1984 launch.
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – 40 years ago: A comic book that started in 1984 has spawned two animated series (with a third in the works), a film series, two other comicbook universes and several video games.
• Thomas the Tank Engine – 40 years ago: A TV show based on an old series of books, has been going since 1984.
• Transformers – 40 years ago: Present in some form, either TV or comics, more or less continuously since 1984.
• American Bandstand – 37 years: Thirty years on ABC, five years locally in Philadelphia, one year in syndication, one year on USA Network.
• Here's Humphrey – 37 years: Australian children's show, 1966-2003
• Last of the Summer Wine – 37 years: British Sitcom, 1973-2010.
• Wide World of Sports – 37 years: (1961–98)
• The Darkon Wargaming Club – 39 years ago: A LARP Sword and Sorcery Fantasy game, with multiple local chapters, has been around since 1985.
• Eastenders – 39 years ago: 3,300+ episodes since 1985
• Neighbours – 39 years ago: Since 1985, with 5,000+ episodes
• From Eroica with Love – 36 years: first published in 1976 and concluded in 2012.
• Mr. Squiggle – 36 years: Australian children's show, 1959–95.
• A Prairie Home Companion – about 36 years: Minnesota Public Radio variety show. Ran from 1974 to 2016 with interruptions; two very similar shows ran during the breaks from 1987–89 and 1989-92. Garrison Keillor hosted this show until 2016, but did not host the very similar ones that ran during its breaks. Minnesota Public Radio forced Keillor out on November 29, 2017 because of "allegations of his inappropriate behavior with an individual who worked with him," announcing on the December 16, 2017 broadcast that it would replace the show with Live from Here.
• At the Movies – 38 years ago: Originally with Siskel & Ebert (before Siskel died in 1999). From 1986-99 with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, 1999-2000 with Ebert and guests, 2000-06 with Ebert and Richard Roeper, 2006-08 with Roeper and guests, 2008-09 with Ben Lyons and Ben Mankiewicz, and 2009-10 with A.O. Scott and Michael Phillips, for a total of 24 years. Revived on PBS in 2011 as Roger Ebert Presents "At the Movies".
  • If one counts their 1975-82 tenure on Opening Soon at a Theater Near You/Sneak Previews (which ran for another 14 years after they left for a total run of 21 years) and their 1982-86 stint on the original At the Movies, Siskel and Ebert were co-presenting film review programs for 24 years.
• Casualty – 38 years ago: First broadcast 1986, as a cross between medical drama and soap opera.
  • Its spin-off Holby City – 25 years ago: has already had a 20+ year run in its own right (since 1999)
• The Phantom of the Opera – 38 years ago: The London production has been running since 1986; the Broadway staging since 1988.
• Saint Seiya – 38 years ago: (since 1986)
• Warhammer 40,000 – 38 years ago: The first game Rogue Trader, was released in 1986.
• Warhammer Fantasy Battle – 38 years ago: The game of fantasy battles, actually appeared first, in 1983.
• Another World – 35 years: (1964–99; 8,891 episodes)
• Car Talk – 35 years: Locally on WBUR Boston since 1977, nationally on NPR since 1987, last new episodes in 2012. Reruns are still on-air on some platforms.
• Don McNeill's Breakfast Club – 35 years: Aired on NBC Blue (later ABC Radio) from 1933-68.
• Royal Canadian Air Farce – 35 years: Since 1973 on radio, since 1993 on TV; ended with a New Year's Eve special on December 31, 2008.
• Search for Tomorrow – 35 years: 9,130 episodes, from 1951–86.
• Soul Train – 35 years: 1971-2006.
• America's Most Wanted – 37 years ago: Began in 1987; longest-running show on FOX. Briefly canceled in Fall 1996; fans, law enforcement, and the governments of 32 states rallied together to successfully persuade FOX to uncancel the show a month and a half later. Upon returning, it resumed its regular Saturday-night timeslot and paired with COPS. This combination itself was a long runner as one of the longest unchanged primetime schedules in American television. (COPS moved to Spike/Paramount Network in 2013 and was finally cancelled in 2020.)
