In the streaming age, when some shows struggle to make it past a sophomore season, the real iron horses of television seem almost legendary. These programs weren’t mere palate cleansers between commercials; they were touchstones of culture, influencing our habits, inciting watercooler chatter, and for many, altering how we perceive what television can do. Here’s a look at 10 shows that not only made it to the long haul but also altered television in the process.
10. The Phil Donahue Show – Almost Three Decades of Discussion
Years before daytime television was filled with tabloid melodrama, Phil Donahue established the model for intelligent conversation. Beginning in 1967, his program occupied a remarkable 29 years on the air and provided viewers with something novel at the time: grown-up, issue-oriented talk in the afternoon. Donahue entertained, but he also educated, even introducing hip-hop culture to the masses. His legacy showed that daytime talk needn’t be dumb or irrelevant.
9. Love of Life – The Moral Soap That Wouldn’t Quit
Running from 1951 to 1980, Love of Life turned everyday drama into 7,000+ episodes of must-see TV. Originally pitched as a morality play about two sisters, one virtuous, one not, it eventually evolved into the kind of sprawling soap opera audiences came to love. Along the way, it launched careers (Christopher Reeve, for one) and cemented itself as one of CBS’s most enduring staples.
8. The Edge of Night – Mystery Meets Daytime Drama
Debuting in 1956, The Edge of Night defied the soap opera form by emphasizing less romance and more crime and suspense. Modelled on Perry Mason novels, it combined mystery with melodrama, captivating audiences for 28 years. The show even endured a problematic transfer from CBS to ABC, a feat for its time, and included future stars Julianne Moore and John Travolta.
7. Law & Order: SVU – Still Going Strong
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit has been a TV staple since it premiered in 1999. With Mariska Hargitay at the forefront since day one, the show surpassed the longevity of the original Law & Order and broke new records for scripted primetime television dramas. The combination of ripped-from-the-headlines plotlines and characters that are impossible to forget has made it successful for over a quarter of a century.
6. Family Guy – The Cartoon That Wouldn’t Die
Family Guy is evidence that sometimes cancellation isn’t curtains. Following its cancellation in the early 2000s, fan pressure and high DVD sales resurrected the Griffins. From 1999, the show has produced more than 400 episodes of cutaway gags, satire, and outrageous behavior. Love it or despise it, Family Guy has cemented its place in TV history.
5. Arthur – Gentle Lessons Across Generations
From 1996 to 2022, Arthur quietly influenced childhood with its gentle lessons and honest stories. In the footsteps of Arthur the aardvark and his friends, the program wasn’t merely kid-friendly fare; it addressed real-life problems with tenderness and laughter. For 25 years, families could rely on it as a shared, reassuring view.
4. Hee Haw – Corny Jokes, Catchy Tunes, and Staying Power
Part variety show, part sketch comedy, Hee Haw introduced rural humor and country music to the masses. On the air from 1969 until 1993, it embraced its corny appeal with repeated skits, silly one-liners, and appearances by the country’s hottest stars. Critics scoffed, but the public loved it, turning it into a staple of American television for more than two decades.
3. The X-Files – The Truth Is Out There (and Everywhere)
Premiering in 1993, The X-Files combined monster-of-the-week plots with an overall alien conspiracy to form one of the ’90s most addictive series. With Mulder and Scully leading the charge, it spawned films, inspired a multitude of other sci-fi series, and kept returning for revivals. To viewers, it was not only television, it was an obsession.
2. Curb Your Enthusiasm – Comedy on Its Own Schedule
Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm has bucked the standard TV playbook. Rather than pumping out seasons consecutively, it went with extended hiatuses, making its humor feel new and surprising. The show, since 1999, has leaned into cringe, awkwardness, and unapologetic honesty from Larry, and the proof lies in that sometimes waiting makes the punchline hit all the harder.
1. NCIS – From Spinoff to Franchise Empire
Who would have imagined a JAG spinoff would turn out to be one of television’s longest-running programs? Since 2003, NCIS has been tracking the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, case by case, through a score of hundreds, and spawned several spinoffs of its own. With its dedicated audience and international popularity, it’s not only long-running, it’s a behemoth.
The Secret to Longevity
So what are these shows all about? Some relied on favorite characters, others rebooted genres, and a few simply leaned into old truths. Collectively, they remind us that when television is good, it doesn’t merely while away the time it enters our lives.