List of longest-running scripted American primetime television series
Appearance
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This is a list of the longest-running scripted prime time television series in the United States, as measured by number of seasons. Only shows that have aired on a major broadcast network for seven or more seasons and at least 100 episodes are included. Those that moved to syndication, a cable network, or a streaming service are noted below.
Series shaded in aqua are in production. |
Number of seasons |
Series | Network | First air date |
Last air date |
Number of episodes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
35 | The Simpsons | Fox | January 14, 1990[1] | present | 768 |
25 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | NBC | September 20, 1999 | present | 551 |
23 | Law & Order | NBC | September 13, 1990 | present | 501 |
22 | Family Guy | Fox | April 11, 1999[2] | present | 424[3] |
21 | NCIS | CBS | September 23, 2003 | present | 467 |
20 | Gunsmoke | CBS | September 10, 1955 | March 31, 1975 | 635 |
20 | Grey's Anatomy | ABC | March 27, 2005 | present | 430 |
20 | American Dad! | Fox (2005–2014) TBS (2014–present)[4] |
May 1, 2005[5] | present | 366 |
19 | Lassie | CBS | September 12, 1954 | March 21, 1971 | 591[6] |
17 | Criminal Minds[7] | CBS (2005–2020) Paramount+ (2022–present) |
September 22, 2005 | present | 344 |
15 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | CBS | October 6, 2000 | February 15, 2015 | 337[8] |
15 | ER | NBC | September 19, 1994 | April 2, 2009 | 331 |
15 | Supernatural | The WB (2005–2006) The CW (2006–2020) |
September 13, 2005 | November 19, 2020 | 327 |
15 | The Jack Benny Program | CBS (1950–1964) NBC (1964–1965) |
October 28, 1950[9] | April 16, 1965 | 260 |
14 | The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet | ABC | October 3, 1952 | April 23, 1966 | 435 |
14 | Bonanza | NBC | September 12, 1959 | January 16, 1973 | 431 |
14 | Dallas | CBS | April 2, 1978 | May 3, 1991 | 357 |
14 | Knots Landing | CBS | December 27, 1979 | May 13, 1993 | 344 |
14 | NCIS: Los Angeles | CBS | September 22, 2009 | May 21, 2023 | 323 |
14 | Blue Bloods | CBS | September 24, 2010 | present | 285 |
14 | Bob's Burgers | Fox | January 9, 2011 | present | 273 |
13 | King of the Hill | Fox | January 12, 1997 | May 6, 2010 | 259[10] |
12 | My Three Sons | ABC (1960–1965) CBS (1965–1972) |
September 29, 1960 | April 13, 1972 | 380 |
12 | Hawaii Five-O | CBS | September 26, 1968 | April 26, 1980 | 281 |
12 | The Big Bang Theory | CBS | September 24, 2007 | May 16, 2019 | 279 |
12 | Murder, She Wrote | CBS | September 30, 1984 | May 19, 1996 | 264 (+ 4 TV movies) |
12 | Two and a Half Men | CBS | September 22, 2003 | February 19, 2015 | 262 |
12 | NYPD Blue | ABC | September 21, 1993 | March 1, 2005 | 261 |
12 | Chicago Fire | NBC | October 10, 2012 | present | 252 |
12 | Bones | Fox | September 13, 2005 | March 28, 2017 | 246 |
11 | The Danny Thomas Show[11] | ABC (1953–1957) CBS (1957–1964) |
September 29, 1953 | April 27, 1964 | 343 |
11 | Cheers | NBC | September 30, 1982 | May 20, 1993 | 275 |
11 | Frasier | NBC | September 16, 1993 | May 13, 2004 | 264 |
11 | Murphy Brown | CBS | November 14, 1988 | December 20, 2018 | 260 |
11 | Married... with Children | Fox | April 5, 1987 | June 9, 1997 | 259 |
11 | M*A*S*H | CBS | September 17, 1972 | February 28, 1983 | 256 |
11 | Happy Days | ABC | January 15, 1974 | September 24, 1984 | 255 |
11 | The Jeffersons | CBS | January 18, 1975 | June 25, 1985 | 253 |
