Talk:List of longest-running American television series/Archive 1

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COPS

i notice that the television reality series "COPS" isn't on here. i am sure it is at least 10-12 seasons old.... maybe someone can look into that. Preceding unsigned post dated before 13:28, August 25, 2006‎ (UTC)

"COPS has been in fact on the air for 17 seasons with over 650 episodes. It has been added to the list. Thank you for pointing this out." -Steve — Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.58.35.202 (talk) 02:27, August 29, 2006‎ (UTC)

StarGate v Doctor Who

Steven Furtado wrote:

I changed Stargate's entry from "Longest running science fiction series" to "Longest running american science fiction series" to make it more accurate. Since the record for longest running science fiction series of all time belongs to BBC1's Doctor Who, which has a grand total of 28 seasons with roughly 730 episodes as of July 2006. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.58.35.202 (talk) 01:48, August 29, 2006‎ (UTC)

  • Doctor Who is actually two series, according to the BBC - the current edition is a revival. In fact the just-released DVD package refers to the 2005 season as "Series 1" (the British use "series" in the same way the Americans use "season"). B.Wind 20:45, 12 November 2006 (UTC)
OK, Doctor Who (original series) was 26 season. Still longer than 10, right?
Duggy 1138 (talk) 06:07, 14 July 2008 (UTC)

US Television series

Just wondering, what criterion dictates what is a "US Television series"? Is it that the show is produced by US companies, filmed in the US, or produced there? Because some shows, while appearing on US television, do not strike me as being American in origin; Pokémon, who's at the bottom of this list, seems to be the most flagrant example (less there is a factor that makes it American and that I do not know, if such is the guess, forgive my ignorance). Ghilz 04:22, 7 September 2006 (UTC)

I say we take Pokemon off the list. An anonymous user added it last week; I let it sit there because I didn't want to scare him away, given that the user's made good contributions. I agree that Pokemon's status as a U.S. series is questionable at best. What's next, Dr. Who? At nine seasons, Pokemon doesn't even qualify as long-running. My personal feeling is that when it gets to be below 15 seasons or so, we should start being conservative about whether the show belongs on the list. For example, Cheers, M*A*S*H and Married...With Children appear to be tied for second place for longest running sitcom, after Ozzie and Harriet. So they're easy candidates for inclusion. szyslak (t, c, e) 07:47, 7 September 2006 (UTC)
I am not (only) talking about Pokemon however, the list does an explaination on what makes a television show a "US" Television show. Especially today where many "American" series are filmed in Canada or some other locale. It'd add clarity, because some shows definatly are in grey areas... As for minimal number of seasons, I dont see it as much of a problem, shows with relatively few seasons that however hold records (Like Stargate SG-1) Other shows with notable runs, or large numbers of episode, are still welcomed... even if they arent in the top three.Ghilz 20:50, 7 September 2006 (UTC)


questions about show title changes

(note my spelling is bad)

The Tonight Show was not called The Tonight Show the whole time: it was called Tonight, Tonight Show: with Johny Carson, and is now The Tonight Show: with Jay Leno, next year it should be called The Tonight Show: with Connan O'Brien, if you look at the endings of the current show it has the date that Jay took over as it's "year one" date

but if per the TV Guide it is one show and title changes, like all the Scooby Doo shows, or all the Survivors, then what about Bugs Bunny (counting all the lunny toons shows it's a large number) and then their is Star Trek, Star Trek: Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise (2-4),Enterprise (year 1), Star Trek: The Animated Show (might not count as part of the universe but for us it was on air)

also the "Soap's" started on Radio as "shows" are the radio shows counted, and the Simpson's started on the Tracy whatever show do they count as a season too?

and why is news shows on the list, it not a "show" like the Tonight Show is a Show, Meet the Press is a show, the Nightly News, or Fox News is not a "show" it's information. otherwise CNN as a whole should be on the top of the list all they do is one long news report.