• The Bold and the Beautiful – 37 years ago: (1987-)
• JoJo's Bizarre Adventure – 37 years ago: Started in 1987 on Weekly Jump; it switched to Ultra Jump (a monthly publication) in 2004, and is currently at 100 volumes spanning eight major story arcs.
• Rage – 37 years ago: Music video show, on Australian TV since 1987
• Bastard!! – 36 years ago: First volume published in 1988 (with a one-shot pilot in 1987 titled Wizard!!). It was serialized irregularly by Weekly Jump before switching to Ultra Jump in 2000 (with a seven-year hiatus between 2001 and 2008) and as a result, only a relatively small set of 26 volumes have been published.
• Les Guignols de l'info – 36 years ago: French satirical Puppet Shows, (1988-)
• Home and Away – 36 years ago: Since 1988, 4,500+ episodes.
• The Movie Show / At The Movies – 36 years ago: The Movie Show ran since 1986 in Australia; the original hosts switched networks in 2004 and now present At The Movies, which is the same show in all but name.
• Regional Contact – 36 years ago: CTV Ottawa local newsmagazine, Sunday evenings since 1988.
• The Jack Benny Program – 33 years on radio and television: 1932–65
• Mister Rogers' Neighborhood – 33 years: 1968-2001. Fred McFeely Rogers (March 20, 1928 – February 27, 2003) is no longer with us, although reruns still air.
• COPS – 33 seasons (1987-2020), including 24 years (1989-2013) on FOX (where it was the second longest-running show on the network and the longest-running Reality Show on TV).
• Hajime no Ippo – 35 years ago: Manga serialization started in 1989 and is still running.
• Shadowrun – 35 years ago: Tabletop RPG with various spinoff video games; FASA's premier RPG survived the downfall of its parent company, and has lasted long enough that we've begun to enter the "future" depicted in its earliest edition.
• Slayers – 35 years ago: Began in 1989 in a serialized magazine as a novel series; had an animé run (1995–97); had two OVAs and five movies (1995-2001); anime was Uncancelled in 2008 and released two more seasons. The bulk of the long run was through the novels, which kept running through the new millennium and are still being made.
• You've Been Framed – 35 years ago: British home video series, first broadcast in 1989.
• Jackanory – 32 years: (1965-1996, brief relaunch in 2007)
• Media Watch – 35 years ago: (Australian media analysis program; first aired in May 1989, isn't going anywhere any time soon)
• Woody Woodpecker – 32 years, plus sequels: He made his first appearance in 1940 (although he wouldn't get his own series until the next year) and his theatrical cartoons lasted all the way up to 1972 (and are still being re-run on television in some parts of South America). He also had a brief revival in the late 1990s.
• Downtown no Gaki no Tsukai ya Arahende!!! – 34 years ago: Japanese comedy/variety show, running since October 1989.
• The Simpsons – 34 years ago: Has been on the air as a series since December 1989, though the title characters originated in animated shorts on The Tracy Ullman Show back in 1987.
• Samson en Gert – 34 years ago: Has been running since 1990.
• The Degrassi franchise – about 31 years across five main series: It hasn't been on continuously for 40 years, but it has been going off on and on from 1979-2019, with some gaps. The order looks somewhat like this: The Kids of Degrassi Street 1979-1986; Degrassi Junior High 1987-1989; Degrassi High 1989-1992 (counting the Made-for-TV-Movie), Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001–2014) and Degrassi: Next Class (until 2019).
• America's Funniest Home Videos – 34 years ago: (original pilot aired in November 1989, launched January 1990. From 1999-2000, it ran only as occasional specials, but the Tom Bergeron-hosted revamp returned it to series status)
• Australia's Funniest Home Videos – 34 years ago: The Australian version of America's Funniest Home Videos has been running since 1990.
• Berserk – 34 years ago: First volume published in 1990 (with a one-shot pilot in 1989), and has been serialized in Young Animal since 1992. However, it's only published bimonthly, so it has the comparatively-small 33 volumes. However, the anime was only 25 episodes and only lasted half a year; the fact that it went through 13 volumes of story in that time is telling as to why.
