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fall in sexual love with a television show is gentle for most people . But falling in love with a television show that spans decades is like finding a needle in a haystack . And , with even more content out there than ever before , the odds of atelevision show go more than a few seasonsis slender to none .
However , there are a handful of primetime television shows that have deal to do the impossible and thrive for decades , sometimes even multiple decade . From law-breaking and aesculapian shows to television set classics and animated front-runner , there does n’t seem to be any one eccentric of show in particular that go the distance , it all just depends on what happens to click with viewers . As a line , this listing focuses specifically on web American television and does n’t let in appearance on cable length or that originated in other countries .
update on May 2nd , 2021 by Kristen Palamara : With so many fresh shows and pilots being greenlit it ’s hard for primetime show to stand out amongst the lineup of new shows rent alone scarper for rafts of seasons , but these show have managed to do just that . These primetime boob tube shows have the most season and are the longest - run appearance as each one of them aired newfangled episodes for more than a decade and systematically kept enough of a fanbase to stay on the aura for so long and still be successful up until the end .
Bonanza - 14 Seasons
Bonanzawas a Western that first air in 1959 and had its final installment in 1973 with over 400 episode over its 14 season . The serial publication watch a family line of rancher , Ben Cartwright and his 3 boy , adjudicate to survive during and after the U.S. Civil War .
Fans tune up in every week for over a decade to check the Cartwright category workplace on their land , call the Ponderosa , and live on their more personal spirit outside of work on the ranch as well .
Criminal Minds - 15 Seasons
Criminal Mindswas an challenging constabulary adjective program with a turn as it focus on the FBI profiling team that used more psychological approaches to clear their criminal offense as they make a visibility for people who might have committed flagitious offence and worked from there .
It was a gamy serial publication that alleviated its serious moments with more comedic ones and had a large cast of characters with unparalleled personalities . This balance made the serial popular and kept it going for 15 seasons .
The Jack Benny Program - 15 Seasons
The Jack Benny Programwas similar to a sketch show as host and comedian Jack Benny would receive raw guests every workweek and bring home the bacon joke during their weekly primetime programming .
The series bleed for over 300 sequence in its 15 time of year bulge in 1932 and ending in 1965 . buff were obviously tuning in to the program with it survive over 30 years on the gentle wind and one of the first hebdomadary telecasting program for mass to see at household .
ER - 15 Seasons
ERwas one of the first majorly pop medical dramas and paved the way for other series likeGrey ’s Anatomyto be as popular as they are . ERran for a amount of 15 season and focus on several Doctor , nurses , and other hospital employees work their jobs and living their lives alfresco of work .
fan continue to tune into the show even as character left and new characters were present andERproved that the medical dramatic event was a force to be see with .
Supernatural - 15 Seasons
Supernaturalran for 15 years and 15 seasons on the CW as one of the channel ’s most popular and longest - running show . The serial fall out the Winchester brothers , Sam and Dean , as they locomote the U.S. , hunted monstrosity , and saved people .
fan continued to tune into the serial to see the character edifice of both the Winchester brother and everyone they interacted with , human or supernatural creatures , including recurring lover - favorite character Castiel .
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - 15 Seasons
CBS ’s procedural forensics play seriesCSI : Crime Scene Investigationpremiered in October 2000 and ended its fifteen - year run in September 2015 .
The serial was so successful it helped launched amassively popularfranchisewhich now let in three other television series , in improver to cause the jump to video recording game and other forms of medium . During its historic ladder , the series was name for various Emmys and other award , realize it critical plaudit .
Grey’s Anatomy - 16 Seasons
Grey ’s Anatomyhas dethronedERas being the longest - running primetime aesculapian drama series in September 2019 when the 16th season began air out on ABC .
The Shonda Rhimes - make drama first premiere in March of 2005 and since then has become a ethnic phenomenon . Over the long time there has been a revolving cast of characters — withseveral leaving over originative differences — but one thing that has remain the same is that the series promises to bring in the drama every episode .
American Dad! - 17 Seasons
American Dadis one of twoSeth MacFarlane - createdanimated series to clear a spot on the tilt of long - running primetime tv show of all time . The series follow Stan Smith , a homeland security CIA agent , who must juggle his stressful job with his eccentric family which include Roger , an noncitizen who escaped Area 51 .
American Dadfirst started publicise onFoxin February of 2005 before go to TBS in 2014 for the continue six season . The serial has since beenrenewed for two more seasonswhich will bring in it to 19 .
NCIS - 17 Seasons
CBS ’s police proceduralNCISalso make the list of longest - run primetime video show with seventeen current seasons and an eighteenth set to star premiering in the next few weeks .
NCIScenters on Leroy Jethro Gibbs ( Mark Harmon ) and his team of Naval Criminal Investigative Service Special Agents as they investigate primes that deal with the Navy and Marine Corps . LikeCSI , NCIShas create several successful spins off , turn it into afranchise .
Family Guy - 19 Seasons
Seth MacFarlane ’s longest - running animated show is none other thanFamily Guy . The animated sitcom first aired on Fox in January 1999 and has continued to call Fox place for the last nineteen season .
Family Guyis interesting because it was in reality canceled by Fox after its third season . However , strong DVD sales and the winner of reruns on Adult Swim inspired Fox to repeal its cancellation order . Since then , the series has proceed to be a top performer for Fox and one that the mesh probably would n’t be seem to call off ( again ) anytime soon — thoughits future tense is somewhat uncertaingiven MacFarlane signing a deal with NBCUniversal originally this class .
