List of the longest-running TV talk shows in US history. These TV chat 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 talk shows in US broadcasting history.
The concept of a "talk show" can mean a lot of different things. It's most commonly associated in the US with the late-night variety show, particularly "The Tonight Show" or the "Late Show with David Letterman." However, the concept - sometimes also referred to as a "chat show" - also encompasses daytime TV talk like the offerings from Oprah Winfrey or Ellen DeGeneres, or even more news-oriented panel discussion formats like "The View" and "Larry King Live." Really, any show with hosts and rotating guests conversing can be considered a talk show, even extending the definition to the "tabloid talk show" made famous by Jerry Springer, or the radio-show-on-television format popularized by Howard Stern.
