List of the longest-running TV drama shows in US history. These dramatic 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 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 - for example, the Law & Order franchise - are not considered.) This list contains all the longest-running shows in the history of TV drama.
Of the longest-running drama series in United States TV history, only a few examples are still on the air, and all but one are from the police procedural genre. The longest-running current show as of the writing of this list was Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, with over 400 episodes across 22 seasons. (The original Law & Order series ran for 20 seasons before airing the series finale on May 24, 2010.) In 2019, Grey's Anatomy became the longest running television primetime medical drama when it aired its 332nd episode, beating the record previously held by ER.
What are the longest running TV dramas? Take a look here and you'll see for yourself.
Actors: Mariska Hargitay, Christopher Meloni, Ice-T
22 Seasons. 479 Episodes. Currently in production
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC, 1999) is an American police procedural, legal, crime... moreLassie
1954Actors: June Lockhart, Andy Clyde, Pamelyn Ferdin, George Cleveland, Jan Clayton
22 Seasons. 588 Episodes.Lassie is an American television series that follows the adventures of a female Rough Collie... moreLaw & Order
1990Actors: Jerry Orbach, Jesse L. Martin, Dennis Farina
20 Seasons. 456 Episodes.Law & Order (NBC, 1990) is an American police procedural legal drama series created by Dick... moreActors: Alfred Hitchcock, Harry Tyler, John Williams
14 Seasons. 456 Episodes.Alfred Hitchcock Presents is an American television anthology series hosted by Alfred... moreDragnet
1952Actors: Jack Webb, Harry Morgan, Don Ross
8 Seasons (from 4 "runs"). 450 Episodes.Dragnet is an American radio, television and motion picture series, enacting the cases of a... moreGrey's Anatomy
2005Actors: Ellen Pompeo, Justin Chambers, Chandra Wilson
17 Seasons. 365 Episodes.
Grey's Anatomy (ABC, 2005) is an American medical soap opera television series created by... moreER
1994Actors: Anthony Edwards, George Clooney, Julianna Margulies
15 Seasons. 331 Episodes.ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that... moreHawaii Five-O
1968Actors: Jack Lord, James MacArthur, Kam Fong
12 Seasons. 278 Episodes.Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and... morePerry Mason
1957Actors: Raymond Burr, Barbara Hale, William Hopper
9 Seasons. 271 Episodes.Perry Mason is an American legal drama series originally broadcast on CBS television from... moreActors: Angela Lansbury, William Windom, Ron Masak
12 Seasons. 264 Episodes.This show is a television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and... moreNYPD Blue
1993Actors: Dennis Franz, Gordon Clapp, James McDaniel
12 Seasons. 262 Episodes.NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal... moreBaywatch
1989Actors: David Hasselhoff, Pamela Anderson, Yasmine Bleeth
11 Seasons. 243 Episodes.Baywatch is an American action drama series about the Los Angeles County Lifeguards who patrol... more7th Heaven
1996Actors: Stephen Collins, Catherine Hicks, Jessica Biel
11 Seasons. 243 Episodes.7th Heaven is an American family drama television series, created and produced by Brenda... moreActors: Laurence Fishburne, Marg Helgenberger, George Eads
11 Seasons. 229 Episodes. Currently in productionCSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS, 2000) is an American crime drama television series... moreJAG
1995Actors: David James Elliott, Catherine Bell, Patrick Labyorteaux
10 Seasons. 227 Episodes.JAG is an American legal drama television show with a distinct U.S. Navy theme, created by... moreThe Waltons
1972Actors: Jon Walmsley, Mary Beth McDonough, Eric Scott
9 Seasons. 221 Episodes.The Waltons is an American television series created by Earl Hamner, Jr., based on his book... moreActors: Roma Downey, Della Reese, John Dye
9 Seasons. 212 Episodes.Touched by an Angel is an American supernatural drama series that premiered on CBS on... more77 Sunset Strip
1958Actors: Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Edd Byrnes, Roger Smith
6 Seasons. 206 Episodes.77 Sunset Strip is an American television private detective series created by Roy Huggins and... moreActors: Merlin Olsen, Jason Bateman, Melissa Gilbert, Alison Arngrim, Michael Landon
9 Seasons. 203 Episodes.Little House on the Prairie (NBC, 1974) is an American western historical drama developed by... moreMatlock
1986Actors: Andy Griffith, Linda Purl, Kene Holiday
9 Seasons. 195 Episodes.Matlock is an American television legal drama, starring Andy Griffith in the title role of... moreActors: Kathryn Erbe, Vincent D'Onofrio, Jamey Sheridan
10 Seasons. 195 Episodes.This show is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where... moreMannix
1967Actors: Robert Reed, Mike Connors, Nancy Kovack, Joseph Campanella, Gail Fisher
10 Seasons. 194 Episodes.Mannix is an American television detective series that ran from 1967 to 1975 on CBS. Created... more24
2001Actors: Kiefer Sutherland, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Carlos Bernard
8 Seasons. 192 Episodes.24 (Fox, 2001) is an American drama television series created by Joel Surnow and Robert... moreCharmed
1998Actors: Shannen Doherty, Holly Marie Combs, Alyssa Milano
8 Seasons. 179 Episodes.Charmed (The WB, 1998) is an American fantasy drama television series created by Constance M.... moreActors: Dick Van Dyke, Barry Van Dyke, Victoria Rowell
8 Seasons. 178 Episodes.This series is a mystery/medical drama television series starring Dick Van Dyke as Dr. Mark... more
