CBS’s airing of two colorized episodes during its “I Love Lucy Christmas Special” on Friday captured viewers both on-screen and via social media 56 years after the series wrapped its original run on the broadcast network.
After its highly rated series finale in 1957, “I Love Lucy” once again captured the No. 1 spot on Friday’s primetime.
At 8 p.m., the special scored a 1.4 rating/5 share with the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic and 8.65 million total viewers, according to preliminary Nielsen numbers.
Also read: CBS to Air ‘I Love Lucy Christmas Special’ in Color
It beat other holiday programming on Friday night, such as NBC’s airing of “It’s a Wonderful Life” and Fox’s “Happiness Is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown.”
CBS’s two colorized episodes of “Lucy,” starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, were comprised of the 1950s series’ “Christmas Episode” and “Lucy’s Italian Movie” AKA the famous grape stomping episode. CBS said they “were colorized with a vintage look, a nod to the 1950s period in which the shows were filmed.”
“I Love Lucy” was the most-watched show in the United States for four out of its six seasons. It was also the first to end its run at the top of the Nielsen ratings.
Also read: ABC to Air Julie Andrews’ Classic ‘Sound of Music’
“I Love Lucy” is currently syndicated in the U.S. and in numerous languages across the world.
Viewers took to Twitter to express their thoughts on the modernized “Lucy” special:
Watching "I Love Lucy, Christmas special" my Christmas is now complete! pic.twitter.com/zAXgfLzJku
— shan (@shan_c3) December 21, 2013
http://twitter.com/LYD__the_kid/status/414467272678600704
Guess what? The I Love Lucy Christmas special is just as funny now as it was years ago
— SnappyDaze (@SnappyDaze) December 21, 2013
I LOVE LUCY CHRISTMAS SPECIAL. I'M IN HEAVEN.
— Sydney Long (@SydneyTopham) December 21, 2013
http://twitter.com/alyssacamille/status/414452847263383552