RateItAll: The Opinion Network

the show that made the sitcom genre..all time classic

This was the biggest show on television at the time. It was aimed at an adult audience but was goofy enough that the kids watched it too. It has suffered from massive over-exposure from the almost continuous reruns since the mid-fifties and I can hardly stand to watch it anymore. I feel like I know every line in the show. Lucy was a master of physical comedy and a true clown in the best sense of the word. RIP Lucy and Desi.

This show really sucked. The humor was tired and was geared to the lowest common denominator even considering the era in which it was filmed. As for originality, it was in fact just an extension of the poorest written radio sitcoms of the era that just preceded it. Compare it with Your Show of Shows with Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca, a comedy show of the same time, for example. Your Show of Shows actually had some pretty good satire, irony and social commentary. Lucy, on the other hand was just a meaningless, mess of slapstick and clichéd situations. Whenever I glimpse an old episode, it makes me gag to think that anyone thought it was very funny.

still some of the funniest stuff ever performed.

and some of the lamest.

but the funny outweighs the lame.

regarded as greatest televison show of all time, with many classic episodes, including "Job Switching (Lucy and Ethel go work at a candy factory) and "Lucy Does a TV commercial (Lucy does commercial for product which is loaded with alcohol)...show formula was taking real-life situations and then introducing absurb....had brillant story lines such as "Lucy goes to Hollywood" during seasons four and five...however show was plauged at times with some off-episodes

Having not seen an episode of "I Love Lucy" in some time, I wouldn't rate the series highly when compared to many sitcoms that followed it over several decades; however, when measured against its contemporaries and some modern shows, the series does deserve its due respect. As many reviewers have noted, during the run of "I Love Lucy" many of the now standard techniques were developed (e.g. the three camera setup). I would also note the "add a kid" and the change of venue (the Ricardos moved from New York to Hollywood, Europe and latter to the suburbs). On the downside, Lucy's schemes did get repetitive (e.g. her trying to get on Ricky's show). As for casting, William Frawley and Vivian Vance (Fred and Ethel Mertz) acting background was from Vaudeville, and these talents were sometimes wisely utilized for the show.

This is a classic sitcom, and if watching just one episode doesn't make you laugh, there's something seriously wrong with you. A bit old-fashioned, but I still highly recommend it to anyone that wants a good laugh.

Very, very funny show.

Number 1 comedy of the '50s IMO.

No matter how many times they try to do a similar show "today",they can't even come close.

I have seen these shows over and over for years and will still watch them over and over again. Not always the best, but many are still by far the funniest stuff ever filmed. Just watch some of the classics and try not to laugh out loud. Absolutely hilarious.

I never got the big deal about I LOVE LUCY. All the episodes seem the same to me. I don't get why people call her the queen of comedy either. Gracie Allen was much more talented and funnier.

possibly one of the funniest shows ever to bad it doesnt come on anymore.

I think I love Lucy is the best show ever made, she brightens up my day everytime I watch the show. She is truly the Queen of comedy and I never get tired of watching re runs over and over again, #1 Lucy Fan

i think everyone should take the time to watch at least 1 episode. it may be outdated but its classic and lives can only be richer for knowing who lucille ball is. she is one of the great comedians.

Here is a timeless classic from the black and white days of television. Each member of the cast was funny, and that made it work extremely well. It was good family fun.

I guess I found it funny when i was younger. When I watch it now I can't help thinking that if i had a wife like that i'd probably have to whack her(no I don't hit my wife) Poor Ricky put up with alot of s**t that most men would never endure. She really is quite obnoxious.

I Love Lucy has to be my most favorite show in the world. It comes on about 5 times aday and i watch it 5 times aday. I like it so much cuz i can relate to some of the situations. even though it was 50 years ago Lucy and the whole gang are hilarious. It is something i grew up with and i hope my kids can grow up watching Lucy too.

Hilarious!

I love that show. Good clean and funny!

Hated this as a kid, and my feelings haven't improved on more recent viewings.

Lucy is a classic because she did it all first. Everyone else copies her. I named my pigs fred and ethel :)

Though I give the show credit for being one of the first t.v shows ever I just couldn't get into it. Each episode was exactly the same. Though it's funny when it happens in Three's Company and Home Improvement it's not funny here because every single joke is outdated. Overall I believe it was funny at one point I just think it's outdated now.

funny, but giving it 5 stars b/c it's one of the first, doesn't do 50 years of sitcoms justice. i can think of three already better than I love Lucy: MASH, Cheers, and The COsby Show.

