58 of the longest-running American TV shows of all time

If you count the soap opera's radio run, "Guiding Light" was on for 72 years, but the soap only aired on TV for 57. Its final episode aired in 2009.

The medical soap opera started back in 1963 and is still going strong.

More than 13,000 episodes of "As the World Turns" aired on TV during its 54-year run. It was on from 1956 until 2010.

"Days of Our Lives" first emerged into the soap world in 1965, and the show isn't done yet. With more than 13,000 episodes having aired, the show has featured a lot of drama.

The educational puppets on "Sesame Street" were first brought to life back in 1969. The show helps teach kids valuable life skills, as well as basic school lessons.

The game show first premiered in 1972. Contestants from the audience compete for prizes by guessing how much something costs. Drew Carey replaced Bob Barker as host in 2007.

The cast has undergone significant changes since first starting in 1973. But with more than 11,000 episodes aired, the drama is still pushing forward.

"One Life to Live" aired its final episode in 2012, after starting back in 1968. The Online Network tried to continue it in 2013, but it was quickly canceled.

NBC's sketch comedy show has been helping launch comedians' careers since 1975. A rotating cast and new guest hosts each week, the show can still be fresh in its 45th season.

Another popular soap opera, "All My Children" aired over 10,000 episodes from 1970 until its cancellation in 2011. The Online Network tried to revive it in 2013, but production was suspended after 40 episodes.

This soap opera switched networks over its 35-season run, but it still aired over 9,000 episodes.

This soap opera also aired for years. It debuted on TV in 1964, but after ratings declined, it was canceled in 1999.

Contestants spin a wheel and try to solve word puzzles for prizes on "Wheel of Fortune." The show first started on a network and has gone through multiple iterations. Its current syndicated version started in 1983.

The same thing that happened to "Wheel of Fortune" also happened to "Jeopardy!" When the quiz competition first started, it aired during the daytime. Its most recent iteration, the daily syndicated version, has been on air since 1984.

"Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" was an educational children's show that first premiered in 1968. The series ended in 2001.

This soap started as a sister show to "The Young and the Restless," so it allows for characters to crossover. It's won 31 Daytime Emmys.

The reality and documentary series followed various police officers on the job, but drew criticism recently as protests about the death of George Floyd grew across the US.

"Cops" was canceled in June 2020, as Floyd's death at the hands of police led to increased criticism of law enforcement.

The Simpson family has been a cartoon staple since 1989. Now into its 31st season, the characters still haven't aged, but the timeline continues to move forward.

The show has won 32 Emmys throughout the years.

First introduced in 1989 as a special, "AFV" debuted as a series in 1990. Since then, the show has made audiences laugh with hilarious viewer-submitted videos. "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" actor Alfonso Ribeiro is the show's current host.

The soap opera originally following two sisters debuted in 1951. After 29 seasons, the show ended in 1980 but is still one of the longest-lasting shows of all time.

The children's show featured Bob Keeshan as Captain Kangaroo who told stories, acted silly, and interacted with other characters. The show started in 1955 and ran until 1984.

The mystery soap opera focused on crime, rather than a familial drama like most soaps of the time. It aired from 1956 until 1984.

MTV's longest-running program has gone through multiple iterations in multiple cities.

The reality show moves strangers into a house and documents their interactions as they meet new people and deal with living with strangers that come from a variety of backgrounds. It has also generated multiple spin-offs.

The group of superhero teens known as the Power Rangers hit the TV screen in 1993 and have been on ever since. The characters, costumes, and stories have changed, but the heart of the show remains.

Over 1,000 criminals were caught thanks to "America's Most Wanted." The show featured reenactments of crimes, interviews with real people, and photographs of the wanted criminal. It ran from 1988 until 2012.

Each episode of this children's show featured a new book and corresponding theme that was presented through little segments.

The show ended in 2006, and host Burton started a Kickstarter in 2014 to revive the show. It surpassed the goal and raised more than $6 million, but "Reading Rainbow" hasn't returned yet.

Ed Sullivan hosted his variety show for more than 1,000 episodes. People were entertained with funny sketches and incredible talent.

Arthur the aardvark has been teaching and entertaining kids since 1996. Since the show premiered, eight different actors have voiced the main character.

Dark and satirical, "South Park" has consistently pushed the envelope of what a TV show can do. The animated series is typically timely, usually being written and produced in the week before the episode airs, and is able to hit on every piece of pop culture news.

Originally known as "Road Rules: All Stars," this competition series started as a spin-off of MTV's "Real World" and "Road Rules." It's been on TV since 1998.