anything on TV that does not have a "Season ending, opening" can't be a long running show they are still on the 1st season even after 50 years? and with the Web what about web-sodes the Batman & Superman Cartoons had a run of shows on WB.com called Gotham Girls

plus you have show listed that have gaps of years between seasons that means it ENDED IT'S RUN, THEN CAME BACK, Sliders lasted for 4 years (three on Fox) then it took a 6 month gap and returned to SCI-FI)

then their is the Super bowl, World Series, Rose bowl, Olympic games, State of The Union Address's:

one could argue that the Super bowl is on it's 42 season,

the World Series the 103rd edition of Major League Baseball's championship series subtract the pre-TV ones and it's air time is 1947 - 1994, 1995 - 20++ (47 years then 12 years after the strike)

Olympic games (winter and summer) -- is over 1230 years old -- divided by 2 (two years apart per seasonal games 615 games played - 12 years of no game (6) due to WW1 & WW2 = 609 - "a few 100 years" 1875 as the new games = ?? the 2008 games are listed as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, a number that is WAY TO LOW 2008-29 = 1979 (granted it is technically a Greek show, and not a US Show per-say but US Networks air the US Version of the Games)


State of The Union Address's: Harry S. Truman's 1947 address was the first to be broadcast on television. and every year "We The People" have to watch the President make promises to the nation that he (or she) will never keep that is 61 "seasons" of the "STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS, LIVE FROM THE NATION'S CAPITAL, IN WASHINGTON DC" (the "opening" Credits of the show) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.196.208.215 (talk) 22:49, 7 March 2008 (UTC)

—Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.196.208.215 (talk) 22:10, 7 March 2008 (UTC)

Seasons

I'm contemplating rearranging this list by length of run in years/months, rather than by season. The concept of a "season" is often ambiguous and poorly defined. While modern network television seasons generally run from September to May, the rules are often different. For example, many cable series have much shorter seasons, which can run any time of the year, often with two or more "seasons" within a single year. In addition, news, daytime and children's shows often air new episodes throughout the year. Finally, I recall reading that a network "season" wasn't well defined in the early days of television, which affects very old series like Meet the Press and The Today Show.

On a related note, should we count the end of a series' run as the final new episode, or the final summer rerun before the series goes off the air? Usually in a show's final season, they'll air the last new episode in May, continuing to air repeats until September or so. I welcome everyone's feedback. szyslak (t, c, e) 07:59, 7 September 2006 (UTC)

I dont mind the list being re-arranged in Years, months & days, though I think the number of seasons should be kept on the list, as its still a matter of interest to the reader. Secondly, the end of a series is when the last new episode is aired... Reruns should not count, as they are not part of the show's original run. After all, if you'd count reruns, then may as well count syndication? Some series finish making new episode, but dont necessairly leave the air afterwards, having a long life as reruns, as such, reruns shouldnt count towards a series longevity. Anyway, thats my opinion, feel free to disagree.Ghilz 20:44, 7 September 2006 (UTC)
I agree (after all, I Love Lucy and Gilligan's Island reruns have been syndicated continuously since their last first-run episode). Similarly, TV-movie "sequels" (like Perry Mason) should not be included as they are not part of the original run. B.Wind 06:20, 1 November 2006 (UTC)
I agree with the time-based comparisons as well. Mostly because of the deceptive nature of "season" and multiple seasons within a year, etc (and Sopranos with two obviously separate seasons called Season 6 part 1 and part 2 (I know Sopranos won't make the list, but my point is if it did would it be 6 or 7). Another reason is actual time means that placement will be easier... many shows may go for 10 seasons, but actual times will be different. Duggy 1138 (talk) 05:12, 14 July 2008 (UTC)

Survivor and The Amazing Race

I have added Survivor and The Amazing Race even though they've been on the air only since 2000 and 2001, respectively. Why? Officially (according to CBS.com), Survivor is in its 13th season (the show is unique in that its name changes for each 14-week season, Survivor: Cook Islands is currently running), and The Amazing Race is in its 10th season. Should the primary criteron for inclusion become the time between first and last original episodes, these two shows would need to be removed; but if it's by the season, they will each have two more in 2007 (Survivor: Fiji is being taped this month). Interestingly enough, the similar Big Brother has only one season per year. B.Wind 06:01, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Survivor isn't unique. Other shows have had season-to-season name changes, especially in the UK. Duggy 1138 (talk) 05:14, 14 July 2008 (UTC)

