I Love Lucy, Gilligan's Island, and M*A*S*H all claim to be the longest running series on television. Which one really was?

Mash 251 (1972-1983)
I Love Lucy 179 (1951-1957)
Gilligan's Island has less than 160 episodes.


The longest running TV Show is

1.Gunsmoke 633 (1955-1975)
2.Lassie 588 (1954-1973)
3.Ozzie and Harriett 435 (1952-1966)
4.Bonanza 430 (1959-1972)
5.My Three Sons 369 (1960-1972)

Thank You
mzkhadir

Meet the Press - 57 seasons

Debuted on November 6, 1947 to present

Im pretty sure the longest running series was Dr. Who... it was on for 30 some odd years (or close to it)

I believe it does depend on how you phrase your Question, or better yet how I interpret it. But "I Love Lucy" also has the distinction of being the longest running (non-interuppted) syndicated television show, in the history of Broadcasting.

The British TV show "Doctor Who" beats all of these shows to be the longest running series on TV. It aired consecutively from 1963 to 1989 racking up a total of 695 episodes. To date, Doctor Who has screened a total of 723 episodes, after a recent revival in 2005.

Actually the longest running regular (continuing story) series on television belongs to a daytime drama (or soap opera):

"Guiding Light" (originally entitled "The Guiding Light" until 1977, which moved from radio to TV in 1952, and from 1952 to 1956 it was aired both on radio and TV -- the actors did one in the morning and one in the afternoon, and "live" for both -- GL would be a live series all the way up into the early 1970's), which has been on the air since June 30, 1952. (It started on radio back in January 1937 {it'll be 70 years old this coming January}, making it the longest running series in broadcasting).

"As The World Turns" is second starting on April 2, 1956. ("As The World Turns" also has two other records: The longest running performer/actress on one series, is on ATWT, Helen Wagner who started on the first day of the show is still playing Nancy Hughes McCloskey {although Wagner was off for a couple of weeks in the summer of 1956 for a Broadway show, and then was on very recurring from 1981 - 85 when the then PTB tried to appeal to a much younger audience -- although Wagner did show up occassionally during that time period}. ATWT is also the longest running fictional show with the longest running fictional locale {location for the majority of it's action}, the fictional Illinois town of Oakdale has been it's locale from the beginning).

Borameer is correct that "Meet The Press" has run longer, starting in 1947, and "Face The Nation" is right after that and was on before, "The Guiding Light", but both of those shows aren't quite considered long running (continuing stories) series.

One other popular long running series was,

"Cheers" which ran from 1982 to 1993.

The original "Law & Order" is the current longest running nighttime series (somewhat continuing). The original L&O started in the spring of 1990 (making it sixteen years going on seventeen years).

And "ER" is starting to make a claim, since it started in 1994 and is going into it's twelfth and soon thirteenth year on TV -- if NBC continues to pick it up.

"60 Minutes" has also been on a long long, long time, since 1968.