The annual Emmy Awards has devolved into an endless list of streaming shows that not everyone can see, a far cry from when broadcast TV ruled the roost. 

But this year, the Academy is naming the first ever recipient of its new "Legacy Award," honouring a show that's both ancient and worthy of the title. It's "I Love Lucy," perhaps the only 50s show that still gets played on television to this day. And it's certainly earned the accolade. It literally changed the rules for both production and sitcoms. 

"(The) production team pioneered the use of the three-camera filming format before a live studio audience, setting a production standard that continues to influence television comedies today.

It featured the first dual ethnicity couple on network TV and broke barriers by showing the first pregnant woman on screen.

The famous 1953 episode “Lucy Goes to the Hospital,” in which Lucy gives birth, drew 44 million viewers — more than the television audience for President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s inauguration the following day.

To maintain creative control, Ball and Arnaz took a substantial pay cut in exchange for full ownership of the show’s negatives. This decision allowed them to replay episodes, singlehandedly inventing television syndication and the blueprint for residuals."

Yes, I Love Lucy invented the rerun. But it will be first run when the prize is awarded this year on Sept. 6th. The actual annual televised ceremony will air on NBC Sept.14th. But for those into TV history, it might be worth a look see. Or should that be a Lucy?

Trailblazing 1950s Show That Set the Standard for TV Comedies, to Receive Inaugural Legacy Award