Ranking I Love Lucy Seasons

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Ranking I Love Lucy Seasons

I Love Lucy had six seasons of over twenty episodes each. All of these seasons are pretty much of similar quality with some weaker episodes, but many classics. With that being said, some are better than others and the second half of its run was certainly superior in scope and humor. Here is my ranking or all six seasons ranked according to best moments, episodes and humor.

6. Season 1

The very first season started the show on a strong note, but this was the time when the show was constricted to just one setting – the Ricardos’ apartment. That constrained the scope and types of humor that they could do, resulting in some repetitiveness. Still, there are many great episodes here, the best ones focusing on situational comedy and slapstick.

Best Moment – The Diet is easily the highlight of this season. This episode featured Lucy on a diet and struggling not to eat in spite of the others eating so much food in front of her. The moment when she fought with a dog under the bed over some food constitutes instantly iconic I Love Lucy imagery.

5. Season 2

Everything that I’ve said above also applies here as the second season of the show is also confined in location and types of stories being told with the furniture one being overly repeated. However, the Mertzes are excellent in this season as was Lucy. There were many funny and even important storylines to be found here.

Best Moment – Lucy Is Enceinte features a moment where Lucy finally tells Ricky that she’s pregnant, but how she does it is so unique and wonderfully romantic that I was definitely moved. It was the episode that changed the show by bringing in the kid and thankfully the boy wasn’t annoying, so the series wasn’t tarnished at all.

4. Season 6

The new locations made this final season truly something special along with the introduction of a pet into the house. Fred the dog was so endearing. Ethel and Lucy steal the show in this final stretch of episodes. Although a couple of episodes are definitely weak, most are pretty good and some are downright iconic.

Best Moment – It is difficult choosing the very best moment from this season that contains a lot of memorable iconography. Lucy’s shenanigans in Cuba were hilarious while the family raising chicken in their country house was also very memorable. The highlight is probably the arrival of the Mertzes into their countryside neighborhood in a funny, heartwarming episode.

3. Season 3

While the third season featured an unfortunate new addition in the arrival of Cousin Ernie. He was a terrible character whom I really disliked. But other than that issue, most of the episodes of the third season are great with the best ones focusing on the fun dynamic between the Mertzes and the Ricardos.

Best Moment – Ricky Loses His Temper is the episode that strongly focused on his temperamental character, but the highlight was witnessing Lucy’s hat obsession. Those moments where she would desperately attempt to buy that new hat were hilarious in a perfectly constructed episode all-around.

2. Season 4

The fourth season of I Love Lucy started the trend of more expensive and ambitious approach at storytelling. Finally, the gang went out of their NYC apartment and off they were to L.A. As is always the case, some episodes were uneven, but the celebrity-heavy stories were excellent and the change in location was very refreshing.

Best Moment – Lucy Cries Wolf is one of the best episodes of this season. Yes, it is not set in Hollywood, but it was still hilarious. The highlight was seeing Lucy get attacked by burglars and nobody believes her as she lost their trust due to her previous lies about being in danger. It was a great situational comedy with a terrific climax.

1. Season 5

The fifth season is easily the best one. This is where the gang travelled all around Europe and the season was an absolute blast. Every country was well represented and the many types of different humor made this season the most ambitious and by far the funniest one. This was the absolute peak of I Love Lucy for me.

Best Moment – Lucy’s Italian Movie featured that iconic grape stomping sequence that is one of the most recognizable scenes from this show, but I will actually go with the episode Return Home from Europe here as those moments on the plane where Lucy tried to smuggle cheese for her mother beneath the blanket by pretending it’s her baby were absolutely hysterical.