top of page
TELEVISION
Length
Longest Running Soap Operas by Number of Years
This list features the longest soap operas of all time based on the number of years aired on television.
RANK | SOAP OPERA | YEARS AIRED | YEAR | COUNTRY |
1 | Coronation Street | 65 | 1960–present | England |
2 | General Hospital | 62 | 1963–present | United States |
3 | Days of Our Lives | 60 | 1965–present | United States |
4 | Guiding Light | 57 | 1952–2009 | United States |
5 | As the World Turns | 54 | 1956–2010 | United States |
6 | Emmerdale | 53 | 1972–present | England |
7 | The Young and the Restless | 52 | 1973–present | United States |
8 | Pobol y Cwm | 51 | 1974–present | Wales |
9 | One Life to Live | 44 | 1968–2012 | United States |
10 | All My Children | 41 | 1970–2011 | United States |
11 | Eastenders | 40 | 1985–present | England |
12 | Neighbours | 40 | 1985–present | Australia |
13 | The Bold and the Beautiful | 38 | 1987–present | United States |
14 | Home and Away | 37 | 1988–present | Australia |
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).
SCALA
lists
bottom of page