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Wikipedia

The Cosby Show

The Cosby Show is an American television sitcom co-created by and starring Bill Cosby, which aired Thursday nights for eight seasons on NBC between September 20, 1984, until April 30, 1992. The show focuses on an upper middle-class African-American family living in Brooklyn, New York.

The Cosby Show
GenreSitcom
Created by
Starring
Theme music composer
Opening theme
Ending theme"Kiss Me" (instrumental; various versions)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons8
No. of episodes201 (plus outtakes special) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Production locations
Camera setupVideotape; Multi-camera
Running time23–24 minutes
Production companyCarsey-Werner Productions in association with Bill Cosby
DistributorViacom Enterprises
Release
Original networkNBC
Picture formatNTSC
Original releaseSeptember 20, 1984 (1984-09-20) –
April 30, 1992 (1992-04-30)
Chronology
Preceded byThe Bill Cosby Show
RelatedA Different World

The Cosby Show spent five consecutive seasons as the number-one rated show on television. The Cosby Show and All in the Family are the only sitcoms in the history of the Nielsen ratings to be the number-one show for five seasons. It spent all eight of its seasons in the top 20.[1]

According to TV Guide, the show "was TV's biggest hit in the 1980s, and almost single-handedly revived the sitcom genre and NBC's ratings fortunes."[2] TV Guide also ranked it 28th on their list of 50 Greatest Shows.[3] In addition, Cliff Huxtable was named as the "Greatest Television Dad".[4]

In May 1992, Entertainment Weekly stated that The Cosby Show helped to make possible a larger variety of shows with a predominantly black cast, from In Living Color to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.[5] The Cosby Show was based on comedy routines in Cosby's stand-up comedy act, which in turn were based on his family life. The show led to the spinoff A Different World, which ran for six seasons from 1987 to 1993.

Premise

The show focuses on the Huxtable family, an African-American upper middle class family, living in a brownstone in Brooklyn Heights, New York, at 10 Stigwood Avenue.[6] The father is Cliff Huxtable, an obstetrician and son of a prominent jazz trombonist. The mother is his wife, lawyer Clair Huxtable.[7]

They have four daughters and one son: Sondra, Denise, Theo, Vanessa, and Rudy. Despite its comedic tone, the show sometimes involves serious subjects, like Theo's experiences dealing with dyslexia,[8] inspired by Cosby's dyslexic son, Ennis.[9] The show also deals with teenage pregnancy when Denise's friend Veronica (Lela Rochon) becomes pregnant.[10]

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally airedHH rating
rank[11]
Avg. HH
rating[11]
Avg. viewers
(millions)
First airedLast aired
124September 20, 1984 (1984-09-20)May 9, 1985 (1985-05-09)324.2
225September 26, 1985 (1985-09-26)May 15, 1986 (1986-05-15)133.7
325September 25, 1986 (1986-09-25)May 7, 1987 (1987-05-07)134.9
424September 24, 1987 (1987-09-24)April 28, 1988 (1988-04-28)127.8
526October 6, 1988 (1988-10-06)May 11, 1989 (1989-05-11)125.640.3
626 + SpecialSeptember 21, 1989 (1989-09-21)May 3, 1990 (1990-05-03)1 (Tied with Roseanne)23.136.6
726September 20, 1990 (1990-09-20)May 2, 1991 (1991-05-02)517.126.7
825September 19, 1991 (1991-09-19)April 30, 1992 (1992-04-30)1815.024.2

Pilot

The Cosby Show pilot episode uses the same title sequence as the rest of the first season, and is widely regarded as the first episode. However, it contains a number of differences from the remainder of the series.

