From "American Idol" to "Judge Judy": The longest-running reality TV shows

While "reality TV" got a supercharged redefinition with 2000's Survivor, unstructured, largely unscripted programs have been around for decades. The most humble form of the "renovation" program is a show that, like any well-built residence, is still humming along just fine: "This Old House." Launching in 1979 with Bob Vila as host, this charmed, down-to-earth program had Vila (and his later hosts and carpenters) walk viewers through the risks and challenges of simple house renovation. "This Old House" wasn't flashy because it didn't need to be: it was homespun, trustworthy, and practical. It's been on the air for over four decades with over a thousand episodes, and even with master carpenter Norm Abram finally retiring in 2022 (having been with the show since its debut), the people behind "This Old House" somehow keep finding new homes to renovate.

So long as parties are willing to have their issues aired out in public, television cameras will be there, ready to capture it. Courtroom television has been around longer than you think, with the first episodes of "Divorce Court" airing from 1957 to 1962. Before the personality-driven court TV boom in the late-'90s, both "Divorce Court" and the small-claims "The People's Court" were fairly procedural, rotating out a series of judges as clients pleaded their cases. The short format made for easy syndication, becoming a widely-watched (and often-parodied) daytime TV staple. In 2008, the Daytime Emmys even created an award for "Outstanding Legal/Courtroom Program," and with its fourth win of the trophy in 2021, "The People's Court" has now become the most-decorated court show in Emmys history. Amazingly, both programs probably aired new episodes the very week you finished reading this sentence.

"Bad boys / Bad boys / Whatcha gonna do?" goes the iconic theme from "COPS", one of the longest-running reality shows. Created by John Langley and Malcolm Barbour, camera operators started riding along with actual police offers, going out on patrols, and making arrests. The resulting footage was then edited into snappy, digestible segments that made for easy casual viewing. "COPS" stumbled across a formula that was very low-budget but made for lucrative TV, and one that later became weaponized, as the show's camera crew were lobbied by regional police departments with poor reputations as a way to improve their public perception. As such, the show's later years have run into a brunt of "copaganda" criticisms, forcing it to switch networks a few times and even leading to "unofficial spinoffs" like "Live PD". Despite all the latter-day backlash, "COPS" is now housed at Fox Nation, airing its 34th season as of this writing.

"The Real World" is allegedly what happens when people stop being polite ... and start getting real. With a bunch of young people thrown into a large apartment in a new city, we, as viewers, observe their interactions, their relationships, and their various ups and downs. Over the years, this has led the show to focus on new and generational issues, introducing these conversations to MTV's core young audience. Yet despite its multi-decade run, people will always remember the show's legendary early seasons, which were chaotic to the point of unhinged, especially with the introduction of wild-card (and toxic) cast members like David "Puck" Rainey in Season 3. Later seasons didn't hold the same punch, forcing the program to end in 2017. A brief revival was attempted on Facebook Watch in 2019, but the show's competition-based spinoff "The Challenge" best carries on its legacy, still making new episodes as we live and breathe.

Much like its PBS partner program "This Old House," "Antiques Roadshow" is quaint in the best way possible: modest in scope, casual in presentation, and sometimes yielding surprising results. Based on its even long-running U.K. counterpart (which started airing in 1979), everyday people bring in heirlooms and found items -- sometimes even junk -- to a team of professional appraisers who let them know what their expected value is. Sometimes, this can lead to heartbreak, finding out a one-of-a-kind painting is actually a replica, but sometimes a dust-covered relic is discovered to be a bespoke relic worth tens of thousands of dollars. Insightful for the many history lessons and stories baked into these everyday objects, "Antiques Roadshow" does what all successful reality shows do and fine-tune its formula down to an art.