• Gunnm – 34 years ago: The manga has been around since 1990; an animé version was released briefly in 1993 but is no longer in production.
• Have I Got News for You – 34 years ago: (British satirical panel show, started 1990 and still going despite several libel cases and not having a permanent presenter since sacking Angus Deayton in 2002)
• Wonderama – 31 years: A weekly children's show that ran on New York's WNEW and other stations owned by the Metromedia syndicate. The 1955-1986 timespan runs from just before the demise of the DuMont network (Metropolitan Broadcasting/Metromedia were DuMont's former owned-and-operated station group) to their relaunch as FOX thirty years later.
• The Jerry Springer Show – 33 years ago: Running in syndication since 1991, started as a public-affairs talk show based at WLWT in Cincinnati; its parent company syndicated it nationally as it slowly evolved into its current "freakshow" format. It switched distributors from Multimedia to Universal when Multimedia was bought out by a newspaper company in 1995, along with Sally Jessy Raphael's show.
• Maury – 33 years ago: Maury Povich's talk show; started in 1991 and still going strong. Switched distributors from Paramount to Universal in 1998.
• Captain Kangaroo – 30 years: 1954–84
• Grange Hill – 30 years: BBC children's drama, ran from 1978-2008.
• The Phil Donahue Show – 30 years: (1967-96 on national TV, 3 years on Dayton, Ohio local TV) The show that inspired most Talk Shows after it, including Oprah and Sally Jessy Raphael.
• Barney and Friends – 32 years ago: The first videos came out in 1987; the show premiered in 1992.
• Dateline – 32 years ago: NBC news magazine running continuously since 1992.
• Gute Zeiten Schlechte Zeiten – 32 years ago: German soap with 4,000+ episodes, running since 1992; based on a Dutch soap called Goede Tijden, Slechte Tijden, which has run for 3,500 episodes since 1990.
• Kamen Rider – 32 years: The TV series has undergone four different eras (1971-1975, 1979-1981, 1987-1989, 2000-present, for a total of over twenty years' worth of episodes) and there have also been several films and a few specials. The 1,000th episode aired on April 3, 2011.
• Landline – 32 years ago: Australian rural issues program, (1992-).
• The Real World – 32 years ago: (1992-, over 400 episodes, one of the first successful Reality TV shows and MTV's longest running show.)
• Saltimbanco – 32 years ago: a Cirque du Soleil show, hit the 20-year mark in Spring 2012. It originally closed in February 1997, but was brought back in October 1998; as a tent-based tour it ran until 2006, and relaunched as an arena tour in 2007 to visit cities that cannot support the tent tours.
• X Japan – 32 years ago: 1982-1997, with a long pause due to disbandment from 1997-2007.
• Shortland Street – 32 years ago: is Television New Zealand's longest-running soap opera, first aired on May 25, 1992 and still going strong (as of early 2010).

At least 20 years

• Donahue – 29 years: (1967-70 as a local series, then nationally until 1996)
• Love of Life – 29 years: (7,315 episodes from 1951–80)
• Mr. Dressup – 29 years: Canadian children's show, 1967–96.
• Power Rangers - 31 years (began in 1993), with nearly 1,000 episodes plus three films as of 2021.
• Talk Soup and The Soup – 31 years: Talk Soup ran from 1991-2002. Its successor, plainly titled The Soup has been airing since 2004.
• WWE Raw – 31 years ago: (airing since 1993, has aired over 900 episodes, the most of any weekly primetime entertainment show in US history)
  • And if one is inclined to say Raw is a Retool of Prime Time Wrestling, you can add another decade or so to that.
  • Due to the unique properties of "Sports Entertainment" (an umbrella Vince popularized), the "primetime entertainment show" designation is debatable.
  • Smack Down – 25 years ago: Which has been airing regularly since late 1999.
• The following Cirque Du Soleil troupes:
  • Mystere – 31 years ago: (opened in 1993 at Las Vegas' Treasure Island Hotel and Casino; longest nonstop run. Current contract expires in 2016.)
