Some shows have been running so long that even your grandparents remember watching them. From children’s shows to daytime television, there are plenty of examples of series that have kept trucking along down through the decades, becoming icons in their own right as some of the longest-running TV shows in the world.
Even long-running modern hits (like Supernatural or Grey’s Anatomy), can't hold a candle to the shows on this list. We've updated it with a few more shows that have stood the test time, in more ways than one! All shows are prioritized by years running, as opposed to episode count.
Updated on July 21st, 2022, by Shawn S. Lealos: There are still shows that are running after more than three decades, and the longest-running TV shows in the world include series in the United States, United Kingdom, and Japan, and range from soap operas to animated shows to primetime dramas. While there are plenty of long-lasting shows in the United States, it is a mistake to overlook the United Kingdom shows that have lasted for four decades or more and set the template for series to come from all over the world. What is even most impressive is that many of these longest TV shows in the world are still in production now and will just add more years to their impressive totals as the years roll on.
20 The Simpsons - 32 Years (Still In Production)
This animated family has slogged through the decades unabated, and given multiple generations a reason to laugh. The Simpsons originally began on The Tracey Ullman Show as a series of short sketches in 1987, before entering syndication as a full-fledged series in '89 and becoming one of the longest-running TV shows in the world for the realm of animation.
First, the talk of high school kids enveloped in Bartmania, the show soon branched out to adults who appreciated its sarcastic humor and mature storylines. The show would inspire future animated franchises like Family Guy and South Park, both of which have enjoyed very long runs.
19 Another World - 35 Years (No Longer In Production)
Another World was one of the early casualties of the downfall of daytime soap operas in the United States. The soap aired on NBC starting in 1964 and remained on the air for 8,891 episodes before it ended in 1999. What made this soap different was that it didn't focus on domestic life but on differences between families in different social classes.
The soap was important as it was one of the first ones to talk about abortion when the subject matter was considered taboo. It also was the first soap to have a crossover event with another soap - Guiding Light. Notable actors on the show include Scott Bakula, Christine Baranski, Marcia Cross, and Morgan Freeman.
18 Casualty - 36 Years (Still In Production)
When people in the United States look at Grey's Anatomy, it is often hard to believe it has been on for 17 years. However, while that is record-breaking for medical dramas in the U.S., it is nothing compared to the U.K. When it comes to primetime medical dramas, the longest-running TV show in the world is Casualty.
Starting this run in 1985, Casualty takes place at the fictional Holby City Hospital, following the staff and patients at the hospital. The show is so popular that it also spawned four spin-off series over the years, and it has won several awards over the years.
17 EastEnders - 37 Years (Still In Production)
EastEnders is a British soap opera that has aired in the U.K. since 1985. Airing on BBC One, the show is set in a fictional borough in the East End of London and follows the local residents and their families. It aired two 30-minute episodes each week, which was moved to three, and then hit five days a week starting in 2001.
This means there have been almost 6,500 episodes over 37 years of production. Not only is it long-lasting, one of the longest-running TV shows in the world, but it is an important part of British television, tackling difficult and taboo subject matters.
16 All My Children - 41 Years (No Longer In Production)
This popular soap opera debuted in 1970 and ended in 2013, after finding a temporary new home on The Online Network. The show focused on characters living in a fictional Philadelphia suburb and was one of the first daytime soaps to attract a rather large percentage of male viewers, at 30%.
After being canceled by ABC in 2011, the show was picked back up for a short time, dishing out another 40 episodes for a grand total of 10,755, adding to its total in the realm of the longest-running TV shows in the world.
15 Doctor Who - 43 Years (Still In Production)
Doctor Who's adventures have been a staple of British culture ever since the showed debuted in 1963. Renowned for its clever storylines, crazy tech-babble, and a Time Lord who can regenerate his dying body to pave the way for different actors to take the role, Doctor Who would circle the globe as a staple of the fantasy/sci-fi genre.