There's no debate. It reigns as the greatest sitcom of all time. It defined the sitcom genre and broke new ground like no other show. It's sill funny 50 years later. Like I said, there's no debate. If you don't find this show funny, you've obviously been jaded by the mediocre trash and reality television that pollutes our airwaves today.

This is the best tv show ever! Every episode was funny and Lucy and the crew put current sitcoms to shame

Truly a classic, and the standard by which almost all sitcoms today are judged. Pioneering such innovations as choosing film over easily-damaged kinescope and the ubiqutous three-camera-system, I Love Lucy certaintly has historical signifigance. It is also extremely funny. No one quite does slapstick like Lucille Ball, whose shtick is predicatable, but uprorarious nonetheless. The supporting cast were mainly straight men to Lucy's wild antics. Repeats of this show beat Danny Thomas's new episode in primetime by a staggering neilsen ratings. One of three shows to end at #1 at the ratings, I Love Lucy is a television legacy, to be enjoyed for decades to come.

Simply the best!! Ever!!

How can you not Love Lucy?!?!? This is what made all the great sitcoms you see today. IT IS THE BEST SITCOM EVER! And, that's a fact. Lucille Ball was the first woman EVER to do physcical comedy, and she rocked. Lucy is simply the best. And whoever doesn't think so, has no sense of humor... period.

This show is so great, and the comedy so relavent, that my kids enjoy it as much as I do, maybe more. My sixteen year old daughter literally Loves Lucy. It's timeless comedy.

I LOVE LUCY!!! Lucille Ball made such funny expressions and comments. The whole cast was great! I don't see how any one can't love Lucy!

Who ever doesn't like it hasn't got a funny bone. Lucy is the most funny show i ever saw.

This was one of the best and funniest shows ever.

One of the greats! Back when TV was pure. My favorite was Fred.

Lucy is still my very favorite show of all time. I have seen each episode so many times that I know the scripts word-for-word. Each actor played his/her part perfectly. Vivian Vance was every bit as hilarious in her role as Ethel. My favorite episode is when they visit the Brown Derby Restaurant in Hollywood and meet William Holden...LOL! Lucy has filled my life with hours of fun and laughter through the years.

Lucy was a comedienne unlike any other. Her show was a breath of fresh air, and is still a nostalgic pleasure in reruns.

#1 comedy ever. Lucy still makes me laugh. It is the comedy standard. I'll never get tired of the show.

Fan-F**king-Tastic. This was also one of my favorite shows. Ricky: Luuuuuuucy! You have some splainin' to do!! Lucy: * WHINES AND CRIES LIKE A BABY * But Rickyyyyyy!! Ricky: Lucy, you can't be in the show! Babaloo.

This show is an anthem for how great TV once was. No vulgarity or profanity yet it has trancended many generations. A very clever show with brilliant stars!

It was the best show ever the qween of comedy at her best work ever.

I enjoyed Lucille Ball's character alot, but as for the husband and the supporting cast..heck no. If it wasn't for them, it would have been a much better show.

Undoubtedly, the greatest television show of all time, period.

Anyone who doesn't feel that I Love Lucy belongs among the top 25 sitcoms of all time sure has some serious 'splaining to do! Without Lucy showing the way we would never have an Archie Bunker or a Seinfeld or a Ray Barone. She started the sitcom revolution and raised the bar so high that only a select few have managed to exceed it since. I love Lucy and I'm proud to admit it!

Hilarious!!! Always laugh at loud when I watch this show. It never gets old.

Lucille Ball was great. She defied the norms back then by marrying a hispanic man and also opening the path for female comedians. I think back in her time, she was a radical, courageous, funny and outrageous woman. Now, by our standards, she's mundane.

The only memorable sitcoms from the 50's as far as I'm concerned..are I Love Lucy, and The Honeymooners!!!

One of the funniest shows of all time. This show will always be a classic. This show set the standard for tv sitcoms today. It's technical advancements with the 3 camera angles was a first also in television. Even after 50 years in reruns it still is as funny as it was before, though some of the plots are outdated, it catches the essence of life back then.

What!? I dont love Lucy!

simply the best sitcom...ever!

