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<blockquote data-quote="ClassyCo" data-source="post: 240105" data-attributes="member: 7">I&#039;ve been watching what episodes of THE LUCY SHOW that&#039;s available on Hulu. There&#039;s around 75 or so of them, I think, naturally from all six seasons. While these shows are beautifully restored (some of those season two and three episodes are absolutely gorgeous), but I&#039;ve noticed a few things along the way. Lucy worked her best when Ricky, Ethel, and Fred were by her side. That type of zany character was at its best with three more level-headed and rational characters circling around her. THE LUCY SHOW started off really strong, especially the first black-and-white season, which basically plays like an extended of I LOVE LUCY. It&#039;s obvious that Lucy and Vivian (as their on-screen characters were also named) have a seasoned friendship, and their on-screen antics are every bit as good as they were on I LOVE LUCY. It starts weakening when Vivian Vance started limiting her appearances on THE LUCY SHOW. Lucy toyed around with Ann Sothern for a while, who was an old friend, but negotiations about her replacing Vance eventually fell through. Joan Blondell was also in a few season four shows, but she and Lucy didn&#039;t get along and so that was scrapped. Lucy eventually fell back on Mary Jane Croft as her new sidekick, but in a much smaller and recurring capacity. Gale Gordon was ushered in as the main co-star from season four on. Those later seasons of THE LUCY SHOW are star-stuffed with a host of celebrity guest stars, and that makes things a little repetitive. Lucy and Gale Gordon worked well off one another, but their chemistry was one-note really. She did something stupid, and he hollered at her. That was about it. Then in 1968 THE LUCY SHOW ended, but was quickly re-branded and brought back to TV as HERE&#039;S LUCY, with Gale Gordon again as Lucy&#039;s co-star. Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr. were also in the mix, and even Mary Jane Croft and Vivian Vance on a recurring basis. HERE&#039;S LUCY basically continued the trend from the last seasons of THE LUCY SHOW by bringing in a host of celebrities in guest shots. This trend was popular with audiences, but actually very limiting for Lucy and her writers. It put Lucy in a box and the episodes got stale and repetitive. Still, I&#039;m sure I prefer HERE&#039;S LUCY over the last two seasons of THE LUCY SHOW, probably because Lucy&#039;s kids are a part of it and especially in the final years when Lucy finally &quot;aged&quot; and the physical comedy was sidelined.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="ClassyCo, post: 240105, member: 7"] I've been watching what episodes of THE LUCY SHOW that's available on Hulu. There's around 75 or so of them, I think, naturally from all six seasons. While these shows are beautifully restored (some of those season two and three episodes are absolutely gorgeous), but I've noticed a few things along the way. Lucy worked her best when Ricky, Ethel, and Fred were by her side. That type of zany character was at its best with three more level-headed and rational characters circling around her. THE LUCY SHOW started off really strong, especially the first black-and-white season, which basically plays like an extended of I LOVE LUCY. It's obvious that Lucy and Vivian (as their on-screen characters were also named) have a seasoned friendship, and their on-screen antics are every bit as good as they were on I LOVE LUCY. It starts weakening when Vivian Vance started limiting her appearances on THE LUCY SHOW. Lucy toyed around with Ann Sothern for a while, who was an old friend, but negotiations about her replacing Vance eventually fell through. Joan Blondell was also in a few season four shows, but she and Lucy didn't get along and so that was scrapped. Lucy eventually fell back on Mary Jane Croft as her new sidekick, but in a much smaller and recurring capacity. Gale Gordon was ushered in as the main co-star from season four on. Those later seasons of THE LUCY SHOW are star-stuffed with a host of celebrity guest stars, and that makes things a little repetitive. Lucy and Gale Gordon worked well off one another, but their chemistry was one-note really. She did something stupid, and he hollered at her. That was about it. Then in 1968 THE LUCY SHOW ended, but was quickly re-branded and brought back to TV as HERE'S LUCY, with Gale Gordon again as Lucy's co-star. Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr. were also in the mix, and even Mary Jane Croft and Vivian Vance on a recurring basis. HERE'S LUCY basically continued the trend from the last seasons of THE LUCY SHOW by bringing in a host of celebrities in guest shots. This trend was popular with audiences, but actually very limiting for Lucy and her writers. It put Lucy in a box and the episodes got stale and repetitive. Still, I'm sure I prefer HERE'S LUCY over the last two seasons of THE LUCY SHOW, probably because Lucy's kids are a part of it and especially in the final years when Lucy finally "aged" and the physical comedy was sidelined. [/QUOTE]

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