Classic "Who" ran from '63 to 1989 before the BBC unceremoniously cut it off at the knees. Writer Russell T. Davies would bring it back in 2005 in a huge way by continuing the original show's timeline, rather than opting for a reboot. This helped bring Doctor Who to a whole new generation of families.
14 Top Gear - 44 Years (Still In Production)
Top Gear was a TV series that started in 1977 with Jeremy Clarkson and Andy Wilman on BBC. While a lot of Americans know the U.S. version, which premiered in 2002, the show in the U.K. has aired since 1977 with 524 episodes airing there as it showed the hosts covering cars of all sorts.
It didn't stop in 2002 when BBC canceled the show. The production team moved to Channel 5 under the name Fifth Gear and BBC decided to relaunch Top Gear, where it continued to live on to this day as one of the longest-running TV shows in the world when it comes to docuseries.
13 One Life To Live – 45 Years (No Longer In Production)
With more than 11.000 episodes in its 45-year runtime, this was one of the most compact daytime shows in TV history. It was also one of the first soap operas to feature some degree of diversity, breaking the mold of the sole focus on WASP wealthy families.
One Life To Live takes place in the imaginary city of Llanview, a district of Philadelphia. The series frequently centered on the wealthy Lord family, along with the blue-collar Polish American Woleks, the middle-class Irish Catholic Rileys, and the African-American Grays. It came to a conclusion in 2013.
12 Saturday Night Live - 46 Years (Still In Production)
Lorne Michaels brought Saturday Night Live to late-night television back in 1975, and it has soldiered on to this day. The show broke hilarious comedic ground while tackling societal issues including race, class, and politics in a manner that both sides could enjoy.
The show hit its peak in the 1990s thanks to the talents of comedians like Adam Sandler, Norm MacDonald, and Chris Farley. It's responsible for launching the Hollywood careers of countless comedy personalities from Eddie Murphy, to Chevy Chase. It is still ongoing as one of the longest-running TV shows in the world of sketch comedy.
11 The Young And The Restless – 49 Years (Still In Production)
After practically five decades and over 12,000 episodes, this show is still going strong. The sister show of The Bold And The Beautiful (which did not make the cut, having premiered in 1987) initially centered on two principal families: the rich Brooks family and the working-class Fosters.
Subsequently to a succession of changes and departures in the early ‘80s, all the initial characters, excluding Jill Foster, were written off and substituted with the original main families, the Abbotts, and the Williamses. Notwithstanding these alterations, one narrative that has lasted through nearly the series’ full run is the vendetta between Jill Abbott and Katherine Chancellor, the most extensive enmity in American soap operas.
10 Emmerdale – 50 Years (Still In Production)
One of several British shows to make the list, this soap opera dates back to 1972 and still goes on (having reached around 9,000 episodes), considering that it is one of the most beloved daytime dramas in the UK, as well as one of the most popular shows on ITV.
Upon its conception, the show was called Emmerdale Farm (until ’89) and it focused on the Sugden family of farmers who lived in the imaginary village of Emmerdale, Yorkshire. As the years went by, some main characters were killed off and new ones were introduced with more dramatic storylines.
9 Sesame Street – 52 Years (Still In Production)
After more than 4,500 episodes, this is easily one of the - if not the - most beloved children’s show of all time. The show is famous for its descriptions communicated via the routines of Jim Henson's Muppets, and contains brief films, with comedy, and cultural contextualization.
The show’s purpose is to educate children about the world and relevant social issues in a way that is accessible and holds their attention, but is not demeaning or infantilizing. Some popular segments include “Bert & Ernie”, as well as “Elmo’s World”. Many famous guests have appeared on the show, like Michelle Obama and Lupita Nyong'o.
8 Sazae-San / サザエさん – 52 Years (Still In Production)
After more than five decades and over 7,500 episodes, this Japanese anime for children holds the Guinness World Record for the longest-running anime TV show in the world. It is based on the manga series of the same name that was written and illustrated by Machiko Hasegawa, one of the first female manga creators.
