Why was I Love Lucy so popular - Essay Example

Why was "I Love Lucy" so popular? The rise in popularity of television in the nineteen fifties led to the development of condition comedy. This was a style that got the attention of viewers by introducing a story with an opening, a middle part, and a cheerful ending. I love Lucy was one of the most popular shows that employed this technique. In addition, this show remains accepted among both the old and young members of the population. Some of the viewers are more than forty years old. For many viewers, the response to how this show effectively and continually keeps viewers glued to the television is that it is humorous.

Nonetheless, I Love Lucy contains more than the funny elements that people see (Andrews 4). This paper will explain why the show, I Love Lucy, was extremely admired. I Love Lucy was a sitcom produced in America. This show was produced in black and white and was aired from 1951 to 1957. The show was aired by Columbia Broadcasting System. In addition, an advanced edition started playing after the end of the previous one. The new show broadcasted for three seasons and the show had thirteen one hour episodes.

The show was the most viewed television show in America in the first four seasons of the total six seasons it was aired. Additionally, the show translated in a number of languages all over the world. I Love Lucy was the foremost written television show to be made on 35 millimeter film before a live studio audience. In Addition, the show received several nominations and won five Emmy Awards (Garner 26). This show was popular to the audience of nineteen fifties. Television viewers could relate to the cast of the show, Ricky and Lucy who may have been leaving close to each other down the street.

Also, television viewers could connect to the Ricardos, a young couple, who were facing the tribulations and trials of matrimony as a number of Americans who were experiencing the same at that time. They lived in Manhattan, at a humble house stone built with brown sandstone (McClay 14). The two had usual concerns, for example, affording new house products and paying house rent. Moreover, the humor was highlighted when normal situations were embellished as Lucy found herself in dilemma numerous times and still managed to get out of the situation.

The merging of a number of issues produced a television show that highlighted conditions that a number of American citizens could relate with at that period. For instance, Ricky, Lucy’s husband, would frequently find out and hinder her various plans, and Ethel and Fred Mertz, the best friends, also, someway got caught up (McClay 32). In addition, the show appealed to many American viewers because of contrasting personal features of individuals in a relationship, for example, the Cuban with a thick accent and Zany redhead were incompatible.

They formed an incomparable unit both as a married couple and a comedy unit. In addition, the show was extremely popular because there was never an uninteresting instance watching the show because each episode was more comical than the previous. A viewer was always eager to see the next episode, particularly if they had been seeing the show for a better part of the day. The show also portrayed the conflict between genders or sexes. Fred and Ricky would attempt teach their spouses a lesson from time to time, and Lucy and Ethel would also try doing the same (Andrews 35).

In numerous occasions, the Fred and Ricky combination versus the Lucy and Ethel put women and men on the same position. The two groups frequently planned against the other with the same measure of backfired and successful plans. This was a means for Lucy to get away from the passive image of a housewife with her own boldness. There was a relentless urge to beat the person of the other sex. This may have been a sign of the changing roles and changing times men and women would face in the coming years.

The show was also popular because there were a few instances when Ricky was annoyed with Lucy. When Ricky was annoyed with Lucy, his anger was replaced by an authentic affection. Ricky did not seem to get angry with Lucy’s desires. He understood why she wanted additional things. These were two individuals engrossed in an innate functional union. Their love for each other goes beyond the show and reaches the viewers (McClay 48). Many married people who were watching this series identified their situation with that of Ricky and Lucy.

This made it is for the show to be more popular than others showing at that time. Work Cited Andrews, B. The 'I Love Lucy' Book. New York: Doubleday & Company Incorporation, 1976. Print. Garner, J. Stay Tuned: Television's Unforgettable Moments. Missouri: Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2002. Print.  McClay, M. I Love Lucy: The Complete Picture History of the Most Popular TV Show Ever. New York: Kensington Publishing Corporation, 1995. Print.