Survivor

As of 2007, Survivor is in its 15th Season. According to Wikipedia itself, It's final season (according to the producers) is going to be Survivor: China (I believe)

08:01, 22 December 2007 (UTC) User:SamButton321

Arthur

I removed Arthur from the the list, for its length is not really notable, even by cartoon standard (Others, such as Rugrats & Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, boast a higher episode count and a larger number of years on air), in fact, a quick look at Wikipedia's List of animated television series shows that Arthur, while having lasted a long while for a cartoon, is outranked by a great many show. Ghilz 18:51, 10 September 2006 (UTC)

No. No one should editorialise what is included and what isn't. I'm trying to research the end date of A.G. News currently. It was an agricultural news program, I forget which network. I doubt it was particularly popular, and heck, it doesn't have a Wikipedia article yet. But it ran for a few decades, so it should be included. So long as a series is producing new seasons, those season count towards the total. -- Zanimum 17:04, 30 September 2006 (UTC)
I am not saying Arthur is never watched, or questioning the show itself. I am questioning why its on the list, when its season and episode count is mediocre by any standard. The name of the article is List of longest running U.S. television series. If, in a few years, Arthur reaches a high number of episode/seasons/Years on air, then by all means add it to the list. Otherwise, it has no reason to be here. Whats next, shall we add shows like Invader Zim to the list? I love the show, but I realise its not even near being a longest running american TV show no matter the format. Arthur's not even reached 200 episodes yet... I suppose it can be include by virtues of having been airing for ten years, but even that thats no record breaker. If A.G. News has been running for as long as you say, by all means, add it to the list then. Ghilz 22:28, 30 September 2006 (UTC)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

No matter how the seasons were packaged, Dec 87- Nov 96 does not make 11 seasons.--Son of Somebody 01:07, 25 October 2006 (UTC)

The List_of_Teenage_Mutant_Ninja_Turtles_1987_episodes and IMDB lists it as 11 seasons and one sideseason... If its wrong, feel free to correct it. Ghilz 03:58, 26 October 2006 (UTC)
Thanks, not interested in yet another conflict with cultists.--Son of Somebody 16:42, 26 October 2006 (UTC)
Also interesting that no "Season 10" is listed at the IMdB site.--Son of Somebody 16:44, 26 October 2006 (UTC)
And whats this? Sure, it lacks air dates though. Ghilz 03:42, 30 October 2006 (UTC)
Interesting, now it's missing "Season Six". The dates on these seasons are odd, to say the least. Regardless, Dec 87-Nov 96 will never amount to 11 seasons!--Son of Somebody 05:33, 30 October 2006 (UTC)
Tv.com shows it as 10 seasons... and lists the air dates. If someone doesn't beat me to the punch, I'll change the entry to reflect 10 seasons. 147.70.242.40 22:51, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

The (New) Price Is Right

It should be pointed out that the current edition of The Price Is Right (originally The New Price Is Right) was a revival of a similarly-named game show of the late 1950s and early 1960s. 4.234.36.143 04:17, 26 October 2006 (UTC)

Scooby-Doo

The Scooby-Doo entry is misleading and should be deleted. While the title character (and one other) remains constant over the indicated period, there have been several Scooby-Doo series, including Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! and What's New, Scooby-Doo?. The current CW series is in its first season. 4.234.36.143 04:24, 26 October 2006 (UTC)

I agree that there's some inconsistency. Scooby-Doo had long gaps in its run, yet the revival of Jeopardy! does not count the original run in its season total? (Granted, by self-admission, Jeopardy! lists itself in its 23rd season.) If longest running = most seasons, then what about Jeopardy—or Wheel of Fortune, which jumped directly from network to syndication (and was running a version of each for a while)? —C.Fred (talk) 06:05, 3 November 2006 (UTC)

Actually, both the original NBC Jeopardy and the syndicated revival have separate entries in the table, ditto the original The People's Court and its revival; the daytime (NBC) Wheel of Fortune has its own separate listing, too. But unless there is a justification for retaining the misleading Scooby-Doo entry (and it seems that it should be done strictly by series; otherwise we'd be listing every possible Batman and Superman series over the past five decades per the Scooby-Doo precedent), it should be removed. There were actually nine Scooby-Doo series.
On the other hand, the various "Siskel & Ebert"/"Ebert"/"Ebert & Roeper" - named series was listed under its most familiar name as it was essentially the same production team throughout the run (and the change in name reflected the changes of host over the years)... unlike its predecessor, "Sneak Previews" (which continued for a decade-plus after Siskel and Ebert left the show). Both TV critics series are listed in the table. 147.70.242.40 19:50, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Also...

