Which sitcoms ran the longest? Which ones had the most episodes? Which ones ran for the longest number of years (not including reruns)?

Ozzie and Harriet over 300 eps.
All in the Family (1970-1983) 303 episodes
Jeffersons (1975-1985) 253 episodes
Simpsons (1989-current) 280 something shows so far
Alice (1975-1984)202 episodes
I Love Lucy/ We Love Lucy (1951-1960)181 episodes made counting pilot and Christmas episode. and 13 hour long episodes cut in two parts to 26 in some syndication networks.
Facts of Life (1979-1988) over the 200 mark
and there is so many more that my mind in congested

I don't know what show ran the longest, but I know that "The Jeffersons" was the longest spin-off show.

Believe it or not, saved by the bell is one of the longest running shows ever, counting, good morning miss bliss, the college years and the new class... with all that saved by the bell, was on from 1983-2000! 1983-1984- Good morning, Miss Bliss. 1985-1993- Saved by the bell. 1993-1994, The College Years. 19940495-2000- The New Class.

also i am positive that married with children is also one of the longest running sitcoms ever, if not the longest running..

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Jo- Sexy Lingere?
Andy- Yep, Sexy lingerie that's you, that's what i named you.
Tootie- Oh, say you didn't
Jo- I Will not be known as sexy lingerie.

" Gross-a-roo"- Punky Brewster.

Originally posted by lil_weezy:
I don't know what show ran the longest, but I know that "The Jeffersons" was the longest spin-off show.


not true, facts of life beats the jeffersons! the facts of life is NBC's longest running show, EVER with nine seasons. and the jefferson on CBS only lasted eight years!

also, Melrose place on fox was on for nine years. there are a lot of shows that beat the jeffersons.


------------------
Jo- Sexy Lingere?
Andy- Yep, Sexy lingerie that's you, that's what i named you.
Tootie- Oh, say you didn't
Jo- I Will not be known as sexy lingerie.

" Gross-a-roo"- Punky Brewster.

Originally posted by factsoflife:

not true, facts of life beats the jeffersons! the facts of life is NBC's longest running show, EVER with nine seasons. and the jefferson on CBS only lasted eight years!

also, Melrose place on fox was on for nine years. there are a lot of shows that beat the jeffersons.


Actually, The Jeffersons is the LONGEST spin-off because it lasted eleven seasons from January 1975 to 1985. And if my math serves me correctly eleven is more than nine.

"Facts of Life" isn't NBC's longest show ever ("Bonanza" ran almost 14 years, and "Law and Order" is currently in season 12), or longest running sitcom ("Cheers" ran 11 years, 1982-93). I do believe that during its last year or two, it was NBC's longest-running current show at that time.

[This message has been edited by TV Guy (edited 10-10-2001).]

Originally posted by factsoflife:
saved by the bell was on from 1983-2000!



That is not true. Saved By The Bell didn't premiere untill 1988.

Happy Days? Lasted 11 seasons
Married...with Children? Lasted 10 seasons

Married with children had 262 episodes, Cheers had 275, The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet 435, Happy days 255.

Let's not forget M*A*S*H with 11 seasons and somewhere around 265 episodes.

Tis ... tis, don't you people know anything about sitcoms? Here is the COMPLETE list of sitcoms that ran over 100 episodes, animated comedys don't count on the list, if you want, I also have the COMPLETE list of dramas.

1. Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet (435)
2. My Three Sons (392)
3. Jack Benny Program (343)
4. Danny Thomas Show (336)
5. Cheers (275)
6. Donna Reed Show (275)
7. The Beverly Hillbillies (274)
8. Married ... With Children (262)
9. M*A*S*H (255)
10. Happy Days (255)
11. The Jeffersons (253)
12. Bewitched (252)
13. The Love Boat (249)
14. The Andy Griffith Show (249)
15. Murphy Brown (247)
16. Leave it to Beaver (234)
17. The Real McCoys (224)
18. Roseanne (222)
19. Frasier (216+)
20. Family Matters (215)
21. All in the Family (210)
22. The Facts of Life (209)
23. Home Improvement (204)
24. Father Knows Best (203)
25. Alice (202)
26. The Cosby Show (201)
27. Coach (200)
28. Who's The Boss? (196)
29. Friends (194+)
30. Night Court (193)
31. Full House (192)
32. Diff'rent Strokes (189)
33. Newhart (184)
34. The Drew Carey Show (181+)
35. The Golden Girls (181)
36. Family Ties (180)
37. Seinfeld (180)
38. I Love Lucy (179)
39. Three's Company (172)
40. Wings (172)
41. Barney Miller (170)
42. Empty Nest (170)
43. Green Acres (170)
44. The Mary Tyler Moore Show (168)
45. Hogan's Heroes (168)
46. Growing Pains (166)
47. Mad About You (164)
48. Designing Women (163)
49. Step By Step (160)
50. Benson (158)
51. Boy Meets World (158)
52. The Dick Van Dyke Show (158)
53. The Lucy Show (156)
54. Hazel (154)
55. Perfect Strangers (150)
56. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (148)
57. Dennis the Menace (146)
58. The Nanny (146)
59. Spin City (145)
60. Here's Lucy! (144)
61. A Different World (144)
62. Mr. Ed (143)
63. Everybody Loves Raymond (142+)
64. The Bob Newhart Show (142)
65. Sabrina, The Teenage Witch (141+)
66. Maude (141)
67. I Dream of Jeannie (139)
68. 3rd Rock From The Sun (138)
69. Get Smart (138)
70. McHale's Navy (138)
71. Sanford and Son (135)
72. Good Times (133)
73. Martin (132)
74. Moesha (127)
75. Charles in Charge (126)
76. Just Shoot Me (124+)
77. Dream On (120)
78. Sister, Sister (120)
79. Dharma & Greg (119)
80. It's A Living (119)
81. Living Single (118)
82. The Brady Bunch (117)
83. Mr. Belvedere (117)
84. The Wonder Years (115)
85. Blossom (114)
86. Head of the Class (114)
87. Silver Spoons (114)
88. Taxi (114)
89. Grace Under Fire (112)
90. The Odd Couple (111)
91. Ellen (109)
92. Love, American Style (108)
93. My Favorite Martian (107)
94. ALF (106)
95. That 70s Show (104+)
96. The Wayans Bros. (103)
97. Hang Time (102)
98. Hangin' With Mr. Cooper (101)
99. The Honeymooners (101)
100. The King of Queens (100+)
101. Evening Shade (100)
102. The Jamie Foxx Show (100)
103. Unhappily Ever After (100)

Great info, although someone should correct the number for the Odd Couple to 114 episodes.

Hmm... TVTome and Epguides.com says 111, thanks by the way , I will change it on my big list, not on this one.

Ozzie and Harriet ran for 14 seasons which is the longest running comedy ever which is now tied with the simpsons

"My Three Sons" had 380 episodes, not 392. You forgot a sitcom! "One Day at a Time" also ran 209 episodes. "All in the FAmily" I believe also ran 209 episodes, not 210 (I think, lol). "ALF" had only 102 episodes.

Did you count the other pilots for AITF, I believe ALF had one other pilot also. Try Epguides.com and TvTome.com, they all say the numbers I've written, maybe there were other specials or movies I counted as episodes. Because I know there is a Cheers reunion movie coming out in about a year, then I will count Cheers as 279 instead of 275.

Just to confirm, Odd Couple definitely had 114 episodes. I know because I have all of them on tape and had to compile them. Here is a complete list from the Unofficial Odd Couple Homepage, in case anyone cares:

http://odd_couple.tripod.com/episode.html

Did you count the Cheers two hundreth anniversary special? It was two eps long. And Adi the Game, where did you hear about a Cheers movie?

Yup, I did count the 200th special. They are talking about the Cheers reunion movie on the Cheers page and on the Shelley Long Asylum. Shelley Long, John Ratzenberger, Rhea Perlman, and George Wendt already.

While everyone's nitpicking here....:p
Bewitched had 254 episodes.

Originally posted by Fonzarelli
Happy Days? Lasted 11 seasons
Married...with Children? Lasted 10 seasons

"Married" ran 11 seasons.

This show ran for 7 years with 222 episodes.

The Simpsons is on its 14th season and is still going strong!:) But Friends is on its 9th season and is going to end after this season!:mad:

Originally posted by Crimson_and_Clover
Ozzie and Harriet ran for 14 seasons which is the longest running comedy ever which is now tied with the simpsons

Actually, if you count the radio episodes of "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet", which premiered on CBS in 1944, the show ran for an incredible TWENTY-TWO years. (The only show that ran longer, radio and tv, was "The Amos 'n' Andy Show", which premiered on radio in 1928 and ran until 1960; the longest running show that's still on the air, radio and tv, is "The Guiding Light", which first aired on CBS radio in 1937 {but didn't come to tv until 1952} and the longest running tv show period is "Meet The Press" which is now in its 55th year.)

