Felix The Cat is the longest-lasting animated cartoon character in history, making his debut in 1919 (and if we count an even earlier prototype short, it may even be 1917) having appeared in over 150 theatrical cartoons, decades worth of comics, hundreds of TV cartoons, two movies, and the two TV revivals The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat and Baby Felix, and he is still appearing in merchandise to this day. And he even has a new cartoon series on the way for 2013. In fact, one of the very first TV broadcasts featured Felix way back in 1928. Meow!
The Grand Ole Opry: Airing weekly on Nashville radio station WSM-AM since 1925, with an edited version of the program being carried on national radio and television outlets since the 1940s.
Radioavisen: Daily news broadcast on Danmarks Radio (DR) starting August 1, 1926. At first with two daily programs, gradually with more. Now there is a Radioavis every hour. Aired nationwide since 1927.
Mickey Mouse is one of the world's most beloved cartoon characters. Making his debut in 1928, he has appeared in over 130 theatrical cartoons, 7 movies (soon to be 8, as Mickey will have his first theatrical film in his career), hundreds of comics, 4 TV shows, and many video games.
Hamburger Hafenkonzert (Hamburg harbor concert): Broadcast weekly on NDR in Germany since June 1929 — even through WWII.
Music and the Spoken Word: Weekly broadcast of music by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir (and a short sermon), which started in 1929.
Pause Signal Danmarks Radio (DR). This little tune first aired on August 28, 1931 and has since been used to fill up short spaces between programs. The tune is a melody from the 1300s, the oldest known Danish folk melody. Irregular scheduling, yet frequently heard for decades. Nowadays used as regular broadcast only on one channel (P5), the tune has become waiting music on DR's telephone system, and since early 2009 the signal that calls the audience to the second half of concerts in the broadcaster's new concert hall.
Hockey Night in Canada began airing on radio in November 1931 and moved to television in November 1952 (the first year of regular television broadcasts in Canada), and is the world's longest-running sports show.
The Metropolitan Opera airs a radio broadcast season each year. Although going since Christmas of 1931 (and broadcast in January 1910 over experimental radio broadcasts), unlike The Guiding Light it only airs episodes during a season and is not continuous.
At least 70 years
Guiding Light: 72 years, 7 months, 26 days (57 of those on television), from January 25, 1937 to September 19, 2009. It was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest continuously-running program on any medium, in any genre, until the CBS World News Roundup broke its record in November of 2010. It would take a listener over 18 months, 24 hours a day, to listen to it from beginning to end (although the large number of Missing Episodes from the first 40 years would make such an archive binge impossible). It may be the largest single work of fiction in human history.
CBS World News Roundup made its first broadcast on March 13, 1938 as a special report on the Anschluss; still runs every day at 8:00 AM EST. It surpassed Guiding Light's record on November 8, 2010, and is now listed as the longest continuously-running program in any medium.
The National Research Council Time Signal, heard at 1:00 PM EST every day since November 5, 1939 on the CBC radio network.
Desert Island Discs has been airing on BBC Radio since 29 January 1942, making it the longest-running program in the history of British broadcasting. It still uses the original theme tune, Eric Coates' "By the Sleepy Lagoon" (with overdubbed seagull noises), and has only had four regular presenters (Roy Plomley (1942-85), Michael Parkinson (1985-88), Sue Lawley (1988-2006), Kirsty Young (since 2006)).
At least 60 years
Arbeidsvitaminen (Work vitamins), a music programme on AVRO in the Netherlands, is the longest running daily radio show in the world, having started in February 1946.
Gardeners' Question Time has broadcast since April 1947, initially on BBC Radio, then on independent radio from 1994, but keeping pretty much the same format (a chaired panel of horticultural experts answers questions posted in by listeners).
Meet The Press (weekly on television since November 6, 1947; debuted on radio in 1945 as American Mercury Presents: Meet the Press)
Giro 413 has aired weekly on Danmarks Radio (DR) since January 8, 1950. This is a family program to which people donate money collected at celebrations such as wedding anniversaries and 50th birthdays. Listeners also request songs. DR in turn donates the money collected to a variety of charities.
Danmarks Radio is also responsible for Julehilsen til Grønland (Christmas greetings to Greenland), which first aired in 1932 as a way for people in Denmark to send greetings to friends and family in Greenland and vice versa.
Unshackled; a ChristianRadio Drama produced by Chicago rescue mission Pacific Garden Mission, has been continuously produced since 1950 and is (along with the CBS World News Roundup) one of the lone remaining shows still airing on radio from the Golden Age Of Radio.
Today (American morning news show, running daily since January 1952)
A theater example is Agatha Christie's play The Mousetrap, which has been running on the West End since November 1952.
The news programme Tagesschau was first aired on NWDR in Germany on Boxing Day 1952 and went to being broadcast seven days a week in 1961. The programme now serves as ARD's flagship news brand and still occupies the same 20:00 time slot as it did in 1952.
At least 50 years
Letter From America ran on BBC Radio from 1946-2004, ending when Alastair Cooke retired less than a month before his death.
Come Dancing, the BBC televised ballroom dancing competition, originally ran from 1949-95, with intermittent specials in 1996 and 1998. Its revival with celebrity contestants as Strictly Come Dancing has aired since 2004.