When Judith Sheindlin was on the verge of releasing her first book, her publisher allegedly balked at her proposed title of "Don't Pee On My Leg and Tell Me It's Raining." Yet Judge knows best, as that tome became a best-seller. This strong-headed sense helped make Sheindlin's program "Judge Judy" an absolute sensation, injecting personality and humor into the otherwise-dry courtroom series format. Sheindlin settled actual small claims cases as all involved parties agreed to arbitration before taping, and her no-nonsense approach to back peddlers and back-talkers helped make her a star. At one point, she was making close to a reported $45 million a year and giving birth to a litany of similar personality-driven reality court programs (like the great "Judge Joe Brown," which ran for 15 years). While Sheindlin has since moved on to new programs like "Judy Justice" and "Tribunal," it's "Judge Judy" that will always be her calling card.

John Walsh made for a dynamic TV host: stern, plainspoken, and to the point, he made an ideal figurehead for "America's Most Wanted". Featuring a mix of witness and victim testimonials along with re-enactments of varying quality, the program focused on real-life unsolved cases, presenting stark stories told in full, followed by listing a 1-800 phone number at the end that viewers could call if they spotted the week's suspect out in the open. Some of those viewer tips lead to real-life arrests, giving the show a rare cultural momentum. Walsh himself is also a victim's advocate, as the horrific murder of his son Adam in 1981 eventually led to multiple laws being passed and the phrase "Code Adam" becoming commonplace in stores if a child is missing. Walsh dedicated an episode of the program to his son's story, and as of 2008, police consider the case closed and the killer identified. Following its 2012 cancellation, it was briefly revived in 2021 with new host Elizabeth Vargas, while Walsh created the similarly-natured program "The Hunt with John Walsh" in 2014.

There are few reality TV creations as unstoppable as "House Hunters". Airing a quaint 24 episodes in 1999 on HGTV, the program follows potential homeowners narrowing down their potential dwellings after visiting three properties and weighing the pros and cons. Casual programming at its finest, viewers can agree or disagree with the winning domain (or gasp at how a couple can't look past wall color). Still, by showcasing the highs and lows of these for-sale houses, people can mentally tally the things they're looking for in their own dream home. Because the show is so cheap to produce (a standard episode has a microbudget of $45,000-$55,000) and the concept is so universal, the "Hunters" brand has produced over a dozen spinoffs, including RV, houseboat, car, and numerous international variants. Cumulatively, they amount to over 2,000 episodes, and even that may be underselling it. Stick around long enough, and you might end up on an episode yourself.

"Outwit. Outplay. Outlast." So goes the tagline of "Survivor," a pillar of the reality TV landscape in the new millennium. Adapted from a Swedish program that started airing in 1997, "Survivor" became an instant success, as everyday people were tossed into an exotic locale and gradually voted off one by one, with each competitor fighting for advantages and elimination immunity so that they'd be left as the last player standing and banking a prize of one million dollars. Some competitors believed in cooperation, others in mind games, and others in forming alliances. It was as much about human nature as it was about survival and soon made its most cunning competitors (and long-serving host Jeff Probst) stars. While not without its share of minor controversies, its Spring 2023 season is its 44th, qualifying it as a powerful television institution.

Much like "Survivor", "Big Brother" was based on a foreign franchise but given a distinctly American, gamified spin when it premiered. Also, like "Survivor," "Big Brother" focused on alliances and backstabbing even if the stakes were lower. Instead of being sent to exotic locales and facing physical endurance trials, the "Big Brother" contestants were all forced to live in the same house and be under constant surveillance. This made for quite the pressure cooker, and the blowouts and breakdowns are what made for watchable (and sometimes blatantly exploitative) TV. There have been notable instances of bully tactics being used to intimidate other houseguests and swift dismissals of more toxic constants. Yet the format has endured, leading to a celebrity spinoff that has dolled out controversies all its own. A global sensation, "Big Brother" won't stop watching us, or being watched, anytime soon.

Continuing the reality competition boom that CBS had already set into motion with "Survivor" and "Big Brother," "The Amazing Race" is nothing short of a reality TV warhorse. Teams of two are tasked with traversing the world and solving a series of clues and challenges that tell them where to go next, with the first team finding the final destination being awarded a million-dollar prize. Teams are gradually eliminated after each leg of the race, and some skip out on bonuses and benefits by refusing to do specific region-specific tasks like shaving their heads. With its broad reach but feel-good aesthetic, "The Amazing Race" has endured over the decades, even winning the Emmy for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program a record-sustaining ten times.

