I'm trying to think of shows that have been on longer than Bart & Homer, besides your generic newscasts. 

The Price Is Right's current incarnation is 49 years old. (Although if you overbid in that guess, you won't win this contest.)

60 Minutes has clocked in at 53 years. 

Overseas, Coronation Street is almost a senior citizen, at just over 60 years.

But the granddaddy of all shows has to be NBC's Meet The Press, which started in 1947 (and began on radio two years before that) and by November, will have been on TV in one form or another for an unbelievable 74 years. It almost pre-dates the medium itself. I always liked calling it Press The Meat, but no matter what name you use, I can't see even The Simpsons beating this record.

RadioActive wrote:

I'm trying to think of shows that have been on longer than Bart & Homer, besides your generic newscasts. 

The Price Is Right's current incarnation is 49 years old. (Although if you overbid in that guess, you won't win this contest.)

60 Minutes has clocked in at 53 years. 

Overseas, Coronation Street is almost a senior citizen, at just over 60 years.

But the granddaddy of all shows has to be NBC's Meet The Press, which started in 1947 (and began on radio two years before that) and by November, will have been on TV in one form or another for an unbelievable 74 years. It almost pre-dates the medium itself. I always liked calling it Press The Meat, but no matter what name you use, I can't see even The Simpsons beating this record.

Also the current syndicated incarnations of Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune - Jeopardy debuting in September 1984, and Wheel with Pat Sajak and Vanna White in September 1983. Incidentally, Sajak now holds the record for continually hosting the same game show longer than anyone else in TV history, longer than even Alex Trebek or Bob Barker.

The Law & Order franchise has existed continually on NBC since 1990 (with a pilot being produced in 1988), though the original series ended in 2010 - however there is continuity between it and its spinoffs with numerous character crossovers. Not quite as long as The Simpsons, but very close.

Last edited by MJ Vancouver (March 3, 2021 5:42 pm)

MJ Vancouver wrote:

Also the current syndicated incarnations of Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune - Jeopardy debuting in September 1984, and Wheel with Pat Sajak and Vanna White in September 1983. Incidentally, Sajak now holds the record for continually hosting the same game show longer than anyone else in TV history, longer than even Alex Trebek or Bob Barker.

Here's a great story about that subject that happened to a friend of mine. He was a disc jockey who went by the name The Real Bob James on WGAR Cleveland in the 70s, and he was absolutely hilarious. His talent soon took him to Los Angeles, where he did some TV news and reporting gigs. 

One day, he heard about an opening for a game show host, and he decided to try for it. So he went in, played a phony rehearsal game with some phony contestants, and he aced the audition. It came down to him and one other guy, who the producers also liked.

In the end, they went with the other guy, because he'd been a TV weatherman in the city and they felt he might be better known and could possibly attract more viewers. That "other guy" was named Pat Sajak, and the show was "Wheel of Fortune." My friend was the runner-up for hosting that show and if not for the fact Sajak was a more prominent name in the market, he might still be there hosting the show. 

A weird twist of fate and a story he loves to tell to this day, all these years later.   

The four remainig afternoon sudsers have been around awhile. General Hospital [1963] Days Of Our Lives [1965] Young & The Restless [1973] Bold & The Beautiful [1987]. While the CBS soap As The World Turns has been out of production for 11 years, it lasted 54 years [1956-2010]

BossRadio wrote:

Looking at late night, it's hard to believe your grandpa was that hip, kids.... but Saturday Night Live has been on the air for what soon will be 46 seasons with the same format and same producer.
 

Actually, one slight production note. It hasn't always been the same producer, although I realize you didn't claim it was.. A woman named Jean Doumanian took over in Season 6 after Lorne Michaels - followed by most of the cast - resigned. Her tenure there was considered the absolute lowest point of SNL and she didn't even last for the full season.

Michaels would eventually return to right the ship, but that sixth year remains a dark spot in the show's otherwise mostly storied history, although I believe that season did include the debut of Eddie Murphy. 

You can find more on her disastrous tenure at 30 Rock here.