Random Facts Set #12: Longest Lasting in Television

As we all know, television began to become popular in the 1950s, and became a popular entertainment tool used in most households. Amazingly, some shows we know and love today dated back to the 1950s and beyond. These are some random facts on the longest running television shows on United States television.

1. The longest running television show in American broadcast history is Meet the Press. Meet the Press still comes on every Sunday with host David Gregory as the moderator, interviewing many different leaders in many different areas of the country. The first television episode of Meet the Press was broadcast in 1947, and in November, the news show will celebrate in 65th birthday.

2. The longest running soap opera in American broadcast history was Guiding Light. Some of you may have watched Guiding Light on CBS in the last 5 years. The daytime soap stalwart enjoyed a 57 year run, beginning in 1952 and ending in 2009.

3. The longest running late night talk show of all time is The Tonight Show. The Tonight Show is currently hosted by Jay Leno on NBC. The show began in 1954, and has been on the air for 58 years.

4. The longest lasting reality show on television is Cops. It is amazing the Cops is still on and the shelf life of the reality show genre is quite short usually. But Cops has defeated the odds and has been around for over 23 years (1989-present). They are also the longest running series on FOX, since America's Most Wanted went off the air.

5. The longest running Western series on televsion was Gunsmoke. Gunsmoke lasted 20 seasons between 1955 and 1975.

6. The longest running legal drama series on television was Law & Order. Law & Order lasted 20 seasons between 1990 and its end in 2010. It ended up lasting a month longer than Gunsmoke, although Gunsmoke has over 200 more episodes. This made Law & Order the longest lasting drama series in the United States.

7. The longest running game show of all time is The Price is Right. The Price is Right has been on the air since 1956, however it went on hiatus for seven years. It came back with host Bob Barker in 1972 and has run ever since. Barker died in 2007 and comedian Drew Carey has successfully hosted it since then. Its continuous run has lasted 30 years, just edging out Wheel of Fortune.

8. The longest running weekday morning program is Today. The Today Show has been on NBC since 1952 and has lasted 60 years. By the way, Al Roker has not always been the weather man.