One of the more sensational believed reasons behind the cancelation of I Love Lucy came as part of the ‘Red Scare’ of the era, which saw a general fear of communism infiltrating and corrupting the morals of American society. One of the major controversies that befell the show was Ball’s alleged ties with the Communist Party when it was revealed in 1953 that she voluntarily met with the House Un-American Activities Committee and registered as a communist. However, Ball has stated that this was to appease her grandfather at the time and that she was not an active member of the party and this is not the reason given for the show being canceled.
Lucille Ball’s and Desi Arnaz’s relationship began to struggle in popularity, with Arnaz’s weakness for booze and other women creating a constant sense of tension between the two off-set. However, it should be noted that Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz are still seen as a couple that were madly in love, despite the many ups and downs in their relationship. In addition, though not as big of a contributing factor, William Frawley and Vivien Vance who portrayed Fred and Ethel Mertz, were also known to dislike each other. This was minor, but it was part of the many reasons why the production began to unwind.
Still, the most obvious reason for the decline was general exhaustion that extended past the cast to the crew as well. Six seasons and trying to keep on coming up with new concepts had the entire cast and crew burnt out. Combining this with complications between the cast, the show’s end was inevitable. Lucille Ball faced a highly emotional period after the cancelation; as reported in her memoir, she spent days crying on a friend’s couch. This was also followed by a run on Broadway, which was faced with negative reviews that further challenged the ’50s icon. However, this was not the end of the I Love Lucy legacy, and she was able to provide some closure with follow-up projects.