Classic Televison - Prime TIme

Here's Lucy

Original channel

CBS

Original run

September 23, 1968 – March 18, 1974

Starring

Lucille Ball

Gale Gordon

Lucie Arnaz

Desi Arnaz, Jr.

Mary Jane Croft

Here's Lucy is Lucille Ball's third network television sitcom. It ran on CBS from 1968 to 1974.

Though The Lucy Show was still hugely popular during the previous (1967–68) season, finishing in the top five of the ratings (at #2), Ball opted to end that series at the end of that season, as there was enough episodes for syndicated reruns. Ball did not wish to continue to star in a show unless her two children agreed to co-star, and thus an entirely new show was written for this purpose. Here's Lucy was produced by Ball's newly created production company, Lucille Ball Productions. Desilu's successor Paramount Television (PTV) co-produced the first season, but sold its stake in the show to Ball afterwards.

The program's premise changed from The Lucy Show. Ball's character lived in Los Angeles and was named Lucy Carter, as a tribute to her ex-husband Desi Arnaz, whom she felt helped to launch her career. In this new incarnation, she had two children named Kim and Craig, played by her real life children, Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz, Jr. She was employed at 'Carter's Unique Employment Agency' by her brother-in-law Harry, played by Gale Gordon in a role similar to his Mr. Mooney role from The Lucy Show. Mary Jane Croft, who had costarred on the last three seasons of The Lucy Show, also became a regular on the new series, and Ball's longtime costar Vivian Vance also made numerous guest appearances as Vivian Jones through the series' run. The series was created by Milt Josefsberg and Bob O'Brien in 1968. They wanted to comically present the "generation gap" struggle between a working mother and her two increasingly independent teenagers. They wanted change this time around and to escape the shows for which Lucy had previously been so well known. They touched upon current events (civil rights, rock music, the sexual revolution and changing gender/sexual morals).

The writers interviewed Lucie and Desi Jr. to allow a more realistic approach to how teenagers acted. In addition, they were given free rein to choose the names for their respective characters.