Series that last for decades - from soap operas to sitcoms

While some TV series that clicked with viewers and critics are canceled after only one or a couple of seasons, some persistently return

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06.05.2024. 19:55h

Evolution, a comfort zone and a bit of television magic give true power to the longest-running TV series - sometimes even in a period of time that is measured in decades.

In 2024, there is no shortage of television programs to choose from.

But when it comes to quality series - the ones that manage to attract the attention of the audience year after year - they are already harder to find.

And while some TV series that clicked with viewers and critics are canceled after only one or a couple of seasons (My so called life, Freaks and Geeks, Mindhunter), some keep coming back.

So the hospital drama Introduction to Anatomy (Grey's Anatomy) enters its twentieth season, while the animated series Family Man (Family Guy) was also approved for the 23rd season, since it has been broadcast on Fox since 1999.

There is no precise formula for the longevity of television series.

And yet, a decade-long survival shows that a show is not only able to reach millions of viewers in a single run, but also to maintain viewership across generations, a sure sign that its story and characters really resonate.

Here are some of the longest-running television series that have succeeded.

Animated comedy: The Simpsons, 34 seasons

The Simpsons is one of the longest-running series in television history.

It began airing in 1987 as a short sketch on The Tracy Allman Show before being syndicated two years later.

And after an impressive 34 seasons, the series is still being produced.

Few shows have ever offered audiences as entertaining and slyly critical a look at reality as The Simpsons.

Moreover, the authors of the series were right so many times with their comments on current events that they were eventually credited with being able to predict events.

South Park, which has a slightly sharper political commentary than The Simpsons, works in a similar way.

Although they haven't reached as many seasons as Bart Simpson and his family, the eternally young and irrepressible eight-year-olds from South Park have been the flagship of the Comedy Central studio for 27 seasons - the seasons are still piling up, just like the viewers.

Children's television: Sesame Street, 54 seasons

We may not be able to tell you how to get to Sesame Street, but we can direct you to the right television channel: after 54 years, this program is still broadcast on PBS, the public service in the United States.

Considering that Sesame Street continues to educate children about the alphabet and kindness, while at the same time the most famous personalities from different eras appear in it - from Robin Williams to the band Destiny's Child - there are no obstacles to continue it in the next five decades.

Late Night: The Tonight Show, 70 seasons

Late-night TV programs are ideal for cultural commentary, more so than any other type of television.

Maybe that's why there are so many late night TV shows, like the sketch series Saturday Night Live (Saturday Night Live), now in its 49th season or Late Night Program (The Late Late Show) - 29 seasons, which have apparently survived the test of time.

But none of the similar programs lasted as long as The Tonight Show which has so far had six comedians in the role of host - Steve Allen, Jack Parr, Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien and the current host of the series - Jimmy Fallon.

Soap operas: Coronation Street, 64 seasons

Not all long-running series need to be sarcastic-critical, funny or focused on current affairs - it's only important to get the drama.

This is also the case of the series Coronation Street, which holds the title of the most enduring soap opera on American television.

This soap opera is currently in its 64th year of broadcasting.

The series is very close General Hospital (Clinical Center) which has been shown for 61 years, and can boast of 14 Emmy awards for an outstanding drama series broadcast in daily television times.

Other soap operas that were right after the series General Hospital are Guiding Light i Days of Our Lives which for decades (57 years) have been considered the basic content of daily TV programs.

Sitcoms: Last of the Summer Wine, 31 seasons

The award for the longest-running sitcom goes to the BBC series Last of the Summer Wine, a comedy that ran for 31 seasons and ended in 2010.

In the United States, this title belongs to dark and sometimes inappropriate comedy It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia which began to be shown in 2005 and which experienced 16 seasons and is still being shown.

Although the series managed to shock its viewers, it did not repel them: the series starring Rob McKelleny, Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, Caitlin Olson and Danny DeVito is still being filmed and broadcast.

You can watch all 16 seasons on the streaming platform Hulu, and the 17th season will premiere at the end of this year.

Drama: Law and Order, 23 seasons

The crime drama Order and the Law premiered in 1990 and has been running continuously since then.

