"I Love Lucy," the hit 1950s sitcom starring Lucille Ball, will receive the TV Academy's inaugural Legacy Award at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

Aug. 25 (UPI) --

I Love Lucy will be honored at the 2026 Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

The Television Academy announced in a press release Tuesday that the hit 1950s sitcom starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz will receive its inaugural Legacy Award during Night 2 of the Creative Arts Emmys on Sept. 6.

The Legacy Award was created to honor "a television program that's made a profound and generational impact on audiences and remains relevant to society, culture and the industry today."

I Love Lucy had a six-season run on CBS from 1951 to 1957. The show followed Lucy (Ball) and Ricky Ricardo (Arnaz), the first dual ethnicity couple on network TV, and pioneered three-camera filming before a live studio audience, television syndication and residuals for talent.

Other cast members included Vivian Vance and William Frawley as Ethel and Fred Mertz, best friends and landlords to Lucy and Ricky, and Richard Keith as Lucy and Ricky's son Little Ricky.

I Love Lucy was nominated for 20 Emmy Awards during its run, with Ball winning two awards for Best Actress in a Comedy Series. Ball was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1984, followed by Arnaz in 1991.

I Love Lucy is available to stream on Paramount+ and Pluto.