Throughout the history of television, there have been many shows that managed to secure a spot in the hearts of the audience, becoming TV classics that were watched over and over again, even many years after their premiere. However, there are only a few productions that have not only turned into classics, but also managed to stay on the air for over a decade. Considering the vast number of series that premiere month after month on television and streaming platforms, ensuring that a production remains on the air for many seasons is a challenging task.
For this to happen, several requirements must be met: the show must feature an interesting plot, good actors, support from the audience, and its producers must be willing to keep going on with it. However, fulfilling all these requirements does not guarantee a show’s success either, since many are canceled anyway, not even managing to wrap up their story. This is why it is such a great achievement for a TV show to remain on the air for several years.
As a show’s seasons go by, it grows stronger and stronger, expanding its fan base around the world. If the show runs for multiple years, this is further enhanced, as it becomes a major piece of viewers’ lives: following each of the show’s characters in their personal journey for so many years makes the audience become completely attached to them, thus contributing to those roles becoming milestones in the actors’ careers. Here are some TV shows that have been on the air for over ten seasons for you to binge-watch.
10 The Big Bang Theory
Over the course of 12 seasons, The Big Bang Theory followed the lives of Leonard and Sheldon, two housemates and outstanding scientists that find it a bit hard to interact with people beyond their own environment. The two are used to hanging out with their friends, Howard and Raj, who are also total geeks, but their lives change dramatically when they meet Penny, a new neighbor and aspiring actress, who promptly sweeps Leonard off his feet.
This show, created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, aired from 2007 to 2019, and even though it struggled to stabilize in its first season, it ended up becoming very popular and spawned the prequel series Young Sheldon. The Big Bang Theory cast features Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar, Mayim Bialik, Melissa Rauch, and Kevin Sussman.
9 The Simpsons
The Simpsons is one of the most popular television shows in history, and, at the same time, the longest-running American animated series. Created by Matt Groening and first airing in 1989, The Simpsons is set in Springfield and follows the day-to-day lives of the Simpson family, composed of Homer, Marge, and their three children, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie, in an obvious parody of American society. The Simpsons has currently been on the air for 34 seasons, and was renewed for another two this January.
The overwhelming success of the show led to the foundation of a franchise featuring a movie, video games and books, among other products. And while for many people, the latest seasons are not up to the standards of the show’s golden age, it is still a fun and engaging production worth binge-watching that has greatly impacted global culture.
8 NCIS
Police procedural TV series have proven to be extremely popular and, hands down, NCIS is among the most successful of them all. Created by Donald P. Bellisario and Don McGill, this spin-off of JAG follows a team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, led by Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, as they go about their arduous job. The series stars Mark Harmon, Sasha Alexander, Michael Weatherly, Pauley Perrette, and David McCallum, among many other actors who were added to the cast over the years. NCIS premiered in 2003, and has been on the air for 20 seasons. Its popularity prompted the production of two spin-offs, NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: New Orleans.
7 The X-Files
If you enjoy science fiction and mysterious stories, The X-Files is the perfect series to binge-watch, a production that started as a cult hit and has become one of the audience’s favorites. This show, created by Chris Carter, follows FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, who are tasked with investigating a series of bizarre, paranormal-related unsolved cases known as “X-Files”.
The team’s mission is not an easy one: Fox strongly believes in all things paranormal and extraterrestrial, while Dana is skeptical and considers that everything has its own explanation. The show premiered in 1993 and aired for nine seasons up to 2002. A few years later an additional tenth season aired and, following its success, the show wrapped up with an eleventh season in 2018.
6 Modern Family
In 2009, Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan created Modern Family, a show that quickly became a fan favorite. Starring an ensemble cast featuring Ed O’Neill, Sofia Vergara, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and Eric Stonestreet, among many others, the show follows the day-to-day life of a Los Angeles family clan led by Jay Pritchett, where each family has a totally unique dynamic that doesn’t resemble what society would consider a “traditional family”. Modern Family aired for 11 seasons, concluding in 2020, although the fan base they built throughout those years is very much still active to this day.
5 Frasier
Frasier is a sitcom that serves as a spin-off of Cheers, and follows Frasier Crane, a recently divorced psychiatrist, who moves back to his native Seattle to work as a radio show host, while coping with this new phase of his life in which he is forced to live with his father, a retired police officer in need of special care. Kelsey Grammer leads the cast of this show by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee, along with Jane Leeves, John Mahoney, David Hyde Pierce, and Peri Gilpin. Frasier aired for 11 seasons, from 1993 to 2004, and was critically acclaimed and awarded throughout its run. A spin-off revival of the show, also starring Grammer, is expected to premiere in 2023 via Paramount+.
4 Criminal Minds
Criminal Minds is yet another police procedural crime show that has managed to stay popular and relevant over the years. This TV series created by Jeff Davis follows a team of criminal profilers from the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit as they work on highly complex cases and solve their own personal problems as well.
Criminal Minds premiered in 2005 and ran until 2020, wrapping up the story in its fifteenth season. Still, it was picked up again last year for a 16th season, premiering on Paramount+. The show’s original cast features Mandy Patinkin, Thomas Gibson, Lola Glaudini, Shemar Moore, Matthew Gray Gubler, A. J. Cook, and Kirsten Vangsness, but over the years, it has added actors such as Paget Brewster, Joe Mantegna, and Rachel Nichols.
3 Supernatural
Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles star in Supernatural as Sam and Dean Winchester, two brothers traveling the United States dealing with all kinds of demons, monsters and supernatural beings. This Eric Kripke TV series premiered in September 2005, and stayed on the air for 15 seasons, ending in 2020. Apart from the main actors, the cast included Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Katie Cassidy, Lauren Cohan, Misha Collins and Mark Pellegrino, among many other performers. The popularity of this show spawned the spin-off The Winchesters, a production focusing on Sam and Dean’s parents that premiered last October with rave reviews.
2 Grey’s Anatomy
Grey’s Anatomy is not only one of the longest running television shows, but also one of the most popular and successful drama series ever. This Shonda Rhimes show that follows the life of Meredith Grey and the other doctors and residents of Seattle Grace Hospital premiered in 2005 and is currently in its 19th season. The original cast included Ellen Pompeo, Sandra Oh, Katherine Heigl, Patrick Dempsey, T. R. Knight, Chandra Wilson, James Pickens Jr,. and Isaiah Washington, but it has undergone many changes over the course of the show’s run.
Nowadays, only Wilson and Pickens remain as main actors of the show, which has evolved into an ensemble format, while Pompeo, who was the main actress for years, has considerably shortened her appearances. The overwhelming popularity of this TV series spawned the spin-offs Private Practice, Station 19, and Grey’s Anatomy: B-Team.
1 Friends
Rounding out the list is a landmark sitcom in television history that influenced many of the productions that followed: Friends. This show by David Crane and Marta Kauffman that attained worldwide popularity follows Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler, and Ross, six friends from Manhattan with lives that any twenty-something would love to have. Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer star in this production, which ran until 2004 and earned numerous awards as well as critical acclaim.
The social and cultural impact of Friends was so significant that it remains relevant to this day, prompting the 2021 reunion special Friends: The Reunion, in which the show’s stars, producers, and celebrity guests got together with James Corden to revisit some of the series’ highlights.