British children's TV favorite The Sooty Show ran roughly from 1952-2004 under slightly different title changes and presenters. A new series was broadcast in 2011 with a new presenter and premise but the same core characters with another due in 2013.
Current affairs show Panorama has been airing on the BBC since November 1953 and is presently the longest-running program in the history of British television. Across the Channel, the German version of the program, produced by NDR and also called Panorama, has aired on Das Erste since June 1961.
The Major League Baseball Game of the Week (ran on various networks from 1953-93; has aired on FOX since 1996)
Brain of Britain, Britain's longest-running quiz program in any medium, began as a segment of What Do You Know? on BBC Radio in 1953, and has been a standalone program on Radio 4 since 1967. It has only had three regular presenters: Franklin Engelmann from 1953-72, Robert Robinson from 1973-2008, and Russell Davies since 2009.
The longest-running film franchise ever, the Godzilla series, may be on a hiatus right now, but Toho plans to bring everyone's favorite kaiju back in time for his 60th anniversary in 2014 with an American reboot.
The absurdist plays La cantatrice chauve (The Bald Soprano) and La lecon (The Lesson) by Eugène Ionesco have been on a permanent double bill at the Théâtre de la Huchette in Paris since February 1957.
The Sky at Night (airing once a lunar cycle since April 1957; presented by Patrick Moore from the first episode until his death in December 2012, during which he missed a total of one episode due to food poisoning, making him the world record holder for longest tenure presenting a television programme)
Telediario is a Spanish daily news program which started running in September 1957. Nowadays, its title has become synonymous with "TV news" in Spain.
Today (AKA The Today Programme), a British news daily on BBC Radio running since October 1957. There is a (probably apocryphal) story that if a British nuclear submarine commander failed to receive the Today program three days in a row, they were to assume Britain had been nuked and open their sealed orders.
Blue Peter (4,000+ episodes since 1958, the longest-running children's show ever)
Dutch sports program Studio Sport has aired since April 1959.
Portuguese daily news show Telejornal was first broadcast in October 1959; its name is synonymous with "TV news" in Portugal.
Radio Rochela was a Venezuelan late-night television sketch comedy and variety show, aired 1959-2010.
The Nature of Things (science documentary series on CBC since November 1960; hosted continuously by zoologist and environmentalist David Suzuki since 1979)
It's Academic: Washington, D.C. televised academic game show, continually produced since 1961; listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running quiz show in television history.
Four Corners (Australian current-affairs show, running since August 1961)
Sabado Gigante (started in June 1962 (as Gran Show Dominical before moving from Sunday to Saturday in 1966), Channel Hopped from Chile's Canal 13 to Univision in 1986; longest-running variety show in the world, still presented by its original presenter, "Don Francisco" (Mario Kreutzberger))
Ireland's The Late Late Show (since July 1962, has only had three regular presenters (Gay Byrne (1962-99), Pat Kenny (1999-2009), Ryan Tubridy (since 2009)). Not to be confused with the American The Late Late Show, which has "only" been running since 1995.)
The James Bond film series began with Dr. No in 1962; the twenty-third film, Skyfall, was released to mark the series' fiftieth anniversary in 2012.
The 700 Club: Religious program airing since 1966 on local Portsmouth, Virgina station WYAH (now WGNT), in national syndication since 1974, and on CBN since 1977; well-known as one of two CBN / Family Channel shows remaining on FOX Family / ABC Family (it, Living the Life, the annual day-long CBN telethon, and the channel's "Family" title were all stipulations when Pat Robertson sold the network in 1998). Has been hosted by Robertson since its inception.
All Things Considered (news magazine program airing on NPR since 1971, airing its first installment just months after NPR itself began broadcasting.)
Anpanman. Made in part of a magazine in 1969, went to picture books in 1973, then became big on an anime called Soreike! Anpanman, plus being the leader in the largest number of characters in any animated program. Creator Takashi Yanase still works on the series as well.
As It Happens (current events and interviews program on CBC Radio since 1968)
Emmerdale (formerly Emmerdale Farm), British soap opera (began in October 1972)
Encyclopedia Brown: The books began appearing in 1963. New ones were being published as late as 2011.
En Familia Con Chabelo (In Family With Chabelo) is a Mexican Game Show starring Xavier Lopez "Chabelo" that has been running every Sunday since 1968. Chabelo has stated that he intends to present the show until he dies.
The Fantasticks ran off-Broadway from 1960-2002, and was revived in 2006.
Folies Bergere, one of the original Las Vegas showgirl extravaganzas, opened in 1959 at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino and closed a few months shy of what would have been its 50th anniversary in 2009.
Gardeners' World has been broadcast on BBC television since 1968.
Golgo 13: 142 volumes spread across 40 years; started in 1969.
Great Performances (PBS performing arts series, airing since 1972)
The BBC pop-science programme Horizon has been running since 1964.
I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue has been running on BBC Radio 4 since April 1972. Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden have been regular panelists since the very beginning (except for occasional breaks due to medical problems or other commitments), and Barry Cryer has been a regular panelist since the second series after alternating with Humphrey Lyttelton in the moderator's chair for the first series.
