For people who aren’t deeply invested in the TV industry, it can be hard to figure out what makes one network more successful than another. Like, why is everything NBC does terrible, and everything the other networks do less terrible? Honestly, we have no idea. But—as an example—if NBC were to take old black-and-white TV show episodes out of its vaults, colorize them, and then put them on the air, this article would be nothing but jokes about how crazy NBC is. But NBC isn’t doing that, CBS is, which means it’ll probably end up being a great idea that pays off really well for the network. But why? Is CBS just inherently better? That’s a discussion for another time.
As for those old TV episodes, Deadline says CBS will be digging up a pair of newly colorized I Love Lucy episodes and airing them on Sunday, May 17—a night when, we assume, nothing else interesting will be on. The episodes that CBS chose both feature Lucy meeting up with famous celebrity guest stars—well, people who were famous in the ’50s—and they’ll be bundled together as the I Love Lucy Superstars Special. The first one, “Hollywood At Last,” has Lucy getting into some classic Lucy shenanigans with William Holden, and the second has an appearance from George Reeves as Superman. (As Deadline notes, he was starring in The Adventures Of Superman TV show at the time.) Also, the episodes will reportedly “include additional footage not broadcast in 60 years.”
This is actually the second time in recent years that CBS has decided to air colorized episodes of I Love Lucy instead of literally anything else. In 2013, the network aired two holiday-themed episodes and packaged them as The I Love Lucy Christmas Special. Who knows, maybe if this keeps working out for CBS, it’ll go all the way and just re-cut old Lucy episodes into a new version of CSI.