SpongeBob and his friends have been around since 1999. The hit animated series has spawned feature films and games and is still releasing new episodes.

"Family Guy" introduced the Griffins in 1999. The dysfunctional family has now been on TV for 18 seasons and 20 years.

With Christopher Meloni, Mariska Hargitay, and Ice-T at the helm, the "Law and Order" spin-off became a hit. Meloni eventually left in season 12, but Hargitay as well as Ice-T — who started on season two — still star on the show.

Though originally premiering in 1976, "Family Feud" went off-and-on the air for a couple of years. The game show has aired in its current iteration since 1999. Steve Harvey has been the host since 2010.

The Western started as a radio series in 1952. The TV series began in 1955 and aired 635 episodes over the span of 20 years.

The first in an incredibly successful crime show franchise, "Law and Order" ran for 20 seasons and featured a number of different actors. The last episode aired in 2010.

The soap opera followed a father raising his three kids after the death of his wife. During its 20-year-run, the father remarried twice.

Splitting time on both NBC and CBS, the variety show from host Richard "Red" Skelton featured musical performers and hilarious sketches. Skelton also used the show to provide commentary.

The American "Survivor" has placed strangers on a remote island and forced them to survive and compete with each other for a monetary prize since 2000. The set-up still works, as the show finished its 40th season this year.

The American version of the Dutch reality game show began in 2000 and follows contestants as they live in the same house and compete for a grand prize. They are isolated from the world and constantly watched.

Contestants answer questions in the hopes of winning $1 million on this game show. Regis Philbin was the show's first host. "The Bachelor" host Chris Harrison hosted the show from 2015 up until its cancellation in 2019.

The reality competition show, which began in 2001, sends teams around the world to complete challenges in an effort to win some money. It has won the Emmy for reality-competition program 10 out of 15 times.

The show about a border collie and her human and animal friends was a smash hit. The characters and plots shifted, but Lassie was also there.

The medial soap opera started out as an anthology series. The show premiered in 1963 and ran until 1982.

"The Bachelor" has tried to help people find love on TV since 2002, but only one couple from the show's 24 seasons is still together.

Before he was president, Ronald Reagan was an actor and starred on "Death Valley Days" for a year. The program was an anthology series based on true stories from the American West.

The giant purple dinosaur and his dino and human friends entertained kids on PBS from 1992 until 2009. His infectious laugh and upbeat songs spread positivity to kids.

The popular game show featured celebrity panelists asking a contestant questions to guess what career they had. When Colonel Sanders appeared as a contestant, he was still relatively new and unknown to the celebrities.

Technically, "The Fairly OddParents" ended in 2006, but they quickly resumed production again and brought it back for more seasons in 2008. The popular show about a boy and his fairy godparents ran until 2017.

This animated sitcom from "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane has been on the air for 16 seasons and counting.

"American Dad!" was recently renewed by TBS for an 18th and 19th season, which means it's not going off the air anytime soon.

Early seasons of the show, which began in 2005 and focuses on a group of surgeons and doctors in a Seattle hospital, featured famous actors like Patrick Dempsey and Sandra Oh.

Even though most of the original cast members have since left the show, it's still airing on TV.

The show focuses on the Winchester brothers as they hunt supernatural beings, and began airing its 15th and final season in 2019.

However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, production was delayed and the remaining episodes of the season, which was initially meant to conclude in May 2020, were pushed back. The season is scheduled to resume airing later this year.

"Supernatural" is also one of the longest-running sci-fi shows in the US.

This spin-off of the classic soap "Dallas" focused on four married couples living in a coastal suburb of Los Angeles, and eventually garnered critical acclaim.

NBC's western aired from 1959 to 1973 and is one of the longest-running western series on US network television.

The period drama centered on a wealthy family, the Cartwrights, who live in 19th-century Nevada.

The show follows a group of FBI behavioral profilers, and aired its 15th and final season earlier this year.

The iconic soap focused on a Texas family called the Ewings, who own an oil company and consistently feud with other wealthy families. "Dallas" was famous for its cliffhangers, and was even revived for three seasons starting in 2012.

This beloved CBS sitcom was so popular, it even spawned a prequel series called "Young Sheldon" that aired in 2017.

"The Big Bang Theory" also garnered several Emmy nominations throughout its run, and Jim Parsons, who played Sheldon Cooper, won the award for outstanding lead actor in a comedy series numerous times.

The CBS police drama was once one of the longest-running crime procedurals in American TV history and focused on a special task force stopping crime in Hawaii. It originally aired for 12 seasons from 1968 to 1980.

It also spawned a remake that was on TV for a decade from 2010-2020.