As if there was any doubt, “I Love Lucy” has been even further cemented in the TV hall of fame.
The Television Academy announced Tuesday that the iconic 1950s comedy series would receive the organization’s inaugural Legacy Award. This award, which annually recognizes a series that made a “profound and generational impact on audiences and remains relevant to society, culture and the industry today,” will be given out on the second night of the 78th Emmy Awards on Sept. 6.
“‘I Love Lucy’ truly helped define what television could be,” Cris Abrego, chair of the TV Academy, said in a statement. “Beyond its place in television and cultural history as one of the medium’s most beloved shows, its creative ambition, technical innovation and groundbreaking approach to the business of television established a blueprint that continues to influence our industry 75 years later. We are proud to celebrate a series whose impact is so enduring as the first recipient of the Television Academy’s Legacy Award.”
“I Love Lucy,” which released 180 episodes across six seasons from 1951 to 1957, already has a few Emmys under its belt. Lucille Ball won two awards for her comic acting in 1953 and 1956, while Desi Arnaz (executive producer) and Jess Oppenheimer (producer) won two back-to-back Emmys for Best Situation Comedy in 1953 and 1954. Vivian Vance also won a Best Series Supporting Actress prize in 1954 for her role as Ethel Mertz.
It shouldn’t come as a big surprise that the Television Academy selected “I Love Lucy” as the first recipient for the Legacy Award. In 1990, the show joined the organization’s Hall of Fame, then only in its seventh group of inductees. Arnaz also was recognized that year, while Ball was part of the very first group of inductees in 1984. To this day, “I Love Lucy” remains the only series inducted into the Hall of Fame, which generally sticks to only recognizing one or two people (though the original cast of “Saturday Night Live” was recognized in 2017).
Announced in January, the Legacy Award marks the first time an “award of this significance” has been added to the Emmys lineup since 2007, when the Television Academy Honors Award (bestowed upon shows that drive positive social change) made its debut.
Criteria for Legacy Award eligibility include: Each show must have aired at least 60 episodes across five or more seasons of television; series can only receive the award once and franchise properties “must be considered as a whole.” Additionally, the shows must demonstrate “continued or sustained relevance, influence or inspiration” to a genre, audience or the broader culture.
The Special Awards Committee (formerly the Governors Awards Committee) recommended selections to the Board of Governors, which selected “I Love Lucy” as the inaugural recipient.
A special Emmys tribute to “I Love Lucy” will air on the second night of the 78th Emmy Awards on Sept. 6.
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