List of longest-running American cable television series

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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.

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
46 Inside the NFL HBO September 1977 February 2008
Showtime September 2008 February 2021
Paramount+ September 2021 April 2023
The CW September 5, 2023 present
43 SportsCenter ESPN September 7, 1979 present Over 60,000
43 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
35 Bobby Jones Gospel BET January 27, 1980 July 31, 2016
33 The Real World[2] MTV May 1992 January 2017 614
39 The Challenge [3] MTV September 28, 1997 present 545
38–39 National Geographic
Explorer[4] 		Nickelodeon 1985 1986 233
WTBS/TBS 1986 1999
CNBC 1999 2001
MSNBC[5] 2001 2005
National Geographic 2005 present
39 Grand Ole Opry Live[6] TNN April 20, 1985 August 2001
CMT August 2001 2003
GAC[7] 2003 2011
38 Sunday NFL Countdown [8] ESPN September 7, 1985 present
36–37 College GameDay
(football series) 		ESPN September 1987 present
36–37 NFL Primetime ESPN 1987 present
37 Biography[9] A&E April 6, 1987[10] August 2006
Biography Channel August 2006 present[11]
30 Moneyline[12] CNN June 1, 1980 November 11, 2009
34 NBA on TNT TNT November 4, 1989 present
28 The Sports Reporters ESPN[13] October 9, 1988 May 7, 2017
26 ESPN SpeedWorld ESPN January 14, 1979 November 19, 2006
25 Power Rangers Fox Kids August 28, 1993 August 10, 2002 905
ABC Kids September 14, 2002 November 15, 2003
Jetix (ABC Family)
Jetix (Toon Disney) 		February 14, 2004 July 10, 2005
February 5, 2005 November 13, 2006
Jetix (Toon Disney) February 26, 2007 November 3, 2008
ABC Kids March 7, 2009 August 28, 2010
Nickelodeon/Nicktoons February 7, 2011 December 18, 2021
Netflix June 15, 2021 present
25 Larry King Live CNN June 3, 1985 December 18, 2010 6,120[14]
25 South Park Comedy Central August 13, 1997 present 325

20–24 seasons[edit]

Number of
seasons		 Series Network First broadcast Last broadcast Number of
episodes
24 Baseball Tonight ESPN March 19, 1990 present
24 ESPN Major League
Baseball[15] 		ESPN, ESPN2[16] April 15, 1990 present
24 Outside the Lines ESPN 1990 present
24 WWE Monday Night Raw USA January 11, 1993 September 18, 2000 1,000+
TNN/Spike TV September 25, 2000 September 26, 2005
USA October 3, 2005 present
24 The Daily Show Comedy Central July 22, 1996 present 3,873
24 WCW Saturday Night[17] WTCG/WTBS/TBS December 17, 1976[18] June 24, 2000
23 Crossfire CNN 1982 June 3, 2005
22 E! News[19] E! September 1, 1991 present
22 Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel HBO 1995 present
22 Inside the Actors Studio Bravo August 14, 1994 present 276
21 Reliable Sources CNN March 7, 1992 August 21, 2022
21 Nick News with
Linda Ellerbee 		Nickelodeon April 18, 1992 December 15, 2015
21 Style with Elsa Klensch CNN June 1, 1980 January 2001
20 NFL Matchup ESPN, ESPN2[20] September 5, 1993 present
20 Monday Night Countdown ESPN September 6, 1993 present
20 Evans and Novak[21] CNN September 1982 November 9, 2002
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 1995 present
19 Modern Marvels History January 1, 1995 April 11, 2015 690
19 ESPN Sunday Night Football[22] ESPN November 8, 1987[23] January 1, 2006
19 NASCAR on TBS TBS 1982 2000
20 Keeping Up with the Kardashians E! October 14, 2007 June 10, 2021 280 + 6 specials
18 Golf Talk Golf Channel January 17, 1995 present
18 Golf Central Golf Channel January 18, 1995 present
18 Private Screenings TCM January 1, 1996 present
18 Showbiz Today[24] CNN October 29, 1984 2002
17 E! True Hollywood Story E! 1996 present 501
17 Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives Food Network November 4, 2006 present
17 Fox News Live Fox News Channel October 6, 1996 present
17 WNBA on ESPN ESPN 1997 present
17 Your World with Neil Cavuto Fox News Channel October 6, 1996 present
22 Real Time with Bill Maher HBO February 21, 2003 present 645 (as of December 15, 2023)
17 The O'Reilly Factor [25] Fox News Channel October 6, 1996 April 19, 2017 5,321
17 USA Tuesday Night Fights USA March 30, 1982 1998
17 Capital Gang CNN September 7, 1988 2005
16 The Ultimate Fighter Spike TV January 17, 2005 Dec 3, 2011 150+ (including 23 live Ultimate Finales)
(series has 29 production cycle defined 'seasons')
FX March 9, 2012 April 9, 2013
Fox Sports 1 September 4, 2013 present
16 NFL Films Game of the Week[26] ESPN 1997 present
NFL Network November 4, 2003 present
16 Hardball with Chris Matthews[27] CNBC 1997 1999
MSNBC 1999 2020
16 Booknotes C-SPAN April 2, 1989 December 5, 2004 801
16 MTV Unplugged MTV November 26, 1989 November 10, 2005[28] 108
15 Monday Night Countdown ESPN September 6, 1993 present
15 Pawn Stars History July 19, 2009 present 522
15 Fox & Friends Fox News Channel February 1, 1998 present
16 It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia FX/ FXX August 4, 2005 present 170
15 Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu Cartoon Network/ YouTube January 14, 2011 October 1, 2022 192
15 MythBusters Discovery Channel September 23, 2003 March 5, 2016 282

