After 58 years I Love Lucy goes off the air

[pablo]

http://everythinglucy.blogspot.com/2009/08/is-this-end-of-i-love-lucy-on-tv.html

I Love Lucy which had been airing on The Hallmark Channel since it was purchased from TV Land has been turned off. Hallmark picked up I Love Lucy when the show's contract with TV Land expired at the end of 2008. It began airing the show in January 2009 but only 8 months later after moving the show around to various timeslots throughout the day and night has decided to call it quits. So this means I Love Lucy is totally off the schedule now and for the first time in 58 years is not shown anywhere on any TV sets across America.

[phrelin]

Ouch!

Unfortunately, Hallmark's ratings have taken a nosedive amidst cable channel rating increases this Summer. Running "Lucy" at 3 am is not likely the reason, but I expect to see a Hallmark channel schedule revamping.

[Mark Holtz]

Fortunately, the monster collection is available off Amazon.

[Pete K.]

You've got some "splainin" to do:

KTTV, Channel 11 in Los Angeles:
12:00 PM
12:30 PM
Fri 8/28 I Love Lucy/I Love Lucy

[elaclair]

You've got some "splainin" to do:

KTTV, Channel 11 in Los Angeles:
12:00 PM
12:30 PM
Fri 8/28 I Love Lucy/I Love Lucy


"Oh, now Ricky!"

I'm sure the statement referred to national broadcasters. Of course if you have DirecTV (and I assume Dish as well) if you have West Coast DNS you get KTTV.......

[n3ntj]

Too bad I Love Lucy isn't on a national channel anymore... and too bad we have all of this crappy reality TV. What's next? A show about midget Indian plumbers contesting to get a date with single amputee biker girls?

[jeffshoaf]

Too bad I Love Lucy isn't on a national channel anymore... and too bad we have all of this crappy reality TV. What's next? A show about midget Indian plumbers contesting to get a date with single amputee biker girls?

That'll be on the Travel Channel once it's bought by NBCU... It'll be their showcase show when they change the name to the Travail Channel! :rolleyes:

[mreposter]

Hallmark's ratings have taken a nosedive amidst cable channel rating increases this Summer. Running "Lucy" at 3 am is not likely the reason, but I expect to see a Hallmark channel schedule revamping.

to continue the off-topic discussion ;)... for several years Hallmark did several mystery movies that were sorta okay - Mystery Woman with Kellie Martin and John Larroquette in McBride were my two favorites - but they seem to have stopped producing those.

Now whenever I look at Hallmark in the guide its old rerun junk.

[trainman]

Oh, no! Now we'll never find out if Lucy's wacky scheme worked to get her into Ricky's show!

[Paul Secic]

Too bad I Love Lucy isn't on a national channel anymore... and too bad we have all of this crappy reality TV. What's next? A show about midget Indian plumbers contesting to get a date with single amputee biker girls?

I agree, but people under 45 havn't seen classic TV.

[BattleZone]

IMO, this isn't that big a deal. Sure, the show is great and a true classic, but given it's been in constant re-runs for more than 50 years, people who want to see it have had plenty of oppertunity. And there's little doubt that some network will have it back on within a year or two at most.

Besides, it's available on DVD for anyone who "must" have it.

I've probably seen every episode 2-3 times, and there's plenty of classic TV that I've never seen, so making some room for another show is fine.

[n3ntj]

I agree, but people under 45 havn't seen classic TV.

I'm 36 and love classic TV like Lucy, Leave It To Beaver, Honeymooners, etc.

[fluffybear]

I'm 36 and love classic TV like Lucy, Leave It To Beaver, Honeymooners, etc.

I'm 42 and in most cases would prefer to watch a black and white TV show then anything on TV today.

[Paul Secic]

I'm 36 and love classic TV like Lucy, Leave It To Beaver, Honeymooners, etc.

Cool. Too bad TVLAND dumped classics. I'd love to see My Little Margie, Sky King, Superman, Tugboat Annie. Not TVLAND.:nono2::nono2::nono2::nono2:

[pablo]

I'm 29 and yet ILL is one of my favorite shows ever.

[Shades228]

I agree, but people under 45 havn't seen classic TV.

So people over 45 are just stuck in the past.

