List of longest-running television shows by category

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.

<table><thead><tr><th>Years</th><th>Category</th><th>Show name</th><th>Country</th><th>Duration</th><th>Channel/network</th><th>No. of episodes</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>88</td><td>Sports outside broadcast</td><td>The Championships, Wimbledon</td><td>United Kingdom</td><td>1937, 1939,1946–present (not played during World War II, nor in 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns)</td><td>BBC Television Service, BBC One/Two</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>88</td><td>Outside broadcast</td><td>Lord Mayor's Show</td><td>United Kingdom</td><td>1937–1938, 1946–present (not broadcast during WW2 1939–1945)</td><td>BBC Television Service, BBC One</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>88</td><td>Outside broadcast</td><td>Remembrance Sunday: The Cenotaph</td><td>United Kingdom</td><td>1937–1938, 1946–present (not broadcast during WW2, 1939–1945)</td><td>BBC Television Service, BBC One</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>78</td><td>News show</td><td>Meet the Press</td><td>United States</td><td>1947–present</td><td>NBC</td><td>4,946+</td></tr><tr><td>77</td><td>Newscast</td><td>CBS Evening News</td><td>United States</td><td>1948–present</td><td>CBS</td><td>16,400+</td></tr><tr><td>76</td><td>Religious program</td><td>Music & the Spoken Word</td><td>United States</td><td>1949–present</td><td>KSL (Television since 1949, radio since 1929)</td><td>3,900+</td></tr><tr><td>76</td><td>Religious program</td><td>Le Jour du Seigneur</td><td>France</td><td>1949–present</td><td>TF1 (1949–87) France 2 (since 1987)</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>73</td><td>Sports show</td><td>Hockey Night in Canada</td><td>Canada</td><td>1952–present</td><td>CBC, City/Sportsnet, CTV</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>72</td><td>Sports magazine show</td><td>La Domenica Sportiva</td><td>Italy</td><td>1953–present</td><td>RAI</td><td>3,318 (as of 10 May 2020)</td></tr><tr><td>Music talent show</td><td>NHK Nodo Jiman</td><td>Japan</td><td>1953–present</td><td>NHK</td><td>2,900 (as of 2012)</td></tr><tr><td>Current affairs series</td><td>Panorama</td><td>United Kingdom</td><td>1953–present</td><td>BBC One</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>71</td><td>Talk show</td><td>The Tonight Show</td><td>United States</td><td>1954–present</td><td>NBC</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>70</td><td>Annual live international beauty pageant</td><td>Miss Universe</td><td>United States</td><td>1955–present</td><td>CBS, NBC, FOX</td><td>72</td></tr><tr><td>Song contest</td><td>Sanremo Music Festival</td><td>Italy</td><td>1955–present</td><td>RAI (radio broadcast since 1951, TV broadcast since 1955)</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Annual live national beauty pageant</td><td>Miss America</td><td>United States</td><td>1955–present</td><td>ABC, NBC, CBS</td><td>96 (102)</td></tr><tr><td>69</td><td>Annual live song contest</td><td>Eurovision Song Contest</td><td>Europe</td><td>1956–present</td><td>EBU</td><td>104</td></tr><tr><td>68</td><td>Science show</td><td>The Sky at Night</td><td>United Kingdom</td><td>1957–present</td><td>BBC One, BBC Four</td><td>825 (as of Oct 2022)</td></tr><tr><td>67</td><td>Children's show</td><td>Blue Peter</td><td>United Kingdom</td><td>1958–present</td><td>BBC One, CBBC</td><td>5,294 (as of 13 October 2023)</td></tr><tr><td>67</td><td>Agriculture information</td><td>Plodovi zemlje</td><td>Croatia</td><td>1958–present</td><td>HRT 1</td><td>1,900 (as of 14 March 2017)</td></tr><tr><td>66</td><td>Animated</td><td>Sandmännchen</td><td>Germany</td><td>1959–present</td><td>Deutscher Fernsehfunk, Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg</td><td>22,200+</td></tr><tr><td>65</td><td>Soap opera</td><td>Coronation Street</td><td>United Kingdom</td><td>1960–present</td><td>ITV</td><td>10,000+</td></tr><tr><td>64</td><td>Comedy</td><td>KVN</td><td>Soviet Union (1961–1991) Russia (1991–present)</td><td>1961–present</td><td>Channel One Russia, KVN TV</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>TV feedback show</td><td>Points of View</td><td>United Kingdom</td><td>1961–present</td><td>BBC One, BBC Two</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Quiz show</td><td>It's Academic</td><td>United States</td><td>1961–present</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Documentary</td><td>Four Corners</td><td>Australia</td><td>1961–present</td><td>Australian