This show changed television forever when it first hit the scene in the 50s. It is an American classic that is still popular even today. This revolutionary and rebellious show, I think, paved the way for one of my favorite shows, "The Golden Girls". Lucille Ball is an American Icon who truly will never be forgotten, as her show continues to be shown on late night television, nearly 50 years after it first started filming.

i love this show!!! it's the best!!!

Lucille Ball paved the way for later greats like Valerie Harper, Roseanne, and Bea Arthur. She set the standard. And those puppy dog eyes... who could forget?

Corny and totally unfunny. Lucille Ball is perhaps the most annoying and irritating personality in the history of TV. I can think of only three or four episodes of this drivel that were genuinely amusing. This piece of crap is the most overrated trash in a most pukey medium.

The very funniest show of all time and although there have been great comedies since, NONE will EVER top I LOVE LUCY!!! All of the cast was so fantastic, they all "seemed" to have a great chemistry together (although if you know your ILL trivia you know the actors who portrayed Ethel and Fred ......Vivian Vance and Fred Frawley.....really hated each other)..... I have seen each episode countless times yet I still laugh each and every time I watch them. If you feel down or depressed, then this is the show to watch. Although we have lost Lucille Ball and all of the other actors in this show, we can always enjoy their work in I LOVE LUCY :-) And I feel comfort in the belief that "the gang" are all together again in heaven, making the angels and God laugh!

Revolutionary.

A groundbreaking show during it's time, but it's rather dated now and the reruns hold no appeal for me - except for the chocolate factory and "meatavitimegiman" (sp?) episodes. But, let's face it, how many times can one watch Lucy scheme to get in Ricky's show. Yawn.

I definitly love Lucy. Such a funny show. Can watch the same episoders over and over and its still funny. Plus Ricky is such a sexy Cuban.

Doesn't everybody? I sure do! My favorites are the "Vita-meata-vegamin" episode, and the one where Lucy got stuck in the freezer. Her tears even froze on her face! Is it any wonder that this show is near the top of the list!? People know what comic genius is! May "I Love Lucy" live on in reruns!

The mother of all sit-coms! It's easy to forget how original Lucy's comedy was as it's been imitated so often. My favourite episode is where she sets her putty nose on fire! I laugh until I cry every time!

“I Love Lucy” is a classic masterpiece! It is the sitcom that set the standard for future sitcoms. There has been nothing like it since. It is the “mother” of all sitcoms and it has served and will always serve as a role model for all sitcoms. We can see a little bit of “I Love Lucy” in all sitcoms from “The Honeymooners” to “The Andy Griffith Show” to “All in the Family” to “Cheers” to “Friends” to “Everybody Loves Raymond”. All of the comedy routines and stereotypes came directly from “I Love Lucy” among other things. It has been the most influential sitcom ever and will continue to be. So many of television’s firsts were on “I Love Lucy”. For example, the three-camera technique was first used on “I Love Lucy” to film the episodes. Pregnancy was first dealt on “I Love Lucy” among other things. “I Love Lucy” is truly the best sitcom ever and it has come a long way since its premiere. Airing after fifty years and still continuing to air is an amazement and it proves how great “I Love Lucy” really is. The show holds the most records and no sitcom can ever replace and do better than the great “I Love Lucy”.

I love to watch this show.

I love this show, it's one of the best shows out there because even after many years, it still makes you laugh! I enjoy the re-runs and hope to be enjoying it for many years to come.

All the things that Lucy and Ethel got into, they are still copying today. Only it's not as funny as when Lucy did it. Unlike most of today's actors, Lucy was willing to do anything to get a laugh. And they really did have the perfect cast. Ricky, Lucy, Ethel, and Fred made some of the most memorable tv comedy of all time, and it is indeed timeless.

ILL is so funny and great, the shows of my generation (gen y) will never compare to this show...excpet maybe Will and Grace (the latter being a modern day Lucy)

i only saw it once but it was so funny!!!!! it's a great show!!

The best sit-com of all times

It is the all time classic. Anyone who says that it does not hold up over time is simply not familiar with the rest of the 1950s TV landscape. A suggested primer, assuming one can find these shows on some local religious UHF, is I Married Joan, My Little Margie and Life With Elizabeth (the latter starring Betty White, who hadn't yet perfected playing dumb and being charming at the same time.) I dare you to sit through an episode of any of these. You WILL come away with a renewed appreciation for I Love Lucy, guaranteed!

"TERRIFIC, TERRIFIC, TERRIFIC." I Love this show!!!!! Now this is what I call real comedy. This is definitel