The 40 Longest-Running American TV Shows of All Time
These primetime scripted TV series have aired more episodes than you would believe.
"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)
256 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)
259 episodes
38
King of the Hill (1997-2009)
259 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)
260 episodes
36
Murphy Brown (1988-2018)
260 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)
261 episodes
34
NYPD Blue (1993-2005)
261 episodes
33
Two and a Half Men (2003-2015)
262 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-)
262 episodes
31
Frasier (1993-2004)
264 episodes
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30
Murder, She Wrote (1984-1996)
264 episodes
29
Perry Mason (1957-1966)
271 episodes
28
The Beverly Hillbillies (1962-1971)
274 episodes
27
The Donna Reed Show (1958-1966)
275 episodes
26
Cheers (1982-1993)
275 episodes
25
Dragnet (1951-1959)
276 episodes
24
The Big Bang Theory (2007-2019)
279 episodes
23
Hawaii Five-O (1968-1980)
279 episodes
22
Wagon Train (1957-1965)
284 episodes
21
The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (1950-1958)
291 episodes
20
Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990-2000)
293 episodes
19
American Dad! (2005-)
297 episodes
18
Supernatural (2005-)
320 episodes
17
Criminal Minds (2005-2020)
324 episodes
16
ER (1994-2009)
331 episodes
15
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000-2015)
337 episodes
14
The Danny Thomas Show (1953-1964)
343 episodes
13
Knots Landing (1979-1993)
344 episodes
12
Family Guy (1999-)
349 episodes
11
Dallas (1978-1991)
357 episodes
10
Grey's Anatomy (2005-)
363 episodes
9
My Three Sons (1960-1972)
380 episodes
8
NCIS (2003-)
398 episodes
7
Bonanza (1959-1973)
431 episodes
6
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952-1966)
435 episodes
5
Law & Order (1990-2010)
456 episodes
4
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999-)
478 episodes
3
Lassie (1954-1971)
591 episodes
2
Gunsmoke (1955-1975)
635 episodes
1
The Simpsons (1989-)
684 episodes
