Following Lucille Ball’s divorce from Desi Arnaz and the last episode of the wildly successful “I Love Lucy,” Desilu Studios was on the ropes. From 1960 to 1962 virtually every show was cancelled, except for “The Untouchables.” Arnaz was president of Desilu and offered Ball a chance to come back in a new sitcom in 1962.
The show was considered a “stop gap” to the beleaguered Studio’s demise and was intended to last only one season. Lucy agreed as long as it appeared on the same night as “I Love Lucy” and that she would be reunited with co-star and friend Vivian Vance. Arnaz resigned as head of the studio in 1963 when Lucy bought him out, making her the first woman to head up a studio. Far from a one-season tryout, the show endured 6 seasons and was in the top 10 in ratings for every season.