12–14 seasons[edit]

Number of
seasons		 Series Network First broadcast Last broadcast Number of
episodes
14 SpongeBob SquarePants Nickelodeon May 1, 1999 present 296+
14 The Real Housewives of Orange County Bravo March 21, 2006 present 308
16 Ghost Hunters Sci Fi / Syfy (2004-2016)
A&E Network (2019–present) 		October 6, 2004 present 251 (+ 12 specials not included)
14 Forensic Files
(A.K.A. Medical Detectives) 		TLC then truTV
(formerly Court TV) 		April 1996 June 2011[29] 410+
14 An Evening at the Improv A&E February 3, 1982 January 1, 1996
14 SpeedWeek ESPN 1983 1997
14 Video Soul BET June 26, 1983 1997
14 Road Rules MTV July 19, 1995 September 27, 2004[30]
14 Good Eats Food Network July 7, 1999 February 10, 2012 244
14 X-Play G4 1998 2013 1,000
13 NASCAR on TNT TNT July 22, 2001 July 13, 2014
13 Tim Russert CNBC 1994 2008
13 Hannity & Colmes[31] Fox News Channel October 6, 1996 January 9, 2009
13 Gardening by the Yard HGTV 1996 2009
12 The Real Housewives of Atlanta Bravo October 6, 2008 present 320
12 Monday Night Baseball ESPN April 7, 2002 present
12 30 Minute Meals USA November 17, 2001 present 445+
12 Deadliest Catch Discovery Channel April 12, 2005 present 150 + 50 specials
12 BET's Top 25 BET September 22, 2001 present
12 NASCAR on Speed Speed February 11, 2002 August 16, 2013
12 American Sports Cavalcade TNN 1983 1995
12 Intimate Portrait Lifetime January 1995 October 2005
12 Chopped Food Network January 13, 2009 present 698 + 39 specials
(series has 50 production cycle defined 'seasons')

10–11 seasons[edit]

