5 Longest-Running Scripted TV Series In The US

We’ve all been there: getting hooked on a TV show only to have it cancelled after one season, causing us to spiral into a mini-depression and an existential crisis. In this day and age wherein people’s tastes in TV shows are always evolving, it’s hard enough for a series to carry out well enough to go on for five or six seasons. Only a handful of TV series have managed to hold its viewers’ interest and were able to enter double-digit territory in the process. From South Park to The Simpsons, here are just some of the TV shows that managed to stay on the air for more than 10 seasons.

Law & Order: SVU

Fifth on our list is NBC’s 1999 spinoff of Law & Order. Starring Mariska Hargitay, the show is currently in its 18th season and is made up of 23 to 25 episodes each time. From 1999 to 2017, the show would have aired more than 400 installments by the end of its present season. This makes Law & Order: SVU the fifth longest-running scripted primetime TV series on a major broadcast company in the United States. With still sky-high ratings at present, there is no doubt that this show will scale our rankings even farther in years to come.

South Park

South Park has been one of Comedy Central’s most successful TV shows since it was released in August 1997. Presently in its 20th season, it will have aired 277 episodes upon its final term. However, if you’re a fan of the animated series, you can rest easy as there is still more to come from Kenny and the rest of the gang. The show has been lined up to air for three more seasons, possibly to last at least up to 2019. South Park will have more years in its engine far more than some of the shows in this list but it has shorter episodes, which technically makes them have lesser episodes in total. However, with its considerable time on air, South Park is deemed as one of the longest-running series in American TV history and the second longest-running animated show ever.

Law & Order

Third on our list is the longest-running crime drama on US primetime television, Law & Order. The show debuted in September 1990 and finished its 20th and concluding season in May 2010. Law & Order finishes equal with one of the shows in this list for the designation of Longest-Running Live-Action Scripted Runs With Enduring Characters. The show runs for more episodes than its tie and is, in principle, still the longest-running primetime show that lasts for an hour long.

You can just imagine how the stars of this show cope with all the fame and tight schedules. Their family members should be canonized for putting up with all the hassle.

Gunsmoke

Gunsmoke ties in with Law & Order for this spot, having aired from September 10, 1955 to March 31, 1975. CBS aired this Western TV series for 20 seasons with continuing characters by Milburn Stone and James Arness. In a span of 20 years, the show aired a grand total of 635 episodes, making it the second longest-running primetime TV series in the history of the United States and also one of the three longest-running non-animated show to air in the country.

The Simpsons

This animated sitcom has been making television history since it aired its 600th episode in its 28th season and is going to make more headlines soon enough. Fox only just announced that The Simpsons will be back for two more seasons, bringing its overall number of episodes to 669. This makes the show the longest-running scripted primetime TV show to ever air stateside.

In the TV network’s words upon the shows replenishment, “This is yet another record-setting moment for what is truly a landmark series.” However, we found that Homer said it best when he stated, “Take that Gunsmoke! You lost a race you didn’t even know you were running!” during the show’s official press release.

And there you have it — five of the most extensive TV series in American television. It is still hard to believe that most of these shows have been running for almost two decades on air, yet here most of them are.

While some of these television shows may not be your cup of tea, their allure still proves to be quite irresistible. If you find yourself wanting to watch previous episodes of these shows, you can very much do so in the comforts of your own home using your prized TV set.