I Love Lucy is the greatest sitcom of all time

Fred and Ethel alone made it must see tv

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The situations were always funny and and some of the most classic moments in television history

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Setting aside the core of the show - Lucille Ball's comedic timing - from a pioneering standpoint, the show doesn't get as much credit as it should, IMHO. Just as Birth of a Nation and Citizen Kane did for filmmakers, ILL did for every sitcom that came later - demonstrating the possibilities with the right combination of ingredients.

Technically, ILL (along with Hal Roach's Amos and Andy) popularized the 3-camera (really multi-camera, but colloquially 3-camera) format in front of a live audience. Another Desilu feature was film vs kinescope (which is an intriguing logistical problem that plagued the early, pre-satellite, pre-cable television industry). Not only was film higher quality, it paved the way for reruns - a market for which had not been proven. ILL was the key program that generated the concept of "reruns." While Luci and Desi had to take a pay cut to offset the additional cost of film, they retained 80% of the rights to that film and ultimately created a massive production firm (Desilu) that dominated the early decades of the North American television market.

As far as content, ILL still holds up, with Ball's unmistakable talent shining through almost 7 decades later. Desi and the supporting cast were okay - perhaps the legendary Vivian Vance better than okay. Certainly I would say the Honeymooners, man-for-man, had a more talented cast, although Gleason and Ball at the top was close.

The main reason that the stories on I Love Lucy seem so familiar, and perhaps dated, to modern audiences is that essentially every family sitcom has referred to, adopted, incorporated or quite explicitly rejected the storylines and tropes from I Love Lucy.

The Honeymooners was great, too. The classic 39 anyway.

All in the Family IMO was the best. The last handful of seasons were a bit meh but the earlier ones were pure gold.

For my list, nostalgia aside, I think WKRP, Cheers, Frasier, and Newsradio are probably my top 4. They were all reasonably smart, didn't talk down to the audience and had really solid acting/writing/direction that stand the test of time.

But those are favorites. "Preferences" if you like. I don't necessarily think of any of them as the GOAT - I Love Lucy, The Honeymooners, All in the Family and Seinfeld are probably the legitimate contenders for an "objectively" great, however "subjective" the discussion might get.

Just from a standpoint of innovative, influential or both.

You are right about one thing. There is no debate about it. But you are on the wrong side of the claim

Golden Girls FTW

It’s definitely on the short list. Lucille was brilliant. Her timing was world class. She was a national treasure.

1. Andy Griffith Show
2. The Honeymooners
3. I Love Lucy
4. Seinfeld
5. The Office

Probably some recency bias in there...

Vitameatavegamin...

It's so tasty too!

it's definitely in the discussion.

another interesting question is where does Lucy Ricardo rank as greatest tv characters of all time- I'd have her second to Tony Soprano.