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TELEVISION
Length
Longest Running Soap Operas by Number of Episodes
This list features the longest soap operas of all time based on the number of episodes.
RANK | SOAP OPERA | EPISODES | COUNTRY | YEARS |
1 | Guiding Light | 18,262 | United States | 1952–2009 |
2 | General Hospital | 15,644 | United States | 1963–present |
3 | Days of Our Lives | 14,975 | United States | 1965–present |
4 | As the World Turns | 13,340 | United States | 1956–2010 |
5 | The Young and the Restless | 12,988 | United States | 1973–present |
6 | Coronation Street | 11,397 | England | 1960–present |
7 | One Life to Live | 11,136 | United States | 1968–2012 |
8 | Emmerdale | 10,118 | England | 1972–present |
9 | All My Children | 9,699 | United States | 1970–2011 |
10 | The Bold and the Beautiful | 9,420 | United States | 1987–present |
11 | Neighbours | 9,136 | Australia | 1985–present |
12 | Home and Away | 8,388 | Australia | 1988–present |
13 | Pobol y Cwm | 8,000++ | Wales | 1974–present |
14 | Eastenders | 7,003 | England | 1985–present |
References
Oldest.org. (n.d.). The 10 longest-running soap operas in history. Available at: https://www.oldest.org/culture/soap-operas/ (Accessed 1 December 2025).
MovieWeb. (2023). The longest-running soap operas in television history. Available at: https://movieweb.com/longest-running-soap-operas/ (Accessed 1 December 2025).
IMDb. (n.d.). The Bold and the Beautiful. Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092325/ (Accessed 1 December 2025).
IMDb. (n.d.). The Bold and the Beautiful: Episodes. Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088580/episodes/?season=1 (Accessed 1 December 2025).
IMDb. (n.d.). Days of Our Lives: Episodes. Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088512/episodes/?season=1 (Accessed 1 December 2025).
IMDb. (n.d.). All My Children. Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065272/ (Accessed 1 December 2025).
Wikipedia. (n.d.). One Life to Live. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Life_to_Live (Accessed 1 December 2025).
IMDb. (n.d.). As the World Turns. Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069658/ (Accessed 1 December 2025).
IMDb. (n.d.). As the World Turns: Episodes. Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068069/episodes/?season=1 (Accessed 1 December 2025).
IMDb. (n.d.). Guiding Light: Episodes. Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048845/episodes/?season=54 (Accessed 1 December 2025).
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Guiding Light. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guiding_Light (Accessed 1 December 2025).
IMDb. (n.d.). The Edge of Night. Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058796/ (Accessed 1 December 2025).
IMDb. (n.d.). The Young and the Restless: Episodes. Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056758/episodes/?year=2024&ref_=ttep_ep_yr_nx (Accessed 1 December 2025).
IMDb. (n.d.). The Young and the Restless: Episodes. Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053494/episodes/?ref_=tt_eps_sm (Accessed 1 December 2025).
IMDb. (n.d.). One Life to Live: Episodes. Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094481/episodes/?ref_=tt_eps_sm (Accessed 1 December 2025).
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