In the pilot, the Huxtables have only four children.[12] Following the pilot, the Huxtables have five children, with the addition of their eldest daughter, Sondra (Sabrina Le Beauf), who is mentioned in episode four and appears first in episode 11. The character was created when Bill Cosby wanted the show to express the accomplishment of successfully raising a child who had graduated from college.[13]

Bill Cosby originally wanted Vanessa Williams to play the part of Sondra due to her college education and background in theater arts. However, Williams had recently been crowned the first black Miss America and pageant officials would not permit her to play the role while she was representing the Miss America pageant. Whitney Houston was also considered for the role of Denise Huxtable, but was unable to commit to the full-time television production schedule in the NBC contract, as she intended to become a full-time music recording artist.[14][15]

Most of the story in the pilot presentation is taken from Bill Cosby's 1983 comedy film Bill Cosby: Himself. Cosby's character is called "Clifford" in the early episodes of the first season, but his name was later switched to "Heathcliff".

Additionally, Vanessa refers to Theo as "Teddy" twice in the dining room scene. The interior of the Huxtables' home features an entirely different living room from subsequent episodes, and different color schemes in the dining room and the master bedroom. Throughout the remainder of the series, the dining room is reserved for more formal occasions.

Background and production

Conception and development

 
The cast of The Cosby Show in 1989

In the early 1980s, Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner, two former executives at ABC, left the network to start their own production company: Carsey-Werner.[16] At ABC, they had overseen sitcoms such as Mork & Mindy, Three's Company, and Welcome Back, Kotter. The two partners decided that to get a sitcom to sell for their fledgling company, they needed a big name behind it. The career of Bill Cosby, who starred in two failed sitcoms during the 1970s, produced award-winning stand-up comedy albums, and had roles in several different films, was relatively static during the early 1980s. According to a Chicago Tribune article from July 1985, despite Carsey and Werner's connection to the network, Lewis Erlicht, president of ABC Entertainment, passed on the show, prompting a pitch to rival network, NBC.[citation needed]

Outside of his work on his cartoon series Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, Cosby was doing little in film or television, but Carsey and Werner were fans of Cosby's stand-up comedy and thought it would be the perfect material for a family sitcom.[17]

Cosby originally proposed that the couple should both have blue-collar worker jobs, with the father a limousine driver,[18] who owned his own car, and the mother an electrician.[19] With advice from his wife Camille Cosby, though, the concept was changed so that the family was well-off financially, with the mother a lawyer and the father a physician.[20][21]

Cosby wanted the program to be educational, reflecting his own background in education. He also insisted that the program be taped in New York City instead of Los Angeles, where most television programs were taped.[22] The Huxtable home exterior was filmed at 10 St. Luke's Place near 7th Avenue in Manhattan's Greenwich Village (although in the show, the residence was the fictional "10 Stigwood Avenue").[23]

Production notes

 
The brownstone used in The Cosby Show

Early episodes were videotaped at NBC's Brooklyn studios (subsequently JC Studios).[24] The network later sold that building, and production moved to the Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens.[25] Even though the show was set to take place in Brooklyn, the exterior façade was actually of a brownstone townhouse located in Manhattan's Greenwich Village at 10 Leroy Street/ 10 St. Luke's Place.[26] The pilot was filmed in May 1984, with season one's production commencing that July, and the first taping on August 1 (Goodbye Mr. Goldfish).[27][28]

During its original NBC run, it was one of five successful sitcoms on the network that featured predominantly African-American casts. The others were 227 (1985–90), Amen (1986–91), Cosby Show spin-off A Different World (1987–93) and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990–96).[citation needed]

Although the cast and characters were predominantly African-American,[29] the program was unusual in that issues of race were rarely mentioned when compared to other situation comedies of the time with predominantly African-American casts, such as The Jeffersons.[30] However, The Cosby Show had African-American themes, such as the Civil rights movement, and it frequently promoted African-American culture and culture of Africa represented by artists and musicians such as Jacob Lawrence, Miles Davis, James Brown, B.B. King, Stevie Wonder, Sammy Davis Jr., Lena Horne, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie and Miriam Makeba.[31]

