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List of longest-running American cable television series

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This is a list of the longest running United States cable television series, ordered by number of broadcast seasons.

To qualify for this list, the programming must originate in North America and shown nationally in the United States and be first-run (as opposed to a repackaging of previously aired material or material released in other media). For the purposes of this list, series that were available only on a local or regional basis will be excluded, along with hybrid broadcast/cable networks such as The WB 100+/The CW Plus. For series that originated on U.S. broadcast networks (or broadcast syndication) and then was picked up by a national cable network, only the amount aired nationally on cable as original programming is represented here.

A season for the purpose of this article is defined as a given year, not a production cycle (as in America's Next Top Model) which is defined as a season by the network or the program's distributor; for instance, multiple series on Food Network (e.g. Chopped) count each production cycle as a season rather than classing them by year.

List

[edit]
Series shaded in light blue are currently in production.

25 or more seasons

[edit]
Number of
seasons		 Series Network First broadcast Last broadcast Number of
episodes
48 Inside the NFL HBO September 22, 1977 February 6, 2008
Showtime September 10, 2008 February 23, 2021
Paramount+ September 7, 2021 April 5, 2023
The CW September 9, 2023 present
43 SportsCenter ESPN September 7, 1979 present Over 60,000
44 Washington Journal[1] C-SPAN October 7, 1980 present
42–43 NASCAR on ESPN ESPN / ESPN2 1981 2002
2007 2014
40–41 Gilad's Bodies in Motion ESPN 1983 1994
Fox Sports 1994 1995
Discovery Health 1995 2004
FitTV 2004 2011
Discovery Fit & Health 2011 present
40 The Challenge[2] MTV September 28, 1997 present 558
38–39 National Geographic Explorer[3] Nickelodeon 1985 1986 233
WTBS / TBS 1986 1999
CNBC 1999 2001
MSNBC[4] 2001 2005
National Geographic 2005 present
39 Grand Ole Opry Live[5] TNN April 20, 1985 August 2001
CMT August 2001 2003
GAC[6] 2003 2011
39 Sunday NFL Countdown[7] ESPN September 7, 1985 present
36–37 College GameDay ESPN September 5, 1987 present
36–37 NFL Primetime ESPN 1987 present
37 Biography[8] A&E April 6, 1987[9] August 2006
Biography Channel August 2006 present[10]
35 Bobby Jones Gospel BET January 27, 1980 July 31, 2016
35 NBA on TNT TNT November 4, 1989 present
33 The Real World[11] MTV May 21, 1992 January 4, 2017 614
Facebook Watch June 13, 2019 August 29, 2019
32 WWE Raw USA January 11, 1993 September 18, 2000 1647
TNN/Spike TV September 25, 2000 September 26, 2005
USA October 3, 2005 present
32 The Ultimate Fighter Spike TV January 17, 2005 December 3, 2011 150+ (including 23 live Ultimate Finales)
FX March 9, 2012 April 9, 2013
Fox Sports 1 September 4, 2013 present
30 Baseball Tonight ESPN March 19, 1990 present
30 Outside the Lines ESPN 1990 present
30 Power Rangers Fox Kids August 28, 1993 August 10, 2002 973
ABC Kids September 14, 2002 November 15, 2003
Jetix (ABC Family) February 14, 2004 July 10, 2005
Jetix (Toon Disney) July 16, 2005 November 14, 2005
Jetix (ABC Family) February 2, 2006
Jetix (Toon Disney) February 20, 2006 August 14, 2006
Jetix (ABC Family) August 20, 2006
Jetix (Toon Disney) September 18, 2006 November 3, 2008
ABC Kids March 7, 2009 August 28, 2010
Nickelodeon February 7, 2011 April 17, 2021
Netflix June 15, 2021 September 29, 2023
30 Moneyline[12] CNN June 1, 1980 November 11, 2009
29 Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel HBO April 2, 1995 December 19, 2023 320
29 Barefoot Contessa Food Network November 30, 2002 December 19, 2021 297
28 The Sports Reporters ESPN[13] October 2, 1988 May 7, 2017
28 Your World with Neil Cavuto Fox News Channel October 7, 1996 present
26 ESPN SpeedWorld ESPN January 14, 1979 November 19, 2006
26 South Park Comedy Central August 13, 1997 present 328
26 Fox & Friends Fox News Channel February 1, 1998 present
25 Larry King Live CNN June 3, 1985 December 18, 2010 6,120[14]
25 Nick News[15] Nickelodeon April 18, 1992 December 15, 2015
June 29, 2020 present