We're all looking for love, and with "The Bachelor", we're doing it in front of cameras. The format for the show is simple: a handsome leading man is given a rich pool of female contestants to wed potentially and is challenged to gradually eliminate them over a series of dates and challenges, distributing roses to the ones he remains interested in over each passing week. With a devout fandom, the show soon pivoted to its even more lucrative spinoff, "The Bachelorette," where the gender roles were flipped, and several men competed for a woman's affection. Oh, but the spinoffs don't stop there. There's also "The Bachelor in Paradise," "The Bachelor Winter Games," the notorious "After the Final Rose" reunion specials, and a litany of international editions as well. Fans of the show have crafted an entire ecosystem of podcasts and groups tracking every competitor's social media followings, making the program the kind of thing we could see sustaining itself for decades.

Reality competition shows like "The Bachelorette" and "RuPaul's Drag Race" have strong and weak seasons based on the casting of individual contestants. Yet "American Idol" (and its spiritual successor "The Voice") flipped the script by having its strength based on the personalities of the judges. Throughout its initial and beloved run, this singing competition program gained notoriety for having industry professionals like Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul spar with notorious "mean judge" Simon Cowell as they sorted out the stars from wannabes over the program's grueling audition process. An instant sensation, the program made superstars out of the likes of Kelly Clarkson, Adam Lambert, Carrie Underwood, and Jennifer Hudson. When Abdul left in 2009, the replacement judges (Ellen DeGeneres, Kara DioGuardi, the feuding Mariah Carey, and Nicki Minaj) failed to capture the same magic, and in the ABC revival era, the winners have not had the same level of cultural (or commercial) impact as during the show's heyday. Yet that hasn't stopped the program from looking for the next great singing superstar.

While it's switched networks (and hosts) a few times over, the lifeblood of "Project Runway" has been the dynamic between host/judge Heidi Klum and designer/mentor Tim Gunn. A bunch of young fashion designers are brought in to construct garments to fit a variety of challenges, whether it be to fit a theme or due to the unconventional nature of the materials provided. The judging panel would often celebrate or ridicule the presented creations, especially when the sassy panelist Michael Kors was involved. The show won a coveted Peabody Award in 2008, proving to be a critical hit as much as it was a commercial one. In 2018, Gunn and Klum left to create a similarly-themed program for Amazon called "Making the Cut", with Karlie Kloss taking over Klum's hosting duties while former winner Christian Siriano took over Gunn's advisory role.

If there's one thing Gordon Ramsay is good at, it's making new television shows (OK and maybe some good cooking too). Whether he's critiquing up-and-coming restaurateurs or trying to renovate bad concept motels, the Michelin star-winning chef somehow manages to develop at least one new show a year while maintaining his brand name in numerous appearances across a growing culinary empire. Yet "Hell's Kitchen" is his bread and garlic butter, as aspiring chefs are divided into teams and go into a series of challenges to test their cooking chops, all in hopes of winning a cash prize and placement as the head chef in one of his many restaurants. The show grew in popularity due to the notoriously hot-headed Ramsay dolling out creative insults for underperforming chefs. The program has sustained for nearly two decades at this point, allowing Ramsay to try out new ventures on the regular.

While you can make a reality show about anything, some subjects should only be handled with a certain degree of seriousness, best evidenced by "Intervention." Airing on the A&E Network, this long-running program often focused on one or two individuals per episode, detailing the addictions that have crippled their life before filming an intervention surrounded by friends and family. They are offered treatment at the end of the session, and it's their choice to accept it or be cut off from those they care about. While the addictions in question cover everything from drugs and alcohol to shoplifting, these are real humans in severely dire straits, perhaps unaware -- or all too aware -- of the havoc these addictions have on their lives. It's not easy to watch, and some episodes end on deeply sad notes, but the emotions are never forced or faked, which often makes for gripping TV. It's no wonder the show is closing in on its two-decade mark.

