Longest Running TV Show

It was the advent of cable TV - followed by satellite TV, that added to the popularity of television as a form of mass media in the United States of America, post World War II. A rise in the number of TV channels resulted in a rise in the number of TV shows, and soon enough the audience found themselves in a dilemma with too many good shows to choose from.

The decade of 1940s marked the emergence of several TV shows in the United States - most of which went off air after a brief stint. It was at this point of time that one TV show made a mark by running for six decades at a stretch - thus becoming the longest running TV show ever. There have quite a few TV shows which have been aired for 50 years and more - but going on for more than 60 years (which continues even today) is surely a feat that deserves due honor.

Longest Running TV Show in the World

The distinction of being the longest running show in the history of television goes to 'Meet the Press' - an American TV news/interview program, which boasts of 62 years of continuous broadcast. The 60 minute long show generally consists of one-on-one interview with the host, and a round table discussion or two-on-one interview with political adversaries on some occasions. Other than North America, it is also broadcast in Europe, Asia and Australia on various NBC Universal channels.

Produced by the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), Meet the People made its debut in the American broadcasting circuit on 6th November, 1947. Over the period of 62 years that it has been in running, this weekly show has completed more than 4500 episodes. The present host of Meet the Press - David Gregory, is the 11th person to moderate this TV show. Interestingly, it is also the highest rated Sunday morning talk show of the American broadcasting circuit.

The 'CBS Evening News', which is the second longest running show in the world (with 59 years) deserves a special mention here - also because, it is the longest running network newscast in the United States.

Longest Running Shows by Categories

While Meet the Press happens to be the longest running talk show of the world, there do exist quite a few other TV shows which boast of being the longest in their specific genre. The American western drama series 'Gunsmoke', which was aired between 1955 and 1975, continues to be the longest running prime time TV show. Similarly, 'Blue Peter' a children's show which is being aired in the United Kingdom since 1958 is the longest-running children's TV show in the world.

A Spanish television show - 'Sábado Gigante', which is being aired in Chile and the United States of America since 1962 is the longest running TV game show/variety show in the world. Yet another popular name in the British home entertainment circuit, 'Doctor Who' is the longest-running science fiction TV show in the world. In fact, Doctor Who also has the distinction of being the 'most successful' science fiction series of all time.

Meet the Press is also considered one of the best TV shows, and with the producers having no specific plans to wind up any time soon, it will continue to be the longest running show for years to come. More importantly, it is considered to be the highest rated Sunday morning talk show of America, and that hints at the fact that Meet the Press is not just about quantity - but also about quality.