20–24 seasons

[edit]
Number of
seasons		 Series Network First broadcast Last broadcast Number of
episodes
24 ESPN Major League Baseball[16] ESPN / ESPN2[17] April 15, 1990 present
24 The Daily Show Comedy Central July 22, 1996 present 3,873
24 WCW Saturday Night[18] WTCG/WTBS/TBS December 17, 1976[19] August 19, 2000
23 Crossfire CNN June 25, 1982 June 3, 2005
September 9, 2013 August 6, 2014
23 Inside the Actors Studio Bravo June 12, 1994 January 11, 2018 277
Ovation October 13, 2019 December 15, 2019
22 E! News[20] E! September 1, 1991 present 7,500+
22 Real Time with Bill Maher HBO February 21, 2003 present 678
21 Reliable Sources CNN March 7, 1992 August 21, 2022
21 Modern Marvels History January 1, 1995 April 11, 2015 21
21 The O'Reilly Factor[21] Fox News Channel October 7, 1996 April 19, 2017 5,321
22 Around the Horn ESPN November 4, 2002 present 4,831<ref>after Monday November 4th 2024
21 Pawn Stars History July 19, 2009 present 675
21 Style with Elsa Klensch CNN June 1, 1980 January 2001
20 NFL Matchup ESPN / ESPN2[22] September 5, 1993 present
20 Monday Night Countdown ESPN September 6, 1993 present
20 Evans and Novak[23] CNN September 1982 November 9, 2002
20 Deadliest Catch Discovery Channel April 12, 2005 present 351
20 Keeping Up with the Kardashians E! October 14, 2007 June 10, 2021 280 + 6 specials
20 Total Request Live MTV September 14, 1998 November 16, 2008 2,254
October 2, 2017 2019

15–19 seasons

[edit]
Number of
seasons		 Series Network First broadcast Last broadcast Number of
episodes
19 Squawk Box CNBC August 7, 1995 present
19 ESPN Sunday Night Football[24] ESPN November 8, 1987[25] January 1, 2006
19 NASCAR on TBS TBS February 27, 1982 October 8, 2000
18 Golf Central Golf Channel January 17, 1995 present
18 The Real Housewives of Orange County Bravo March 21, 2006 present 328
18 Showbiz Today[26] CNN October 29, 1984 2002
17 E! True Hollywood Story E! March 29, 1996 November 23, 2021 501
17 Fox News Live Fox News 1999 February 24, 2008
March 6, 2021 present
17 WNBA on ESPN ESPN June 23, 1997 present
17 MythBusters Discovery Channel September 23, 2003 March 5, 2016 296
Science Channel November 15, 2017 February 28, 2018
17 USA Tuesday Night Fights USA October 1, 1982 August 25, 1998
17 Capital Gang CNN September 7, 1988 2005
16 NFL Films Game of the Week[27] ESPN 1997 December 29, 2007
16 Hardball with Chris Matthews[28] America's Talking 1991 1996
CNBC 1997 1999
MSNBC 1999 February 28, 2020
16 Booknotes C-SPAN April 2, 1989 December 5, 2004 801
16 MTV Unplugged MTV November 26, 1989 present
16 Good Eats Food Network July 7, 1999 April 2, 2011 256
August 25, 2019 July 6, 2020
Discovery+ February 18, 2021
16 It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia FX August 4, 2005 December 20, 2012 170
FXX September 4, 2013 present
16 Ghost Hunters Sci Fi Channel / Syfy October 6, 2004 October 26, 2016 251 (+ 12 specials not included)
A&E August 21, 2019 May 27, 2020
Discovery+ October 31, 2021 March 19, 2022
Travel Channel October 1, 2022 present
15 Monday Night Countdown ESPN September 6, 1993 present
15 The Real Housewives of Atlanta Bravo October 6, 2008 present 320
15 Ninjago[29] Cartoon Network January 14, 2011 October 25, 2020 210 (+4 pilot episodes, 1 special and several shorts)
Netflix March 7, 2021 October 1, 2022

