10 Funniest I Love Lucy Episodes

All the episodes of I Love Lucy are funny, but from Lucy’s new diet to meeting Superman, these episodes see the show at its best.

I Love Lucy is one of the funniest sitcoms of all time. The great writing and performances came together to create a comedy masterpiece that spanned six seasons and 180 episodes. They maintained this high level of quality so consistently that even the bad episodes were good.

Because of this, choosing the funniest episodes is a difficult task. Every episode has at least one or two great scenes. Every episode gets a laugh from the audience. However, there are a few episodes that might be said to be among the best. They hit all the beats just right, they’ve got great dialogue and one-liners, and the actors are at the top of their game. Even better, some of these episodes were bold enough to try things that television shows haven’t tried before.

10.“The Diet” Season 1, Episode 3

Lucy and Ricky standing in front of a band in I Love Lucy,

When Lucy goes on a diet, Ricky motivates her by promising she can be in his show if she fits into a size 12 dress. However, Ricky underestimates his wife’s determination. After ten punishing days of dieting, Lucy waltzes onto the stage in the dress to her husband’s alarm.

This episode is famous for the iconic “Cuban Pete” dance number, which Lucy and Ricky perform flawlessly. However, the rest of the episode is funny as heck. Lucy’s efforts to lose weight are both relatable and hilarious in their extremity. The best part, though, is Lucy’s rivalry with Ricky’s dance partner. At the end of the episode, the woman is found locked in the closet, bound and gagged, where Lucy put her. This is one of the funniest punchlines in the entire series.

9.“Lucy Does a TV Commercial” Season 1, Episode 30

Lucy looks horrified after trying vitameatavegamin in I Love Lucy,

Once again, Lucy’s desire to be onstage lands her in trouble. She successfully commandeers a role in a TV commercial. Unfortunately, the role consists of drinking a nasty health tonic and pretending that she likes it. Poor Lucy has to keep drinking the stuff until she gets it right and ends up drinking so much that she gets tipsy due to it being 23 percent alcohol.

Everything about this episode is comedy gold. The face Lucy makes when she first tastes the concoction is priceless. Her line delivery as she gets tipsier and tipsier is on point, and Ricky’s efforts to save the situation while Lucy is singing at the top of her lungs is the icing on the cake. Lucille Ball was at her best in this episode.

8.“Ricky Thinks He’s Getting Bald” Season 1, Episode 34

Lucy uses a crazy hair growth contraption on Ricky in I Love Lucy, Ricky Thinks He's Getting Bald

As the title says, Ricky becomes worried about losing his hair and resolves to fix it. Lucy doesn’t think it’s a big deal and tries to help him feel better about it. However, being gentle doesn’t work, so she resorts to increasingly creative and painful hair loss treatments. Ricky remains undeterred, and the episode ends with him choosing to do the hair treatments every night.

The episode is a funny subversion of the usual I Love Lucy plotlines. This time, it’s Ricky becoming obsessed over something while Lucy is the one being supportive and trying to talk him out of it. The actors’ performances make it even funnier. They land every joke perfectly and play the roles with a lot of heart. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz are amazing in this episode.

7.“Job Switching” Season 2, Episode 1

Lucy and Ethel's boss speeds up the conveyer belt while they look on in horror in I Love Lucy, Job Switching

Lucy and Ethel make a bet with their husbands to switch roles for the day to see if they can do each other’s job better. In the end, both sides screw up. Ricky and Fred ruin the laundry, the kitchen, and dinner, while Lucy and Ethel struggle to keep up in a candy factory.

The physical comedy in this episode is in a league of its own. Lucy and Ethel resort to stuffing their mouths and blouses with all the candy they couldn’t wrap while Ricky and Fred scramble to keep the rice from boiling over. The funniest part is when Ricky and Fred talk about cooking. Everyone knows that the meal’s going to end in disaster, but it’s even better when the viewer has experience in cooking. The episode might have old-fashioned ideas, but it will never get old.

6.“Lucy Is Enceinte” Season 2, Episode 10

Ricky kisses Lucy's forehead at the nightclub in I Love Lucy, Lucy Is Enciente

In the episode, Lucy discovers that she’s pregnant. She’s ecstatic, of course, but keeps getting interrupted whenever she tries to tell Ricky. Finally, she anonymously requests a song from his band to announce the pregnancy.