The show focuses on Sazae Fuguta who lives with her husband Masuo and her family, as they navigate life in post-WWI Japan with humor and love. Sazae was quite a liberated woman who did not care about what society thought because Machiko wanted her to reflect the then-contemporary Japanese young woman.
7 As The World Turns – 54 Years (No Longer In Production)
Following nearly 14,000 episodes, this show was taken off the air in 2010 due to the ratings going down. Irna Phillips came up with As the World Turns as a spin-off show to her previous soap opera Guiding Light. The initial core family was the Hugheses, all medical and legal professionals or clergy (this became quite typical in soap operas later on).
The show moved on a very slow pace and was reluctant to introduce many new characters, as well as dabble with sensitive issues, something which earned it the reputation of being considerably conservative, despite it being one of the longest-running TV shows in the world. Helen Wagner was on the show for over 50 years, one of the longest-running characters in TV history.
6 Days Of Our Lives – 56 Years (Still In Production)
The popularity of this show was not only the result of good old-fashioned soap opera recipes that attract audiences but also of the hilarious - but still positive in the outcome - marketing that it received from the most celebrated sitcom ever, Friends.
In its 14,000-episode run, many different cast members and characters have come and gone through its years as one of the longest-running TV shows in the world. However, in the beginning, the series focused on the misfortunes and victories of the affluent Horton family. Initially led by paterfamilias Dr. Tom Horton and his wife, housewife Alice, the Hortons persist as a major feature in the current narrative.
5 General Hospital - 59 Years (Still In Production)
With an overwhelming number of almost 15,000 episodes, this is the second-longest ever TV drama still in production (after Coronation Street) and ongoing since 1963. It has the record for the highest number of Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Drama Series, with a total of thirteen wins.
While for the first few seasons (and when we say few, here we mean like 15) the show focused on the dealings of the doctors, nurses, and patients on the 7th floor of the General Hospital in an unnamed city (later called Port Charles), in following seasons it expanded its scope (although one could be sure that in one way or another a character would end up in the hospital).
4 Coronation Street - 62 Years (Still In Production)
With 60 years of runtime so far and a little more than 10,000 episodes, this is the longest TV drama still in production and the longest-running scripted British TV series. The successful and popular soap opera follows the lives of residents of Coronation Street in a working-class neighborhood in Weatherfield, an imaginary town somewhere in Greater Manchester.
It employs light-hearted humor mixed with social commentary and has dealt with issues like poverty and domestic abuse. The show is broadcasted -apart from the UK- in multiple countries, like the USA, Canada, and Australia.
3 Eurovision Song Contest - 66 Years (Still In Production)
The longest-running TV show in the world when it comes to reality TV shows is European Song Contest. This show started running in 1956 and missed only one year in that time. This is a reality singing competition series that shows like American Idol and The Voice owe their existence to.
The show has a competitor from each European country who sings original songs and competes for the grand prize. What makes it so interesting is that each country has its own musical style that might seem bizarre to other countries. Three have been 52 countries that have competed in this contest over the years.
2 The Tonight Show - 67 Years (Still In Production)
It's hard to imagine, but this late-night talk show touched down way back in 1954, with original host Steve Allen taking up lead duties. Throughout the years, the show has been hosted by Jack Parr, Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, and most recently, Jimmy Fallon.
With an eye-watering 12,000 episodes under its belt, The Tonight Show has kept going, despite a drop in ratings during Fallon's tenure. All evidence points towards it reaching its 70th anniversary, which is a monumental feat for a television show.
1 Guiding Light - 72 Years (No Longer In Production)
With a total run of 72 years (15 on the Radio and 57 on TV) and a staggering 18,262 episodes, this was the longest-running TV show in the world (the creators even received a Guinness World Record for that). It was canceled by CBS in 2009.
As one can imagine, many different cast members and writers passed through the show, making the storyline not strictly continuous; however, the show did eventually focus on four core families (Bauer, Spaulding, Lewis, and Cooper) and their schemes and plots in the town of Springfield (no relation to the Simpsons’ town).
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