The 15 Longest-running Shows that Currently Air on US Television

With all the entertainment options these days (not to mention the ballooning budgets), most shows are lucky to last a decade before it’s time to wrap things up. Some are even canceled after one or two episodes. But then there are the few legendary shows that seem to stand the test of time. Here are 15 that are currently the longest-running shows in the US.

15. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Series debut: September 20, 1999

This cop-legal drama has been on so long that it saw its main character Olivia Benson (played by Mariska Hargitay) eventually gets promoted from detective to commander of the NYPD unit tasked with investigating sex crimes. For her efforts, Hargitay has won a Primetime Emmy Award as well as a Golden Globe for Best Actress. With 485 episodes under its belt, this spin off of the original Law & Order series is now the 4th longest-running scripted show in TV history.

14. South Park

Series debut: August 13, 1997

Before landing on TV, South Park began as an animated short featuring a battle between Christmas rivals Jesus and Santa Claus, making it one of the first videos to ever go viral. The satirical comedy about four boys from a small fictional town in Colorado is closing in on 300 episodes and shows no signs of stopping. In fact, in 2020 it remained the highest watched comedy show in all of cable TV. 

South Park.

13. Power Rangers

Series debut: August 28, 1993

This children’s action series might be corny, but its diversity and ability to reboot itself in order to remain relevant are formulas that have resulted in almost 30 years of success. It’s bounced around from network to network over the years, but a show about colorful masked characters punching robots in the throat will always find an audience as long as 6 year-olds continue to exist. 

12. American’s Funniest Home Videos

Series debut: November 26, 1989

The ability to upload home videos for millions to see is something we take for granted these days in the era of YouTube, but back in the late 80s it was a truly revolutionary idea. If you recorded something you found funny — whether spontaneous or scripted — you were encouraged to mail in the videotape and potentially come out thousands of dollars richer. Remarkably, the Internet has not killed it off. Originally hosted by Bob Saget from 1989 to 2001, then Tom Bergeron from 2001-2005 and now Alfonso Ribeiro, the longest-running primetime show on ABC continues to thrive because it focuses on quality and knows exactly what its weekly audience of 5 million viewers wants. 

11. The Simpsons

Series debut: December 17, 1989

When The Simpsons started, Bart Simpson was the show’s centerpiece. In fact, elementary schools all over the country were going nuts banning Bart Simpsons t-shirts because they felt he was *gasp!* encouraging kids to underachieve in school! The show was an absolute comedy juggernaut through the 90s, churning out brilliant writers including Conan O’Brien. Although everybody has spent the past 20 years debating whether the show has outlasted its welcome, it was recently revealed that it had been renewed for a 33rd and 34th season, taking it through at least the spring of 2023.

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