The spin-off, A Different World, dealt with racial issues more often.[32] The series finale (taped March 6, 1992)[33] aired during the 1992 Los Angeles riots, with Cosby quoted in media at the time pleading for peace.[34][35]

During the third season, Rashad was pregnant with her daughter Condola. Rather than write this pregnancy in, the producers simply greatly reduced Rashad's scenes or filmed in such a way that her pregnancy was not noticeable.[36]

Another main cast member pregnancy, that of Bonet, almost caused the actress to be fired, especially coming in the wake of appearing in the film Angel Heart, which contained explicit sexual scenes with actor Mickey Rourke. Cosby strongly disapproved of Bonet's role, but allowed her to continue on World until returning to Cosby after her pregnancy. Tensions remained, however, and Bonet was eventually fired in April 1991.[37]

Theme song and opening sequence

The show's theme music, "Kiss Me", was composed by Stu Gardner and Bill Cosby.[38] Seven versions of this theme were used during the run of the series, making it one of the few television series to use multiple versions of the same theme song over the course of a series. For season four, the theme song music was performed by musician Bobby McFerrin.[39]

Due to legal complications regarding the background mural, the opening for season seven was filmed on August 17, 1990, at Kaufman Astoria Studios in New York City, New York was replaced with the one from the previous season.[40][41][42] The original season seven opening, with slight modifications, returned to use in the beginning of season eight.

Cast and characters

Actor Character Seasons
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Bill Cosby Cliff Huxtable Main
Phylicia Rashad[a] Clair Huxtable Main
Lisa Bonet Denise Huxtable Kendall Main Recurring Main
Malcolm-Jamal Warner Theodore Huxtable Main
Tempestt Bledsoe Vanessa Huxtable Main
Keshia Knight Pulliam Rudy Huxtable Main
Sabrina Le Beauf Sondra Huxtable Tibideaux Recurring Main
Geoffrey Owens Elvin Tibideaux Recurring Main
Joseph C. Phillips[b] Lt. Martin Kendall Main Recurring
Raven-Symoné Olivia Kendall Main
Erika Alexander Pamela "Pam" Tucker Main
  1. ^ Rashad was credited as "Phylicia Ayers-Allen" during season one and the first fourteen episodes of season two.
  2. ^ Prior to joining the cast as a regular, Phillips appears as Daryl, a potential boyfriend for Sondra in season two (episode: "Cliff in Love").

Reception and legacy

The show's portrayal of a successful, stable black family was praised by some for breaking racial stereotypes and showing another part of the African-American experience.[43][44] However, it was criticized by others, including Henry Louis Gates Jr., for allowing white audiences to think that racism and poverty were problems of the past.[45] As a result of the Bill Cosby sexual assault cases, Malcolm-Jamal Warner has stated that the show's legacy is "tarnished".[46]

The Cosby Show had generated $2.5 billion in television revenue, including $1 billion from television advertisement,[47] and $1.5 billion from syndication.[48]

Broadcast history and ratings

The Cosby Show aired on Thursdays at 8:00 pm for all eight seasons.[49] In its first season, the show was the beginning of a Thursday NBC schedule that was followed by Family Ties, Cheers, Night Court, and Hill Street Blues.[50]

The Cosby Show is one of three television programs (All in the Family and American Idol being the others) that were number one in the Nielsen ratings for five consecutive seasons.[51][52][53]