Ideas (anthology series on CBC Radio since 1965)
Jeopardy! (12 years with Art Fleming {1964-75 and 1978-79}, 29 years and counting with Alex Trebek {1984-Present})
Just A Minute: Running on BBC Radio 4 since 1967. Still presented by the original chairman, Nicholas Parsons, although the original regular panelists have all passed away (Kenneth Williams in 1988, Derek Nimmo in 1999, Peter Jones in 2000, and Clement Freud in 2009). The Swedish version of the program, På Minuten, has aired since 1969 (with a hiatus from 1988-94).
Lupin III (Manga came around in 1967, 4 TV shows aired on 1971-1972, 1977-1980, 1984-1985 and 2012 respectively, six movies were made (A live-action one in 1974, five animated ones in 1978, 1979, 1985, 1995 and 1996) along with three OAVs (in 1987, 2002, and 2008) and, to top it all off, TMS Entertainment is still producing annual TV-specials since 1989.)
Marketplace (consumer advocacy program on CBC-TV since October 1972)
Mastermind (British quiz show airing since September 1972; from 1972-97 on BBC1 with Magnús Magnússon, 1998-2000 on BBC Radio 4 with Peter Snow, 2001-02 on Discovery with Clive Anderson, and 2003-present on BBC2 with John Humphrys)
Masterpiece Theatre (has aired on PBS since 1971, although it's just called Masterpiece now; its sister program, Mystery! {now known as Masterpiece Mystery}, has aired since 1980)
Match of the Day (started in 1964, survived in various forms and now has a spin-off and magazine).
Mazinger Z: Manga came around in 1972. An anime show and a second, manga series parallel to the original one were made in that same year, two sequels and several movies in that same decade, a related anime show (God Mazinger) in the eighties, an OVA series and movie in 2001 and a reboot in 2009. And then you have to count several alternate manga versions and one-shots produced throughout four decades. And this year the creatorhas stated he intends to make more Mazinger manga and anime.
Oriental Heroes, a Chinese manhua that debuted in 1970 and still runs as of 2012.
Play School (Australian children's show, running since 1966 and isn't going anywhere any time soon)
The Price Is Right (1956-65, then since 1972; originally hosted by Bill Cullen {1956-65}, then Bob Barker {1972-2007}, then Drew Carey {2007-})
A Question Of Sport kicked off in 1968, making it the oldest Panel Game in existence and arguably the longest continually running Game Show (while The Price Is Right has run for five more years overall and started twelve years earlier, it also spent seven years off the air). It has only had four regular presenters (Stuart Hall (1968-69), David Vine (1970-78), David Coleman (1979-97), and Sue Barker (1997-present)).
Romper Room (41 years, 1953-94)
Sazae-san (began in 1969, and is the longest-running animated series ever)
Tatort (also known as Scene of the Crime in the USA) is a German-language detective series which began airing in November 1970 on Das Erste in West Germany, in 1972 on ORF 2 in Austria, and from 1990-2001 and again starting in 2011 on SF1 in Switzerland. Over 800 episodes have been produced, although the regional ARD broadcasters, ORF, and SF all contribute locally-produced episodes to the series, so that rather than having one central cast and location, different episodes will feature different casts and settings. Its East German counterpart Polizeiruf 110 has aired over 320 episodes since June 1971, on Fernsehen der DDR until 1990 and on Das Erste following the re-unification. Both shows share a timeslot in The Berlin Republic.
Top of the Pops (started in 1964; weekly show stopped in 2006, but lives on in special editions)
University Challenge (on ITV from 1962-87 with Bamber Gascoigne, and on BBC2 since 1994 with Jeremy Paxman; British television's longest-running quiz show)
Ultra Series, a Japanese Tokusatsu series that began in 1966. So far, over 1,200+ episodes and seven movies.
Vecernicek is a Czech bedtime story program that has been running every evening since 1965, even with the opening unchanged for all these years.
W-Five (airing since 1966, longest-running newsmagazine program in North America)
The World at Six (flagship dinner-hour newscast on CBC Radio One since 1966)
Countdown (Britain; the first program on Channel 4, started in 1982, with 5,000+ episodes)
Discworld, first released in 1983 it has gone on to span almost forty (currently 39) books in the main series as well as numerous short stories, references books, stage shows, tv adaptions and various different types of games. Even after suffering from Alzheimer's disease Sir Terry Pratchet has still managed to release a new book almost every year. He's even training his daughter to continue the series after he is unable to.
Doctor Who ran from 1963 to 1989, and again from 2005 to present, for a total of 33 years. It is listed in the Guinness Book Of World Records as both the longest-running, non-consecutive, science fiction television series (when awarded in 2006, the show had 43 years under its belt since the first episode/serial, and a total of 723 episodes), as well as the most successful science fiction series.
Don McNeill's Breakfast Club aired on NBC Blue (later ABC Radio) from 1933-68.
Doraemon (second longest-running anime ever, until recently with the same principal voice cast. Aired one season in 1973, then continuously on a different network since 1979. They tried canning it in 2005, an idea which lasted all of a month before it was Un-Cancelled.)