A few more that belong (but I don't have all the details):

Captain Kangaroo (1955-1984)

The Carol Burnett Show (1967-1978)

The Red Skelton Show (1951-1971)

Ted Mack and the Original Amateur Hour (1948-1970)

The Andy Williams Show (1957-1970)

The Mike Douglas Show (1961?-1981?)

The Merv Griffin Show (1962?-1986)

Newton's Apple (1983-1998)

Donahue (27 years)

The Montel Williams Show (in 15th season)

Judge Judy (in 11th season)

The People's Court (original series 1981-1993; revival currently in 10th season)

Good Morning America (since 1975)

NOVA (since 1974)

Austin City Limits (since 1976)

I hope this helps... 4.234.36.143 05:49, 26 October 2006 (UTC)

  • I also have one that should be on there, but I don't have too much information: ABC's Wide World of Sports. It started in 1961, made it into the 1990s, but I cannot find a definitive endpoint in its run (I don't even know if it's dead or just on hiatus). 147.70.242.40 18:30, 26 October 2006 (UTC)
  • On Sunday mornings: before ABC had This Week, it had its Meet the Press clone, Issues and Answers 147.70.242.40 18:39, 26 October 2006 (UTC)
  • Murphy Brown, 1988-1998--Son of Somebody 01:52, 9 November 2006 (UTC)
  • The Arthur Murray Party - bounced around on all four early broadcast networks, having been on each on two separate occasions between 1950 and 1960. B.Wind 06:16, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Time for more criteria?

The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer is listed, but no CBS Evening News or NBC Nightly News. I know of a local kids' show in the South which lasted 35+ years, I'm sure many cities in the U.S. boast something similar. The Scooby Doo and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cases are just 2 different types of creative elasticity by the fanbases. Just suggesting more criteria, the list is getting crowded & it hasn't even begun yet.--Son of Somebody 02:01, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

They're in now -- but since NBC considers Nightly News as a separate series from the Huntley-Brinkley Report, both are entered accordingly. While NBC considers Huntley-Brinkley to be a separate series from its successor (its predecessor, the Camel News Caravan was officially canceled before HB), the current show is clearly a continuous continuation of it, and thus is just one, not two entries. On the other hand, CBS considers Nightly News a continuation of Douglas Edwards and the News - which itself is a continuation of the CBS Television News, it is treated as a single series... with the prior two titles noted. And now for the headache that is ABC News! 147.70.242.40 21:49, 10 November 2006 (UTC)
  • I'll delete Scooby-Doo as no one series under that umbrella lasted more than a few years; on the other hand, the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles lasted a legitimate decade, with the original title, producers, storylines the entire time (from 1987 to 1997), although production changed it from a weekday syndicated program to once-weekly. As indicated at the top of the article, the list is far from complete... and, SOS, you may be right as if the list gets too unwieldy, we may have to trim off one or two of the bottom rungs. B.Wind 05:11, 10 November 2006 (UTC)
A proposal for criteria restriction

For the most part, the editors seem to be following a set of criteria that might need to be explicit here so that the list is less likely to get out of hand:

  • They must be broadcast nationally on a US broadcast network or syndicated on a national basis. No strictly local (or regional) programming can be included due to the diversity of the media markets. (the latter requirement eliminates Romper Room and Bozo, among others).
  • Any change of a series' title should be noted (such as Make Room for Daddy and At the Movies) as long as the series itself hasn't changed.
  • Anime (produced in Japan but usually dubbed in Canada or the United States) generally does not qualify, but North America-originating series do, provided that it is either syndicated in the US or aired on an American broadcast network.

I hope this pretty much summarizes what we have here so far. I propose a couple of new criteria that I hope will meet with the other editors' approval:

  • Simple repackagings of previously-released and/or aired material (like The Bugs Bunny Show and Heckle and Jeckle) cannot be considered for this list. Many early long-running cartoon series were simply presenting animation that was previously shown in theaters (a notable exception was The Pink Panther Show, which often showed the shorts on TV before they went to the silver screen).

