I Love Lucy is an American television sitcom that originally aired on
CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180
half-hour episodes spanning six seasons (including the "lost" original
pilot and Christmas episode). The show starred Lucille Ball, her then
real-life husband Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. It
followed the life of Lucy Ricardo (Ball), a young middle-class
housewife in New York City, who either concocted plans with her best
friends Ethel and Fred Mertz (Vance and Frawley) to appear alongside
her bandleader husband Ricky Ricardo (Arnaz) in his nightclub, or
tried numerous schemes to mingle with, or be a part of show business.
After the series ended in 1957, a modified version continued for three
more seasons with 13 one-hour specials; it ran from 1957 to 1960. It
was first known as The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show and later in
reruns as The Lucyâ€"Desi Comedy Hour.I Love Lucy became the
most-watched show in the United States in four of its six seasons, and
it was the first to end its run at the top of the Nielsen ratings (an
accomplishment later matched only by The Andy Griffith Show in 1968
and Seinfeld in 1998). As of 2011, episodes of the show have been
syndicated in dozens of languages across the world and remain popular
with an American audience of 40 million each year. A colorized version
of its Christmas episode attracted more than 8 million viewers when
CBS aired it in prime time in 2013, 62 years after the show premiered;
CBS has aired two to three colorized episodes each year since then,
once at Christmas and again in the spring.The show, which was the
first scripted television program to be shot on 35mm film in front of
a studio audience, by cinematographer Karl Freund, won five Emmy
Awards and received numerous nominations and honors. It was the first
show to feature an ensemble cast. It is often regarded as one of the
greatest and most influential sitcoms in history. In 2012, it was
voted the 'Best TV Show of All Time' in a survey conducted by ABC News
and People magazine.
CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180
half-hour episodes spanning six seasons (including the "lost" original
pilot and Christmas episode). The show starred Lucille Ball, her then
real-life husband Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. It
followed the life of Lucy Ricardo (Ball), a young middle-class
housewife in New York City, who either concocted plans with her best
friends Ethel and Fred Mertz (Vance and Frawley) to appear alongside
her bandleader husband Ricky Ricardo (Arnaz) in his nightclub, or
tried numerous schemes to mingle with, or be a part of show business.
After the series ended in 1957, a modified version continued for three
more seasons with 13 one-hour specials; it ran from 1957 to 1960. It
was first known as The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show and later in
reruns as The Lucyâ€"Desi Comedy Hour.I Love Lucy became the
most-watched show in the United States in four of its six seasons, and
it was the first to end its run at the top of the Nielsen ratings (an
accomplishment later matched only by The Andy Griffith Show in 1968
and Seinfeld in 1998). As of 2011, episodes of the show have been
syndicated in dozens of languages across the world and remain popular
with an American audience of 40 million each year. A colorized version
of its Christmas episode attracted more than 8 million viewers when
CBS aired it in prime time in 2013, 62 years after the show premiered;
CBS has aired two to three colorized episodes each year since then,
once at Christmas and again in the spring.The show, which was the
first scripted television program to be shot on 35mm film in front of
a studio audience, by cinematographer Karl Freund, won five Emmy
Awards and received numerous nominations and honors. It was the first
show to feature an ensemble cast. It is often regarded as one of the
greatest and most influential sitcoms in history. In 2012, it was
voted the 'Best TV Show of All Time' in a survey conducted by ABC News
and People magazine.
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