Evening at Pops (PBS Boston Pops concert program, aired 1970-2005)
The Fifth Estate (CBC-TV newsmagazine program since 1975)
Fresh Air (interview show, locally on WHYY Philadelphia since 1975, nationally on NPR since 1987)
Front Page Challenge (Canadian celebrity panel quiz show that ran from 1957-95)
Glass Mask (the manga has been running since 1976. Has had several anime adaptations, the oldest ran during 1984 and the newest in 2005. And we're not counting the dorama, the Noh play, etc.)
Good Morning America (ABC weekday morning show, airing since 1975)
Gundam (16 TV and OAV series', 11+ movies, more manga and video games {separate and original stories, not just adaptations} than we dare to count, and good Lord, the model kits!
If one were to watch every Gundam animated work continuously, not counting eating, sleeping, or bathroom breaks, the total runtime would last more than one week. There are over a thousand hours' worth of Gundam animated work.
Hearts of Space (weekly New Age music program on public radio, has aired on Berkeley station KPFA since 1973 and in national syndication since 1983)
Here's Humphrey (Australian children's show, 1966-2003, briefly revived in 2007)
The House (CBC Radio parliamentary affairs show, year-round since October 1977)
The Howard Stern Show (some incarnation of the show has existed since the late 1970s)
Jubilee! (the sole remaining traditional showgirl revue in Las Vegas, has been running at Bally's Hotel and Casino since 1981)
Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Kôen Mae Hashutsujo (called Kochikame for short, and for good reason — it's the longest continuously-running manga series in terms of number of volumes, though Golgo 13 beats it in years. Started in 1976, with 1,400+ chapters in 162+ tankobon volumes, it's still running. It also has a 367-episode anime adaptation and two movies.)
The original theatrical Looney Tunes series ran from 1930-69. In that period it went through various directors, animators, producers, and characters, and that's not counting the various spinoffs, revivals, and movies.
Nightline (ABC prime time news program, airing since 1980)
NOVA (PBS science program, airing since 1974)
Oke No Monshou (Shoujo manga by Chieko Hosokawa, has been running since 1976 just like Glass Mask. Had a short video drama as well.)
Panel Quiz Attack 25 (Japanese quiz show, has been on the air since 1975)
Pobol y Cwm (Welsh-language Soap Opera, The BBC's longest-running television soap began in October 1974 and is still going)
A Prairie Home Companion (radio variety show, running since 1974 with two very similar shows running during the breaks from 1987-89 and 1989-92. Garrison Keillor has been hosting this show, but not the very similar ones that ran during its breaks)
Question Time (British current affairs debate show, running since 1979)
Quirks and Quarks (general-interest science program on CBC Radio since 1975)
Quote Unquote, that innocuous literary quiz that appears at lunchtimes, has been on BBC Radio 4 with the same host (Nigel Rees) since 1976.
Royal Canadian Air Farce (since 1973 on radio, since 1993 on TV; ended with a New Year's Eve special on December 31, 2008)
Three executive producers (with Lorne Michaels, who was executive producer from 1975-80, left for five years, then returned in 1985, as the most prominent)
Four directors (Don Roy King is the current director)
Three announcers [with Don Pardo as their most-used]
Seasonal Rot leading to threats of cancellation in its 6th, 11th, and 20th seasons,
Rival sketch shows that aired alongside it (with FOX's MA Dtv as the longest running, from 1995-2009, or from SNL's perspective, from the 1995-96 season note season 21 to the 2008-09 season note season 34)
Fickle fans and cynical critics who flip-flop between loving the show one season and hating it the next.
Eight cast member deaths (John Belushi note Died 1982 of a drug overdose, Gilda Radner note Died 1989 from ovarian cancer, Danitra Vance note Died 1994 from breast cancer, Michael O'Donoghue note Also died in 1994 from a cerebral hemorrhage caused by years of migraine headaches, Chris Farley note Died late 1997 from a drug overdose, much like Belushi did back in '82, Phil Hartman note Died 1998; was shot and killed by his wife, Brynn, who committed suicide before the police could arrest her, Charles Rocket note Died 2005 from a suicide in which his throat was cut open with a pair of box cutters, and Tom Davis note Died 2012 from throat and neck cancer)
Four writers' strikes (with the 2007-08 one being the most recent)
Seven Presidential administrations (starting with Gerald Ford)
Controversial events behind the scenes (Nora Dunn's boycotting the Andrew "Dice" Clay episode, Chevy Chase's fight with Bill Murray backstage, Garrett Morris' cocaine-induced nervous breakdown after being forced to play a monkey in a Canadian The Wizard of Oz parody, etc), and,
A boatload of modern historical events and pop culture trends that have changed society for better and worse (some of which were mocked or influenced by SNL).
Scooby-Doo (multiple series; at least one series was in first-run almost every year from 1969-91 and since 2002, plus one or more direct-to-video movies each year since 1998 and several live-action films. Something of an unusual example, due to the comparatively short nature of each incarnation. So far, Whats New Scooby Doo holds the episode record with 42, but it will be supplanted by the completion ofScooby Doo Mystery Incorporated's second season, which will bring that show to 52. Relatively modest episode counts by the standards of most long-runners, but they collectively make up a mythology of roughly 300 episodes.)
SportsCenter (celebrated its 30th anniversary September 7, 2009; runs for at least two hours every day {the latter of which is repeated throughout the following morning}, and quite a bit more as of August 2008. According to The Other Wiki, it currently stands at 31,000+ episodes, usually 60 or 90 minutes each.)