[rnbmusicfan]

It does suck when a classic leaves the schedule, but I think a better method of delivering classic TV is the On Demand approach. Comcast does have TubeTime http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tube_Time

on their On Demand feature, but what's even better is Netflix On Demand, or the concept of it, since anyone can have access to it, it features full seasons, and Netflix generally doesn't drop titles once they make it to their library. Also, the Netflix on Demand is quite fast to load, pause, rewind and ff, unlike using Comcast's On Demand.

I was able to enjoy "The Munsters" on Netflix On Demand, via my TiVo. While WGN carries some stuff and generally doesn't put an annoying logo, most of the other channels have gone downhill (TV Land, even Retro Television Network has its problems) and its just inconvenient otherwise to go through schedules and using DVR space, or renting or purchasing DVD sets. I wish Lucy, Bewitched, and a lot more would make it to Netflix On Demand.

Otherwise, WGN could just pick up I Love Lucy, and it'd fit in better in their schedule anyways.

[rnbmusicfan]

Ouch!

Unfortunately, Hallmark's ratings have taken a nosedive amidst cable channel rating increases this Summer. Running "Lucy" at 3 am is not likely the reason, but I expect to see a Hallmark channel schedule revamping.

Maybe Hallmark's image and new direction for the channel will be the same vapid sugary overpriced feeling one gets when being and buying anything from a Hallmark Gold Crown store.

[paulman182]

...what's even better is Netflix On Demand, or the concept of it, since anyone can have access to it,

Not really anyone. In March 2009 broadband penetration in the US reached 63% of the population.

The other 37% are like me, no broadband except at work, if there.

I have to use "mobile broadband" with a laptop at home to get anything above 28.8.

So all my programming comes either from DVDs, BDs, or satellite. And satellite accounts for 99% of it.

I stopped watching ILL a long time ago, but I'm sorry to see it go.

[rnbmusicfan]

Point taken about broadband availability.

I was just thrilled though that LOST (in HD), all seasons...except for the last one, recently joined the Netflix On Demand library though. The Office (in HD) is another popular show, but The Office is easily available and played by TBS and this fall, in syndication. LOST is big. I figure if they got LOST, perhaps On Demand users would see other popular titles, like maybe ILL and other classics.

Right now Netflix has some random so-so classics, from Leave it to Beaver, The Munsters, Magnum PI, Gimme a Break, Charles in Charge, but the more popular over time shows like I Love Lucy, Andy Griffith, to current favorites like 24, The Simpsons are not available. I guess DVD sales are doing well for those shows, that availability by any On Demand system would adversely impact sales, but maybe Lucy's popularity has gone down esp with cable channels not interested in carrying it. It's not as ubiquitous as M*A*S*H. I'm thinking either WGN picks ILL up someday, or it likely won't find a new home on basic/digital cable. TV Land is going the direction of more recent shows. Viacom probably figures anyone under 25 just won't sit thru a b&w show, just like AMC did with movies.

[davring]

HULU has a great library of classic TV shows, and adding regularly.

[rnbmusicfan]

Another possibility for classic TV on TV (and not related and tied through broadband or DVD format) would be if there was a semi premium channel for it, I suppose similar to Encore Westerns. Right now I think WGN fills some void, but the parent owners may muck around with the channel and follow the tracks of the big cable networks to be like everyone else format (hopefully not though).

[Drew2k]

HULU has a great library of classic TV shows, and adding regularly.
When Hulu was still invitation-only during it's testing period, one of the first things I did when I got in was play early season episodes of Bewitched. At the time they did not have S1E01, so I had to start with E02, but it was great, as those were episodes I had NEVER seen in syndicated reruns.

[Mark Holtz]