Am I leaving anything out? Is this a workable set of criteria? For the time being, I am following these unless/until someone objects, but I won't delete any cable-only entries until/unless the companion list (for cable) is started. B.Wind 05:11, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

  • The criteria seem OK, but two of the stated examples are problematic. The Disney series/block featured some original programming (especially in the first 20 years, but the bulk of it was a presentation of something that was previously shown in theaters - where do we draw the line as to the original content requirement? Does merely adding an original segment - and not just "bumpers" - (like The Bugs Bunny Show and Tom and Jerry) make the program "original" enough to make the list? I have been debating myself as to whether The Pink Panther Show should be included as some years (1972, 1974, and 1977) had very little original material - and 1973 had none at all! But the series did go from 1969 to 1979 with an infusion of new material from time to time (like 1975/6 and 1978/9); so I don't know... 147.70.242.40 18:57, 10 November 2006 (UTC)
  • In the introduction, there should be some discussion as to what constitutes a "season". For the most part, the beginning of the broadcast season is still September. Any summer series that got picked up in the fall (like Moonlighting) would be in its "second season" by Thanksgiving. Any series that started in August simply got a "head start" on the first season. After that, things get tricky. As User:B.Wind pointed out, CBS officially stated that Survivor is in its 13th season and The Amazing Race is in its 10th when neither started its first season before 2000! Similarly, the 18th season of The Real World (a.k.a. The Real World: Denver) begins November 22, 2006 - 14 years after the premiere of The Real World. 147.70.242.40 18:57, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Comment User:B.Wind, I like the suggestions a lot. Why not drop the promotional device of "a tv season", and, in the interest of chronological accuracy, call them "years of original broadcast"? By CBS' standards, Survivor will pass Gunsmoke in less than 10 years on the air. With The Simpsons set to surpass CBS' Gunsmoke as "the longest-running nationally-televised scripted program in prime time" (unwieldy but inarguable), CBS has a good reason to try this. Also, the fact that Gunsmoke is buried so deep in this list has suddenly struck me as very uncomfortable. Perhaps we need separate lists.  :( --Son of Somebody 00:56, 11 November 2006 (UTC)

Or better yet, short ("Top Ten") lists in each category: Scripted Prime Time, News, Variety, Daytime Drama, Game Shows, Cable, Daytime Children's, Anthology, Local, etc.--Son of Somebody 01:04, 11 November 2006 (UTC)

As is often stated, the devil is always in the details. I think that separating into often-artificial categories would present its own set of headaches (for example, who is not to say that Survivor and The Amazing Race are not game shows? What category contains NOVA, the longest-running scripted broadcast primetime network TV series besides possibly 60 Minutes?). Some shows would straddle two or more categories.

  • I'd be in favor of maintaining a separate list for primetime series that were exclusively on US broadcast networks.
  • I would strongly advise against a "local" category as then every single broadcast TV station in the US would have to be checked - and since there has been local broadcasting in the US since 1928 (and with the NTSC standard since 1941)
  • Regarding "seasons vs. years", the networks rarely mention years but mention that a particular series was "in its 35th season", and we should follow the industry practice as much as possible, particularly if we are to cite industry sources (either directly or indirectly).
  • As mentioned by 147.70.242.40 we should start by stating in the intro how the "number of seasons" is determined, and he/she gives us a good starting point. Any "official" deviations must be noted (and if we do not accept the official information, we could be venturing into "forbidden territory" here, according to WP:RS and WP:NOR).
  • Ranking by number of episodes or chronology can be problematic when we are lacking details for many of the entries (such as starting and ending episode dates The Arthur Murray Party at "each stop" of its four network "grand tour", or whether a major part of a series' run is simply a repeat of earlier broadcasts). I am still not sure of the legitimacy of the Disney entry since much of it is a repackaging of the theatricals, but the key question is "how much"?