Super Sentai (1975-77, 1979- note {Himitsu Sentai Goranger and J.A.K.Q. Dengekitai were not originally considered part of the franchise and were only retroactively recognized in years later.}) Whether it counts depends on the definition of a "show", since each year the program in the time slot is set in a different world with a different team of superheroes (or "rangers") in color-coded uniforms who ride giant transforming and combining robots. It does have a series of crossover films between different teams set outside the television continuity (the Super Sentai Versus Series) and the 35th series, Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger, was a year-long crossover involving all the previous teams. If you count it, it's the longest running sci-fi program in the world just by number of years, and the fact that it airs an episode a week with no Summer break (nearly 1,800 episodes and counting) means it vastly exceeds most rivals' lengths in total airtime, including Doctor Who.
This Old House (PBS home improvement show, airing since 1980. Its spinoff program The New Yankee Workshop had a 20-year run in its own right, 1989-2009.)
This Week in Baseball (in syndication 1977-98, on FOX 2000-11)
Transformers, in all of its incarnations, starting from the first generation. The toy, comic, and cartoon franchise debuted in 1984 and is still going strong.
Top Gear (1977-2001, 2002-; if you include Wheelbase, Top Gear has been running in one form or another since 1964.)
Wonderama (1955-1986), a weekly children's show that ran on New York's WNEW and other stations owned by the Metromedia syndicate.
The Woodwright's Shop (1979-), an American woodworking show on PBS.
Woody Woodpecker made his first appearance in 1940 (although he wouldn't get his own series until the next year) and his theatrical cartoons lasted all the way up to 1972 (and are still being re-run on television in some parts of South America). He also had a brief revival in the late 1990s.
Yeralash (1975-), a Soviet/Russian comedy show for kids.
America's Funniest Home Videos (original pilot aired in November 1989, launched January 1990. From 1999-2000, it ran only as occasional specials, but the Tom Bergeron-hosted revamp returned it to series status)
Americas Most Wanted (began in 1987; longest-running show on FOX. It was actually canceled in Fall 1996 but fans, law enforcement, and the governments of 32 states rallied together to successfully persuade FOX to uncancel the show a month and a half later. Upon returning, it resumed its regular Saturday-night timeslot and paired with COPS. This combination itself is a long runner as one of the longest unchanged primetime schedules in American television history, currently in its 15th year.)
At the Movies (Siskel & Ebert): From 1986-99 with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, 1999-2000 with Ebert and guests, 2000-06 with Ebert and Richard Roeper, 2006-08 with Roeper and guests, 2008-09 with Ben Lyons and Ben Mankiewicz, and 2009-10 with A.O. Scott and Michael Phillips, for a total of 24 years. Revived on PBS in 2011 as Roger Ebert Presents "At the Movies".
If one counts their 1975-82 tenure on Opening Soon at a Theater Near You/Sneak Previews (which ran for another 14 years after they left for a total run of 21 years) and their 1982-86 stint on the original At the Movies, Siskel and Ebert were co-presenting film review programs for 24 years.
Barney & Friends: The first videos came out in 1987. The show premiered in 1992 and has been running for 20 years.
Bastard!!: First volume published in 1988 (with a one-shot pilot in 1987 titled Wizard!!). It was serialized irregularly by Weekly Jump before switching to Ultra Jump in 2000 (with a seven-year hiatus between 2001 and 2008) and as a result, only a relatively small set of 26 volumes have been published.
Battle Tech (this futuristic wargame just celebrated its 25th Anniversary)
Berserk: First volume published in 1990 (with a one-shot pilot in 1989), and has been serialized in Young Animal since 1992. However, it's only published bimonthly, so it has the comparatively-small 33 volumes. However, the anime was only 25 episodes and only lasted half a year; the fact that it went through 13 volumes of story in that time is telling as to why.
The Bill (pilot in 1983, full series in 1984, weekly since 1987. Ended in September 2010.)
The Bold and the Beautiful (1987-)
Brookside, (Channel 4 UK soap opera and one of the channel's first shows, 1982-2003)
Gunsmoke (1955-75) Famously the longest running drama series in primetime television, a title it now officially shares with Law & Order. Technically, Gunsmoke still ran longer; due to changes in the way the year was divided into television seasons, Gunsmoke ran from September 1955 to September of 1975, with 635 episodes; Law & Order ran from September of 1990 to May of 2010 (falling short of 20 years by three months), with 456 episodes.
Gute Zeiten Schlechte Zeiten ("Good Times, Bad Times", German soap with 4,000+ episodes, running since 1992; based on a Dutch soap called Goede Tijden, Slechte Tijden, which has run for 3,500 episodes since 1990)
Hajime No Ippo (manga serialization started in 1989, currently at 1,000 chapters and going strong)
Have I Got News for You (British satirical panel show, started 1990 and still going despite several libel cases and not having a permanent presenter since sacking Angus Deayton in 2002)
Hee Haw (CBS 1969-71, then in syndication through 1992)
The Jerry Springer Show (running in syndication since 1991, started as a public-affairs talk show based at WLWT in Cincinnati; its parent company syndicated it nationally as it slowly evolved into its current "freakshow" format. It switched distributors from Multimedia to Universal when Multimedia was bought out by a newspaper company in 1995, along with Sally Jessy Raphael's show)
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (started in 1987 on Weekly Jump; it switched to Ultra Jump (a monthly publication) in 2004, and is currently far over 100 volumes spanning eight major story arcs)
Landline (Australian rural issues program, 1992-)
Law & Order: September 13, 1990 - May 24, 2010. Fell just short of beating Gunsmoke's record, though at least they're now tied. Was the longest-running first-run drama series in primetime for all of The Noughties.