11 | Modern Family | ABC | September 23, 2009 | April 8, 2020 | 250 (+ 1 special) |
11 | Will & Grace | NBC | September 21, 1998 | April 23, 2020 | 246[12] |
11 | 7th Heaven | The WB (1996–2006) The CW (2006–2007) |
August 26, 1996 | May 13, 2007 | 243 |
11 | Chicago P.D. | NBC | January 8, 2014 | present | 221 |
11 | The X-Files | Fox | September 10, 1993 | March 21, 2018 | 218[13] |
10 | Beverly Hills, 90210 | Fox | October 4, 1990 | May 17, 2000 | 293 |
10 | Hawaii Five-0 | CBS | September 20, 2010 | April 3, 2020 | 240 |
10 | Friends | NBC | September 22, 1994 | May 6, 2004 | 236 |
10 | CSI: Miami | CBS | September 23, 2002 | April 8, 2012 | 232 |
10 | Roseanne | ABC | October 18, 1988 | May 22, 2018 | 231[14] |
10 | The Goldbergs | ABC | September 24, 2013 | May 3, 2023 | 229 |
10 | JAG | NBC (1995–1996) CBS (1997–2005) |
September 1, 1995 | April 29, 2005 | 227[15] |
10 | Smallville | The WB (2001–2006) The CW (2006–2011) |
October 16, 2001 | May 13, 2011 | 218 |
10 | The Blacklist | NBC | September 23, 2013 | July 13, 2023 | 218 |
10 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | NBC (2001–2007) USA (2007–2011) |
September 30, 2001 | June 26, 2011 | 195 |
9 | The Beverly Hillbillies | CBS | September 26, 1962 | March 23, 1971 | 274 |
9 | Perry Mason | CBS | September 21, 1957 | May 22, 1966 | 271 |
9 | The Virginian[16] | NBC | September 19, 1962 | March 24, 1971 | 249 |
9 | The Love Boat | ABC | September 24, 1977[17] | May 24, 1986 | 250 |
9 | The F.B.I. | ABC | September 19, 1965 | April 28, 1974 | 241 |
9 | The Drew Carey Show | ABC | September 13, 1995 | September 8, 2004 | 233 |
9 | Falcon Crest | CBS | December 4, 1981 | May 17, 1990 | 227 |
9 | The Waltons | CBS | September 14, 1972 | June 4, 1981 | 221 |
9 | Dynasty | ABC | January 13, 1981 | May 11, 1989 | 220 |
9 | Family Matters | ABC (1989–1997) CBS (1997–1998) |
September 22, 1989 | July 17, 1998 | 215 |
9 | The Middle | ABC | September 30, 2009 | May 22, 2018 | 215 |
9 | Touched by an Angel | CBS | September 21, 1994 | May 27, 2003 | 211 |
9 | Everybody Loves Raymond | CBS | September 13, 1996 | May 16, 2005 | 210 |
9 | One Day at a Time | CBS | December 16, 1975 | May 28, 1984 | 209 |
9 | How I Met Your Mother | CBS | September 19, 2005 | March 31, 2014 | 208 |
9 | The King of Queens | CBS | September 21, 1998 | May 14, 2007 | 207 |
9 | All in the Family | CBS | January 12, 1971 | April 8, 1979 | 205 |
9 | Little House on the Prairie[18] | NBC | September 11, 1974 | March 21, 1983 | 204 (+4 specials) |
9 | 24 | Fox | November 6, 2001 | July 14, 2014 | 192 + 24: Redemption + 12 (24: Live Another Day)[19] |
9 | Alice | CBS | August 31, 1976 | March 19, 1985 | 202 |
9 | The Facts of Life | NBC | August 24, 1979 | May 7, 1988 | 201 |
9 | The Office | NBC | March 24, 2005 | May 16, 2013 | |
9 | Coach | ABC | February 28, 1989 | May 14, 1997 | 200 |
9 | CSI: NY | CBS | September 22, 2004 | February 22, 2013 | 197 |
9 | Last Man Standing | ABC (2011–2017) Fox (2018–2021) |
October 11, 2011 | May 20, 2021 | 194 |
9 | Night Court | NBC | January 4, 1984 | May 31, 1992 | 193 |
9 | Matlock | NBC (1986–1992) ABC (1992–1995) |
September 23, 1986 | May 7, 1995 | 193 (+ pilot movie) |
9 | One Tree Hill | The WB (2003–2006) The CW (2006–2012) |
September 23, 2003 | April 4, 2012 | 187 |
9 | The Flash | The CW | October 7, 2014 | May 24, 2023 | 184 |
9 | Scrubs | NBC (2001–2008) ABC (2009–2010) |
October 2, 2001 | March 17, 2010 | 182 |
9 | Seinfeld | NBC | July 5, 1989 | May 14, 1998 | 180 |
