Iconic and Hilarious 1950s Sitcom Pairing Ranked 'Best TV Friendship' 75 Years Later
From 1951 to 1957, I Love Lucy graced the small screens in homes via CBS. Starring Lucille Ball, Ball's then-husband Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley, I Love Lucy follows the antics of Lucy Ricardo (Ball) and all of the schemes and shenanigans she gets herself into. Oftentimes right by her side on the show is her landlord, best friend, and partner-in-crime, Ethel Mertz (Vance). The pair were such a staple that just their first names are now synonymous with that of best friends, and they were even ranked number one for "Best TV Friendships."
I Love Lucy centers Lucy, a housewife who deeply wants to break into show business and become a star. The situations Lucy finds herself in are usually tied back to this goal, and the character's naiveté and knack for finding trouble wherever she goes looking. The character of Ethel Mertz is a former vaudeville performer who frequently finds herself as Lucy's right hand gal in her various schemes. Entertainment Weeklycalled her one of TV's "greatest sidekicks."
Lucy and Ethel are the perfect ying and yang to each other. Where Lucy is almost blindly driven, Ethel is more grounded. To Lucy's drama, Ethel is practical and unassuming. And like a true best friend, even when Lucy is wrong, Ethel will always bail her out and have her back.
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For four of its six seasons, I Love Lucy was the most-watched show on TV and some even consider it to be the great show of all time. The show was a first of its time and paved the way for so many after it, and is well-deserving of the way it continues to be a favorite for TV watchers.
Lucy and Ethel are the kind of friends who are timeless. Despite every zany and whacky situation Lucy puts Ethel into, they always make up and always go right back to laughing with each other. It's no surprise with a friendship like that, they'd be the top one to watch and want to emulate in your own life.
Related: On This Day in 1957, ‘I Love Lucy' Ended-Why TV's No. 1 Show Didn't Have a Big Finale
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This story was originally published May 16, 2026 at 2:40 PM.