4. 7th Heaven
7th Heaven, one of the most treacly, disgustingly uplifting dramas in living memory, followed the exploits of the Camden family for an astonishing eleven years. Over that time, they introduced every potential "real-life issue" anyone's ever heard of. The kids grew up, got into scandalous problems-of-the-week, and gracefully stepped aside when they became too old to be interesting to the show's target demographic. All while the minister father continued to make tough decisions for the spiritual life of the family and the mother nodded approvingly. This television show serves as further proof that the key to longevity is appealing to Middle America with creatively bankrupt yet inoffensive schlock.