Broadcasting Corporation</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>63</td><td>Medicine talk show</td><td>Trupi dhe Shëndeti</td><td>Albania</td><td>1962–present</td><td>RTSH</td><td>1,000+</td></tr><tr><td>62</td><td>Science fiction</td><td>Doctor Who</td><td>United Kingdom</td><td>1963–1989, 1996, 2005–present</td><td>BBC One</td><td>891 (as of 24 May 2025)</td></tr><tr><td>62</td><td>Variety show</td><td>Programa Silvio Santos</td><td>Brazil</td><td>1963–present</td><td>SBT</td><td>3,000+</td></tr><tr><td>61</td><td>Music chart show</td><td>Top of the Pops</td><td>United Kingdom</td><td>1964–2006; Christmas shows only 2006–present</td><td>BBC One, BBC Two</td><td>2,219</td></tr><tr><td>60</td><td>Children's stories</td><td>Vecernicek</td><td>Czech Republic</td><td>1965–Present</td><td>Czech Television Programs: ČT1, ČT2, ČT Déčko</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>60</td><td>Nature documentary</td><td>Le Jardin extraordinaire</td><td>Belgium</td><td>1965–present</td><td>RTBF</td><td>2,400+</td></tr><tr><td>59</td><td>Children's show (preschool)</td><td>Play School</td><td>Australia</td><td>1966–present</td><td>Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)</td><td>4,500+</td></tr><tr><td>Comedy special</td><td>Áramótaskaupið</td><td>Iceland</td><td>1966–present</td><td>Ríkisútvarpið</td><td>56</td></tr><tr><td>58</td><td>Game show</td><td>Des chiffres et des lettres</td><td>France</td><td>1965–2024</td><td>France 2 (1965–2006) France 3 (2006–2024)</td><td>20,000 (as of October 2012)</td></tr><tr><td>58</td><td>Agricultural</td><td>Krishi Darshan</td><td>India</td><td>1967–present</td><td>DD National</td><td>16,780+</td></tr><tr><td>56</td><td>Anime for kids</td><td>Sazae-san</td><td>Japan</td><td>1969–present</td><td>Fuji Television</td><td>8,880+</td></tr><tr><td>Children's Educational</td><td>Sesame Street</td><td>United States</td><td>1969–present</td><td>NET (1969–1970), PBS (1970–), HBO (2016–2020), HBO Max (2020–2025), Netflix (2025–)</td><td>4,000+</td></tr><tr><td>55</td><td>Police procedural</td><td>Tatort</td><td>Germany</td><td>1970–present</td><td>Das Erste</td><td>1,136 (as of 6 September 2020)</td></tr><tr><td>54</td><td>Superhero fiction</td><td>Kamen Rider</td><td>Japan</td><td>1971–1989, 2000–present</td><td>MBS/NET (1971–1975), MBS/TBS (1975–1989), TV Asahi (2000–)</td><td>1,649</td></tr><tr><td>51</td><td>Sketch comedy show</td><td>Radio Rochela</td><td>Venezuela</td><td>1959–2010</td><td>RCTV</td><td>2,652</td></tr><tr><td>49</td><td>Talk show - hosted continuously by the same host</td><td>Tetsuko's Room</td><td>Japan</td><td>1976–present</td><td>TVAsahi</td><td>12,100 (as of 12 September 2023)</td></tr><tr><td>Political satire</td><td>Extra 3</td><td>Germany</td><td>1976–present</td><td>Das Erste</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>48</td><td>Charity show</td><td>The Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon</td><td>United States</td><td>1966–2014</td><td>Various</td><td>48</td></tr><tr><td>Sports variety</td><td>Grandstand</td><td>United Kingdom</td><td>1958–2007</td><td>BBC One, BBC Two</td><td>3,500</td></tr><tr><td>47</td><td>Film review</td><td>Film</td><td>United Kingdom</td><td>1971–2018</td><td>BBC One</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>46</td><td>Variety show</td><td>Eat Bulaga!</td><td>Philippines</td><td>1979-present</td><td>RPN 9, ABS-CBN, GMA Network, TV5, RPTV</td><td>15,000+</td></tr><tr><td>44</td><td>Educational game show</td><td>Shell Quiz</td><td>Thailand</td><td>1965–2009</td><td>TV4, MCOT HD, TV11, ETV, Nation TV</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>41</td><td>Glove puppetry show</td><td>Pili</td><td>Taiwan</td><td>1984–present</td><td>Pili TV</td><td>2,000+</td></tr><tr><td>38</td><td>Music video show</td><td>Rage</td><td>Australia</td><td>1987–present</td><td>Australian Broadcasting Corporation</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>38</td><td>Comedy drama</td><td>Kopi kade</td><td>Sri Lanka</td><td>1987–present</td><td>ITN</td><td>2,000+</td></tr><tr><td>36</td><td>Reality show</td><td>America's Funniest Home Videos</td><td>United States</td><td>1989–present</td><td>American Broadcasting Company</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>36</td><td>Adult animation</td><td>The Simpsons</td><td>United States</td><td>1989–present</td><td>Fox Broadcasting Company</td><td>850+</td></tr><tr><td>15</td><td>Fantasy television</td><td>Supernatural</td><td>United States</td><td>2005–2020</td><td>The CW</td><td>327+</td></tr></tbody></table>