Viewership and ratings per season of The Cosby Show
Season Time slot (ET) Episodes First aired Last aired TV season Rank Avg. HH
rating
Date HH
rating
Viewers
(millions)
Date HH
rating
Viewers
(millions)
1 Thursday 8:00 pm 24 September 20, 1984 21.6[54] May 9, 1985 24.1[55] 1984–85 3[11] 24.2[11]
2 25 September 26, 1985 31.6[56] May 15, 1986 31.8[57] 1985–86 1[11] 33.7[11]
3 25 September 25, 1986 33.5[58] May 7, 1987 26.4[59] 1986–87 1[11] 34.9[11]
4 24 September 24, 1987 31.5[60] April 28, 1988 23.2[61] 1987–88 1[11] 27.8[11]
5 26 October 6, 1988 24.2[62] 37.6[62] May 11, 1989 20.4[63] 31.5[63] 1988–89 1[11] 25.6[11]
6 26 September 21, 1989 26.1[64] 39.3[64] May 3, 1990 18.5[65] 28.3[65] 1989–90 1[11][a] 23.1[11]
7 26 September 20, 1990 19.8[66] 30.5[66] May 2, 1991 15.2[67] 22.1[67] 1990–91 5[11] 17.1[11]
8 25 September 19, 1991 18.6[68] 28.1[68] April 30, 1992 28.0[69] 44.4[69] 1991–92 18[11] 15.0[11]

Syndication

The Carsey-Werner Company handles domestic distribution, while Paramount Global's unit CBS Media Ventures handles international distribution of the series, and has done so since 1997. In the United States, The Cosby Show began its television syndication run in September 1988 in broadcast syndication, shortly before the show's fifth-season premiere, and was at the time distributed by Viacom; many stations that carried the series were Big Three television networks affiliates. As time went on, this moved to lower-profile timeslots, independent station and minor network affiliates.[citation needed]

Fort Worth, Texas–based independent station KTVT carried the series until 1995, when it ceased operating as a regional cable superstation and became an affiliate of CBS. TBS, then a national cable superstation, carried the series for nearly a decade beginning in 1999. Fellow superstation WGN America began carrying the series shortly thereafter, and continued to until September 2010. Viacom's Nick at Nite began airing reruns of the series in March 2002, and its sister network TV Land began airing reruns in 2004, making The Cosby Show one of the few series that were shown on both Nick at Nite and TV Land at the same time. The series was also available to stream on Hulu.[70]

The French version just called Cosby Show aired on M6 in 1988.

In the Italian version of the show, the family name is not Huxtable but Robinson. The whole show is named I Robinson (The Robinsons) airing on Canale 5 & K2 from 1986 until 1993.

2010s removal from syndication

Reruns of The Cosby Show have been pulled from several networks and venues as a result of the Bill Cosby sexual assault cases. In November 2014, TV Land pulled the series from its lineup.[71][72] "(E)pisodes have been pulled immediately for the foreseeable future ... TV Land even removed references to The Cosby Show from its website on Wednesday afternoon as the scandal accelerated." In December 2014, the Magic Johnson–owned network Aspire removed the show from its lineup.[73]

BET's Centric (another Viacom unit), along with Bounce TV, ceased airing reruns of The Cosby Show. At the same time, barter syndicator The Program Exchange ceased distributing the show.[74] Bounce TV resumed airing the series in December 2016[75] but pulled the show on April 26, 2018 — the day Cosby was convicted of sexual assault.[76][77] TV One began airing reruns of the show in May 2017.[78] It is currently the only American network to offer the series.[citation needed] The series is also available on FilmRise, Amazon Prime Video, and Sling TV.[citation needed]

Spin-off

The Cosby Show's producers created a spin-off series called A Different World that was built around the "Denise" character (portrayed by actress Lisa Bonet), the second of the Huxtables' four daughters. Initially, the new program dealt with Denise's life at Hillman College, the fictional historically black college from which her father, mother, and paternal grandfather had graduated.[citation needed]

Denise was written out of A Different World after its inaugural season, due to Bonet's pregnancy, and the following season was revamped, with the addition of director Debbie Allen (Phylicia Rashad's sister) and new characters.[79] Denise later became a recurring character on The Cosby Show for seasons four and five, and a regular again in seasons six and seven.[citation needed]

Awards and honors

Awards won

Emmy Award[80]

