List of longest-running television shows by category

This lists the longest-running television shows by category. The criterion for the longest-running show is the number of years the show has been on the air, and not the number of episodes produced.

Years Category Show name Country Duration Channel/network No. of
episodes
88 Sports outside broadcast The Championships, Wimbledon[1] United Kingdom 1937,[2] 1939,1946–present (not played during World War II, nor in 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns) BBC Television Service, BBC One/Two
88 Outside broadcast Lord Mayor's Show United Kingdom 1937–1938, 1946–present (not broadcast during WW2 1939–1945)[3] BBC Television Service, BBC One
88 Outside broadcast Remembrance Sunday: The Cenotaph United Kingdom 1937–1938, 1946–present (not broadcast during WW2, 1939–1945) BBC Television Service, BBC One
78 News show Meet the Press United States 1947–present NBC 4,946+
77 Newscast CBS Evening News United States 1948–present CBS 16,400+
76 Religious program Music & the Spoken Word United States 1949–present KSL (Television since 1949, radio since 1929) 3,900+
76 Religious program Le Jour du Seigneur France 1949–present TF1 (1949–87)
France 2 (since 1987)
73 Sports show Hockey Night in Canada Canada 1952–present CBC, City/Sportsnet, CTV
72 Sports magazine show La Domenica Sportiva Italy 1953–present RAI 3,318 (as of 10 May 2020)
Music talent show NHK Nodo Jiman Japan 1953–present NHK 2,900 (as of 2012)
Current affairs series Panorama United Kingdom 1953–present BBC One
71 Talk show The Tonight Show United States 1954–present NBC
70 Annual live international beauty pageant Miss Universe United States 1955–present CBS, NBC, FOX 72
Song contest Sanremo Music Festival Italy 1955–present RAI (radio broadcast since 1951, TV broadcast since 1955)
Annual live national beauty pageant Miss America United States 1955–present ABC, NBC, CBS 96 (102)
69 Annual live song contest Eurovision Song Contest Europe 1956–present EBU 104
68 Science show The Sky at Night United Kingdom 1957–present BBC One, BBC Four 825 (as of Oct 2022)
67 Children's show Blue Peter United Kingdom 1958–present BBC One, CBBC 5,294 (as of 13 October 2023)
67 Agriculture information Plodovi zemlje Croatia 1958–present HRT 1 1,900 (as of 14 March 2017)
66 Animated Sandmännchen Germany 1959–present Deutscher Fernsehfunk, Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg 22,200+
65 Soap opera Coronation Street United Kingdom 1960–present ITV 10,000+
64 Comedy KVN Soviet Union (1961–1991)
Russia (1991–present) 		1961–present Channel One Russia, KVN TV
TV feedback show Points of View United Kingdom 1961–present BBC One, BBC Two
Quiz show It's Academic United States 1961–present[4]
Documentary Four Corners Australia 1961–present Australian Broadcasting Corporation
63 Medicine talk show Trupi dhe Shëndeti Albania 1962–present RTSH 1,000+
62 Science fiction Doctor Who United Kingdom 1963–1989, 1996,[5] 2005–present BBC One 891 (as of 24 May 2025)
62 Variety show Programa Silvio Santos Brazil 1963–present SBT 3,000+
61 Music chart show Top of the Pops United Kingdom 1964–2006; Christmas shows only 2006–present BBC One, BBC Two 2,219
60 Children's stories Vecernicek Czech Republic 1965–Present Czech Television Programs: ČT1, ČT2, ČT Déčko
60 Nature documentary Le Jardin extraordinaire Belgium 1965–present RTBF 2,400+
59 Children's show (preschool) Play School Australia 1966–present Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) 4,500+
Comedy special Áramótaskaupið Iceland 1966–present Ríkisútvarpið 56
58 Game show Des chiffres et des lettres France 1965–2024 France 2 (1965–2006)
France 3 (2006–2024) 		20,000 (as of October 2012)
58 Agricultural Krishi Darshan India 1967–present DD National 16,780+
56 Anime for kids Sazae-san Japan 1969–present Fuji Television 8,880+[6]
Children's Educational Sesame Street United States 1969–present NET (1969–1970), PBS (1970–), HBO (2016–2020), HBO Max (2020–2025), Netflix (2025–) 4,000+
55 Police procedural Tatort Germany 1970–present Das Erste 1,136 (as of 6 September 2020)[7]
54 Superhero fiction Kamen Rider Japan 1971–1989, 2000–present MBS/NET (1971–1975), MBS/TBS (1975–1989), TV Asahi (2000–) 1,649
51 Sketch comedy show Radio Rochela Venezuela 1959–2010 RCTV 2,652
49 Talk show - hosted continuously by the same host Tetsuko's Room Japan 1976–present TV_Asahi 12,100 (as of 12 September 2023)[8]
Political satire Extra 3 Germany 1976–present Das Erste
48 Charity show The Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon United States 1966–2014 Various 48
Sports variety Grandstand United Kingdom 1958–2007 BBC One, BBC Two 3,500
47 Film review Film United Kingdom 1971–2018 BBC One
46 Variety show Eat Bulaga! Philippines 1979-present RPN 9, ABS-CBN, GMA Network, TV5, RPTV 15,000+
44 Educational game show Shell Quiz Thailand 1965–2009 TV4, MCOT HD,

TV11, ETV, Nation TV

41 Glove puppetry show Pili Taiwan 1984–present[9] Pili TV 2,000+
38 Music video show Rage Australia 1987–present Australian Broadcasting Corporation
38 Comedy drama Kopi kade Sri Lanka 1987–present ITN 2,000+
36 Reality show America's Funniest Home Videos United States 1989–present American Broadcasting Company
36 Adult animation The Simpsons United States 1989–present Fox Broadcasting Company 850+
15 Fantasy television Supernatural United States 2005–2020 The CW 327+

See also

References

  1. ^ "Wimbledon". Genome Project. 9 October 2018. Archived from the original on October 10, 2018.
  2. ^ "Wimbledon and the BBC 1927 to 2017". History of the BBC. 22 November 2018.
  3. ^ "The Lord Mayor's Show dates". BBC Genome. Archived from the original on September 10, 2018. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  4. ^ "Mac McGarry, 'It's Academic' host, dies at 87". The Washington Post. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  5. ^ "BBC – Doctor Who Classic Episode Guide – Doctor Who: The TV Movie – Details". 2015-05-05. Archived from the original on 2015-05-05. Retrieved 2022-09-22.
  6. ^ "Sazae-san".
  7. ^ "Die Fälle – Tatort – ARD | Das Erste".
  8. ^ "『徹子の部屋』ギネス世界記録更新！同一司会者によるトーク番組の最多放送".
  9. ^ "Pili Glove Puppetry". Taiwan Ministry of Culture. 2017-01-03.
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