Here Are some 10 longgest American tv series.

TV is a tough business, and a show staying on the air for many years is impressive. Shows for kids and daytime dramas are good examples. From soaps to late-night comedy shows, these 10 American programs are notable for their very long durations longer than any other shows.

All My Children (1970 – 2013)

 

Years: 43
Genres: Drama, Mystery, Romance
IMDb: 6.7/10 3K

This classic soap opera started in 1970 and ended in 2013 after 43 years. It showed the lives of characters in a made-up suburb of Philadelphia. It was popular not with women but also had 30% of men watching it.

ABC first cancelled it but it returned to show 40 more episodes. This brought the total to 10,755 episodes making it one of the longest TV shows ever.

One Life to Live (1968 – 2013)

Years: 48
Genres: Drama Romance
IMDb: 6.9/10 2.5K

For more than 40 years, the audience was captivated by the hardships of One Life to Live. This beloved TV drama was set in Lianview part of Philadelphia, and had over 11000 episodes in its 45-year span, marking it as one of the briefest daytime series on TV. It also caused a revolution in having a diverse cast — it moved past the usual WASP rich family dramas shown before this series was broadcast.

The main discussions were about three families: the rich Lord family, the Polish American Woleks (workers) and the Irish Catholic Rileys (middle-class), with the African-American Griffin family too. Various other views got into storylines making us all wiser as we got an exclusive look into various cultures ways of life, and backgrounds. after a long time on TV, One Life to Live ended with people saying their last tearful goodbyes from 2013 onwards.

Saturday Night Live (1975 – Present)

Years: 48
Genres: Comedy, Music
IMDb: 8.0/10 50K

Since 1975, Lorne Michaels has delivered Saturday Night Live to late-night TV. SNL shattered comedic barriers and also addressed tough societal issues like race, class, and politics in a way that people accept.

In the 1990s, they were very successful due to comedians like Adam Sandler, Norm MacDonald, and Chris Farley. These comedians pushed them forward on their path to Hollywood fame for many known comedy stars, including Eddie Murphy and Chevy Chase. This made it one of the longest-lasting sketch comedies on TV.

The Young and the Restless (1973 – Present)

Years: 50
Genres: Drama, Romance
IMDb: 5.2/10 6.4K

One series has been a success for over fifty years and more than twelve thousand shows. Initially, the sister production of The Bold And The Beautiful focused on two unique families: the wealthy Brooks and the working-class Fosters. But after many changes in writing in the early 1980s and many main characters leaving except Jill Foster, the show shifted its focus to main families like the Abbotts or the Williamses.

This shift however, did not affect the longevity of the conflict between Jill Abbott and Katherine Chancellor throughout most of the show, which remains known today as America’s longest-lasting soap opera rivalry.

As the World Turns (1956 – 2010)

Years: 54
Genres: Drama, Romance
IMDb: 6.2/10 2.1K

Irna Phillips made As the World Turns as a new branch from her earlier soap opera Guiding Light. Most of the series focused on one key family – The Hugheses – not on many characters. This central family had doctors, lawyers, and religious heads; it turned common in other soap operas.

The soap was on TV for almost 14,000 episodes until it stopped in 2010 because not many people were watching it anymore. It became famous because it told stories and did not include new events or modern stories in its plots making many call it ‘conservative’ even though it was one of the longest shows on TV. Helen Wagner is very well known because she acted in this show for all 50 years it was on, which makes her the most long-serving actor in TV history.

Sesame Street (1969 – Present)

Years: 54
Genres: Adventure, Animation, Comedy
IMDb: 8.1/10 14K

Sesame Street has won the hearts of children for over 4,500 episodes. It offers more than just Jim Henson‘s playful Muppets and fun scenes. The show supports learning and the appreciation of various cultures featuring well-known faces such as Michelle Obama and Lupita Nyong’o as special guests now and then.

Popular segments such as “Bert & Ernie” and “Elmo’s World” will entertain any child. While they enjoy the show, they learn valuable life lessons with each episode—the best mix anyone could want in today’s top quality children’s programming.

Days of Our Lives (1965 – Present)

Years: 58
Genres: Drama, Romance
IMDb: 5.2/10 7K

Days of Our Lives, a long-lasting American TV show, became very popular reaching its top in the 1980s. It replaced Another World as the top soap opera on NBC. Its touching stories and intense characters won the love of viewers all over the world – even leading Friends the most famous sitcom on TV, to show it in a few episodes.

The Horton family is central led by Dr. Tom and Alice as their patriarch and matriarch. They have maintained appearances for about 14,000 shows since the series started in 1965 by adding new characters every season while still providing lovable updates about some enduring classic characters over these many years.

General Hospital (1936 – Present)

Years: 60
Genres: Crime, Drama, Romance
IMDb: 6.5/10 5.1K

General Hospital is a legendary TV drama that has been on television for more than 50 years since 1963. It has won more Daytime Emmy Awards than any other program with 13 victories and it still shows new episodes today.

It was set on the 7th floor at Port Charles’ General Hospital focusing on medicine and its secrets. Later plot changes moved away from this place but still kept a connection by returning to the much-loved hospital. With an amazing 15 thousand+ episodes aired so far (fewer than the British Coronation Street for the longest-lasting ongoing drama), there is a lot more to come.

The Tonight Show (1954 – Present)

 

Years: 69
Genres: Comedy, Music, Talk-Show
IMDb: 5.3/10 – 8.5/10 43K

It’s wonderful to realize that a TV show has been so popular and existed for 70 years. Since starting in 1954, The Tonight Show has had various hosts. Steve Allen was the initial host, and Jack Parr came after him.

Johnny Carson was a host during this long-lasting show. He is remembered for having one of the highest ratings with 8.5 out of 10 on average. Jay Leno followed but managed to get a 5.3 out of 10 rating, which is still the lowest compared to other cohosts like Conan O’Brien (8 out of 10) Jimmy Fallon (7.1 out of 10) who is the current leader. Even though there have been some drops in viewers over the years, the presence of 12,000 episodes shows how enjoyable and well-liked The Tonight Show still is – a real milestone.

Guiding Light (1937 – 2009)

Years: 72
Genres: Drama, Romance
IMDb: 6.5/10 1.7K

This TV show thrived for 72 years and an impressive 18,262 episodes. No other show could equal its duration. It set records with its long span until it concluded in 2009. CBS chose to cancel it then.

The show changed its cast and crew. It finally focused on four main families: The Bauers, Spauldings, Lewises, and Coopers as they navigated various plots in Springfield. This place is different from The Simpsons‘ Springfield. The program also earned a Guinness World Record, a rare achievement for shows.