I Love Lucy

I Love Lucy is a landmark American television sitcom that aired in the 1950s. It starred Lucille Ball and as Lucy and Ricky Ricardo, a couple living in an apartment in New York City; and  and  as Fred and Ethel Mertz, their best friends, neighbors and landlords.

The series first aired as a half-hour show for six television seasons, from 1951 to 1957. After it ended, a modified version consisting of 13 one-hour specials was aired over the next three television seasons, from 1957 to 1960. The one-hour special series was titled The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show when it first aired; later, in reruns, it was titled . In general usage, however, the two shows are often referred to collectively as I Love Lucy.

Following the end of The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour (and her divorce from Arnaz), Lucille Ball starred in three additional sitcoms, portraying different characters named Lucy: ' (1962-1968), ' (1968-1974), and  (1986).

I Love Lucy is noteworthy for being the first scripted television program to be filmed in front of a live studio audience. It was the most-watched show in the United States for four of its six seasons and finished its run at the top of the. The show has been syndicated in dozens of languages worldwide and remains popular in the USA, attracting tens of millions of viewers each year.

I Love Lucy has been referred to in diverse Simpsons media, including the Ullman shorts, television episodes, books and comic stories.