The longest series in the world. TV series list

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Some of the fans of television series have repeatedly wondered: "What is the longest series in the world?". The well-known saga immediately comes to mind, the action of which takes place in the town of Santa Barbara. However, this is far from the longest-running project in television history.

Record holder of the world top soap operas

The longest series in the world - TV movie "Guiding Light". Its beginning dates back to 1937, when the first series was broadcast on the radio. The story was written by Irna Philips. She taught children at school, but due to the growing popularity of her offspring, she left her professional career and came to grips with scripts.

After 15 years, the series "Guiding Light" was first shown on television. The plot was originally built around a clergyman who, with a lamp burning in the window, lit the way for the lost. Over the years, the number of characters has increased, the storylines are closely intertwined, and Irna Philips became the founder of a new direction in television - "soapoperas".

The Guiding Light series has been viewed by millions of viewers over more than 70 years of its existence. Almost 20 thousand episodes were filmed. The last one came out in September 2009. The project was then closed. Due to its length, the tape won a place in the Guinness Book of Records. With over 300 nominations in various genres, the series has received almost 100 awards!

Honorable second place

In 1956, CBS began showing the TV movie "As the World Turns". The series did not immediately gain popularity with the audience. It happened a couple of years later. All actions take place in the fictional town of Oakdale. It is noteworthy that the filming of the project took place only within the city of New York.

The TV project ended in 2010. For all the time, about 16 thousand episodes were filmed. The project has also received a number of film industry awards. For example, actress Helen Wagner, who plays the role of Nancy Hughes, spent almost all 55 years on the show!

The project is also different in that it was his series that was first "stretched" for half an hour, and not 15 minutes, as it was before. Since 1967, the show has been released "recorded" and in color.

Top 3

Closes the top three leaders of the top "The longest series in the world" - "General Hospital" (more than 13,000 episodes). The TV show started in 1963. The show became the longest-running show in ABC history and won numerous awards. Among them, only 10 Emmy awards, as "outstanding drama series".

The TV movie takes place in Port Charles, where the central hospital is located. The doctors and their relationship became a major storyline. The peak of the series' popularity came in the 80s, when the characters Laura and Luke were introduced. Subsequently, several spin-offs were filmed.

Fourth and fifth lines of the rating

Position number 4 - "One life". The series was released on the ABC channel in 1968. In total, more than 10 thousand episodes were filmed. During its existence, the project has become an integral part of the lives of many actors. Some of them subsequently got into a big movie. And Erika Slezak devoted more than 40 years of her life to the film. She played one of the central characters - Victoria Banks.

"One Life" is a drama series. He was one of the first to draw public attention not only to the problems of racism, but also to sexual minorities. The project was repeatedly awarded "Emmy" as "the best daytime show". But in 2001, the broadcaster announced that the series would be canceled in a year. And so it happened. However, in 2013, a not-so-famous company seized the rights to shoot the sequel to the film. And the series was reborn on the worldwide network.

Fifth place went to the TV movie "All My Children", which was released from 1970 to 2011. The series reflected not only the various problems of that time, but also for the first time for this format touched on the topic of the Vietnam War.

The project has become a "launching pad" in the cinema for the incomparable Elizabeth Taylor. Also in the series tookparticipation of many now famous actors. It is noteworthy that in this project the main actress, Susan Lucci, starred in all episodes.

Number six

The "Young and the Restless" project is often confused with the TV series "The Reckless and the Beautiful". And this is not surprising, since they have the same creators - Philip Bellamy and William Gee.

"The Young and the Restless" hit the screens in 1973 and the majority of the cast was under 30 years old. The plot is based on the relationship between the influential Brooks and the less we althy Fosters, who live in Genoa, a fictional city.

The rating of the series has been almost always high for 4 decades. Moreover, the project is popular in many countries to this day.

One of the star actresses of the series is Jeanne Cooper, who was invited to play the role of Katherine Chancellor. The heroine fell in love with the audience so much that the actress had to stay on the show for… more than 30 years!

Seventh position

In the list of "The longest series in the world" project "Underworld" is considered a failure. The show began in 1964, and over the next 35 years, the plot of the TV movie attracted numerous viewers to the screens.

The series was the first to highlight the topic of getting rid of unwanted pregnancies. Against this background, the producers and writers began conflicts, which led to the closure of the show. The thing is that in the society of that time such situations were banned, and the authorities were extremely negative about its development on television.

Totalabout 8 thousand episodes were filmed. The plot was painfully reminiscent of "Guiding Light", and this is not surprising, because one of the creators of the show was the same Irna Phillips.

The project was also distinguished by the fact that the music written for the main theme of the series got into the rating of 100 best songs of America. For the "serial" theme, such luck was the first.

Eighth place

"Neighbors" is a series born not in the USA, but in Australia. In 1985, Reg Watson launched a new show on a well-known channel. The plot was simple and told about the life of ordinary people. This is how he attracted the townsfolk.

Most of the project was filmed in Melbourne in the homes of ordinary residents. The action of the series for the most part takes place indoors - cafes, at home, at work.

In 2011, the project moved to one of the digital channels in Australia. In total, about 8 thousand episodes were filmed. The film is replete with humor, so it looks easy. Not only is Neighbors the longest-running series in Australia, but it's also selling well in other parts of the world.

Penultimate place

The Bold and the Beautiful was created at the request of CBS by the "parent" of The Young and the Restless, Philip Bellamy. The saga truly turned out to be "family", because. Bellamy's wife and sons took part in its creation.

The storyline is based on fashion shows. One of the families owns a fashion agency and most of the characters revolve around this. Many of the actors actually worked in the modelingbusiness.

The series "The Bold and the Beautiful" is not only similar in plot to the "Young and the Bold". The cast of "DiK" was constantly replenished by former actors of "MID".

The project is aired in series, 20 minutes long. And this is the only show that is translated into Spanish for a specific audience of viewers.

This is also the first series to feature an actor with Down syndrome. Keith Jones played Kevin the bartender.

The project has about 5 thousand episodes, of which about 200 have not been shown to viewers.

Top-10 series

Last ranked "World's Longest TV Series", but not in terms of value and fan love - "Santa Barbara".

At the center of the story is the we althy family of the influential Sisi Capwell. All sorts of events are constantly boiling around them. The series has a lot of beautiful actresses, humor, luxurious mansions, which made it so popular all over the world.

The project consisted of only 2134 episodes. So all the same, how many years have the series "Santa Barbara" been shown in America? The answer to this question is 9. The project started in 1984 and ended in 1993.

The creators of the script are the spouses Jerome and Bridget Dobson. Moreover, his wife was always engaged in writing, but Jer was engaged in the cultivation of nuts. Work in the project brought them about 30 million dollars.

I must say that in the homeland the show was not very popular in the early years. Ratings began to rise only aftercomplete change of scene. Many characters have been removed and replaced by new ones.

Not everyone could endure such a long soap opera marathon. The hero Sisi at different times was performed by 6 actors, but only Jed Allan lingered in this role for a long time. But the departure of Lane Davis, who played the irresistible Mason, upset the fans of the series so much that his ratings began to fall.

During its existence, "Santa Barbara" received 24 Emmy awards. More than 200 actors took part in the project. For example, the role of young Mason was played by none other than Leonardo DiCaprio. And the newborn Adriana was "played" by the newly born son Marcy Walker (Eden).

Of course, this is not a complete list of the longest series in the world. But it is these sagas that are world famous and loved in many parts of the world.