To make things even more impressive, the series created by Dick Wolfe is still growing: it also spawned an entire franchise that includes the original series, as well as Law & Order: SVU (Law and Order: Special Victims Unit) i Law & Order: Organized Crime (Law and Order: Organized Crime).

While there are still many dramas that have lasted for more than a decade, such as the aforementioned Introduction to Anatomy, 23 seasons of Law & Order, and many seasons of various spinoff series, are indicators of the firm hold that this franchise has achieved with its audience.

Reality TV: Survivor, 46 seasons

American Family (american family), a 12-episode PBS series about an average American family, is considered the first reality series of all time.

Series like MTV The Real World (The Real World) took this reality concept to the next level by putting complete strangers in the same house equipped with cameras but no script.

This phenomenon has proven to be extremely enticing for viewers, and rightly so The Real World became one of the longest-running reality shows with 33 seasons and various other incarnations it produced.

Since then countless reality shows have been created covering every possible topic: cooking, sports or fashion competitions, dating shows such as Love Island (Love Island) or Love on the Spectrum and many others.

Many of them survived and remained in the programs of various televisions.

The Amazing Race is still filming and is currently in its 35th season.

The Bachelor has been in production for the last 28 seasons.

But no reality TV program has ever lasted as long as the show Survivor.

This wild competition is currently in its 46th season and not only does it manage to survive, but it continues to multiply its fans.

How do some programs manage to continue to air?

Retaining the attention of viewers for years, or even decades, is no easy task and in fact it is almost impossible to accurately predict whether a particular series will last.

But if we look at the ones that have stood the test of time, it's clear that one of the ingredients in the longevity formula is the show's ability to evolve and always be able to offer something fresh over the years.

Journalist John Ortvedt wrote about the longevity of the Simpsons in a book The Simpsons: The Uncensored and Unauthorized History.

He told the BBC that one of the main reasons why the series has survived for such a long period of time is that it is an animated production with a lot of creative freedom: its characters do not age, so it can go on forever even today.

This means that the show can also deal with things that concern modern times, whatever they represent today - and that's exactly what The Simpsons continues to do uncompromisingly.

"Comedies move forward, they change," Ortvedt says.

They do this, he explains, because it is necessary to remain relevant.

Ortved says that it is impossible to talk about the success of The Simpsons without mentioning the perfect writers who have been incorporating sharp comments into the scripts for decades.

And yet, even though the themes themselves evolve over time, there is something in the comfort zone that the unchanged elements of various sitcoms provide to their viewers.

"It doesn't matter if Bart is on the iPhone or if Lisa is doing something on social media," says Ortwell.

"At the end of the day (and at the very beginning of every episode), you're always in the same place, with the same people, in the same city."

That sense of comfort is key to attracting viewers to come back to the program again and again.

Of course, only an animated show can offer unchanging characters over decades of broadcasting.

Reality shows, on the other hand, have to stay fresh because they bring in different contestants every season.

But reality star Jamie Otis, who participated in the first season of the series Married At First Sight, currently in its 17th season, tells the BBC that programs like this survive because they are able to really succeed in what they were created for - to help people find love.

"When they're successful, then they're successful, and then it's a wonderful love story," she says.

"It's wonderful to follow successful couples and see them live together even after the season is over."

Otis, who has been living with her husband Doug for 10 years, whom she met on the set of the series, is currently in a different state and expecting twins, says that she is grateful for all that and that, at least for her, this reality show was really useful and successful.

But even when those things don't happen, reality TV is very good at keeping its audience engaged, she says.

What keeps viewers coming back to their favorite program every year varies from genre to genre, from dramas to soap operas or to the comfort offered by the unchanging faces of Bart and Lisa and the latest lineup of young and wonderful faces of reality stars who are able to cry. and for every little thing.

But good cultural commentary, drama, love and comedy - there will always be something the audience can never get enough of.

"Whether it's Shakespearean or movie themes," Ortvedt says.

"If you're able to tap into those universal themes, then you've got something in your hands that's really fundamental."

Thorough and, by all accounts, long-lived.

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