The Longest Running Television Shows Of All Time

There are quite literally thousands of television shows out there, with many of them spanning decades. While long-running television shows aren’t too uncommon, many eventually come to an end. Which ones really stood the test of time though? Are there any shows that stretch back more than half a century?

Here, we are going to take a look at some of the longest-running television shows out there. This can be hard to determine when factoring in the number of episodes, so we’ll mainly be looking at how long the show actually lasted, with many of them still airing to this day.

This list is presented in no particular order.

8

General Hospital

Of course, it only makes sense to start our list with a soap opera. General Hospital, as its name implies, takes place in a hospital. As with most soap operas, this show has a large cast of rotating characters, with many guest appearances by well-known actors. Throughout the years, General Hospital has seen Elizabeth Taylor, George Takei, and James Franco.

Currently, General Hospital is the longest-running American soap opera that is currently airing; the show even holds the Guinness World Record for this. This is truly a show that grows with you; who knows, maybe it will even continue on for another 60 years.

7

Coronation Street

Coronation Street is a British soap opera that just a little older than General Hospital. Interestingly, the show was originally slated for 13 pilot episodes. Since then, over 10,000 more have aired, making it one of the longest-running shows out there.

As with other soap operas, Coronation Street has had a lot of plotlines over the years, with many of them covering important issues that reflect current society. Overall, Coronation Street has made quite an impact. Did you know that the music video for I Want to Break Free (Queen) parodies the show?

6

Unser Sandmännchen

Unser Sandmännchen is a German stop-motion children’s show. This is the longest-running animated show, as well as in general. With over a whopping 22,000 episodes, it only makes sense that it has the most amount of episodes too. While Unser Sandmännchen doesn’t pack in the drama, it’s a staple for many young children.

Until 1991, Unser Sandmännchen has two versions; one for East Germany, and one for West Germany. The East Germany version of Unser Sandmännchen had some socialist undertones, and interestingly, you can still watch episodes from both.

5

The Simpsons

In terms of episodes, The Simpsons doesn’t quite stack up to the previous entries. Still, we can’t forget this absolutely icon cartoon when talking about the longest-running television shows. Most of us have either watched or heard of The Simpsons; some people even think that it can predict the future.

Unlike live-action shows, animated shows can preserve the characters pretty much forever. Bart, Lisa, and Maggie will remain children until the end of the show, which is still probably a long way off.

4

Guiding Light

Guiding Light is the only show on our list that has met it’s end. It also happens to be the only show that began as a radio show. Back in the 1930s, Irna Phillips had a stillborn baby and turned to radio sermons. This served as the inspiration for Guiding Light, so the radio version had a religious theme.

Since its first television episode in 1952, there have been dozens of characters, with many of them sticking around for decades. Eventually, Guiding Light was canceled due to low viewership, but after 72 years of existence, there is no denying that Guiding Light is the longest-running show ever.

3

Days Of Our Lives

Days of our Lives is an absolutely classic soap opera. This show is pretty similar to the previous soap operas on our list; Irma Phillips (of Guiding Light) even served as a story editor for a bit. It’s worth noting that Days of our Lives technically stopped airing on cable in 2022; now, it’s exclusive to Peacock (this is NBC’s streaming service).

Overall, Days of our Lives has been parodied many times since its debut. In fact, there is even a sitcom in The Simpsons called “It Never Ends”, which is a parody of Days of our Lives.

2

Sazae-san

Sazae-san is the only anime on our list, dating back to 1969. As with a lot of anime, this is based on the manga of the same name, which was first published in 1946. This manga mainly focused on everyday life, giving it a very nostalgic vibe when viewed in 2025.

Although the show is still coming out, it’s worth noting that it doesn’t seem to be possible to watch all the episodes. Many aren’t available on streaming platforms, but you can still catch it airing every Sunday evening. Sazae-san has held this timeslot since 1969, which spawned “Sazae-san syndrome”. This is the melancholy/anticipation of Monday that you feel on Sunday evenings.

Many even consider Sazae-san the national anime of Japan! The show doesn’t involve anything too dramatic or fantastical; it’s just a cozy and relatable show about life in Japan.

1

Law And Order

Last but not least, we have Law and Order. This is another American staple, following crimes, investigations, and the associated court cases in New York City. This isn’t quite a soap opera, but you can still see a wide cast of characters that have rotated through the years.

Law and Order has spawned a lot of spin-offs over the years. The spin-off Law and Order: Special Victims Unit has a whopping 566+ episodes. Since 1990, tons of similar shows have aired (such as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation), but Law and Order really kicked off the modern police procedural boom.