Just for fun, I thought I would go through some series which I have watched in the past on my DirecTiVo. Hmmm....
3rd Rock from the Sun - Believed not currently airing
7th Heaven - On WGN and Hallmark
The A Team - Not currently airing?
A Different World - Not airing
Adam-12 - Not currently airing
Airwolf - Not currently airing
ALF - Currently airing on WGN
Alice - Not currently airing
All In The Family - On TVLand
Andy Griffith Show - On a local station and TV Land
Angel - TNT at 3:00 AM
Babylon 5 - Not current airing
Barney Miller - Currently airing on WGN
Barnaby Jones - Not currently airing
Brady Bunch - On TVLand
Beauty and the Beast (Linda Hamilton) - Not currently airing
Becker - On USA and WGN
Benson - Not currently airing
Bewitched - On WGN
Bionic Woman - Not currently airing
Buffy, The Vampire Slayer - Not currently airing
Cagney and Lacy - Not currently airing
Charlie's Angels - Not currently airing
Cheers - On WGN and Hallmark
CHiPs - Not currently airing
China Beach - Not currently airing
Coach - On WGN
Combat! - Not currently airing
Cosby Show - On TV Land and WGN
Dallas - Not currently airing
Dragnet - Not currently airing
Diff'rent Strokes - Not currently airing
Dukes of Hazzard - Not currently airing
Dynasty - Not currently airing
Emergency - Not currently airing
Facts of Life - Not currently airing
Falcon Crest - Not currently airing
Family Ties - Not currently airing
Fantasy Island - Not currently airing
Full House - On TheN and ABC Family
Frasier - Not currently airing
Friends - On a local station
Golden Girls - on Hallmark
Happy Days - Not currently airing
Hardcastle and McCormick - Not currently airing
Hart to Hart - Not currently airing
Hawaii Five-O - Not currently airing
Highway to Heaven - Not currently airing
Hill Street Blues - Not currently airing
Home Improvement - Nick
I Dream of Jeannie - On WGN
Incredible Hulk - Not currently airing in a live action series
The Jeffersons - Not currently airing
Junkyard Wars - Science Channel
Knots Landing - Not currently airing
LA Law - Not currently airing
Laverne and Shirley - Not currently airing
Leave It to Beaver - On TV Land
Little House on the Prarie - On a local station, TV Land, Hallmark
The Love Boat - Not currently airing
MacGyver - On Sleuth
Magnum PI - Not currently airing
M*A*S*H - On TV Land, Ion, Hallmark
Married... with Children - On TV Land
Mary Tyler Moore Show - Not currently airing
Matt Houston - Not currently airing
Maverick - Not currently airing
Miami Vice - Not currently airing
Moonlighting - Not currently airing
Mork and Mindy - Not currently airing
Murphy Brown - Not currently airing
Newhart -On WGN
Night Court - Not currently airing
NYPD Blue - Not currently airing
Outer Limits (60s) - Not currently airing
Outer Limits (00s) - On SciFi
Quantum Leap - Not currently airing
Quincy, ME - Not currently airing
Reba - On Ion
Remington Steele - Not currently airing
Riptide - Not currently airing
Rockford Files - Not currently airing
Roseanne - On TV Land
Scarecrow and Mrs. King - Not currently airing
Seaquest DSV - Not currently airing.
Seinfeld - On a local station
Silver Spoons - Not currently airing
Simon and Simon - Not currently airing
Six Million Dollar Man - Not currently airing
St. Elsewhere - Not currently airing
Starsky and Hutch - Not currently airing
Star Trek - On a local station and TV Land
Star Trek: The Next Generation - on a local station (starting 9/15) and WGN (until 9/10)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Not currently airing
Star Trek: Voyager - Not currently airing
Star Trek: Enterprise - currently airing on SciFi
Taxi - Not currently airing
That 70's Show - On a local station, FX, The N, and ABC Family
Three's Company - On TVLand
TJ Hooker - Not currently airing
Trapper John, MD - Not currently airing
Twilight Zone (60s) - On SciFi
Twilight Zone (80s) - On Chiller
Twilight Zone (00s) - On a local station
Walker, Texas Ranger - On USA and Sleuth
The Waltons - Not currently airing
Webster - Not currently airing
WKRP in Cincinnatti - Not currently airing
Vega$ - Not currently airing
Veronica Mars - Not currently airing
The X Files - On SciFi and TNT
Oh dear god, did I just spend two hours compiling the list? This does not include airing on the premium channels or on secondary digital channels.

[SayWhat?]

Better 57-1/2 years too late, than never. The show was a waste of air time and I always hated it when certain sketches made their way into new sitcoms. How many times was the 'candy line speedup' redone?

