This is a list of the longest-running television shows by category. The criterion for being the longest-running show is by the number of years the show has been on the air and not the number of episodes produced.
The Brazilian show Programa Silvio Santos is the longest-running television show of all time hosted by the same person.
Years | Category | Show name | Country | Duration | Channel/network | Episodes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
80 | Outside broadcast | Lord Mayor's Show | ![]() |
1937–1938, 1946–present (not broadcast during WW2 1939–1945)[1] | BBC Television Service, BBC One | |
80 | Outside broadcast | Remembrance Sunday: The Cenotaph | ![]() |
1937–1938, 1946–present (not broadcast during WW2 1939–1945) | BBC Television Service, BBC One | |
77 | Sports outside broadcast | The Championships, Wimbledon[2] | ![]() |
1937,[3] 1939,1946–present (not played during World War II, nor in 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns) | BBC Television Service, BBC One/Two | |
76 | News show | Meet the Press | ![]() |
1947–present | NBC | 4,946+ |
75 | Newscast | CBS Evening News | ![]() |
1948–present | CBS | 16,400+ |
74 | Religious program | Music and the Spoken Word | ![]() |
1949–present | KSL (Television Since 1949)
(Radio Since 1929) |
3900+ |
73 | Religious program | Le Jour du Seigneur | ![]() |
1949–present | TF1 (1949–87) France 2 (since 1987) |
|
70 | Sports show | Hockey Night in Canada | ![]() |
1952–present | CBC, City/Sportsnet, CTV | |
68 | Sports magazine show | La Domenica Sportiva | ![]() |
1953–present | RAI | 3318 (as of 10 May 2020[update]) |
Music talent show | NHK Nodo Jiman | ![]() |
1953–present | NHK | 2,900 (as of 2012[update]) | |
Current affairs series | Panorama | ![]() |
1953–present | BBC One | ||
67 | Talk show | The Tonight Show | ![]() |
1954–present | NBC | |
66 | Song contest | Sanremo Music Festival | ![]() |
1951–present | RAI (radio broadcast since 1951, TV broadcast since 1955) | |
Annual live international beauty pageant | Miss Universe | ![]() |
1955–present | CBS, NBC, FOX | 72 | |
Annual live national beauty pageant | Miss America | ![]() |
1955–present | ABC, NBC, CBS | 96 (102) | |
65 | Science show | The Sky at Night | ![]() |
1957–present | BBC One, BBC Four | 825 (as of Oct 2022) |
Children's show | Blue Peter | ![]() |
1958–present | BBC One, CBBC | 5,294 (as of 13 October 2023) | |
63 | Historical drama | Zenigata Heiji | ![]() |
1958–2006 | various | |
Agriculture information | Plodovi zemlje | ![]() |
1958–present | HRT 1 | 1900 (as of 14 March 2017) | |
62 | Animated | Sandmännchen | ![]() |
1959–present | Deutscher Fernsehfunk, Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg | 22,200 |
Soap opera | Coronation Street | ![]() |
1960–present | ITV | 10000+ | |
60 | Comedy | KVN | ![]() ![]() |
1961–present | Channel One Russia, KVN TV | |
TV feedback show | Points of View | ![]() |
1961–present | BBC One, BBC Two | ||
Quiz show | It's Academic | ![]() |
1961–present[4] | |||
60 | Song contest | Festivali i Këngës | ![]() |
1962–present | RTSH | |
60 | Medicine talk show | Trupi dhe Shëndeti | ![]() |
1962–present | RTSH | 1000+ |
60 | Science fiction | Doctor Who | ![]() |
1963–1989, 1996,[5] 2005–present | BBC One | 881 (as of 6 June 2024) |
58 | Variety show | Programa Silvio Santos | ![]() |
1963–present | SBT | 3000+ |
59 | Music chart show | Top of the Pops | ![]() |
1964–2006; Christmas shows only 2006–present | BBC One, BBC Two | 2,219 |
Documentary | Four Corners | ![]() |
1961–present | Australian Broadcasting Corporation | ||
56 | Game show | Des chiffres et des lettres | ![]() |
1965–present | France 2 (1965–2006) France 3 (since 2006) |
20,000 (as of October 2012[update]) |
56 | Children's show (preschool) | Play School | ![]() |
1966–present | Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) | 4,500+ |
56 | Comedy special | Áramótaskaupið | ![]() |
1966–present | Ríkisútvarpið | 56 |
53 | Anime for kids | Sazae-san | ![]() |
1969–present | Fuji Television | 7000+[6] |
Kids Educational | Sesame Street | ![]() |
1969–present | NET (1969–1970), PBS (1970–), HBO (2016–2020), HBO Max (2020–) | 4000+ | |
52 | Police procedural | Tatort | ![]() |
1970–present | Das Erste | 1,136 (as of 6 September 2020[update])[7] |
51 | Sketch comedy show | Radio Rochela | ![]() |
1959–2010 | RCTV | 2652 |
49 | Charity show | The Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon | ![]() |
1966–2014 | Various | 48 |
Sports variety | Grandstand | ![]() |
1958–2007 | BBC One, BBC Two | 3500 | |
47 | Film review | Film | ![]() |
1971–2018 | BBC One | |
45 | Political satire | Extra 3 | ![]() |
1976–present | Das Erste | |
Automotive | Top Gear (relaunched in 2002) | ![]() |
1976–2001, 2002–2023 | BBC Two, BBC One | ||
38 | Glove puppetry show | Pili | ![]() |
1984–present[8] | Pili TV | 2,000+ |
37 | Sitcom | Last of the Summer Wine | ![]() |
1973–2010 | BBC One | 295 |
35 | Music video show | Rage | ![]() |
1987–present | Australian Broadcasting Corporation | |
34 | Comedy drama | Kopi kade | ![]() |
1987–present | ITN | 1,900+ |
33 | Reality show | America's Funniest Home Videos | ![]() |
1989–present | American Broadcasting Company | |
33 | Adult animation | The Simpsons | ![]() |
1989–present | Fox Broadcasting Company | 700+ |
18 | Detective Action | Arka Sokaklar | ![]() |
2006–present | Kanal D | 674 |
15 | Fantasy | Supernatural | ![]() |
2005–2020 | The WB | 327 |