Longest-Running Scripted TV Shows in History
Source:
Wikipedia
Key Findings
🏆
Coronation Street (UK) leads in Years on Air with 65.
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Average Years on Air: 52.13 · median: 54.50.
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Gap: Coronation Street (UK) is 1.9× larger than Law and Order (USA).
About This Dataset
Longest-Running Scripted TV Shows in History
Television series ranked by total years on air since their premiere broadcast. British soap operas dominate the upper end of the table — Coronation Street, which debuted on ITV in December 1960, is the world's longest-running primetime soap opera, having broadcast continuously for over 65 years and produced more than 11,000 episodes across its run.
Analysis
The top three in Years on Air are Coronation Street (UK) (65), General Hospital (USA) (62) and Days of Our Lives (USA) (60). The 8 entries in Years on Air cover a range of 30, from 65 down to 35. First and second are separated by 3, so the leader sits inside the field rather than apart from it. The other 6 are bunched between 35 and 60 Years on Air.
Data Insights
Numbers, trends & sources behind this chart
Methodology & source
- Data source
- Wikipedia
- Coverage
- 8 entities · 8 observations
- Measure
- Years on Air
- Last updated
- 6 September 2026
- Compiled by
- The ANYSTAT team, from the source above
How the figures are calculated
- Values use the measure and unit named on this page. Consult the dataset description and cited source for coverage, definitions and any unit conversions. Displayed values may be rounded for readability.
- Entities are ranked highest-first on their value.
Data Sources & References
All external sources cited in this dataset
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