Why The Last Episode of ‘I Love Lucy’ Wasn’t a Proper Finale

Even casual viewers of I Love Lucy probably know that the episodes set in Connecticut signal that the end is near. What might surprise TV fans is that this record-breaking, classic sitcom didn’t get a proper send-off episode.

The last episode of I Love Lucy isn’t special in any way. Auspiciously titled “The Ricardos Dedicate a Statue”, the plot involves Lucy Ricardo breaking a statue intended for a Revolutionary War ceremony and taking its place. While funny and memorable, the episode was hardly the stuff finales are made of. So, why did I Love Lucy end so abruptly?

The biggest reason is that Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball weren’t as happy together as their on-screen counterparts. By the show’s sixth season, their marriage had deteriorated to the point that they couldn’t even be on set together without getting into screaming matches.

But that’s not the only reason it ended. After six long seasons, the writers also struggled to come up with new concepts. Their fatigue extended to the crew, as well. All these factors combined led to only one possible conclusion: the end was near.

While Ball and Arnaz did The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour together, the couple divorced on March 4th, 1960. Many fans might find it difficult to watch I Love Lucy knowing how contentious Ball and Arnaz’s real-life marriage was. However, the couple’s daughter Lucie Arnaz maintains that “their love for each other lasted forever”, despite their divorce. At the end of Desi Arnaz’s life, he even wrote a beautiful tribute to his ex-wife, in which he stated that “I Love Lucy was never just the title.” 

This home video of Ball and Arnaz playing with their grandson seems to prove exactly that.