Longest Running Reality TV Shows in the US

List of the longest-running reality TV shows in US history. These reality TV series have more episodes than any others in American television. Some of the shows ran and have since gone off the air or been canceled, while others remain ongoing and are still being produced. Typically, these shows were collected into "seasons" of television, each with a pre-set amount of episodes. Sometimes, these seasons were broken up, in some cases with years or even decades between production of the series, while still being considered the run of a single TV show. (Spin-offs and other shows that were reinvented and debuted as new series are not considered.) This list contains all the longest-running shows in the history of reality TV in America.

Though reality shows are not typically known for longevity, with most running out of steam when the original novelty of the concept wears off, a few of the big standard-bearers of the genre have been going strong for a decade or more. The "original" US reality show - "The Real World" - has remained a popular fixture on the MTV schedule for 25 seasons and over 400 episodes, and has also given rise to a franchise of other shows, including "Road Rules" and the "Real World-Road Rules Challenge" series. "American Idol" has also stood the test of time over the course of 10 seasons, buoyed by a rotating cast of singers and judges.