  • Alegria – 30 years ago: (1994–98, then as a resident show at a casino in Biloxi, MS from 1999-2000, then resumed touring in 2001; relaunched as an arena show in mid-2009)
  • Quidam – 28 years ago: (1996-2010 as a tent show, 2010- in arenas)
  • "O" and La Nouba – 26 years ago: (both 1998-)
  • Dralion – 25 years ago: (1999-2010 as a tent show; 2010- in arenas)
  • Varekai – 22 years ago: (2002-)
• The Edge of Night – 28 years: (7,420 episodes from 1956–84)
• Hey Hey It's Saturday – 28 years: Australian variety show, 1971–99.
• Detective Conan – 30 years ago: In publication since 1994 and on the air since 1996 with 600+ episodes, 15 movies, and 70+ volumes. It's still going in both animé and manga form.
• The Friendly Giant – 27 years: Canadian children's show, 1958–85.
• Police, Camera, Action! – 30 years ago: Cop documentary, first broadcast in 1994.
• Time Shock – 27 years: Japanese quiz show, aired weekly 1969-1986, 1989-1990, and Time Shock 21 in 2000-2002, plus periodic specials 2002–2012.
• WCW Saturday Night – 27 years: With a couple of name changes along the way.
• Ah! My Goddess – 26 years: The manga ran from 1988 to 2014.
• The Bill – 26 years: Pilot in 1983, full series in 1984, weekly since 1987. Ended in September 2010.
• Crossroads – 26 years: British soap opera (1964–88 and 2001–03).
• Kevin and Kell – 29 years ago: started in 1995, making it one of the oldest webcomics in existence.
• The Late Late Show – 29 years ago: Since 1995 on CBS; hosted by Tom Snyder {1995-99}, Craig Kilborn {1999-2005}, Craig Ferguson {2005-}.
• Reading Rainbow – 26 years: Sixteen seasons over twenty-six years, appears to have been Killed Off for Real in 2009, the third longest-running kids show on PBS behind Mister Rogers' Neighborhood and Sesame Street.
• Thuis – 29 years ago: (Belgian soap opera, since 1995)
• The Daily Show – 28 years ago: As its anniversary celebration put it, "10 F$!king Years", although current and best-known host Jon Stewart first showed up in 1999; the show débuted in 1996 with host Craig Kilborn.
• Evening at Pops – 25 years: PBS Boston Pops concert program, aired 1970-2005
• Hannity - 28 years; includes the 1996-2008 run of Hannity and Colmes
• The Life of Nob T. Mouse – 28 years ago: Began in December 1996 and is still going.
• Never Mind the Buzzcocks – 28 years ago: First broadcast in 1996, now have over 227 episodes.
• The O'Reilly Factor – 28 years ago: (started in 1996, not going anywhere soon)
• The Oprah Winfrey Show – 25 years: (1986-2011)
• Silent Witness – 28 years ago: (1996-, 13+ seasons)
• Taggart – 25 years: Originally a Scottish detective miniseries "Killer" (6-20 Sept 1983); a full series ran from 2 July 1985-7 November 2010 as the longest-running cop show on UK TV.
• This American Life – 28 years ago: Has aired nationally since 1996 (beginning locally one year earlier as Your Radio Playhouse), as well as a Showtime TV series from 2007-09.
• Arthur – 27 years ago: A cartoon based on the books by Marc Brown.
• The Atheist Experience – 27 years ago: Started in 1997, still ongoing.
• Concentration – 24 years on NBC and in syndication: {1958-78, 1987-91}, minus a five-month hiatus in 1973)
• The Hollywood Squares – 24-25 years: (1966–81, 1986–89, 1998-2004; total of 24 years, or 25 if you count The Match Game Hollywood Squares Hour {1983-84})
• Midsomer Murders – 27 years ago: Aired on ITV since 1997.
• One Piece – 27 years ago: Started publication in 1997. Over 950 manga chapters in 90+ volumes, more than 800 episodes, fourteen movies, and counting.
  • In 2010, the creator announced that the story had reached its halfway point; if this is true, then the series will run for a total of 26 years.
  • Incredibly ironic given that when Eiichiro Oda initially started the series he planned to end it after 5 years. He scrapped the idea when the story just started writing itself.
