The pair of true comedy legends got their own television show in 1952, after years of show business experience on stage, in films and on the radio. The series consisted of half hour episodes and was loosely based on the duo’s long-running radio variety show.

Abbott and Costello usually played unemployed slackers, perpetually short on cash and always looking for an easy way to make a buck or scamming their creditors. Other characters included their hapless landlord; a friendly neighbor and occasional partner in crime; Mike the cop and Costello’s nemesis; and Stinky, the 40 year old man dressed in a Little Lord Fauntleroy outfit.

The show could and did feature comedy routines almost exclusively, without worrying about romantic or action subplots that were needed in a feature film. Abbott and Costello recreated the burlesque comedy that had made them famous and the show remains an important record of vaudeville entertainment.

The Abbott and Costello Show was produced and directed by Jean Yarbrough for its duration of 52 episodes, though there was a significant change in the writing staff after the first season. Yarbrough decided to take the show in a new direction, namely the sitcom route, and brought in different writers to effect that change. As a result, the later episodes are not as original and engaging as the earlier ones, which were written by Eddie Foster and Sidney Fields (also playing the landlord role).

The show ran until 1954 by which point most of the original cast had left but the episodes achieved a resurgence of popularity in syndicated reruns for the next 50 years. Lately, The Abbott and Costello Show has been released in a multi-volume DVD set, ensuring that Costello's trademark catchphrase, “Hey, Abbott!” isn’t forgotten by future generations.