[1][2] It was produced by Desilu, the production company founded by Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz[citation needed] The show was based on the 1952 film of the same name.

[2] Sponsored by Kaiser, American Tobacco, and Alberto-Culver,[8] the program was Desilu's first color series.

The trade publication Sponsor said that although The Greatest Show on Earth had "great dramatic possibilities", it was "really a simple adventure yarn if you strip the three rings away".

[10] A review of the premiere episode in the trade publication Variety said that the circus aspect was secondary "while a somewhat unbelievable drama hogged the center ring spotlight".

[11] The review added that the episode's acting was implausible, with "hardly a person present one would readily identify as a circus character".