  • Outstanding Comedy Series (1985)
  • Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series (1985) – Michael J. Leeson and Ed. Weinberger for the pilot episode
  • Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series (1985) – Jay Sandrich for "The Younger Woman"
  • Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series (1986) – Jay Sandrich for "Denise's Friend"
  • Outstanding Guest Performer in a Comedy Series (1986) – Roscoe Lee Browne for "The Card Game"
  • Outstanding Editing for a Series – Multi-Camera Production (1986) – Henry Chan for "Full House"

Golden Globe Awards

  • Best TV Series – Comedy (1985)
  • Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series – Comedy – Bill Cosby (1985, 1986) 2 wins

NAACP Image Awards

  • Outstanding Comedy Series (1988)
  • Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series – Phylicia Rashad (1988, 1989) 2 wins
  • Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series – Bill Cosby (1989, 1993) 2 wins

Peabody Award (1986)

People's Choice Awards[citation needed]

  • Favorite New TV Comedy Program (1985)
  • Favorite Male Performer in a New TV Program – Bill Cosby (1985)
  • Favorite Female Performer in a New TV Program – Phylicia Rashad (1985)
  • Favorite TV Comedy Program (1985–89) 5 wins
  • Favorite Male TV Performer – Bill Cosby (1986–92) 7 wins
  • Favorite All-Around Male Entertainer – Bill Cosby (1986–88, 1990–91) 5 wins
  • Favorite Young TV Performer – Keshia Knight Pulliam (1988)
  • All-Time Favorite TV Program (1989)
  • Favorite Female TV Performer – Phylicia Rashad (1989)
  • Favorite All-Around Male Star – Bill Cosby (1989)
  • Favorite TV Comedy Series (1990, 1992) 2 wins

Nominations

Emmy Awards[80]

  • Outstanding Technical Direction/Electronic Camerawork/video control for a series – 1985
  • Outstanding Live and Tape Sound Mixing and Sound Effects for a series – (1985) 2 nominations
  • Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series – (1985–86)
  • Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series – Phylicia Rashad (1985–86) 2 nominations
  • Outstanding Comedy Series (1986–87) 2 nominations
  • Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series – Lisa Bonet (1986)
  • Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series – Keshia Knight Pulliam (1986)
  • Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series – Malcolm-Jamal Warner (1986)
  • Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy Series or a Special – (1986–87)
  • Outstanding Editing for a Series (multi camera production) – (1987)
  • Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series – Jay Sandrich (1987)
  • Outstanding Comedy Series – (1987)
  • Outstanding Guest Performer in a Comedy Series – Eileen Heckart (1988)
  • Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series – Sammy Davis Jr. (1989)

Golden Globe Awards

  • Best TV Series – Comedy – (1986–1987) – Two nominations
  • Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series – Comedy – Bill Cosby (1987)

Other honors

  • 1993: TV Guide named The Cosby Show the All-Time Best Family Show in its issue celebrating 40 years of television.[81]
  • 1997: TV Guide ranked the episode "Happy Anniversary" #54 on their list of the TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time[82]
  • 1999: Entertainment Weekly placed show's debut at #24 in its list of the "100 Greatest Moments in Television"[83]
  • 2002: TV Guide placed The Cosby Show at #28 in its list of the TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time[84]
  • 2004: TV Guide ranked Cliff Huxtable number 1 on its 50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time list[85]
  • 2004: Bravo ranked Cliff Huxtable #44 on its list of the 100 Greatest TV Characters[86]
  • 2007: Time magazine placed the show on its unranked list of "100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME"[87]
  • 2007: USA Today's web site ranked the show as #8 in its list of the "top 25 TV moments of the past quarter century"[88]
  • 2008: Entertainment Weekly selected Cliff Huxtable as the Dad for "The Perfect TV Family"[89]
  • 2013: TV Guide ranked The Cosby Show #26 on its list of the 60 Best Series.[90]