There are many long running sitcoms in the USA but did you know the worlds longest running live action tv sitcom is called "Last of the summer wine" and is situated in Yorkshire, England.
The show's pilot was broadcast in early 1973 with the first series starting that autumn. The series continues to this day with the show's 29th series, coming soon in 2008.

:)

Do dramas count?

I'm surprised no one mentioned Frasier as the longest running spinoff, which I believe it was. It ran for 11 FULL seasons, not sure how many episodes.

M*A*S*H 11 Year's

I'm surprised no one mentioned Frasier as the longest running spinoff, which I believe it was. It ran for 11 FULL seasons, not sure how many episodes.

Same goes for Cheers which Frasier was a spinoff of. :)

"THE JACK BENNY SHOW" ran for a LONG, LONG time, if you count it's run on radio and TV. Not sure how long, though, but that show wasn't exactly a sitcom. It was a sitcom/variety show, a straight sitcom, or a straight variety show.

Could we please have an updated list? It would be really amazing if someone broke it down to the 4 networks as well! :)

Anyone? Still curious about the list.

Wow...Ozzie and Harriet the longest running sitcom still?? I remember watching reruns of that show on CBN in the 1980s (Pat Robertson's network) and thinking it was painfully dull. Lethargic and lifeless. I watched just to see Ricky Nelson hit puberty. :)

The Beverly Hillbillies was such a great show, but it ran way too long. I think after the 4th or 5th season it was done (it ran for 9 seasons).

I suppose one could list shows that are not on CBS, NBS or ABC that have been on a long time. As I say someone could, not me don't have the pep to research.

There are many long running sitcoms in the USA but did you know the worlds longest running live action tv sitcom is called "Last of the summer wine" and is situated in Yorkshire, England.
The show's pilot was broadcast in early 1973 with the first series starting that autumn. The series continues to this day with the show's 29th series, coming soon in 2008.

:)

Its 31st and final season was in 2010. (295 episodes)

If anyone is still looking for an updated longest-running series by episode count list, this should likely answer your questions:

List of television programs by episode count (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_television_programs_by_episode_count)

It's from Wikipedia, but it appears to be reasonably accurate. It includes not only sitcoms, but dramas, variety and game shows, and even soap operas. All series in the history of TV which have produced 150 or more episodes are supposedly on the list.

Wow...Ozzie and Harriet the longest running sitcom still?? I remember watching reruns of that show on CBN in the 1980s (Pat Robertson's network) and thinking it was painfully dull. Lethargic and lifeless. I watched just to see Ricky Nelson hit puberty. :)

The Beverly Hillbillies was such a great show, but it ran way too long. I think after the 4th or 5th season it was done (it ran for 9 seasons).


I heard of Ozzie And Harriet but I don't recall actually watching it, even in re-runs. It was well before my time , I guess.
Still I saw some episode clips on TV. It did seem like an old, lifeless TV show.

"THE JACK BENNY SHOW" ran for a LONG, LONG time, if you count it's run on radio and TV. Not sure how long, though, but that show wasn't exactly a sitcom. It was a sitcom/variety show, a straight sitcom, or a straight variety show.

Jack's first radio show was in 1932, it can be considered the direct successor to what became The Jack Benny Program on Radio and TV. His last weekly TV episode was in 1965. The only small gaps being jumps back and forth between NBC and CBS a couple of times on Radio and TV. So he was never "canceled" just breaks.

In 1965 he started a series of twice-yearly hour specials for NBC that did well (Although they did self-sponsor at least one with RCA Television) and was in pre-production on his "Third Farewell Special" when he died. (Draft script still exists)

I heard of Ozzie And Harriet but I don't recall actually watching it, even in re-runs. It was well before my time , I guess.
Still I saw some episode clips on TV. It did seem like an old, lifeless TV show.


Sometime I think, I being born in 1957, wonder what it would be to see a show from 30 years earlier.. Could I see movies with Harold Lloyd or Al Jolson and enjoy them. In my area a local cinema was having a silent showing of Peter Pan and Lindsay Crouse was to do narrations. (Her dad was involved in playwriting, Sound of Music is one, in the 1940's) i thought How dull could that be. It just didn't go over with me.

The Simpsons is going for season 30.

I think the Simpsons is the longest running American sitcom with 29 seasons. Last of the Summer Wine (UK) had 31 seasons but aired for 37 years.

Simpsons is also the longest running spinoff as well (It spun off from the Tracey Ullman Show). Incidentally, it's also the most profitable ever when you add in merchandise (I just read this somewhere).