• Play School – 24 years: BBC children's show, 1964–88. Inspired other, similar long runners like Play School (Australia) and Polka Dot Door (Canada).
• Pokémon – 27 years ago: (14+ years, 700+ episodes, and 14+ movies (one per year).
• Saber y Ganar – 27 years ago: Spanish daily quiz show, started on 17 February 1997. Since October 2011, it runs all seven days a week. It has consistently been the most viewed show in its channel since 2004.
• Says You! – 27 years ago: Has been running since 1997.
• Sluggy Freelance – 26 years ago: has been daily since August 25, 1997.
• South Park – 27 years ago: (1997-).
• To Tell the Truth – 24 years: (1956–68, 1969–78, 1980–81, 1990–91, 2000–01; total of 24 seasons)
• Truth or Consequences – 24 years: (1950–51, 1954–75, 1977–78, 1987-88) Total of 24 seasons, although it is best known for the 19 years {1956-75} hosted by Bob Barker)
• User Friendly – 27 years ago: Has published daily since 1997, with only short hiatus periods lately due to serious losses in the author's family.
• What's My Line? – 24 years: (1950–67, then 1968-75)
• Comedy Central Presents – 26 years ago: The show has about 30 minutes of Stand Up Comedy by a different comedian each episode.
• The Ed Sullivan Show – 23 years: (1948–71)
• The Now Show – 26 years ago: (first broadcast in 1998 and still airing)
• Nick News with Linda Ellerbee – 23 years: (1992 to 2015)
• Penny Arcade – 26 years ago: Since 1998.
• True Life – 26 years ago: MTV documentary series, with topics running from "I'm A Staten Island Girl" to "I Need A Transplant", running since 1998, 10 seasons so far.
• Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! – 26 years ago: Has been running since 1998.
• X-Play – 26 years ago: Has been on the air since 1998, starting as Game Spot TV on ZDTV.
• Definitely Not the Opera – 22 years: CBC Radio variety show that ran from September 1994 to May 14, 2016, replaced Brand X that ran in 1993; hosted by Sook-Yin Lee from 2002 until its end.
• Big Brother – 25 years ago: The show premièred in the Netherlands in 1999. While the original version has ended, several international versions continue to air.
• Cat and Girl – 25 years ago: A web comic that has been running since 1999.
• Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy – 25 years ago: ...sort of. Like Degrassi, it has been going off and on and off for a while. It hasn't been going-on continuously for ten years, but it has been going off and on and off since 1999, with the order going like this: Season 1 aired episodes weekly in 1999, but the next 4 seasons aired episodes once in a while form 1999 to 2007. One final episode in 2008, and the series officially ended in 2009 with Ed, Edd, n' Eddy's Big Picture Show.
• The Late Show with David Letterman – 22 years (1993-2015; adding the Late Night years at NBC, 33 years)
• Law & Order: Special Victims Unit – 25 years ago: (1999-; 12 years as of 2010, when it also became the longest-running first-run drama series in prime time, carrying on the mantle of its parent series)
• Naruto – 25 years ago: Manga first published in 1999 and ended in 2014 with an spin-off mini-series started in 2015. and aired in 2002. Now has 700 chapters in 72 volumes, 600+ episodes, 5 OVA, 1 novel, numerous games, and 10 movies. (With more to come, of course.)
• Parlamentet – 25 years ago: (airing on Swedish television since 1999; by contrast, its parent programme, the BBC's If I Ruled The World, only aired for fourteen episodes in 1998-99)
• Poirot – 22 years: First episode shown in 1989, an occasional break in the 1990s and 2000s and a final series scheduled for 2011.
• The Polka Dot Door – 22 years: Canadian children's show, 1971–93. One of the earliest programmes on TVOntario (CICA-TV, founded 27 September 1970).
• SpongeBob SquarePants – 25 years ago: (Began in 1999, rose in popularity in 2000, widely considered as the most popular cartoon of the decade and rightfully took its place as one of the most successful cartoons of all time. Of course, still ongoing.)
