Here’s How ‘I Love Lucy’ Changed Television Forever

Before there was Tina Fey or Amy Poehler, Lucille Ball ran the show (quite literally). Her hit series, I Love Lucy, quickly became a household favorite sitcom when it first aired in 1951. Over the next 6 years, Lucille Ball would make her mark in the entertainment industry. She bolstered a female presence in both comedy and business as one of the first successful female comedians and studio executive heads. Although she was usually portrayed as ditzy on the show, Ball was quite shrewd behind the scenes. The show was operated under her and Desi Arnaz’s own production company, called Desilu. The same company would later be responsible for hit shows such as The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Andy Griffith Show. 

No sooner after the series started did Lucille Ball become a revered, idolized name in Hollywood. And how do you become such an enduring Hollywood icon? Simply put, you have to break bounds and take risks. Ball certainly did that over the course of her illustrious career, and in more ways than one. There is no doubt that credit is due to her for transforming the television industry and paving the way for female comedians who would take the screen after her. I Love Lucy, Ball’s most successful project, illuminates the comedian’s brazen work and legacy on entertainment. Check out this video for some of the show’s most revolutionary feats.