Legends in Concert, a celebrity impersonator revue, has been performing somewhere in Las Vegas, NV since 1983. Sister productions in Atlantic City, NJ, Branson, MO, and Myrtle Beach, SC have all had decade-plus runs; the latter two are still performing.
The Letter People: First broadcast in 1976, it ran clear into the 1990s.
The Littlest Pet Shop toy line has been in continuous production since 1992.
Love of Life (7,315 episodes from 1951-80)
Maury (Maury Povich's talk show; started in 1991 and still going strong. Switched distributors from Paramount to Universal in 1998)
Media Watch (Australian media analysis program; first aired in May 1989, isn't going anywhere any time soon)
Monitor (NBC Radio weekend show, 1955-75)
Morningside (CBC Radio morning show, 1976-97)
The Movie Show (running since 1986 in Australia; the original hosts switched networks in 2004 and now present At The Movies, which is the same show in all but name).
The London production of The Phantom of the Opera has been running since 1986; the Broadway staging since 1988.
The Phil Donahue Show (1967-96 on national TV, 3 years on Dayton, Ohio local TV) The show that inspired most Talk Shows after it, including Oprah and Sally Jessy Raphael.
Play School (BBC children's show, 1964-88)
Poirot (first episode shown in 1989, an occasional break in the 1990s and 2000s and a final series scheduled for 2011)
The Polka Dot Door (Canadian children's show, 1971-93)
Saltimbanco, a Cirque du Soleil show, opened in 1992. It originally closed in February 1997, but was brought back in October 1998; as a tent-based tour it ran until 2006, and relaunched as an arena tour in 2007 to visit cities that cannot support the tent tours. In this form it ran until 2012.
The Secret Storm (squeaks in at 20 years and 7 days, 1954-74)
Shadowrun (FASA's premier RPG survived the downfall of its parent company and just celebrated its 20th Anniversary)
Shortland Street is Television New Zealand's longest-running soap opera, first aired on May 25, 1992 and still going strong.
The Simpsons (Finished its 23rd season, is past the 500-episode mark, and has been renewed for seasons 24 and 25 note After budget issues with the FOX network threatened to have season 23 be its final season. Has been on the air as a series since December 17, 1989 note with the first episode being the Christmas special, "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire." The first regular episode is "Bart the Genius," though had it not been for the sloppy animation and behind-the-scenes issues Matt Groening was having with creating the show, "Some Enchanted Evening" — where Homer and Marge leave the kids with a female fugitive who poses as a babysitter — would have been the series premiere, though the title characters originated in animated shorts on The Tracy Ullman Show back in 1987.)
Slayers: Began in 1989 in a serialized magazine as a novel series; had an anime run (1995-97); had two OVAs and five movies (1995-2001); anime was Un-Cancelled in 2008 and released two more seasons. The bulk of the long run was through the novels, which kept running through the new millennium and are still being made.
Star Trek (22 years in all its TV incarnations, 1966-69; 1973-74; 1987-2005, plus 24+ on film, not counting the seven-year hiatus between Nemesis and Star Trek 2009)
Taggart (20+ years, longest running cop show on UK TV at the moment)
Thomas The Tank Engine, a TV show based on an old series of books, has been going since 1984.
Time Shock (Japanese quiz show, aired weekly 1969-1986, 1989-1990, and Time Shock 21 in 2000-2002, plus periodic specials 2002-present)
To Tell the Truth (1956-68, 1969-78, 1980-81, 1990-91, 2000-01; total of 24 seasons)
Tournament of Kings, a Las Vegas dinner theater rival to the Medieval Times chain, opened with the Excalibur Hotel and Casino in 1990 as King Arthur's Tournament; it was retooled and renamed in 1998 and continues to run today.
Transformers has been present in some form, either TV or comics, more or less continuously since 1984.
Truth or Consequences (1950-51, 1954-75, 1977-78, 1987-88; total of 24 seasons, although it is best known for the 19 years {1956-75} hosted by Bob Barker)
Waratte Iitomo!, a live-broadcast Japanese variety show, has been on the air since October, 1982. There has only been one host throughout its entire run, who holds a Guinness world record for longest continued hosting of a live television program.
Warhammer 40000, the first game Rogue Trader, was released in 1986.
Warhammer, the game of fantasy battles, actually appeared first, in 1983.
WCW Saturday Night managed 27 years, with a couple of name changes along the way.
WWERAW has been airing since 1993, has aired over 1000 episodes, the most of any weekly primetime entertainment show in US history.
Bananas In Pyjamas — the "costumed" series debuted in 1991 and ended in 2002, but a an All-CGI Cartoon adaptation beginning in 2011 has made the show one of these.
Beachcombers (387 episodes from 1972-91; longest dramatic series in Canada)
Beat the Clock: Total of 18 years (1950-61, 1969-74, 1979-80, 2002-03).
