The main series are centenarians. A selection of eight shows
Some series end after the first season, while others become popular and receive money for a long—term sequel. But there is a separate kind of centenarian show that has been going on for literally decades. Often, such series are remembered by several generations of viewers: the first season was watched by a grandmother in her youth, and the last by her teenage grandchildren. Izvestia recalls eight "endless" TV series, both Russian and foreign, that are still being released.
Important note: Russian entertainment television began to actively form only in the 2000s, changing all the rules laid down in the USSR. Therefore, there are almost no shows on the domestic market that began in the twentieth century and continue to produce new series. Among the Russian representatives of the selection are TV series that started in the early 2000s and many years later do not plan to slow down.
Coronation Street (since 1960)
It all starts with one British street, Coronation St., where, it seems, you can live your whole life and never get beyond it. In the fictional town of Weatherfield, neighbors have been changing for decades, marriages are collapsing, romances are breaking out, tragedies and scandals are happening. Coronation Street works as an endless chronicle of everyday life, featuring a pub and a corner shop. There's nothing fancy or exciting about the plot, but it makes it feel like the characters you've known for years are part of the family.
The first episode of the series aired on December 9, 1960 on ITV, the first free—to-air broadcaster in the UK to make money from advertising. Early episodes of the series were in black and white, and some episodes were generally broadcast live. Initially, only 13 episodes of the show were ordered — there were doubts that the project would last longer than three weeks. As a result, it was this "little" street story that became one of the main symbols of British television.
Interest in the series has not disappeared in the 21st century either: in 2025, ITV approved a new broadcast schedule, according to which Coronation Street entered the soap opera hour and airs five times a week. At the time of publication, the show has more than 11.8 thousand episodes. This is the main record for the series: not just a long life, but the ability to remain a full-fledged "body-organism" more than 65 years after the launch.
Sadzae-san (since 1969)
The representative of the East in the selection. The Japanese animated series "Sazae-san" tells about the daily life of the Fuguta family/Iso. The main character Sadzae is an energetic woman, around whom everyday stories about parents, husband, child, neighbors and family habits are built. Unlike many anime, there is almost no fantasy, action, or large-scale drama here. The project is based on a calm comedy about Japanese everyday life.
The series is based on the manga of the same name (a genre of Japanese comics), which was released in 1946. The anime itself has been released since October 1969 and is considered one of the main Japanese television centenarians — the number of issues exceeds 7 thousand. On the page of Fuji TV, the main distributor of the show, the series is still listed as a Sunday broadcast. The Guinness Book of World Records named Sadzae-san the longest-running animated television series in history.
The phenomenon of the Japanese TV series is its gentle immutability. Sadzae-san does not try to radically adapt to every new trend. He retains the image of an ideal, slightly old-fashioned, but friendly family. For Japanese viewers, this is not just a cartoon, but a Sunday ritual.
Sesame Street (since 1969)
We continue the topic of urban infrastructure. Sesame Street is an international educational children's series. It's not just muppets and children who live on this street - it's a whole model of an ideal world where you can learn to read, count, make friends, argue, make peace, and talk about difficult things. Sesame Street doesn't have a single plot — instead, the show has been explaining the world to children in simple language for decades: through humor, songs, and vivid sketches. The main phenomenon of the project is its dolls, which have long become cultural icons for many generations. Well, who doesn't know Korzyk or Kermit the frog?
The show first aired on November 10, 1969. It could have made it into the Guinness Book of Records, but it was only a month behind Sajae-san. Sesame Street was created by the non-profit Children's Television Workshop, which later became Sesame Workshop. It is this series that is considered one of the first children's programs built on a serious educational and psychological basis. In its history, the project has won more than 150 Emmy Awards and 11 Grammys, making it one of the most award—winning children's TV projects in history. The number of episodes exceeded 4.7 thousand.
In 2025, the show began a new chapter: the 56th season was released in partnership with streaming services Netflix and PBS Kids. Before that, since 2016, the project was produced by the giant HBO Max. For a series adapted to such an age audience, this is a rare case of a successful reboot without abandoning its own nature: the format has been updated, and Sesame Street is still the very project that millions of viewers began to get acquainted with television in general.
The Simpsons (since 1989)
The Simpsons tells the story of a family from the fictional American town of Springfield. The main characters are Homer and Marge, as well as their children Bart, Lisa and Maggie. Over the decades, the animated series has turned into a satirical chronicle of the United States. Through the Simpson family, the authors talked about the recklessness of American politicians, the stereotyping of television and Hollywood, and the everyday fears of the middle class.
The Simpsons began as an independent project on December 17, 1989 on Fox. Since then, the show has become the longest running American animated series and sitcom combined. By the spring of 2026, the project already has more than 800 episodes — the 37th season is underway, and the show has no plans to stop. They tried to end The Simpsons more than once, but the series regularly convinces Fox bosses of its ratings.
The main feature of the project is its predictions, which inexplicably come true. Over the years, the yellow family predicted the appearance of the Apple Watch, Germany's victory over Brazil at the World Cup, Donald Trump's rise to power in the United States, the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York, the coronavirus pandemic — a separate selection is needed for a complete list. Combined with memes, topical jokes, and iconic characters, the series has become a distinct cultural phenomenon over the 37 years of its history.