Albums

Two albums were produced that included various theme and background music from the show. The albums were presented by longtime Cosby collaborator Stu Gardner. They were:

In popular culture

  • During the series' run, the character of Cliff Huxtable frequently wore an array of knit sweaters that were often brightly colored and featured abstract, asymmetrical patterns or themes. The sweaters were erroneously thought to be designed by the Australian clothing company Coogi, but were actually designed by Dutchman Koos Van Den Akker.[91][92][93]
They were dubbed "Cosby sweaters", a term that is used to describe sweaters that are generally deemed garish and unappealing.[94][95] In May 2008, Cosby's daughter Evin auctioned a batch of the sweaters that her father had kept on eBay. The proceeds of the sales went to the Hello Friend/Ennis William Cosby Foundation, a non-profit charity named for Ennis Cosby. Ennis, Cosby's only son, was murdered in January 1997.[96]
  • The character of Dr. Hibbert, who is featured on the long-running animated sitcom The Simpsons, is modeled after Dr. Cliff Huxtable. The Simpsons writing staff decided to make Dr. Hibbert a parody of Cliff Huxtable after the Fox network moved The Simpsons to Thursday nights airing opposite the top-rated The Cosby Show.[97]
  • In the Teen Titans Go! episode "Oil Drums", Starfire says "I would like to watch The Crosby Pudding Half-Hour Show of Sweaters. Theo, get your glorp-nops off the kitchen table. Rudy!"

International broadcast

In The Philippines The Show aired on GMA Network, in 1985-1991 PTV-4 in 1992-1996 & ABC-5 in 1997-2001 (Tagalized)

Home media

All eight seasons of The Cosby Show have been released on DVD in Region 1. Seasons one and two were released by UrbanWorks which was subsequently acquired by First Look Studios, who then released the remaining six seasons. Seasons One and Two contain special features, including the ninety minute retrospective documentary entitled The Cosby Show: A Look Back, which aired on NBC in May 2002.

It contains interviews with cast members, bloopers, deleted scenes and audition footage. In December 2010, First Look Studios filed bankruptcy, and all its assets were subsequently acquired by Millennium Entertainment, who also took over distribution of The Cosby Show DVD releases. As of 2013, these releases have been discontinued, and are now out of print.

On November 5, 2013, it was announced that Mill Creek Entertainment had acquired the rights to the series. They have subsequently re released all eight seasons on DVD.[98][99][100][101] On September 1, 2015, Mill Creek released a sixteen disc complete series set entitled The Cosby Show – The Complete Series.[102]

In Region 4, Magna Pacific has released all eight seasons on DVD in Australia and New Zealand. The first two seasons have similar artwork to the North American copies, although season two is red rather than blue. Each Australian cover also features the tagline "In a house full of love, there is always room for more".

Universal Studios Home Entertainment has released Seasons 1 to 4 in Region 2 (United Kingdom).

DVD title Ep # Release dates
Region 1 Region 2 Region 4
Season 1 24 August 2, 2005
January 21, 2014 (re release)
May 19, 2008 October 4, 2006
Season 2 25 March 7, 2006
January 21, 2014 (re release)
August 25, 2008 February 7, 2007
Season 3 25 June 5, 2007
April 15, 2014 (re release)
October 13, 2008 April 4, 2007
Season 4 24 June 5, 2007
April 15, 2014 (re release)
February 9, 2009 November 7, 2007
Season 5 26 November 6, 2007
January 6, 2015 (re release)
March 5, 2008
Season 6 26 November 6, 2007
January 6, 2015 (re release)
July 9, 2008
Season 7 26 April 8, 2008
June 16, 2015 (re release)
January 13, 2010
Season 8 25 April 8, 2008
June 16, 2015 (re release)
January 13, 2010
25th Anniversary
Commemorative Edition
201 November 11, 2008
September 1, 2015 (re release)
Collector's Edition 201 August 6, 2014

Note: The Millennium Entertainment release of season one contains the edited versions of the episodes aired in syndication. However, all subsequent DVD releases (including the complete series set) contain the original, uncut broadcast versions. In 2011, Millennium quietly released season one uncut in Region 1, which featured the special features from The Complete Series set.