Big Brother: The show premiered in the Netherlands in 1999. While the original version has ended, several international versions continue to air and would belong here.
The Bionicle toy-line released its first sets in the Summer of 2001 and its last sets in the winter of 2010, hitting the 10 year mark on the dot.
Bleach - Youngest of Weekly Shonen Jump's Big three (see Naruto and One Piece below), started 2001 with over 500 chapters.
Cat And Girl, a web comic that has been running since 1999.
Catch Phrase, a British game show that lasted sixteen years. (Not to be confused with the much less successful American version upon which it was based.)
Cheers (11 years, immediately followed by spinoff Frasier which went another 11. As a result, Kelsey Grammer played Frasier Crane from 1984-2004.)
Chilly Willy (produced by Walter Lantz) ran from 1953 to 1972. However, the studio only did an average of three cartoons per year with the character. As a result he only has 50 shorts despite being in production for 19 years.
Comedy Central Presents (1998-present, 14 seasons, over 260 episodes; a show that has about 30 minutes of Stand-Up Comedy by a different comedian each episode)
The Daily Show (as its anniversary celebration put it, "10 F$!king Years", although current and best-known host Jon Stewart first showed up in 1999; the show debuted in 1996 with host Craig Kilborn)
Detective Conan, also known as Case Closed, in publication since 1994 and on the air since 1996 with 600+ episodes, 15 movies, and 70+ volumes. It's still going in both anime and manga form.
Degrassi The Next Generation (running since 2001, now known as Degrassi, over 200 episodes so far; the very first incarnation of it was actually in 1979 with Kids of Degrassi Street)
Dragon Ball (manga started in late 1984, ended in 1995. Anime started in 1986 with and ended in 1997 with Dragon Ball GT. Dragon Ball Kai may or may not count as additional seasons. It is still quite alive in terms of people finding ways to try and make money out of it.
The Fairly Oddparents (premiered on Oh Yeah! Cartoons in September 1998; the show proper debuted in March 2001 and is still ongoing, with a ninth season being produced for 2013)
Family Guy (running since January 31, 1999, cancelled in 2000 and 2002, got uncancelled in 2001 and 2005)
Fat Albert And The Cosby Kids. Lasted from 1972 to 1984 in the original format, plus 1984 to 1985 in first-run syndication.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Original manga began in 2001, has had two anime series the first one of which is approaching its tenth anniversary, 5 OVA's, and 2 movies, one for each respective anime series.
Futari Ecchi (1997, still ongoing as of 2012, 15 years), holds the record for the longest running manga with near explicit sex being showcased in every single chapter, in every volume. Something that sounds so bland and lewd has a reason for having more than 50 Volumes published, the series is basically an insightful encyclopedia for sex in manga form, no gratuitous sex scenes for the sake of it, everything being show relates to detailed reseatch on the author's part, something beyond than Plot with Porn.
Futurama went for an uninterrupted five years during its initial run on its parent network of Fox before getting the axe. Then, in 2007, it was briefly resurrected for another year as a line of four Direct-to-Video movies, counted by the staff as an unofficial "fifth season". Then, in 2010, it was officially picked up by Comedy Central for a new batch of episodes, and as of the end of the seventh season (2012), the series' still going strong. Compiling the time (including the brief extent that Futurama had on DTV), it's been around for at least thirteen years.
Good Eats (debuted July 7, 1999; Food Network's longest-running consecutive original program, with 14 seasons and 249 episodes). Ended in 2011.
InuYasha (although the anime got axed when it was going to overtake the manga, the manga itself ran from 1996-2008; the anime came back and finished the story in 2009-2010. That's 14 years if you count the anime as part of its run as well)
Iron Chef (started in 1993; between Iron Chef Japan and Iron Chef America, that's nearly (but not quite) two decades in one form or another.)
The Late Show with David Letterman (1993-; adding the Late Night years at NBC, 27 years)
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999-; 12 years as of 2010, when it also became the longest-running first-run drama series in primetime, carrying on the mantle of its parent series)
MA Dtv (1995-2009; is considered Saturday Night Live's longest-running rival sketch show, and like SNL had its share of cast changes, writer changes, and executive producer changes)
Major (15 years; started in 1994 and recently reached 700 chapters).
Match Game (18 years—1962-69 on NBC, 1973-82 on CBS and syndication, 1983-84 as The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour, 1990-91 on ABC and 1998-99 in syndication)
Naruto (first published in 1999 and aired in 2002. Now has 61 volumes, almost 500 episodes, 5 OVA, 1 novel, numerous games, and 9 movies. With more to come.)
Never Mind The Buzzcocks (first broadcast in 1996. As of latest broadcast season, they now have 227 episodes.)
The Now Show (first broadcast in 1998 and still airing)
One Piece (started publication in 1997. Over 700 manga chapters in 69+ volumes, more than 500 episodes, eleven movies, and counting.)
In 2010, the creator announced that the story had reached its halfway point; if this is true, then the series will run for a total of 26 years.
Incredibly ironic given that when Eiichiro Oda initially started the series he planned to end it after 5 years. He scrapped the idea when the story just started writing itself.