Airing in the U.S. a single year after its predecessor "Strictly Come Dancing" premiered in the U.K., "Dancing with the Stars" takes the simple premise of taking well-known (or semi-well-known) celebrities and pairing them with professional dancers to tackle a new stylistic challenge every week. Sometimes breathtaking (see: Bindi Irwin or Shangela's respective runs) and sometimes pure cringe (oh, poor Master P), the show always delivered wild and memorable set pieces even as fans routinely debated the quality of any given season's newly-announced cast. Alfonso Ribeiro's run during Season 19 was so beloved he was later brought on as a co-host just a few years later, and even with the show's move from ABC to Disney+, it shows no sign of slowing its step.

Several different subgenres emerged out of the great reality show boom of the early 2000s, and one of the more curious niches has been that of the occupational hazard show. Much of this genre can be traced back to Discovery's "Deadliest Catch," which puts a small camera crew on boats hunting seasonal crabs in the Bering Sea. With its chilling temperatures and unpredictable weather, the show captured experienced fishermen doing what they do best, sometimes taking greenhorns under their wings to show them the mangled ropes of such a difficult job. While "Deadliest Catch" is still going strong, other networks have copied the format, leading to spiritual successors like History's "Ice Road Truckers" and the alligator-hunting "Swamp People."

In 1980, a terrible futuristic disco musical was released called "The Apple," which is so bad it's become a cult classic. The choreographer on that parable was a young upstart named Nigel Lythgoe, who later became a producer for various idol competition programs in the U.K. Eventually, this led to the creation of "So You Think You Can Dance," a dance competition show with a defiant title that dared anyone from anywhere to become "America's Favorite Dancer." Contestants from various backgrounds are put through a litany of styles: some in their wheelhouses, some outside their skillset. The fun comes in seeing who rises to the challenge and who gets voted out by the home-viewing audience. Over the years, the program has discovered truly breakout dance talent like Travis Wall and the late Stephen "tWitch" Boss. Despite several changeups to the judging panel over the years, it continued filming post-pandemic and seems like it may never stop challenging amateur dancers across the country.

Simon Cowell proved that with the success of "American Idol," he has an ear for what can appeal to the masses. He always has an eye for what works on television, and despite their enduring success, "singing competition shows" stayed in a very specific lane. Thus, with "America's Got Talent," the doors were open for all: singers, dancers, magicians, and who-knows-what-else in the quest for fresh new entertainment. Much like "American Idol", some "bad" acts are featured right next to the supremely qualified ones, helping launch the careers of ventriloquist Terry Fator, singer Grace VanderWaal, and magician Shin Lim. The format easily lent itself to numerous international editions, of which the British one has had perhaps the most lucrative run, discovering both operatic tenor Paul Potts and viral multi-platinum sensation Susan Boyle.

Initially intended as a documentary, "The Real Housewives of Orange County" was supposed to detail the interactions and dramas between the wealthy and the connected. As it turns out, it ended up helping bring the "docusoap" format developed by MTV shows like "Laguna Beach" into the mainstream, soon launching the "Real Housewives" as a multi-destination franchise that seems to grow more powerful with every year. There are in-fights, bitter feuds, and endlessly meme-able moments, all of which helped power the fledging Bravo Network into nothing short of a powerhouse. The fresh lifeblood of new cast members turned the franchise into a star-making machine, creating huge new career arcs for the likes of Bethenny Frankel, NeNe Leaks, Kim Zolciak, Kim Richards, and especially Lisa Vanderpump. On our last count, at least 33 iterations had aired, are airing, or are in development. We only expect that number to grow from there.

While "Hell's Kitchen" had chefs fight against both their teammates and Gordon Ramsay's blistering insults, "Top Chef" showed a slight bit more sophistication in trying to nail down the finest chef of any given series. Developed by the same team that created "Project Runway", "Top Chef" is unique because every season is held in a specific city, forcing the chefs to challenge their skills with local cuisine and ingredients. A perpetual nominee for the Outstanding Reality-Competition Program Emmy, the show snagged the prize in 2010 and has launched the vast careers of Richard Blais and Kristen Kish, both of whom would later be judges and commentators on different reality cooking competition programs.