Notes

  1. ^ Tied with Roseanne.

References

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External links

cosby, show, confused, with, cosby, series, bill, cosby, show, american, television, sitcom, created, starring, bill, cosby, which, aired, thursday, nights, eight, seasons, between, september, 1984, until, april, 1992, show, focuses, upper, middle, class, afri. Not to be confused with Cosby TV series or The Bill Cosby Show The Cosby Show is an American television sitcom co created by and starring Bill Cosby which aired Thursday nights for eight seasons on NBC between September 20 1984 until April 30 1992 The show focuses on an upper middle class African American family living in Brooklyn New York The Cosby ShowGenreSitcomCreated byWilliam H Cosby Jr Ed Weinberger Michael J LeesonStarringBill Cosby Phylicia Rashad Sabrina Le Beauf Geoffrey Owens Lisa Bonet Joseph C Phillips Malcolm Jamal Warner Tempestt Bledsoe Keshia Knight Pulliam Raven Symone Erika AlexanderTheme music composerStu Gardner Bill CosbyOpening theme Kiss Me performed by Bobby McFerrin season 4 James DePreist performed by The Oregon Symphony Orchestra season 5 Craig Handy seasons 6 7 Lester Bowie season 8 Ending theme Kiss Me instrumental various versions Country of originUnited StatesOriginal languageEnglishNo of seasons8No of episodes201 plus outtakes special list of episodes ProductionExecutive producersMarcy Carsey Tom Werner Bernie Kukoff season 7 Janet Leahy season 8 Production locationsKaufman Astoria Studios Astoria New York U S Camera setupVideotape Multi cameraRunning time23 24 minutesProduction companyCarsey Werner Productions in association with Bill CosbyDistributorViacom EnterprisesReleaseOriginal networkNBCPicture formatNTSCOriginal releaseSeptember 20 1984 1984 09 20 April 30 1992 1992 04 30 ChronologyPreceded byThe Bill Cosby ShowRelatedA Different WorldThe Cosby Show spent five consecutive seasons as the number one rated show on television The Cosby Show and All in the Family are the only sitcoms in the history of the Nielsen ratings to be the number one show for five seasons It spent all eight of its seasons in the top 20 1 According to TV Guide the show was TV s biggest hit in the 1980s and almost single handedly revived the sitcom genre and NBC s ratings fortunes 2 TV Guide also ranked it 28th on their list of 50 Greatest Shows 3 In addition Cliff Huxtable was named as the Greatest Television Dad 4 In May 1992 Entertainment Weekly stated that The Cosby Show helped to make possible a larger variety of shows with a predominantly black cast from In Living Color to The Fresh Prince of Bel Air 5 The Cosby Show was based on comedy routines in Cosby s stand up comedy act which in turn were based on his family life The show led to the spinoff A Different World which ran for six seasons from 1987 to 1993 Contents 1 Premise 1 1 Episodes 1 2 Pilot 2 Background and production 2 1 Conception and development 2 2 Production notes 2 3 Theme song and opening sequence 3 Cast and characters 4 Reception and legacy 4 1 Broadcast history and ratings 5 Syndication 5 1 2010s removal from syndication 6 Spin off 7 Awards and honors 7 1 Awards won 7 2 Nominations 7 3 Other honors 8 Albums 9 In popular culture 10 International broadcast 11 Home media 12 Notes 13 References 14 External linksPremise EditThe show focuses on the Huxtable family an African American upper middle class family living in a brownstone in Brooklyn Heights New York at 10 Stigwood Avenue 6 The father is Cliff Huxtable an obstetrician and son of a prominent jazz trombonist The mother is his wife lawyer Clair Huxtable 7 They have four daughters and one son Sondra Denise Theo Vanessa and Rudy Despite its comedic tone the show sometimes involves serious subjects like Theo s experiences dealing with dyslexia 8 inspired by Cosby s dyslexic son Ennis 9 The show also deals with teenage pregnancy when Denise s friend Veronica Lela Rochon becomes pregnant 10 Episodes Edit Main article List of The Cosby Show episodes SeasonEpisodesOriginally airedHH rating