Number of
seasons		 Series Network First broadcast Last broadcast Number of
episodes
11 Around the Horn ESPN November 4, 2002 present 2,310+
11 Barefoot Contessa Food Network November 30, 2002 present 111+
11 Closing Bell CNBC February 4, 2002 present
11 Shameless Showtime January 9, 2011 April 11, 2021 122+
11 Shepard Smith Reporting Fox News Channel August 2002 present
11 Gold Rush Discovery Channel December 3, 2010 present 176+
11 Aqua Teen Hunger Force
(alternate titles) 		Adult Swim December 30, 2000 August 30, 2015 139 (1 unaired)
11 House of Style MTV January 1, 1989 2000
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 September 6, 1994[32] October 22, 2005 202
June 15, 2019 December 17, 2020
11 Imus in the Morning[33] MSNBC September 2, 1996 April 11, 2007
11 The Crocodile Hunter Animal Planet October 25, 1996 September 4, 2007 78
11 Paula's Home Cooking Food Network 2002 2013 129+
11 When Calls The Heart Hallmark Channel October 19, 2013 present 115+
11 On the Record Fox News Channel February 2002 September 6, 2016
10 NFL Total Access NFL Network 2003 present
10 Impractical Jokers TruTV December 15, 2011 present 248 (+40 specials)
10 American Chopper Discovery Channel, TLC September 29, 2002 December 17, 2012 235
10 American Morning CNN September 12, 2001 December 30, 2011 1,000+
10 Emeril Live Food Network 1997 2007
10 The Fairly OddParents Nickelodeon March 30, 2001 July 26, 2017 172
10 Nashville Now TNN March 1, 1983 January 1, 1993
10 NASCAR on TNN TNN 1991 2000
10 Mystery Science
Theater 3000[34] 		Comedy Central November 27, 1989 May 18, 1996 198
Sci Fi Channel February 1, 1997 August 8, 1999[35]
10 Stargate SG-1[36] Showtime July 27, 1997 May 17, 2002 215[37]
Sci Fi Channel June 7, 2002 June 22, 2007[38]
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. ^ Future seasons have aired on Facebook Watch and Paramount+
  3. ^ Originally titled Road Rules: All Stars
  4. ^ Host: Tom Chapin (1985–1988), Robert Urich (1988–1995), Bob Ballard (1988–1995), Boyd Matson (1995–2003), Michael Fay (2001), Lisa Ling (2003-)
  5. ^ Show renamed National Geographic Ultimate Explorer 2003–2005
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ As Grand Ole Opry Live!
  8. ^ (not counting current Sunday evening version airing on ESPN+
  9. ^ Originated on CBS
  10. ^ Reran CBS originals, 1984–1987
  11. ^ Rebroadcast A&E originals, 1999–2006
  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. ^ Includes Sunday Night Baseball, Wednesday Night Baseball, etc.
  16. ^ ESPN2 started broadcasting major league baseball games in 2002 in addition to those offered by ESPN
  17. ^ Previously Georgia Championship Wrestling (1972–1984), World Championship Wrestling (1984–1992)
  18. ^ Date when WTCG was distributed nationally via cable (WTCG evolved into TBS). Broadcast on WTCG started January 1972.
  19. ^ Previously E! News Daily and E! News Live
  20. ^ Presently, each episode first airs on ESPN2 on Fridays, then is repeated on ESPN two days later
  21. ^ Other names: Evans, Novak, Hunt, and Shields (1998–2001), Novak, Hunt, and Shields (2001–2002)
  22. ^ Moved to NBC in 2006, at which time Monday Night Football moves from ABC to ESPN
  23. ^ Sunday Night Football shared with TNT, with TNT getting the first half of the season, ESPN the second half, 1990–1997
  24. ^ Also known as CNN Showbiz Today
  25. ^ Originally The O'Reilly Report
  26. ^ First-run syndication 1965–1997
  27. ^ Originally Politics with Chris Matthews
  28. ^ New episodes sporadic after 2001
  29. ^ 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.
  30. ^ The start of Season 15 has been announced for January 2008
  31. ^ Successor series Hannity debuted January 12, 2009.
  32. ^ "Special preview" airing, April 16, 1994
  33. ^ Simulcast of live program at WFAN New York
  34. ^ Also known as MST3K; first aired locally on KTMA, 1988–1989
  35. ^ official end of series, although one "unofficial" episode (Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders) was shown a month later
  36. ^ Longest-running science fiction series in the United States.
  37. ^ According to Sci Fi Wire Archived 2006-08-25 at the Wayback Machine
  38. ^ Cancellation announced by Sci Fi Channel, August 21, 2006
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_longest-running_American_cable_television_series&oldid=1219100638"