9 | Chicago Med | NBC | November 17, 2015 | present | 176 |
8 | The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show | CBS | October 12, 1950 | September 15, 1958 | 291 |
8 | Wagon Train | NBC (1957–1962) ABC (1962–1965) |
September 18, 1957 | May 2, 1965 | 284 |
8 | Dragnet | NBC | December 16, 1951 | August 23, 1959 | 276 |
8 | The Donna Reed Show | ABC | September 24, 1958 | March 19, 1966 | 275 |
8[20] | Mama | CBS | July 1, 1949 | July 27, 1956 | 261[20] |
8 | Bewitched | ABC | September 17, 1964 | March 25, 1972 | 254 (74 episodes in black-and-white but later colorized; 180 episodes in color) |
8 | The Andy Griffith Show | CBS | October 3, 1960 | April 1, 1968 | 249 |
8 | Rawhide | CBS | January 9, 1959 | December 7, 1965 | 217 |
8 | Home Improvement | ABC | September 17, 1991 | May 25, 1999 | 204 |
8 | The Cosby Show | NBC | September 20, 1984 | April 30, 1992 | 201 (and outtakes special) |
8 | Walker, Texas Ranger | CBS | April 21, 1993 | May 19, 2001 | 200 |
8 | That '70s Show | Fox | August 23, 1998 | May 18, 2006 | 200 |
8 | Ironside | NBC | September 14, 1967[21] | January 16, 1975 | 199[22] |
8 | Who's the Boss? | ABC | September 20, 1984 | April 25, 1992 | 196 |
8 | Mannix | CBS | September 16, 1967 | April 13, 1975 | 194 |
8 | Full House | ABC | September 22, 1987 | May 23, 1995 | 192 |
8 | Diff'rent Strokes | NBC (1978–1985) ABC (1985–1986) |
November 3, 1978 | May 7, 1986 | 189 |
8 | Newhart | CBS | October 25, 1982 | May 21, 1990 | 184 |
8 | According to Jim | ABC | October 3, 2001 | June 2, 2009 | 182 |
8 | Desperate Housewives | ABC | October 3, 2004 | May 13, 2012 | 180 |
8 | Barnaby Jones | CBS | January 28, 1973 | April 3, 1980 | 178 |
8 | Laverne & Shirley | ABC | January 27, 1976 | May 10, 1983 | 178 |
8 | Diagnosis: Murder | CBS | October 29, 1993 | May 11, 2001 | 178 (+ pilot and 5 TV movies) |
8 | Charmed | The WB | October 7, 1998 | May 21, 2006 | 178 |
8 | House | Fox | November 16, 2004 | May 21, 2012 | 177 |
8 | Mad About You | NBC (1992–1999) Spectrum (2019) |
September 23, 1992 | December 18, 2019 | 176 |
8 | Black-ish | ABC | September 24, 2014 | April 19, 2022 | 176 |
8 | Castle | ABC | March 9, 2009 | May 16, 2016 | 173 |
8 | Three's Company | ABC | March 15, 1977 | September 18, 1984 | 172 |
8 | L.A. Law | NBC | October 3, 1986[23] | May 19, 1994 | 172 |
8 | Wings | NBC | April 19, 1990 | May 21, 1997 | 172 |
8 | Girlfriends | UPN (2000–2006) The CW (2006–2008) |
September 11, 2000 | February 11, 2008 | 172 |
8 | The Vampire Diaries | The CW | September 10, 2009 | March 10, 2017 | 171 |
8 | Arrow | The CW | October 6, 2012 | January 28, 2020 | 170 |
8 | Mom | CBS | September 23, 2013 | May 13, 2021 | 170 |
8 | Barney Miller | ABC | January 23, 1975 | May 20, 1982 | 170 |
8 | The Practice | ABC | March 4, 1997 | May 16, 2004 | 168 |
8 | Magnum, P.I. | CBS | December 11, 1980 | May 8, 1988 | 162 |
8 | Simon & Simon | CBS | November 24, 1981 | January 21, 1989 | 156 |
8 | Brooklyn Nine-Nine | Fox (2013–2018) NBC (2019–2021) |
September 17, 2013 | September 16, 2021 | 153 |
8 | Perfect Strangers | ABC | March 25, 1986 | August 6, 1993 | 150 |
8 | Quincy, M.E. | NBC | October 3, 1976 | September 4, 1983 | 148 |
7 | Melrose Place | Fox | July 8, 1992 | May 24, 1999 | 226 |
7 | Petticoat Junction | CBS | September 24, 1963 | April 4, 1970 | 222 |
7 | The Golden Girls | NBC | September 14, 1985 | May 21, 1992 | 180 |
7 | Star Trek: The Next Generation | CBS | September 28, 1987 | May 23, 1994 | 178 |