[Paul Secic]

Just for fun, I thought I would go through some series which I have watched in the past on my DirecTiVo. Hmmm....
3rd Rock from the Sun - Believed not currently airing
7th Heaven - On WGN and Hallmark
The A Team - Not currently airing?
A Different World - Not airing
Adam-12 - Not currently airing
Airwolf - Not currently airing
ALF - Currently airing on WGN
Alice - Not currently airing
All In The Family - On TVLand
Andy Griffith Show - On a local station and TV Land
Angel - TNT at 3:00 AM
Babylon 5 - Not current airing
Barney Miller - Currently airing on WGN
Barnaby Jones - Not currently airing
Brady Bunch - On TVLand
Beauty and the Beast (Linda Hamilton) - Not currently airing
Becker - On USA and WGN
Benson - Not currently airing
Bewitched - On WGN
Bionic Woman - Not currently airing
Buffy, The Vampire Slayer - Not currently airing
Cagney and Lacy - Not currently airing
Charlie's Angels - Not currently airing
Cheers - On WGN and Hallmark
CHiPs - Not currently airing
China Beach - Not currently airing
Coach - On WGN
Combat! - Not currently airing
Cosby Show - On TV Land and WGN
Dallas - Not currently airing
Dragnet - Not currently airing
Diff'rent Strokes - Not currently airing
Dukes of Hazzard - Not currently airing
Dynasty - Not currently airing
Emergency - Not currently airing
Facts of Life - Not currently airing
Falcon Crest - Not currently airing
Family Ties - Not currently airing
Fantasy Island - Not currently airing
Full House - On TheN and ABC Family
Frasier - Not currently airing
Friends - On a local station
Golden Girls - on Hallmark
Happy Days - Not currently airing
Hardcastle and McCormick - Not currently airing
Hart to Hart - Not currently airing
Hawaii Five-O - Not currently airing
Highway to Heaven - Not currently airing
Hill Street Blues - Not currently airing
Home Improvement - Nick
I Dream of Jeannie - On WGN
Incredible Hulk - Not currently airing in a live action series
The Jeffersons - Not currently airing
Junkyard Wars - Science Channel
Knots Landing - Not currently airing
LA Law - Not currently airing
Laverne and Shirley - Not currently airing
Leave It to Beaver - On TV Land
Little House on the Prarie - On a local station, TV Land, Hallmark
The Love Boat - Not currently airing
MacGyver - On Sleuth
Magnum PI - Not currently airing
M*A*S*H - On TV Land, Ion, Hallmark
Married... with Children - On TV Land
Mary Tyler Moore Show - Not currently airing
Matt Houston - Not currently airing
Maverick - Not currently airing
Miami Vice - Not currently airing
Moonlighting - Not currently airing
Mork and Mindy - Not currently airing
Murphy Brown - Not currently airing
Newhart -On WGN
Night Court - Not currently airing
NYPD Blue - Not currently airing
Outer Limits (60s) - Not currently airing
Outer Limits (00s) - On SciFi
Quantum Leap - Not currently airing
Quincy, ME - Not currently airing
Reba - On Ion
Remington Steele - Not currently airing
Riptide - Not currently airing
Rockford Files - Not currently airing
Roseanne - On TV Land
Scarecrow and Mrs. King - Not currently airing
Seaquest DSV - Not currently airing.
Seinfeld - On a local station
Silver Spoons - Not currently airing
Simon and Simon - Not currently airing
Six Million Dollar Man - Not currently airing
St. Elsewhere - Not currently airing
Starsky and Hutch - Not currently airing
Star Trek - On a local station and TV Land
Star Trek: The Next Generation - on a local station (starting 9/15) and WGN (until 9/10)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Not currently airing
Star Trek: Voyager - Not currently airing
Star Trek: Enterprise - currently airing on SciFi
Taxi - Not currently airing
That 70's Show - On a local station, FX, The N, and ABC Family
Three's Company - On TVLand
TJ Hooker - Not currently airing
Trapper John, MD - Not currently airing
Twilight Zone (60s) - On SciFi
Twilight Zone (80s) - On Chiller
Twilight Zone (00s) - On a local station
Walker, Texas Ranger - On USA and Sleuth
The Waltons - Not currently airing
Webster - Not currently airing
WKRP in Cincinnatti - Not currently airing
Vega$ - Not currently airing
Veronica Mars - Not currently airing
The X Files - On SciFi and TNT
Oh dear god, did I just spend two hours compiling the list? This does not include airing on the premium channels or on secondary digital channels.

Becker airs on UNIHD daily.....

[SayWhat?]

Don't know what UNIHD is, but it airs on WGN several times daily during the week.