Please don't be motivated into change because one series winds up ranking lower than expected, or one is higher than expected. We must maintain NPOV - and unless we are trying to set up a set of criteria that would ensure an anticipated result (which itself opens a can of worms as to POV), we should accept the actual result with the appropriate notes to be added when necessary. B.Wind 18:35, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

  • I suppose for season, the simplest way is to check what the show's producer concider it to be. Seasons always have and always will be a flawed measure, as a season doesnt tell us how long said season was, or how many episodes it contains. Just keep the season count, episode count, and the time period / number of year. These three measures combined lets the reader have a better idea of how prolific a show is, and gives better ground to compare a daily show to a weekly one. I also disagree dividing the list by genre, because it can be difficult when a show fits more then one niche. However, I will concede that dividing the list may allow certain type of shows that have typically smaller runs to be better represented, and now swarmed by naturally longer-running shows such as news broadcasts. So far I really like the list of criteria. However, I think the criteria need to better define what is considered to be an "American" TV series. Is it when the studio producing it is American? Is it when it is filmed/animated in the United States? Is it when the largest part of the cast is composed of American? Ghilz 19:37, 12 November 2006 (UTC)
  • Once upon a time, we could say that it would be "American" if the producers and cast were American and it was filmed in the United States. But now there's tremendous intermingling of nationalities in the process - many series aired on the broadcast networks are now filmed in Vancouver and Toronto; syndicated programming often have Canadian producers, but mainly US (or US and Canadian) actors working on scripts written by either people in the US or in Canada; most animated series originate in one country but farmed out to another for animation (Rocky and His Friends was animated in Mexico, The Simpsons and South Park in South Korea, and so forth). Unfortunately, the line between the US and Canada has been pretty much erased nowadays when it comes to TV series. It might be better to say that it is American if it's originally produced in North America for American consumption, and that would eliminate many of the series that originated and dubbed elsewhere, and the title of the article helps in the limiting of the list as well. B.Wind 20:27, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

Per above, List of longest running U.S. cable television series

Should anybody be interested, I have started a page (in my userspace) that I hope will turn into List of longest running U.S. cable television series. I did this so we can piece things together and move it over to the proposed title when it seems we have enough for the page to stand on its own. I did this to help the anons who wished to start the page but could not. I don't know how much I can contribute further to this as my laptop is having severe problems at present. I hope this meets with everybody's approval - and let's see what happens... B.Wind 20:36, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

  • Per Above, perhaps we should name the articles List of longest running North American cable television series ? Ghilz 04:02, 13 November 2006 (UTC)
    • Only if we are to consider Canadian cable networks for inclusion. I am not willing to combine the US and Canadian networks into one list any more than to consider programs run on the CBC or a Mexican network on the other. I'd rather we maintain separate lists for U.S. and Canadian cable networks. B.Wind 06:46, 13 November 2006 (UTC)
  • It's looking ready to move right now - get rid of the excess words (can the second paragraph be trimmed or condensed?) if you can. Good job... so far! 147.70.242.40 23:08, 14 November 2006 (UTC)

I've started getting things ready for two more lists having their own pages - right now I have started List of longest running U.S. broadcast network television series at User:B.Wind/sandbox2 and List of longest running U.S. primetime television series at User:B.Wind/sandbox1. Also List of longest running U.S. syndicated television series is on the horizon (will most likely develop on User:B.Wind/sandbox3 after I move one of the other two). Right now I have simply copied the "mother list" - and will remove those listings that don't fit the title in the next couple of days. B.Wind 08:01, 23 November 2006 (UTC)

Supermarket Sweep and The Pink Panther Show

I may have a Pink Panther-type headache in the works with Supermarket Sweep, or rather the '90s revival of it. According to the Wikipedia article, it was revived in 1990 on Lifetime Television; then it switched over to PAX in 1999 for another five years (the last first-run episode was presented in March 2004). This would give it a total of 14 years on the air, but the article also says It is believed that no new episodes were filmed from 1996 until its PAX revival. This is unsourced, and if that is indeed the case, it would mean there were only original episodes in 11 or 12 seasons (the latter would make it reach the lowest rung in the current table). In addition, should we consider only cable (6 or 7 years?) or only broadcast (5 years), it wouldn't make the list at all. Please advise.147.70.242.40 23:25, 14 November 2006 (UTC)