Keep in mind that while One Piece is slightly past the halfway point, the other members of Weekly Shonen Jump's Big Three and fellow Long Runners, Bleach and Naruto, are now in their final arcs.
Only Fools And Horses initially ran from 1981-1991 (10 years), and continued for another 7 years with annual Christmas specials.
Parlamentet (aired on Swedish television from 1999-2011, though the possibility of further episodes has not been ruled out; by contrast, its parent programme, the BBC's If I Ruled The World, only aired for fourteen episodes in 1998-99)
The first Pico flash, Pico's School, was made in 1999. Since then, Pico has been kept alive (in asense) as Newgrounds' Series Mascot by all sorts of Newgrounders to this day. And to think, Pico's School was inspired by Columbine.
Power Rangers (began in 1993 with only a one-year hiatus so far (which Saban is counting to the official season count), hit 700 episodes as of the Season 17 finale)
The PyramidGame Show series: 18 years (26 years worth of episodes due to the overlapping syndicated versions):
1973-74, CBS (The $10,000 Pyramid)
1974-80, ABC (The $10,000/$20,000 Pyramid)
1974-79, syndicated (The $25,000 Pyramid)
1981, syndicated (The $50,000 Pyramid)
1982-88, CBS (The $25,000 Pyramid; called The New $25,000 Pyramid from November 8, 1982 - January 28, 1985)
1985-88, syndicated (The $100,000 Pyramid)
1991, syndicated (The $100,000 Pyramid)
2002-04, syndicated (Pyramid)
Radio Dead Air, Nash Bozard's internet radio show, has been running weekly since July 2000. It makes his show the longest running entity connected with That Guy with the Glasses (even if the show was on for about 8 years before he even began making videos in 2009, let alone getting signed on to TGWTG in 2010.)
The Red Green Show (1990-2005, 300 episodes and a movie. Could go for almost thirty years if you count the length of time Steve Smith has been playing the Red Green character, having first done it on Smith and Smith in the late 1970s.)
Rugrats (12 years, disregarding its brief cancellation period and lackluster spin-offs. 177 aired episodes; however, each episode has two (or three in later seasons) stories. When you add them all together, include the pilot, the two "Tales From the Crib" movies, and the three feature films, the approximate number of episodes becomes roughly 351.)
Sally Jessy Raphael (ran from 1983-2002; canceled by distributor Studios USA due to the fading popularity of talk shows. And yet Jerry's been on for going on 18 years now...)
Says You! has been running since 1997, and as of 2012 is in its 15th season.
Saber y Ganar, a Spanish daily quiz show, started on 17th February, 1997. Since October 2011, it runs all seven days a week. It has consistently been the most viewed show in its channel since 2004.
Schlock Mercenary (published daily since June 12, 2000...and not missing a single day)
Scooby Doo Direct To Video Film Series alone has been going on strong since 1998, releasing a new installment every year, even occasionally fitting two in the same year.
Sponge Bob Square Pants (1999- )(Began in 1999, rose in popularity in 2000, widely considered as the most popular cartoon of the decade and rightfully took its place as one of the most successful cartoons of all time. Currently in it's 9th Season, recently renewed for a 10th.)
South Park (1997-, 16 seasons, renewed through a 20th)
Survivor has been on the air since 2000 and is currently in its 23rd season.
Tech Infantry, which started as a fan-made Tabletop RPG expansion pack in the mid-1990s, still has a couple of people writing short stories set in that universe today.
Its successor, plainly titled The Soup, has been airing since 2004. While total airtime as of August 2012 is nineteen and a half years, it has been 21 years since its first episode.
This American Life has aired nationally since 1996 (beginning locally one year earlier as Your Radio Playhouse), as well as a Showtime TV series from 2007-09.
Tokyo Friend Park II (Japanese game show, aired nearly every week from April 1994 through March 2011, plus another year prior if you count the original Tokyo Friend Park which aired from October 1992 through September 1993)
Toonami : Cartoon Network's longest running block at over 11 years, from March 17, 1997 - September 20, 2008. Revived on May 26, 2012.
True Life: MTV documentary series, with topics like, "I Have Schizophrenia," "I'm a Staten Island Girl," "I Don't Like My Small Breasts," "I'm Embarrassed of My Mom," and "I'm Living With My Ex" (among others), running since 1998, 15 seasons so far.
User Friendly has published daily since 1997, with only short hiatus periods lately due to serious losses in the author's family.
Whose Line Is It Anyway? started out on Radio 4 in 1988, then moved onto Channel Four the same year, where it lasted for 10 seasons; the show moved to Hollywood in 1998, when it got picked up by ABC. The show was cancelled in 2003 — and by cancelled, we mean it stopped filming new episodes; new episodes continued to air on ABC Family until November 2006.
World War II Online, the massive multiplayer war simulator, went to paid subscription on June 6, 2001 and is still going strong.
WWE's WWE SmackDown, has been airing regularly since April 29, 1999.
Mystere (opened in 1993 at Las Vegas' Treasure Island Hotel and Casino; longest nonstop run. Current contract expires in 2016.)
Alegria (1994-98, then as a resident show at a casino in Biloxi, MS from 1999-2000, then resumed touring in 2001; relaunched as an arena show in mid-2009)
Quidam (1996-2010 as a tent show, 2010- in arenas)