[Christopher Gould]

married with children in also on TBS

[pablo]

http://everythinglucy.blogspot.com/2009/09/hallmark-channel-welcomes-back-i-love.html

It seems that The Hallmark Channel had previously scheduled an I Love Lucy marathon to air on Sunday, October 4th from 11am-3am...now it looks even better for Lucy fans! It looks like they were planning that marathon for a comeback! Effective Monday, October 5th, the day after the marathon, I Love Lucy returns to the regular Hallmark Channel schedule and it isn't a late night time slot either! I Love Lucy will air weekdays from 5pm-8pm, which means six straight episodes, replacing M*A*S*H, which is now off the line-up, but it is still being shown by TV Land.

[Drew2k]

Three hours of Lucy daily? Wow ... Overkill much?! :lol:

[Mark Holtz]

Both MASH and I Love Lucy are good shows.

[Dolly]

I grew up watching I Love Lucy and thought it was a great show :) But I'm not sure if I would still enjoy it now?

[pablo]

I grew up watching I Love Lucy and thought it was a great show :) But I'm not sure if I would still enjoy it now?

I think it's timeless.

[Drew2k]

I think it's timeless.Yes ... party lines and twin beds in the master bedroom will never go out of style. ;) :p

[djlong]

My older daughter just graduated college, majoring in drama and theater arts. We had a chance last year to watch some old "I Love Lucy" episode. One that particularly impressed me was in the 'arc' when they were all going out to California. Stopping in Albuquerque, They 'put on a show' to support Ethel because she had told "the folks back home" that she was the reason everyone was going to Hollywood (as she'd had a vaudeville act 'Way Back When').

One thing leads to antoher and 'the gang' decides they don't like Ethel's uppity attitude and, during her show, do some of the most hilarious, word-less, silent comedy I've ever seen. This stuff was from the 1950s and just as funny now as it was then. My comment to my daughter was "HOW does someone WRITE this stuff?" and we both agreed it's just "genius" at work.

[Paul Secic]

Facts of Life airs on Familynet.

[4HiMarks]

Better 57-1/2 years too late, than never. The show was a waste of air time and I always hated it when certain sketches made their way into new sitcoms. How many times was the 'candy line speedup' redone?

I think it's about time too. Same for M*A*S*H*. They were both good shows in their day, but enough is enough. Although, no one has ever accused Hollywood of having too many original ideas to find room in the broadcast schedule for all of them.

[SayWhat?]

Looks like Hallmark woke up. They're back to running M*A*S*H weeknights.

[jrwinter]

it will back on next week on hallmark!

[primetime]

Regarding Mark Holtz's list- - check your local over the air sub channels for Retro TV. If that channel is available a number of those old shows are on it along with a few other old shows that would fit your list like Black Sheep Squadron, Battlestar Galactica (original one), Buck Rodgers, Marcus Welby, Knight Rider just to name a few I have seen in the guide on my DVR. I know A Team, Airwolf, Emergency, are on there for sure in the evenings. The channel seems to specialize in hour long shows along with some older movies on the weekends. It kinda reminds me of one of our local independent stations from when I was a kid before Fox launched and slowly took over the channel.

[xmguy]

I agree, but people under 45 havn't seen classic TV.

Really. I'm a big I Love Lucy fan! I don't care how many times I see the show I almost die laughing.








I'm 24 by the way! ;)

[xmguy]

I hate that. I'd watch it occasionally when I saw it on TV. Such an true American icon off TV. Is should be Illegal! I really watched the show a few years ago.

[xmguy]

My older daughter just graduated college, majoring in drama and theater arts. We had a chance last year to watch some old "I Love Lucy" episode. One that particularly impressed me was in the 'arc' when they were all going out to California. Stopping in Albuquerque, They 'put on a show' to support Ethel because she had told "the folks back home" that she was the reason everyone was going to Hollywood (as she'd had a vaudeville act 'Way Back When').

One thing leads to antoher and 'the gang' decides they don't like Ethel's uppity attitude and, during her show, do some of the most hilarious, word-less, silent comedy I've ever seen. This stuff was from the 1950s and just as funny now as it was then. My comment to my daughter was "HOW does someone WRITE this stuff?" and we both agreed it's just "genius" at work.

AMEN TO THAT. Lucille Ball was a pure genius!

[trainman]

Such an true American icon off TV. Is should be Illegal!

You know what else is an American icon? The First Amendment, which would forestall a law making "I Love Lucy" mandatory. ;)

[Paul Secic]

Really. I'm a big I Love Lucy fan! I don't care how many times I see the show I almost die laughing.








I'm 24 by the way! ;)

Highway Patrol a 50's-60's show is on http://www.hulu.com. Great show!