  • Which reminds me: in light of the originality issue, should The Pink Panther Show also go into the list in light of the relative lack of new material in a few years (as mentioned above)? I leave it to other interested parties. 147.70.242.40 23:25, 14 November 2006 (UTC)
    • Along with an almost-annual change of series title, DePatie-Freleng was introducing new material into the program each year as they were introducing new cartoon series into the show's middle segment (including "Jabberjaw", the "Texas Toads", and "Crazylegs Crane"). It is ironic that the show was canceled in 1979 when the last batch of theatricals were produced and released as late as 1980. B.Wind 06:54, 15 November 2006 (UTC)
  • I see a similar problem with Shop 'Til You Drop: on Lifetime 1991-1996, then Family Channel/Fox Family Channel 1996-1998, i/PAX reran it 1998-2001 before broadcasting new episodes (is it a revival or a continuation?) until its cancellation in 2006. Again, it's not long enough running for the cable list or a broadcast-only list... even if we considered the modified 2003-2006 a continuation of the series (this would give 7 years cable, 5 years broadcast if the three years of repeats are not counted. Hmmm..... 147.70.242.40 23:40, 14 November 2006 (UTC)

Season count for WCW Saturday Night

Should the first four seasons of WCW Saturday Night be disqualified? Although the succession into the show from World Championship Wrestling and Georgia Championship Wrestling is valid, the problem is that it was a locally broadcast show until 1976, when WTCG became TBS. I think the 24 year run on TBS is valid for inclusion, but I'm thinking the first four should be disqualified under the no local seasons criterion. —C.Fred (talk) 01:24, 16 November 2006 (UTC)

  • I agree - and moved it appropriately. WTCG didn't become nationally available until December 1976. I added notes for the local nature of the first four years and noted the evolution of WTCG into WTBS (1979) and TBS (1987). I also copied it onto List of longest running U.S. cable television series. B.Wind 05:49, 17 November 2006 (UTC)

Sourcing

There has been an increased push for sourcing on every article on Wikipedia. So far - and I can speak only for myself - I have actually used over 100 different sources for my additions on this list, List of longest running U.S. primetime television series, List of longest running U.S. broadcast network television series, List of longest running U.S. syndicated television series, and List of longest running U.S. cable television series. But should someone get tag-happy, I can summarize the sources of information that I used to confirm the information that I added:

  • Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present ISBN 0-345-45542-8
  • TV Guide Guide to TV (2006) ISBN 0-7607-7572-9
  • The show's listing on www.tv.com and www.epguides.com
  • The show's homepage (if available) and the Internet site of the network that offered the show.

I also used the Wikipedia listings for the program and its network to establish start and stop days, amongst others, but for the purposes of WP:RS these cannot be considered reliable sources, but we can use the cited sources of those articles, if appropriate.

Since I try to confirm each of these entries with at least two sources (one of them not being one of the books), some series have been particularly hard to source (or even confirm as to start/stop dates). I shall do an Internet search for those and hope to note them somewhere (PBS daytime, CNN, and HGTV shows seems to be particularly frustrating here). Series that I have an especially difficult time to confirm will be left on Talk:List of longest running U.S. primetime television series - could somebody please double check if all of the series (especially the PBS and cable ones) were indeed primetime shows? Many thanks in advance.

In case I can't get all the sourcing done in an appropriate time (final exams are coming up, and I am full-time college faculty), I leave these for all who need/want to use them for sourcing. B.Wind 01:29, 3 December 2006 (UTC)

  • A question: would it be appropriate to have under the "References" section of each list article the two books (which we could call "general references") and state "For a list of sources for information for a particular series, see Talk:List of longest running U.S. cable television series" - and putting the list of sources in one central place? What do you think? B.Wind 01:35, 3 December 2006 (UTC)

Portland Wrestling

Just to add more onto the list, Portland Wrestling aired continuously as a weekly show from 1948 through 1991 on KPTV (1948-1955, 1966-1991) and KOIN (1955-1966).

That's 43 seasons and approximately 2230 episodes. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Theophilus75 (talk • contribs) 07:18, 8 May 2007 (UTC).