7 | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | CBS | January 3, 1993 | June 2, 1999 | 176 |
7 | Family Ties | NBC | September 22, 1982 | May 14, 1989 | 176 + one film |
7 | Adam-12 | NBC | September 21, 1968 | May 20, 1975 | 174 |
7 | Star Trek: Voyager | UPN | January 16, 1995 | May 23, 2001 | 172 |
7 | Mission: Impossible | CBS | September 17, 1966 | March 30, 1973 | 171 |
7 | Medical Center | CBS | September 24, 1969[24] | September 6, 1976 | 170 |
7 | Empty Nest | NBC | October 8, 1988 | April 29, 1995 | 170 |
7 | Marcus Welby, M.D. | ABC | September 23, 1969[25] | May 4, 1976 | 170 |
7 | The Mary Tyler Moore Show | CBS | September 19, 1970 | March 19, 1977 | 168 |
7 | Growing Pains | ABC | September 24, 1985 | April 25, 1992 | 166 |
7 | Designing Women | CBS | September 29, 1986 | May 24, 1993 | 163 |
7 | Sabrina, the Teenage Witch | ABC (1996–2000) The WB (2000–2003) |
September 27, 1996 | April 24, 2003 | 163 |
7 | Step by Step | ABC (1991–1997) CBS (1997–1998) |
September 20, 1991 | June 26, 1998 | 160 |
7 | Without a Trace | CBS | September 26, 2002 | May 19, 2009 | 160 |
7 | Benson | ABC | September 13, 1979 | April 19, 1986 | 158 |
7 | Boy Meets World | ABC | September 24, 1993 | May 5, 2000 | 158 |
7 | Cold Case | CBS | September 28, 2003 | May 2, 2010 | 156 |
7 | The Good Wife | CBS | September 22, 2009 | May 8, 2016 | 156 |
7 | NCIS: New Orleans | CBS | September 23, 2014 | May 23, 2021 | 155 |
7 | Once Upon a Time | ABC | October 23, 2011 | May 18, 2018 | 155 |
7 | The West Wing | NBC | September 22, 1999 | May 14, 2006 | 154[note 1] |
7 | Elementary | CBS | September 27, 2012 | August 15, 2019 | 154 |
7 | Gilmore Girls | The WB (2000–2006) The CW (2006–2007) |
October 5, 2000 | May 15, 2007 | 153 |
7 | Hunter | NBC | September 18, 1984 | April 26, 1991 | 153 |
7 | Fantasy Island | ABC | January 28, 1978 | May 19, 1984 | 152, plus 2 TV movies[26] |
7 | Trapper John, M.D. | CBS | September 23, 1979 | September 4, 1986 | 151 |
7 | Malcolm in the Middle | Fox | January 9, 2000 | May 14, 2006 | 151 |
7 | The Mentalist | CBS | September 23, 2008 | February 28, 2015 | 151 |
7 | Just Shoot Me! | NBC | March 4, 1997 | August 16, 2003 | 145 (+ 3 episodes aired in syndication) |
7 | The Dukes of Hazzard | CBS | January 26, 1979 | February 8, 1985 | 147 |
7 | Hill Street Blues | NBC | January 15, 1981 | May 12, 1987 | 146 |
7 | New Girl | Fox | September 20, 2011 | May 15, 2018 | 146 |
7 | Buffy the Vampire Slayer | The WB (1997–2001) UPN (2001–2003) |
March 10, 1997 | May 20, 2003 | 144 |
7 | In the Heat of the Night | NBC (1988–1992) CBS (1992–1994) |
March 6, 1988 | May 11, 1994 | 147 + 4 TV movies |
7 | S.W.A.T. | CBS | November 2, 2017 | present | 141 |
7 | Young Sheldon | CBS | September 25, 2017 | May 16, 2024 | 141 |
7 | MacGyver | ABC | September 29, 1985 | May 21, 1992 | 139 + 2 TV films |
7 | 30 Rock | NBC | October 11, 2006 | January 31, 2013 | 139 |
7 | Riverdale | The CW | January 26, 2017 | August 23, 2023 | 137 |
7 | Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. | ABC | September 24, 2013 | August 12, 2020 | 136 |
7 | Medium | NBC (2005–2009) CBS (2009–2011) |
January 3, 2005 | January 21, 2011 | 130 |
7 | Parks and Recreation | NBC | April 9, 2009 | February 24, 2015 | 126 |
7 | Cagney & Lacey | CBS | March 25, 1982[27] | May 16, 1988 | 125 (+ 4 TV movies) |
7 | The Good Doctor | ABC | September 25, 2017 | May 21, 2024 | 126 |
7 | Scandal | ABC | April 5, 2012 | April 19, 2018 | 124 |
7 | Homicide: Life on the Street | NBC | January 31, 1993 | May 21, 1999 | 122 |