South Park (since 1997)
At first glance, South Park is an animated series about four schoolchildren from a small town in Colorado. In fact, this is one of the toughest and most ruthless satirical projects on American television. All the absurdity that is happening in the world will surely appear in the release of the series in a grotesque form and will be ridiculed until the scriptwriters run out of ideas.
The first episode aired on August 13, 1997 on Comedy Central. The channel quickly realized that it had received not just a hit, but a machine for producing scandals and quotes. Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone made a show that was initially shocking in its rudeness, but later turned out to be an accurate chronicler of American nervousness. By 2026, the series will have 338 episodes, including seven special episodes. The new, 29th season, will be released in September.
The main difference between South Park and many centenarians is the reaction speed. The series can almost immediately respond to the current agenda, turning fresh political and cultural events into absurd, crude, but recognizable satire. Despite its reputation as a "hooligan" show, South Park has quite an official award status: it received the Peabody Award for harsh social commentary and collected four Emmy Awards.
"Secrets of the investigation" (since 2000)
The Russian detective series tells the story of investigator Maria Shvetsova (Anna Kovalchuk) and her colleagues. Unlike many detectives with the formula "crime — investigation — the criminal is sitting", this show focuses heavily on the personal life of the main character. Shevtsova has been trying to answer the classic dilemma for 26 years: her favorite job or her family?
The first season started at the turn of the century — in September 2000. During this time, the project went through a change of television eras, but retained the main thing: Anna Kovalchuk has been playing the role of Maria Sergeevna for 26 years. The 25th anniversary season was released last year, and new filming began in St. Petersburg this spring. Over the entire history of the project, viewers have seen about 430 episodes.
The longevity of the series can be explained by its stability in everything. In 26 years, the show has not tried to radically change its shape or make a hard restart. All the innovations happened smoothly. And Maria Shevtsova became not a strict investigator for the audience, but a television acquaintance. It's a rare case for television when consistency gathers a larger audience than a marathon of offshoots about other characters.
"Smeshariki" (since 2004)
A Russian animated series, a legend of Russian animation. According to the plot, in a certain Chamomile Valley (no, it is not hidden in the territory of the former Yugoslavia), animals live like that, but for some reason they are round. The main characters — Krosh, Hedgehog, Nyusha, Barash, Kar-Karych, Sovunya, Moose, Pin and Kopatych — get into comical (and sometimes tragic) situations. The formula seems simple, but behind each story there is a really adult theme: friendship, loneliness, incompatibility of characters, the value of creativity, responsibility and other questions that even people have not learned to answer.
The first abridged episodes appeared in May 2004 as part of another Russian centenarian, Goodnight, Kids!, and on June 1 of the same year, the series began airing on CTC in full format. For Russian animation, this is one of those projects that have managed to become both popular children's content and an independent brand with its own intonation and philosophy. Smesharikov even adapted the popular American television channel the CW, buying about 100 episodes. By 2026, the Russian project has about 318 episodes, including episodes of the soft relaunch of the show, which took place in 2020.
The strength of "Smesharikov" lies in double addressing. For children, this is a vivid cartoon about funny characters, for adults it is a philosophical comedy where a simple situation can suddenly turn into a conversation about the meaning of life. Add to this unexpected references to quite serious world culture: the show contains allusions to the Alfred Hitchcock classics "Psycho", the films "Forrest Gump" and "The Big Lebowski", the novel "Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus", poems by Alexander Pushkin. The series remains relevant, takes on new meanings and adapts to new generations of the audience.
"Trace" (since 2007)
If any Russian TV series has learned to live almost indefinitely, then this is the "Trace" from Channel Five. At the center of the Russian detective show is the Federal Expert Service (FES), a fictional unit where criminologists, operatives, forensic experts, programmers and analysts investigate crimes using modern technology. Almost every episode is built as a separate case: there is a victim, evidence, several versions and a final exposure.
The premiere took place in September 2007, and since 2011, "Sled" has been broadcast on Channel Five, where it has established itself as one of the main on-air detectives. Over the years, the project has grown into a large television universe with an internal mythology. So, in 2025, the spin-off "Trace. The new cops." The number of episodes of the domestic project already exceeds 3.5 thousand — in 2018, it even overtook Santa Barbara in this indicator.
The most curious thing about the history of the "Trace" is the extent to which it has penetrated the mass consciousness.Marina Belova, Deputy General Director of Channel Five, explained to Izvestia that the success of the series was due to the characters that were understandable to viewers. The love of the audience is reflected in the numbers: according to the Russian rating of the series "Medialogia", the project became the top 3 among the most popular shows in Russia in 2025, second only to "Very strange Cases" and "The Squid Game".
On May 25, the National Media Group (NMG) announced the launch of a new original series in the genre of short vertical content. Microdrama "The Twins. The struggle for the heir", as well as the previously released TV series "Pregnant by an oligarch", "Boss for one night" and "Goal right in the heart", will be exclusive to the Storys platform. The melodrama of 64 short episodes tells about the unusual fate of the sisters. Dasha finds a twin and persuades her to seduce a rich heir in order to free herself from the captivity of despotic guardians.
On May 5, Medialogia presented the results of the Russian series rating for the first quarter of 2026. The absolute leader was the project "Very Strange Things", which scored 15,948 points. In second place is the series "Lilies of the Valley" (8829), and in third place is "The First Department" (7745). The fourth place was taken by the anime "Magic Battle" with 6419 points, and "Sled" rounded out the top five with 3563 points.
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