• by Adam Buckman , Featured Columnist, 4 hours ago

Many of the shows on ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC are so old that the networks have become the assisted-living facilities of TV.

Shows and franchises that are decades old still fill the airwaves.

Remember “airwaves”? The networks apparently remember them because many of the TV-show brands in prime time this fall go back decades -- some all the way back to the dawn of television.

The titles that go back the farthest are “The Wonderful World of Disney” on ABC, which traces its roots to 1954; and “Celebrity Name That Tune” on Fox, which dates back to the original “Name That Tune” on NBC radio in 1952. It went to television the following year.

Other long-running shows on Fox this fall are the 38th season of “The Simpsons” and the 25th season of “Hell’s Kitchen.” 

Later in the season, Fox is reviving “Baywatch,” the beach-and-bathing suits series that originally premiered in 1989.

CBS’s “NCIS” franchise began in 2003 with the original “NCIS,” which starts its 24th season in a few weeks.

The show will kick off Tuesday nights at 8 PM Eastern, followed on the same night by more recent additions to the same aging franchise, “NCIS: Origins” and the new “NCIS: New York.”

The network’s oldest reality-competition shows are also back -- “Survivor” for Season 51, and “The Amazing Race” for Season 39.

In addition, from the CBS News division comes “60 Minutes,” which started its 59th season last Sunday, and the murder magazine show “48 Hours,” now heading into its 39th season.

In midseason, CBS will bring back “Matlock” starring Kathy Bates, a show descended from the original “Matlock” that dates to 1986.

Besides the old “Wonderful World of Disney,” long-running (or long-in-the-tooth) show brands returning this season to ABC include “20/20” for Season 49, “America’s Funniest Home Videos” for Season 37, and “Dancing With the Stars” for Season 35.

Also on ABC, “Grey’s Anatomy” is coming back for its 23rd season, and “Shark Tank” will be starting its 18th season.

ABC’s “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” can trace its origins to the debut of the first version of “Wheel of Fortune” way back in 1975.

Last but definitely not least is NBC, which is bringing back its two “Law & Order” survivors -- the original “Law & Order” for its 26th season and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” for its 28th season. 

Also coming back this fall on NBC are “Dateline NBC” for its 35th season (it has been around since 1992) and “The Voice” for its 30th go-round.

If these old shows and franchises still attract viewership sufficient to make money on, then nothing is particularly wrong with keeping them alive. But for how long?

Photo courtesy of Fox: Bart Simpson watches TV in the new upcoming season of “The Simpsons.”