• Funday Pawpet Show – 24 years ago: (November 1999-; 466 4-hour episodes as of July 18, 2010)
• Happy Tree Friends – 24 years ago: (December 24, 1999 – present)
• Brookside – 21 years: Channel 4 UK soap opera and one of the channel's first shows (1982-2003)
• Dora the Explorer – 24 years ago: (2000-)
• FC De Kampioenen – 21 years: 1990-2011 Belgian sitcom.
• Issues and Answers – 21 years: (1960–81) that, along with Meet the Press and Face the Nation, represented the height of Sunday- morning political television in the US.
• Megatokyo – 23 years ago: Began in August 2000
• Morningside – 21 years: CBC Radio morning show, 9AM-noon weekdays from 1976–97.
• Schlock Mercenary – 23 years ago: (published daily since June 12, 2000...and not missing a single day)
• Survivor – 24 years ago: has been on the air since 2000.
• The Vinyl Café with Stuart McLean – 21 years: CBC Radio music-variety show, 1994 – 2015 (Summer replacement 1994-97, weekly since 1997). Andrew Stuart McLean died from cancer on 15 February 2017.
• The Weakest Link – 24 years ago: (first broadcast in 2000, around 1,500 episodes in its first decade, not including international versions)
• The Amazing Race – 22 years ago: First aired in September 2001.
• Claymore – 23 years ago: (2001–present, with a 26-episode animé)
• El Goonish Shive – 23 years ago: Started in January 2001
• Toonami – 23 years: Cartoon Network's longest running block at over 11 years, from March 17, 1997 - September 20, 2008. Revived on May 26, 2012.
• Tech Infantry – 23 years ago: Started as a fan-made Tabletop RPG expansion pack in the mid-1990s, still has a couple of people writing short stories set in that universe today.
• The Bachelor – 22 years ago: Began in 2002; by 2020 the franchise has aired 40 seasons - 24 of the Bachelor, 15 of The Bachelorette.
• Gunsmoke – 20 years: (1955–75) Famously the longest running drama series in primetime television, a title it now officially shares with Law & Order. Technically, Gunsmoke still ran longer; due to changes in the way the year was divided into television seasons, Gunsmoke ran from September 1955 to September of 1975, with 635 episodes; Law & Order ran from September 1990 to May 2010 (falling short of 20 years by three months), with 456 episodes.
• Law & Order – 20 years: September 13, 1990 - May 24, 2010. Fell just short of beating Gunsmoke‍'‍s record, though at least they're now tied. Was the longest-running first-run drama series in primetime for all of The Noughties.
• Look and Read – sporadically, across about 20 different years: A children's educational programme produced irregularly from 1967-2004.
• Monitor – 20 years: NBC Radio weekend show, 1955–75.
• Queen for a Day – 20 years: Game Show, 1945–64 and 1969–70.
• Rainbow – 20 years: British children's series on Thames TV, 1972–92.
• The Red Skelton Show – 20 years: (1951–71)
• The Secret Storm – 20 years: Squeaks in at 20 years and 7 days, 1954–74.
• Time Team - 20 years: 1994-2014.

At least 10 years

• Beachcombers – 19 years: With 387 episodes from 1972–91, the longest dramatic series in Canada/
• Chilly Willy – 19 years: Produced by Walter Lantz, ran from 1953 to 1972. As the studio only did an average of three cartoons per year with the character, he only has 50 shorts despite 19 years in production.
• The Doctors – 19 years: 1963–82; 5,280 episodes
• Finkleman's 45s – 19 years: CBC radio retro music show; October 5, 1985 - June 25, 2005.
• Lassie – 19 years: That's a very long time in dog years. (1954–73)
• Sally Jessy Raphael – 19 years: Ran from 1983-2002; cancelled by distributor Studios USA due to the fading popularity of talk shows. (And yet Jerry's been on continuously since 1991...)
• Beat the Clock – 18 years: Total across multiple runs (1950–61, 1969–74, 1979–80, 2002-03).
• Heartbeat – 18 years: (1992-2010)
• Iron Chef – 18 years: Multiple international versions exist (including series run 1993-99 and 2012-13 on Fuji TV in Japan, and another on the Food Network from 2004-12 in USA). Between Iron Chef Japan and Iron Chef America, that's nearly (but not quite) two decades in one form or another.