That's also only a local program. Can you verify that it was syndicated or otherwise offered beyond just as a local program? —C.Fred (talk) 16:43, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
What constitutes a "local program" (maybe I need to read more of the links on this page to answer this question...but I haven't)? Does that mean that it is confined to just its metropolitan area, state, region?Theophilus75 03:32, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
From the lead paragraph of the article: This list includes only first-run series that originated in North America and available throughout the U.S. via national broadcast networks, U.S. cable networks, or syndication. In other words, if it's offered only on a regional basis or by only a handful of television stations, it's considered a local program and will not be considered for the list (that's why a few of the list programs show shorter runs than on their "official" pages as the first few years had them only locally produced and broadcast - see 700 Club). B.Wind 16:21, 9 May 2007 (UTC)

The Danny Thomas Show

The Danny Thomas Show is currently credited with 18 seasons from 1953 to 1971. However, as the show's article indicates, the show actually ran from 1953 to 1964, with a spinoff/continuation show from 1970 to 1971. That would make it 12 seasons at best. --Metropolitan90 03:53, 11 August 2007 (UTC)

Pantomime Quiz

This show is listed as being 12 seasons but is sitting in the 10-11 season block. I'd fix it but with so much information in a table I'd worry I'd screw it up somehow. DeMyztikX 16:39, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

some of these

news channels... really? they really dont deserve to be on since they arnt really, a television, series, they arnt a series nor do they have seasons, its just a bunch of things aboutn ews ect... notr a tv show--Jakezing (talk) 05:13, 20 June 2008 (UTC)

tidy up

2 words: rowspan plz. The whole list can use it Googolme* 13:53, 11 July 2008 (UTC)

Reformat.

I've reformated the first 2 sections, but would like input before continuing. Yes? no? Revert? Changes? Improvements? Duggy 1138 (talk) 06:13, 14 July 2008 (UTC)

35 Year Shows..

Why are there several shows 34 years and x months/weeks/days listed under the heading of 35 years or more? If a show didn't run 35 years, it would be more appropriate under the next headline down, wouldn't it?Darquis (talk) 17:55, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

Guiding light: Longest narrative in human history?

Shouldn't it be mentioned as that? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.184.215.186 (talk) 04:05, 19 October 2008 (UTC)

Problems with consistancy in several places

Reading through this list, I notice several problems with consistancy in how some lengths of runs are calculated, and what constitutes a single "series". I can accept that some shows will change names or networks, but there seems some real issues with consistancy in how we treat some shows. For example:

  1. The Pro Bowlers Tour: There is no evidence I can find that various networks coverage of professional bowling consists of a continuity in the program. I know that the ABC program that lasted from 1962-1997 was a single series; but since then professional bowling matches have been carried on various networks, including NBC, CBS, and ESPN. Where is the evidence that all of these should be considered part of the same series, rather than merely independent shows which all happen to cover professional bowling matches?!?
  2. NFL on CBS: While the original "run" of the show ended in 1994, the show with the same name and format returned in 1997, and has run since then. Shouldn't this be treated as the same show with a 4 year hiatus? After all, this list has made some much greater stretches in order to, for example, consider the "Disney anthology series" a continuous series, however it also had long hiatuses (for example, airing no episodes between September 1983 and February 1986). Also, while we're at it, the list doesn't even mention The NFL Today, which is a distinct show from NFL on CBS. The NFL Today is the name of the pregame analysis show, while NFL on CBS is the name given to the series of game broadcasts.
  3. FOX NFL Sunday: In the exact opposite problem as above, FOX NFL Sunday, which is listed on the chart, is the name to Fox's pregame analysis show; however the game broadcasts go under the NFL on FOX name.
  4. The Price is Right: Again, why does the Disney anthology series get to be considered one series, and yet this one gets counted as two seperate series? Both shows were produced by the same company, and yet we consider them two seperate shows instead of one? The same problem exists for Jeopardy; why do these get counted as two seperate series?

Basically, there seems to be some real inconsitancy with our definition of what gets counted as a single series... Any definition which would make the "Disney Anthology Series" or the "Pro Bowlers Tour" a single series could also be applied to the ones I note above. We need to pick a reliable definition and stick to it; and apply it equally across all entries on the list! --Jayron32.talk.contribs 20:15, 20 November 2008 (UTC)

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