12–14 seasons

[edit]
Number of
seasons		 Series Network First broadcast Last broadcast Number of
episodes
15 SpongeBob SquarePants Nickelodeon July 17, 1999[30] present 310
14 Forensic Files[31] TLC April 23, 1996 December 29, 1999 406, including six hour-long specials
Court TV September 12, 2000 December 24, 2007
truTV January 7, 2008 June 17, 2011[32]
15 Gold Rush Discovery Channel December 3, 2010 present 367
14 An Evening at the Improv A&E February 3, 1982 January 1, 1996
14 SpeedWeek ESPN 1984 1997
14 Video Soul BET June 26, 1983 September 1996
14 Road Rules MTV July 19, 1995 September 27, 2004[33]
14 Xplay[34] ZDTV / TechTV July 4, 1998 2004 1,516
G4techTV 2004 2005
G4 2005 2013
2021 October 20, 2022
14 NASCAR on TNT TNT July 22, 2001 July 13, 2014
13 Tim Russert CNBC 1994 2008
13 Private Screenings TCM 1995 2010 27
13 Hannity & Colmes[35] Fox News Channel October 7, 1996 January 9, 2009
13 Gardening by the Yard HGTV 1996 2009
14 Mystery Science Theater 3000[36] KTMA-TV November 24, 1988 May 28, 1989 230
The Comedy Channel November 18, 1989 February 2, 1991
Comedy Central June 1, 1991 May 18, 1996
Sci Fi Channel February 1, 1997 September 12, 1999
Netflix April 14, 2017 November 22, 2018
Gizmoplex May 6, 2022[37] present
12 Monday Night Baseball ESPN April 7, 2002 present
12 30 Minute Meals Food Network November 17, 2001 November 9, 2019 445+
12 BET's Top 25 BET September 22, 2001 2008
12 NASCAR on Speed Speed February 11, 2002 August 16, 2013
12 American Horror Story FX October 5, 2011 present 132
12 When Calls the Heart Hallmark Channel October 19, 2013 present 119
12 American Sports Cavalcade TNN 1983 1995
12 Intimate Portrait Lifetime November 14, 1993 October 3, 2005 271

10–11 seasons

[edit]
Number of
seasons		 Series Network First broadcast Last broadcast Number of
episodes
11 Closing Bell CNBC February 4, 2002 present
11 Shameless Showtime January 9, 2011 April 11, 2021 134
11 Impractical Jokers TruTV December 15, 2011 February 9, 2023 261 (+40 specials)
TBS April 6, 2024 present
11 Shepard Smith Reporting Fox News Channel August 12, 2002 January 15, 2021
11 Aqua Teen Hunger Force
(alternate titles) 		Adult Swim September 9, 2001[38] August 30, 2015 139 (1 unaired)
November 27, 2023 present
11 House of Style MTV May 1989 2000
October 18, 2012
11 Talk Soup E! December 26, 1991 May 17, 2002
11 The Howard Stern Show E! June 18, 1994 July 8, 2005 1,550+
11 All That Nickelodeon January 21, 1995[39] October 22, 2005 210
June 15, 2019 December 17, 2020
11 Imus in the Morning[40] MSNBC September 2, 1996 April 11, 2007
11 Paula's Home Cooking Food Network 2002 2013 135+
11 On the Record Fox News Channel February 4, 2002 November 11, 2016
11 Paw Patrol Nickelodeon August 12, 2013 present 262
10 NFL Total Access NFL Network 2003 May 17, 2024
10 American Morning CNN September 12, 2001 December 30, 2011 2,688
10 Emeril Live Food Network October 6, 1997 December 11, 2007
Fine Living July 7, 2008 December 14, 2010
10 The Fairly OddParents Nickelodeon March 30, 2001 November 25, 2006 172
February 18, 2008 September 16, 2016
Nicktoons January 18, 2017 July 26, 2017
10 Nashville Now TNN March 7, 1983 October 15, 1993
10 NASCAR on TNN TNN March 3, 1991 November 5, 2000
10 Stargate SG-1[41] Showtime July 27, 1997 May 17, 2002 215[42]
Sci Fi Channel June 7, 2002 June 22, 2007[43]
10 USA Up All Night USA Network January 7, 1989 March 7, 1998 900+
10 Weather Center The Weather Channel March 10, 1998 March 1, 2009
10 Adventure Time Cartoon Network April 5, 2010 September 3, 2018 283

