In today’s first-world culture, we buy new microwaves, kettles, irons and other appliances on almost a yearly basis. Things break, we grow tired of them and sometimes they’re just plain cheaply made. The same can be said of television. New shows flicker to life only to have their lights snuffed out before making it past their first seasons.
But there are a select number of scripted shows that managed to engage audiences from week to week, year to year and even decade to decade. These shows cultivated core groups of characters that we cared about, and we faithfully tuned in to find out what happened to them.
As The Simpsons marks its 500-episode milestone on Feb. 19, we wonder: What was it about classic scripted primetime shows that copycats today just can’t quite duplicate? Are all the good ideas already exhausted or are writers and producers just not thinking things through?
Granted, many shows that didn’t make this Top 10 list may very well be on it in the next few years, such as Law & Order: SVU with 286 episodes, CSI with 265 and South Park with 223. Close runners-up were Beverly Hills 90210, ER and Hawaii Five-O.
Since it was an anthology series, with a different cast and premise in each episode, Alfred Hitchcock Presents doesn’t count for our purposes, though it did last an impressive 10 seasons and 363 episodes. It was also revived as The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents, which lasted an additional four seasons and 76 episodes.
So who did make our Top 10 list of longest-running U.S. scripted primetime series?
CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT
Follow TV Guide Canada on Facebook