This episode is sweet and emotional and is mostly known for being one of the earliest shows to work a pregnancy into the story. It’s also perfectly funny. Lucy’s failed attempts to tell Ricky are humorous. However, they also build up the audience’s expectations so that they’ll think that Ricky’s going to find out in a joking way. Instead, those attempts lead to the most poignant scene in the entire show.

5.“Ricky Has Labor Pains” Season 2, Episode 14

Ricky has his temperature taken by the doctor while Lucy watches in concern in I Love Lucy, Ricky Has Labor Pains

During Lucy’s pregnancy, Ricky starts to develop psychosomatic pregnancy symptoms as a result of feeling lonely and overwhelmed. Lucy decides he needs some attention, too, and arranges a men-only “daddy shower” for him. However, she and Ethel get curious and gate-crash the party in disguise.

The daddy shower is considered the highlight of the episode. It’s one of Lucy and Ethel’s most creative shenanigans on the show, and their husbands’ reactions are priceless. However, the ice cream with hot fudge and sardines is an easy second. Ricky is horrified by Lucy’s weird cravings at first. At the end of the episode, though, he gets a craving, too, and steals a spoonful from her. It’s a fantastic punchline to a great episode.

4.“Lucy Tells the Truth” Season 3, Episode 6

Lucy gives a terrified, wide-eyed smile while participating in a knife-throwing act in I Love Lucy, Lucy Tells The Truth

After Lucy has been less than honest several times, Ricky makes a $100 bet with her that she can’t go 24 hours without telling a lie. The chaos that this bet causes might not be fun in real life, but it’s a riot to watch. Lucy’s friends learn about the bet and try to gang up on her. However, she turns the tables on them by telling them exactly what she thinks and how she feels about them.

The pinnacle of the episode is when Lucy auditions for a role at the club. She finally breaks and lies about understanding Italian, only to end up in a terrifying knife-throwing act. This episode is one of the wildest shenanigans that Lucy and Ricky have ever gotten into.

3.“Harpo Marx” Season 4, Episode 28

Lucy performs the mirror act with Harpo Marx while dressed as Harpo Marx in I Love Lucy Harpo Marx

Lucy and Ricky meet many celebrities in the show who unwittingly get involved in their hijinks. This includes Harpo Marx, one of the famous Marx brothers who were popular in the early 1900s. In the episode, Lucy hosts a party in which she and several other main characters dress up as celebrities. However, the real Harpo Marx unexpectedly shows up and performs the mirror skit with Lucy.

This episode was a meeting of comedic legends. Lucille Ball does an incredible job of keeping up with her fellow comedian, and they shot the entire scene in one take. It’s not just one of the funniest scenes in the series. It’s one of the most legendary scenes in television history.

2.“Lucy’s Italian Movie” Season 5, Episode 23

Lucy stomping grapes with an Italian woman in I Love Lucy,

Lucy’s love of show business has gotten her into trouble many times over, but this incident takes the cake…or, more appropriately, the grapes. Lucy is offered a small role in an Italian film called Bitter Grapes, but she misunderstands the title and works at a vineyard to research for the role. Unfortunately, she gets into a grape fight with a coworker. She arrives on set stained blue from head to toe and loses the role to Ethel.

This episode sees Lucille Ball flexing her chops to the fullest. Not only is the slapstick great, but her facial expressions as the fight begins are just hysterical. She delivers laughs from start to finish.

1.“Lucy and Superman” Season 6, Episode 13

Lucy and George Reeves stand on a ledge in the rain as Reeves cracks a joke in I Love Lucy, Lucy and Superman

With so many celebrities appearing on the show, it’s only natural that Superman would fly in eventually. In this episode, Lucy hires George Reeves, one of the most famous actors to play Superman, to appear at her son’s birthday party. When he’s delayed, however, she dresses up as Superman and tries to “fly” in through the window. Unfortunately, she gets stuck on the ledge.

In flies Superman to save the day. Not only does he rescue the party, but he obligingly helps Lucy as well. This episode is both iconic and riotous as Lucy’s good intentions cause mayhem yet again. This time, though, it’s Superman who delivers the punchline with one of the sassiest burns in the show.

Rate this post