"Is that still on?" you'll hear people ask about one of your favorite shows. Amazingly enough, yes, some of the longest-running American TV shows of all time are still going strong, cranking out more episodes than the vast majority of series will ever come close to. Our list of these overachievers is comprised of shows like Grey's Anatomy that remain on the air, along with series that aired their final episode decades ago. Either way, you'll be blown away to discover just how many hours of television these iconic shows are responsible for.
To keep things from spinning too wildly out of control, we're focusing on primetime, scripted, non-anthology series—with apologies to the soap operas, news programs, and late-night shows that have redefined staying power. With that in mind, take a look at our ranking of the 40 longest-running American TV shows ever made, from least to most episodes. And for more television nostalgia, revisit these 20 Beloved TV Shows You Won't Believe Are 20 Years Old.
40 | M*A*S*H (1972-1983)
20th Television256 episodes
And for more shows that came to a memorable conclusion, these are The 25 Best TV Series Finales of All Time.
39 | Married… with Children (1987-1997)
Sony Pictures Television259 episodes
38 | King of the Hill (1997-2009)
Disney–ABC Domestic Television259 episodes
And for some less enduring series, check out these 20 '90s TV Shows You've Completely Forgotten About.
37 | The Jack Benny Program (1950-1965)
Prime Video260 episodes
36 | Murphy Brown (1988-2018)
Warner Bros. Television Distribution260 episodes
And for more shows that came back to little fanfare, here are The 13 Most Disappointing TV Reboots of All Time.
35 | Mama (1949-1956)
PR Studios261 episodes
34 | NYPD Blue (1993-2005)
20th Television261 episodes
33 | Two and a Half Men (2003-2015)
Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution262 episodes
And for more series that continued on without their leads, check out these 13 TV Shows That Lost Their Stars.
32 | NCIS: Los Angeles (2009-)
CBS Television Distribution262 episodes
31 | Frasier (1993-2004)
CBS Television Distribution264 episodes
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30 | Murder, She Wrote (1984-1996)
NBCUniversal Television Distribution264 episodes
29 | Perry Mason (1957-1966)
CBS Television Distribution271 episodes
28 | The Beverly Hillbillies (1962-1971)
CBS Television Distribution274 episodes
27 | The Donna Reed Show (1958-1966)
Screen Gems275 episodes
26 | Cheers (1982-1993)
ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks275 episodes
25 | Dragnet (1951-1959)
NBC276 episodes
24 | The Big Bang Theory (2007-2019)
Warner Bros. Television Distribution279 episodes
23 | Hawaii Five-O (1968-1980)
CBS Television Distribution279 episodes
22 | Wagon Train (1957-1965)
NBCUniversal Television Distribution284 episodes
21 | The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (1950-1958)
Screen Gems291 episodes
20 | Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990-2000)
CBS Television Distribution293 episodes
19 | American Dad! (2005-)
Disney-ABC Domestic Television297 episodes
18 | Supernatural (2005-)
The CW320 episodes
17 | Criminal Minds (2005-2020)
CBS Television Distribution324 episodes
16 | ER (1994-2009)
Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution331 episodes
15 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000-2015)
CBS Television Distribution337 episodes
14 | The Danny Thomas Show (1953-1964)
Stadium Media343 episodes
13 | Knots Landing (1979-1993)
Warner Bros. Television Distribution344 episodes
12 | Family Guy (1999-)
Fox349 episodes
11 | Dallas (1978-1991)
Warner Bros. Television Distribution357 episodes
10 | Grey’s Anatomy (2005-)
ABC363 episodes
9 | My Three Sons (1960-1972)
CBS Television Distribution380 episodes
8 | NCIS (2003-)
CBS Television Distribution398 episodes
7 | Bonanza (1959-1973)
CBS Television Distribution431 episodes
6 | The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952-1966)
Shout Factory435 episodes
5 | Law & Order (1990-2010)
NBCUniversal Television Distribution456 episodes
4 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999-)
NBC478 episodes
3 | Lassie (1954-1971)
NBCUniversal Television Distribution591 episodes
2 | Gunsmoke (1955-1975)
CBS Television Distribution635 episodes
1 | The Simpsons (1989-)
Fox684 episodes