• Match Game – 18 years: 1962-69 on NBC, 1973-82 on CBS and syndication, 1983-84 as The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour, 1990-91 on ABC and 1998-99 in syndication.
• The Pyramid Game Show series – 18 years: (26 years worth of episodes due to the overlapping syndicated versions):
  • 1973-74, CBS (The $10,000 Pyramid)
  • 1974-80, ABC (The $10,000/$20,000 Pyramid)
  • 1974-79, syndicated (The $25,000 Pyramid)
  • 1981, syndicated (The $50,000 Pyramid)
  • 1982-88, CBS (The $25,000 Pyramid; called The New $25,000 Pyramid from November 8, 1982 - January 28, 1985)
  • 1985-88, syndicated (The $100,000 Pyramid)
  • 1991, syndicated (The $100,000 Pyramid)
  • 2002-04, syndicated (Pyramid)
• Tokyo Friend Park II – 18 years: Japanese game show, aired nearly every week from April 1994 through March 2011, plus another year prior if you count the original Tokyo Friend Park which aired from October 1992 through September 1993
• The Montel Williams Show – 17 years: (1991-2008)
• Only Fools and Horses – 17 years: initially ran from 1981-1991 (10 years), and continued for another 7 years with annual Christmas specials.
• Catchphrase – 16 years: A British game show which outlived the much less successful American version upon which it was based.
• Gintama – 16 years: started publication in 2003, and finished its run in 2019 with 77 volumes. The anime adaptation, in several incarnations, ran for 12 years (2006-2018), plus a Grand Finale in film form in 2021.
• Grey's Anatomy – 19 years ago: As of 2021, it is the longest-running American primetime medical drama series.
• Almost Live! – 15 years: Sketch comedy on NBC affiliate KING-TV Seattle from 1984–99, best known for launching the television career of Bill Nye.
• Bleach – 15 years: started publication in 2001 and finished in 2016 with 74 volumes. The anime lasted 8 years (2004-2012), although as of 2020 a final series to wrap off the final manga arc was announced.
• CSI – 15 years: Began in 2000 and finished in 2015.
  • CSI: Miami – 10 years: (2002-2012)
• Definition – 15 years: Lasted from 1974 to 1989.
• ER – 15 years: (1994-2009)
• Fifteen to One – 15 years: British quiz show, 1988-2003
• Major – 15 years: Started in 1994, reached 700 chapters.
• The Red Green Show – 15 years: (1990-2005, 300 episodes and a movie. Could go for almost thirty years if you count the length of time Steve Smith has been playing the Red Green character, having first done it on Smith and Smith in the late 1970s.)
• Supernatural – 15 years: Debuted in 2005, has its Grand Finale in 2020.
• Whose Line Is It Anyway? – 15 years: (1988-2003) Started out on Radio 4 in 1988, then moved onto Channel 4 the same year, where it lasted for 10 seasons; the show moved to Hollywood in 1998, when it got picked up by ABC. The show was cancelled in 2003 — and by cancelled, it stopped filming new episodes; new episodes continued to air on ABC Family until November 2006.
• The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet – 14 years: (1952–66) The longest-running American sitcom before The Simpsons.
• Inuyasha – 14 years: Although the animé got axed when it was going to overtake the manga, the manga itself ran from 1996-2008; the anime came back and finished the story in 2009-2010. That's 14 years if you count the animé as part of its run as well.
• Knots Landing – 14 years: Spin-Off of Dallas that outlasted its already long running parent show (1979-1993)
• Mad TV – 14 years: (1995-2009; is considered Saturday Night Live's longest-running rival sketch show, and like SNL had its share of cast changes, writer changes, and executive producer changes)
• Are You Being Served? – 13 years: Lasted from 1972 to 1985.
• Countdown – 13 years: Australia; 1974–87.
• Dallas – 13 years: (1978–91)
• Dragon Ball – 13 years: Manga started in late 1984, ended in 1995. Animé started in 1986 with and ended in 1997 with GT. Dragon Ball Kai may or may not count as additional seasons. It is still quite alive in terms of people finding ways to try and make money out of it.
• Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids – 13 years: Lasted from 1972 to 1984 in the original format, plus 1984 to 1985 in first-run syndication.
• Iketeru Futari – 13 years: (1997-2010)
• The Joker's Wild – 13 years: (originally ran from 1972-75 on CBS, followed by syndicated revivals from 1977–86 and 1990–91; total of 13 seasons)
• King of the Hill – 13 years: (13 seasons and survivor of FOX's Sunday Sports Pre-emption Slot, 1997-2009)
• Pinwheel – 13 years: 1977-90. Was Nickelodeon's biggest show at 260 episodes until You Can't Do That on Television dethroned it.
• Ryan's Hope – 13 years: (1975–89)
• Time Team – 13+ years: British series.
• All Creatures Great and Small – 12 years, intermittent: Ran on and off from 1978-90.
• Break The Bank – 12 years: Its original run was 1945–57.
• Caillou – 12 years: (1998-2010)
• Darkbolt – 12 years: (1999-2011) Long manga-style web comic
• Fred Penner's Place – 12 years: CBC children's show, ran from 1985–97
• Good Eats – 12 years: Débuted July 7, 1999 and ran until 2011. Was Food Network's longest-running consecutive original program, with 14 seasons and 249 episodes).
• Hawaii Five-O – 12 years: (1968–80)
• Loving – 12 years: (1983–95)
• Murder, She Wrote – 12 years: (1984–96)
• Rugrats – 12 years: Disregarding its brief cancellation period and lackluster spin-offs. 177 aired episodes; however, each episode has two (or three in later seasons) stories. When you add them all together, include the pilot, the two "Tales From the Crib" movies, and the three feature films, the approximate number of episodes becomes roughly 351.)
• Space Ghost Coast to Coast – 12 years: Ran for ten years on Adult Swim alone, and then for two more years on Game Tap.
• Tic-Tac-Dough – 12 years: Originally ran from 1956-59 on NBC, then in syndication from 1978–86 and 1990–91; total of 12 seasons.
• Trinton Chronicles – 12 years: (1999-2011 as a web original)
• Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? – 12 years: (27 series over 12 years in its home country; has versions in lots of countries, some of which are Long Runners themselves).
• 7th Heaven – 11 years: Including a Post Script Season.
• The Carol Burnett Show – 11 years: (1967–78)
• Cheers – 11 years
• Dalziel and Pascoe – 11+ years:
• Frasier – 11 years: Ran for 11 seasons between September 16, 1993 and May 13, 2004 for a total of 264 episodes.
• Hana Yori Dango – 11 years: (the manga ran for 11 years, and dramas based on it are still in development)
• The Jeffersons – 11 years.
• M*A*S*H – 11 years: (1972–83); The Korean War lasted only three years in Real Life.
• Mystery Science Theater 3000 – 11 years: (1988-99); Originated on KTMA, then moved to Comedy Central, then Syfy)
• My Family – 11 years: (2000–11)
• Strike It Rich – 11 years: Game Show, June 29, 1947 – January 3, 1958.
• 'Allo 'Allo! – 10 years: Lasted from 1982 to 1992, a full decade.
• As Time Goes By – 10 years: Ran from 1992-2002 with a reunion episode in 2005.
• The Fairly OddParents – 10 years: Premièred on Oh Yeah! Cartoons in September 1998; the show proper débuted in March 2001 and ended on December 2011 (being a quite a bit more than exactly 10 years on air.)
• Friends – 10 years: Ran for 10 seasons and 236 episodes, first broadcast between September 22, 1994 and May 6, 2004.
• JAG – 10 years: (1995-2005)
• Law & Order: Criminal Intent – 10 years: (2001–11)
• Married... with Children – 10 years: 1987-97; longest-running live-action sitcom on FOX
• Murphy Brown – 10 years: (1988–98)
• Smallville – 10 years: (2001–11)
• Stargate SG-1 – 10 years: Longest continuously running Sci Fi show on U.S. television after Mystery Science Theater 3000. Also 5 years for its spinoff, Stargate Atlantis. Universe picking up immediately after Atlantis ended means that there has always been a current Stargate Verse series since 1997.)