Created and hosted by supermodel Tyra Banks, "America's Next Top Model" was a sensation when it first debuted. Instead of focusing on designing clothes, it was all about how to sell them on the runway, with Banks looking for what may very well be her successor. While it did generate some undeniable cultural moments (see: Trya's fiery "I was rooting for you!" tirade), the show's reputation has cooled since its final season aired in 2018, as retrospectives of its challenges and attitudes have proven to be problematic, with judges recommending contestants get permanently-altering beauty procedures while contestants personal tragedies are often dismissed and sometimes even ridiculed. While its merits are up for constant debate, its impact on the television landscape at the time is unquestioned.

Whether you love them or loathe them, at least you know who the Kardashians are. Created by Ryan Seacrest (you read that correctly), the show follows Kim, Kourtney, and Khloé through their ups and downs, headline-grabbing relationships, and interpersonal drama. With "mom-ager" Kris Jenner and Caitlyn Jenner becoming household names along with the likes of Scott Disick and too many suitors to name, the show generated headlines and ratings, to say nothing of the critics who always panned it for being lowest-common-denominator television. Yet fans didn't care, tuning in every week while turning the E! Network into a powerhouse, serving up 20 seasons of the program and a litany of spinoffs. Once it ended in 2021, a "new" show called "The Kardashians" was developed exclusively for Hulu.

If this list of the longest-lasting reality staples tells us anything, it's that a reality show truly can be about anything, but its success rests in how you present it. The TLC show "Say Yes to the Dress" exemplifies how to do simple, effective reality programming. A bride shows up at the legendary Kleinfeld Bridal, looking for the essential element to that special day, and considers a litany of options in various styles and prices while working with the bridal designers and hearing endless feedback from their friends and family. Yet as fun as it is to shop with your eyes, it's the people that make the show what it is: when a wedding is in five hours or a jealous bride's sister decides to take over the appointment, it makes for some surprising rubbernecking, making this casual little show a reality staple, spawning numerous spinoffs and international editions. So long as we keep having weddings, we'll always say, "Say Yes to the Dress."

Another Simon Cowell creation, "The X Factor," was responsible for finding numerous pop music luminaries during its decade-and-a-half run. A singing competition first and foremost, Cowell used his power as the show's creator to sometimes make bold decisions, sizing up misfit talent and forcing them to work together as a group. So while solo stars like Leona Lewis and Olly Murs got their big breaks on the X, groups like Little Mix and One Direction were pure "X Factor" creations, and their massive success gave the show a huge boost of credibility. Yet a failed U.S. edition and declining ratings ultimately sealed the show's fate after 14 years on the air. Cowell has floated the idea of renewing the show at various points, but even if it never came back, it can still point to its numerous U.K. chart-toppers as a sign of its power and impact.

RuPaul already had visibility as one of the world's most famous drag queens before "RuPaul's Drag Race" started airing on the queer-friendly Logo Network in 2009. Still, it didn't take long before the program became a cultural institution all its own. With drag queens from all walks of life showing up to show their creativity in various performance challenges, they are gradually eliminated week after week, with the bottom two queens of any week's challenge having to "lip sync for their life" to prove why they should stay. This format has proven to be quite addictive, creating a fanbase that's as intense as any major sports team, boosting the show's ratings year after year. Despite its share of controversies, the program has endured numerous challenges to its format and its All-Star editions and international spinoffs, some of which remain hosted by RuPaul. Shantay, you stay, "Drag Race."

Created by reality show whisperer Mark Burnett (who also created "Survivor" and "The Voice"), "Shark Tank" revolves around the simple idea of entrepreneurs pitching business ideas to a panel of wealthy professionals. If they impress the right people, they won't win a huge lump sum of money, as much as a percentage of investment into their idea, turning it into a win-win proposition for all involved. While certain concepts like a website that draws your cat for you or a movie that doesn't have a script written yet are often the subject of much viewership ridicule, certain pitches for the likes of the Squatty Potty or the "Scrub Daddy" sponge have turned into household staples, proving that as long as people come up with great new product ideas, there will always be someone willing to invest in them.