For millions of people around the world, Lucille Ball is a name synonymous with laughter, joy, and the pure genius of physical comedy. As the star of television’s most iconic and beloved sitcom, I Love Lucy, she created a legacy that has endured for generations. Her work brought her an unprecedented level of fame, power, and respect in an industry where women were rarely given creative control. After a long and successful career that included multiple hit series and a historic role as the first woman to head a major Hollywood studio, she retired from television in 1974.
So when news broke that the Queen of Comedy would be returning to the small screen in 1986 for a new series, the world held its breath. The show was called Life with Lucy, and it was meant to be her triumphant comeback, a final victory lap for a television legend. Instead, it became the most painful and humiliating chapter of her career, culminating in a devastating emotional breakdown that would haunt her until her dying day.
The Hopeful Return: A Star Tries to Keep Up
In the mid-1980s, television was undergoing a major shift. Sitcoms were evolving, embracing a faster pace and more topical humor. Meanwhile, the “Golden Girls” style of comedy, which featured a cast of seasoned and talented women, was becoming a massive hit. Lucille Ball, who was now 75 years old, saw a new opportunity to work. She was coaxed out of retirement by producer Aaron Spelling and ABC for a show that was intended to be a modern-day take on her classic persona.
Life with Lucy cast her as Lucy Barker, a grandmother who had inherited half-ownership of a hardware store. Her co-star was her long-time on-screen partner Gale Gordon, who played her curmudgeonly business partner, Curtis McGibbon. The show’s premise and style were meant to be familiar to fans of her previous work—classic slapstick and situational humor. The live studio audiences roared with delight, cheering her on as she performed her signature physical gags, and Lucille Ball herself was optimistic. As a seasoned professional, she believed that the audience’s reaction was a reliable indicator of the show’s success. She was about to learn a brutal lesson.
The “Bad and Disrespectful” Reviews
When Life with Lucy premiered in September 1986, it was met with a level of vitriol and disdain that shocked the entire cast and crew. Critics, who had been fans of her for decades, were unmerciful. The reviews were not just bad; they were deeply personal and cruelly disrespectful. They attacked not only the show’s dated format but also Lucille Ball herself.
- The Washington Post called the show an “embarrassment.”
- The Associated Press referred to it as “silly” and “sad,” asking, “How could she do this to herself?”
- The New York Times was slightly more forgiving but still noted that the show was “almost frantically determined to demonstrate that the old gags and routines still work best.”
The common thread in all the criticism was a sense of disappointment and pity. Critics argued that the show’s writing was old-fashioned and that watching a 75-year-old woman perform the same pratfalls and slapstick she did in her 40s was no longer funny; it was simply uncomfortable. Some reviewers wrote that she had “stayed too long at the fair,” and others lamented that she was trying to recapture a magic that was long gone. The critics, who had grown up with I Love Lucy, were now judging a woman who was a legend in her own time with a level of harshness that was unheard of.
“She Started Bawling”
Lucille Ball was a perfectionist. Throughout her career, she took every creative decision seriously, and she worked harder than anyone to make sure her shows were successful. She had faced criticism before, but this was different. This was a public rejection not just of her show, but of her. Her co-star, Ann Dusenberry, who played her on-screen daughter, was heartbroken for her. She recalled the reviews being “so bloody” and “so bad and disrespectful,” and said they showed “no regard that she was an icon.”
The ultimate blow came when ABC, due to the abysmal ratings, pulled the plug on the show after only eight episodes. The cancellation was a public and humiliating end to her comeback. According to a friend, Michael Stern, who was with her when she heard the news, “She started bawling.”
This was not a simple act of crying; it was a deep, personal heartbreak. Lucille Ball felt that the public had “fired” her and that they no longer wanted to see her. She confided in friends that she was devastated by the public’s judgment, admitting that she could handle critiques of her shows, but not a personal attack on her. She felt like a relic, a woman who had tried to offer a new generation the same thing that made their parents laugh, only to be rejected. It was a crushing blow to her psyche and her pride.
The Sad End to a Storied Career
Lucille Ball never starred in another series or a film after Life with Lucy. The show’s failure and the brutal critical response had a profound effect on her. The woman who had built an entire studio on her talent and a willingness to take risks was now hesitant to put herself out there again.
In a sad and ironic twist, her former husband and partner, Desi Arnaz, passed away from lung cancer just a couple of months after the show’s cancellation. The two defining men in her life—the man she loved and the television executive who had given her a chance—were both now gone.
While the failure of Life with Lucy will forever be a sad footnote in her career, it does not diminish the monumental legacy she left behind. The show’s failure was not due to a lack of talent on her part. In fact, many later critics have argued that the problem was not her, but the outdated writing and production. The show was a product of a time when the industry struggled to understand how to handle aging icons.
In the end, Lucille Ball’s story is a powerful reminder that even the most successful and resilient of people can be broken by public criticism. The bad reviews of Life with Lucy were more than just a judgment on a show; they were a cruel blow to a legend who simply wanted to make people laugh one last time.