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Weekend editions are simulcast on the BBC Parliament channel with the name America This Week
  2. ^ Originally Road Rules: All Stars
  3. ^ Host: Tom Chapin (1985–1988), Robert Urich (1988–1995), Bob Ballard (1988–1995), Boyd Matson (1995–2003), Michael Fay (2001), Lisa Ling (2003-)
  4. ^ Show renamed National Geographic Ultimate Explorer 2003–2005
  5. ^ Oldest continuously running radio program, airing on WSM radio, Nashville, Tennessee; has aired on the digital over-the-air network Circle since January 4, 2020.
  6. ^ As Grand Ole Opry Live!
  7. ^ (not counting current Sunday evening version airing on ESPN+
  8. ^ Originated on CBS
  9. ^ Reran CBS originals, 1984–1987
  10. ^ Rebroadcast A&E originals, 1999–2006
  11. ^ Future seasons have aired on Paramount+
  12. ^ Became Lou Dobbs Moneyline in 2001, Lou Dobbs Tonight in 2003
  13. ^ Program rebroadcast later the same day on ESPNEWS
  14. ^ "Larry King ends his record-setting run on CNN". CNN. December 17, 2010.
  15. ^ Originally Nick News W/5 and later Nick News with Linda Ellerbee
  16. ^ Includes Sunday Night Baseball, Wednesday Night Baseball, etc.
  17. ^ ESPN2 started broadcasting major league baseball games in 2002 in addition to those offered by ESPN
  18. ^ Previously Georgia Championship Wrestling (1972–1984), World Championship Wrestling (1984–1992)
  19. ^ Date when WTCG was distributed nationally via cable (WTCG evolved into TBS). Broadcast on WTCG started January 1972.
  20. ^ Previously E! News Daily and E! News Live
  21. ^ Originally The O'Reilly Report
  22. ^ Presently, each episode first airs on ESPN2 on Fridays, then is repeated on ESPN two days later
  23. ^ Other names: Evans, Novak, Hunt, and Shields (1998–2001), Novak, Hunt, and Shields (2001–2002)
  24. ^ Moved to NBC in 2006, at which time Monday Night Football moves from ABC to ESPN
  25. ^ Sunday Night Football shared with TNT, with TNT getting the first half of the season, ESPN the second half, 1990–1997
  26. ^ Also known as CNN Showbiz Today
  27. ^ First-run syndication 1965–1997
  28. ^ Originally Politics with Chris Matthews
  29. ^ Originally Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu
  30. ^ Sneak peek airing May 1, 1999
  31. ^ Originally Medical Detectives
  32. ^ Show is on hiatus and may return on a different network under the original title of "Medical Detectives". Old episodes were airing on Lifetime as of August 2011.
  33. ^ The start of Season 15 has been announced for January 2008
  34. ^ Previously GameSpot TV, Extended Play, and X-Play
  35. ^ Successor series Hannity debuted January 12, 2009.
  36. ^ Also known as MST3K
  37. ^ Pre-release date, March 4, 2022
  38. ^ Sneak peek airing December 30, 2000 on Cartoon Network
  39. ^ Sneak peek airing April 16, 1994
  40. ^ Simulcast of live program at WFAN New York
  41. ^ Longest-running science fiction series in the United States.
  42. ^ According to Sci Fi Wire Archived 2006-08-25 at the Wayback Machine
  43. ^ Cancellation announced by Sci Fi Channel, August 21, 2006
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