Nielsen Ratings
I Love Lucy consistently ranked very high in the Nielsen Ratings throughout its run.
- 1951–52: #3
- 1952–53: #1
- 1953–54: #1
- 1954–55: #1
- 1955–56: #2
- 1956–57: #1
The episode "Lucy Goes to the Hospital" first aired on Monday, January 19, 1953. It garnered a record 71.7 rating, meaning 71.7% of all television households at the time were tuned in to the program. To this day, that record is surpassed only by Elvis Presley's appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1956 (82.6% rating).Emmy Awards Wins
| Award | Year |
|---|---|
| Best Comedienne | 1953 |
Best Series Supporting Actress |
1954 |
| Best Actress-Continuing Performance | 1956 |
| Best Situation Comedy | 1953, 1954 |
Nominations
I Love Lucy
- Best Situation Comedy, 1952
- Best Written Comedy Material: Madelyn Pugh Davis, Jess Oppenheimer, Robert G. Carroll, 1955
- Best Situation Comedy, 1955
- Best Comedy Writing: Bob Carroll Jr., Madelyn Davis, Jess Oppenheimer, Bob Schiller, Bob Weiskopf for the episode "L. A. At Last", 1956
- Best Comedian or Comedienne, 1952
- Most Outstanding Personality, 1953
- Best Female Star of Regular Series, 1954
- Best Actress Starring in a Regular Series, 1955
- Best Comedienne, 1956
- Best Continuing Performance by a Comedienne in a Series, 1957
- Best Continuing Performance (Female) in a Series by a Comedienne, Singer, Hostess, Dancer, M. C., Announcer, Narrator, Panelist, or any Person who Essentially Plays Herself, 1958
- Best Supporting Actress in a Regular Series, 1955
- Best Supporting Performance by an Actress, 1957
- Best Continuing Supporting Performance by an Actress in a , 1958
- Best Series Supporting Actor, 1954
- Best Supporting Actor in a Regular Series, 1955
- Best Actor in a Supporting Role, 1956
- In 1999, Entertainment Weekly ranked the birth of Little Ricky as the fifth greatest moment in TV history.
- In 2002, TV Guide ranked I Love Lucy #2 on its list of the 50 greatest shows, behind Seinfeld and ahead of The Honeymooners (According to TV Guide columnist Matt Roush, there was a "passionate" internal debate about whether I Love Lucy should have been first instead of Seinfeld. He stated that this was the main source of controversy in putting together the list.)
- In 2007, Time magazine placed the show on its unranked list of the 100 best TV shows.