7 | Legends of Tomorrow | The CW | January 21, 2016 | March 2, 2022 | 110 |
7 | Cheyenne | ABC | September 20, 1955[28] | December 17, 1962 | 108 |
7 | 9-1-1 | Fox (2018–2023) ABC (2024–present) |
January 3, 2018 | present | 106 |
7 | Station 19 | ABC | March 22, 2018 | May 30, 2024 | 105 |
7 | Rules of Engagement | CBS | February 5, 2007 | May 20, 2013 | 100 |
7 | The 100 | The CW | March 19, 2014 | September 30, 2020 | 100 |
See also
[edit]- Lists of longest-running American shows by broadcast type:
- List of longest-running American television series
- List of longest-running American broadcast network television series
- List of longest-running American cable television series
- List of longest-running American first-run syndicated television series
- List of longest-running American primetime television series
Notes
[edit]- ^ This includes the special episodes "Documentary Special" and "Isaac and Ishmael", but not the 2020 special "A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote" (primarily a restaging of "Hartsfield's Landing").
References
[edit]- ^ The Simpsons aired a sneak peek on December 17, 1989.
- ^ Family Guy aired a sneak peek on January 31, 1999.
- ^ Family Guy has two episodes that did not originally air on Fox. "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein" originally aired on Adult Swim and "Partial Terms of Endearment" originally aired in the UK.
- ^ American Dad! moved to TBS in 2014 for additional seasons.
- ^ American Dad! aired a sneak peek on February 6, 2005.
- ^ Lassie ran for a total of 20 seasons and 591 episodes. The final two seasons aired in syndication.
- ^ Also known as Criminal Minds: Evolution (2022–present)
- ^ CSI: Crime Scene Investigation officially ended its run with Immortality on September 27, 2015. The TV movie is considered the two-episode 16th season, bringing the episode total to 337.
- ^ The Jack Benny Program began with a pilot episode on May 8, 1949.
- ^ Four more episodes of King of the Hill aired after its official final broadcast, bringing the total to 259.
- ^ For its first three seasons, The Danny Thomas Show aired as Make Room for Daddy.
- ^ "'Will & Grace' to Return to NBC for New Season". January 18, 2017.
- ^ In 2016, The X-Files returned to television after 14 years for two more seasons.
- ^ Show later continued as The Conners for a further ten episodes.
- ^ The episode "Skeleton Crew" did not originally air on NBC.
- ^ In its final season, the title of The Virginian was changed to The Men from Shiloh.
- ^ The Love Boat had two pilot movies that aired on September 18, 1976 and January 21, 1977.
- ^ In its final season, the title of Little House on the Prairie was changed to Little House: A New Beginning.
- ^ In 2014, 24 returned to television with another 12-episode series 24: Live Another Day.
- ^ a b An additional season of Mama aired on Sunday afternoons, bringing the episode total to 283.
- ^ Ironside began with the pilot movie A Man Called Ironside on March 28, 1967.
- ^ Ironside had three additional episodes after its official final broadcast.
- ^ L.A. Law began with a two-hour pilot on September 15, 1986.
- ^ Medical Center began with the pilot movie U.M.C. on April 17, 1969.
- ^ Marcus Welby, M.D. began with a pilot movie on March 26, 1969.
- ^ Fantasy Island had two premiere movies that aired on January 14, 1977 and January 20, 1978.
- ^ Cagney & Lacey began with a pilot movie on October 8, 1981.
- ^ Cheyenne began as a rotating element of Warner Bros. Presents.