It’s probably only fitting that the Television Academy‘s first-ever “Legacy Award” will recognize the series that has probably had the most profound impact of any TV program on the medium: “I Love Lucy.” The series that set the blueprint for sitcoms and created the template for TV syndication will receive the honor on Sunday, Sept. 6, during the second night of the three-part 78th Emmy Awards celebration.
As announced in January, the new Legacy Award was created to recognize television programs “that have made a profound and lasting impact on audiences and remain relevant to society, culture and the industry.” The org’s Special Awards committee (formerly known as the Governors Award committee) selects candidates for the Legacy Award annually, and then the Board of Governors votes on the entries.
“’I Love Lucy’ truly helped define what television could be,” said TV Academy chair Cris Abrego. “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” won two series Emmys during its CBS run (1951 to 1957) for Best Situation Comedy Series, which Desi Arnaz accepted as executive producer. Lucille Ball won two Emmy Awards for Best Actress in a Comedy Series for the show. Ball and Arnaz were trailblazers in Hollywood as pioneers in television and as studio moguls who ran the prosperous Desilu Productions, a dynamo of early scripted television. Ball was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1984 and received the Governors Award in 1989, while Arnaz was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1991.
The “I Love Lucy” award will be handed out during the more scripted-focused evening of awards that are given out on night two of what was formerly called the “Creative Arts Emmys.” An edited version of the first two nights of the Emmys will air on FXX on Saturday, Sept. 12, at 8 p.m. ET, while the live 78th Emmys broadcast on NBC (and streamed on Peacock) from the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live takes place on Monday, Sept. 14, at 8 p.m. ET. Mariska Hargitay is host.
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Here is a vintage Variety advertisement from Sept. 5, 1951, announcing the launch of “I Love Lucy” six weeks later on Oct. 15, 1951.
English (US) ·