Top 7 Best Long-Running TV Shows

Guiding Light is an iconic American TV series that has won an impressive 69 Emmy Awards, the highest honor in American television. Recognized by the Guinness World Records as the longest-running TV series globally, Guiding Light originally started as a radio drama in 1937, airing for 15 minutes per episode. In 1952, the radio drama was adapted into a television series broadcast on CBS. Initially, episodes were only 15 minutes long, later increased to 30 minutes, and eventually became an hour long.

The storyline revolves around the lives of a family with members named Bauer, Spaulding, Cooper, and Lewis in a suburban town outside Chicago. The script underwent several transformations over the years, as did the cast. However, in 2009, after 57 years on air, CBS decided to cease production of Guiding Light due to a declining audience who found the show monotonous and turned away from it.

Neighbours is an Australian television drama series, founded by Reg Watson. The show first aired on Seven Network on 18/3/1985, with the initial goal of exploring stories that are 'true to life' and serving as a platform for dialogue for both the mature generation and emerging young adults. It aims to foster open communication and mutual understanding between the two generations. Currently, it continues to air on Eleven with 7,490 episodes (as of 04/11/2016), with each episode lasting 22 minutes.

The storyline revolves around the work and family life of residents in a fictional suburban area. Apart from their personal lives, they also experience an interesting community life with neighborly friendships, competition, and conflicts. Audiences can see glimpses of their own lives in the fates of the characters.

This series has been airing for over 50 years, starting on NBC on 8/11/1965. In its early days, each episode was only 30 minutes long, but by 21/4/1975, it was extended to 60 minutes due to unexpected success. Until now, Days of Our Lives has been continuously airing for 50 years, with no end in sight as of March 2005. The show reached 10,000 episodes after 40 years of airing. By 2013, the episode count had reached 12,000 and currently stands at 12,956 (as of 04/11/2016).

Days of Our Lives revolves around the relationships in the life of a family whose members are all doctors, and the challenges they face. The show depicts the hidden aspects and rawness of life in the middle and lower class in a quaint American town. The series has also won numerous awards, including Outstanding Television Drama in the United States.

This series caused quite a stir not for its storyline but for its unimaginable number of episodes. According to the producers, the show consists of 1,927 episodes, each lasting 20 minutes, directed by Sidharth Sengupta and Pradeep Yadav. It premiered in India on Colors TV on 21/7/2008 and concluded on 31/7/2016.

The cast includes 3 actresses who portrayed the main character Anandi throughout the show - Avika Gor as young Anandi (from episode 1 to episode 516), Toral Rasputra as adult Anandi, and Pratyusha Banerjee as middle-aged Anandi. Although Avika Gor has grown into a young woman, the show is ongoing. Set in a small village in the Rajasthan state of Northwestern India, The Young Bride narrates the journey of life and the stories surrounding Anandi's life. The series delves into the consequences of child marriage and social evils.

Despite its extensive episode count, The Young Bride has garnered numerous prestigious awards in India and has been broadcasted by several television networks worldwide. The show aired in Vietnam from 11/11/2014 on TodayTV.

The Italian romantic drama series Un Posto Al Sole is broadcasted on RAI 3. The storyline is based on the Australian television series Neighbors. The show has been airing since 1996, and as of 04/11/2016, it has a total of 4,615 episodes, with each episode lasting 25 minutes. Remarkably, the series is filmed with record-breaking time, sometimes even shooting scenes in the morning and airing in the evening (daily at 18:30), yet it still captivates a diverse Italian audience, evoking laughter, tears, and empathy with its characters. Set in Naples, the series intricately weaves in social issues such as infidelity, homosexuality, abortion, and even touches on the subject of the mafia.

Moreover, in Naples, there are guided tours to locations featured in the series. The show has left its mark, with businesses adopting the show's name for restaurants, hotels, and more. When this series will conclude remains uncertain, but its current viewership remains substantial.

The Taiwanese television series The Spirits of Love is categorized among shows that test the patience of viewers. It is a family-centric series that resonates with many housewives. The storyline revolves around a capable woman who excels in taking care of her family but is married to a laid-back husband indifferent to his career.

However, with optimism and two obedient children by her side, she overcomes all the challenges she faces. The series premiered in November 2006 on 8TV, with each episode lasting 60 minutes, concluding in May 2008 with the 787th episode. The show was also broadcasted on Channel E of Vinh Long Television under the pure Vietnamese name When People Love.

Doctor Who is a science fiction television series produced by the BBC in the United Kingdom, starting in 1963. Over the past 50 years, this sci-fi TV series has captivated and kept British audiences eagerly watching. The show aired from 1963 to 1989, pausing production with 798 episodes released. However, nearly 20 years after the hiatus, in 2006, the series was relaunched. As of now, the total episode count has reached 826, and the show continues to be broadcasted.

The main storyline follows the adventures of a Time Lord self-proclaimed as The Doctor. A Time Lord is an extraterrestrial race that travels through time and space in a humanoid form. The Doctor travels through time and space in a spacecraft named TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimension in Space). The spacecraft appears as a common blue police box in 1960s Britain, the era when the series was first produced. Alongside The Doctor are companions, and together they face countless adversaries to save civilizations throughout the universe. Doctor Who is hailed as the longest-running science fiction television series of all time, spanning over half a century.