rank 11 Avg HHrating 11 Avg viewers millions First airedLast aired124September 20 1984 1984 09 20 May 9 1985 1985 05 09 324 2 225September 26 1985 1985 09 26 May 15 1986 1986 05 15 133 7 325September 25 1986 1986 09 25 May 7 1987 1987 05 07 134 9 424September 24 1987 1987 09 24 April 28 1988 1988 04 28 127 8 526October 6 1988 1988 10 06 May 11 1989 1989 05 11 125 640 3626 SpecialSeptember 21 1989 1989 09 21 May 3 1990 1990 05 03 1 Tied with Roseanne 23 136 6726September 20 1990 1990 09 20 May 2 1991 1991 05 02 517 126 7825September 19 1991 1991 09 19 April 30 1992 1992 04 30 1815 024 2Pilot Edit Main article Pilot The Cosby Show The Cosby Show pilot episode uses the same title sequence as the rest of the first season and is widely regarded as the first episode However it contains a number of differences from the remainder of the series In the pilot the Huxtables have only four children 12 Following the pilot the Huxtables have five children with the addition of their eldest daughter Sondra Sabrina Le Beauf who is mentioned in episode four and appears first in episode 11 The character was created when Bill Cosby wanted the show to express the accomplishment of successfully raising a child who had graduated from college 13 Bill Cosby originally wanted Vanessa Williams to play the part of Sondra due to her college education and background in theater arts However Williams had recently been crowned the first black Miss America and pageant officials would not permit her to play the role while she was representing the Miss America pageant Whitney Houston was also considered for the role of Denise Huxtable but was unable to commit to the full time television production schedule in the NBC contract as she intended to become a full time music recording artist 14 15 Most of the story in the pilot presentation is taken from Bill Cosby s 1983 comedy film Bill Cosby Himself Cosby s character is called Clifford in the early episodes of the first season but his name was later switched to Heathcliff Additionally Vanessa refers to Theo as Teddy twice in the dining room scene The interior of the Huxtables home features an entirely different living room from subsequent episodes and different color schemes in the dining room and the master bedroom Throughout the remainder of the series the dining room is reserved for more formal occasions Background and production EditConception and development Edit The cast of The Cosby Show in 1989 In the early 1980s Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner two former executives at ABC left the network to start their own production company Carsey Werner 16 At ABC they had overseen sitcoms such as Mork amp Mindy Three s Company and Welcome Back Kotter The two partners decided that to get a sitcom to sell for their fledgling company they needed a big name behind it The career of Bill Cosby who starred in two failed sitcoms during the 1970s produced award winning stand up comedy albums and had roles in several different films was relatively static during the early 1980s According to a Chicago Tribune article from July 1985 despite Carsey and Werner s connection to the network Lewis Erlicht president of ABC Entertainment passed on the show prompting a pitch to rival network NBC citation needed Outside of his work on his cartoon series Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids Cosby was doing little in film or television but Carsey and Werner were fans of Cosby s stand up comedy and thought it would be the perfect material for a family sitcom 17 Cosby originally proposed that the couple should both have blue collar worker jobs with the father a limousine driver 18 who owned his own car and the mother an electrician 19 With advice from his wife Camille Cosby though the concept was changed so that the family was well off financially with the mother a lawyer and the father a physician 20 21 Cosby wanted the program to be educational reflecting his own background in education He also insisted that the program be taped in New York City instead of Los Angeles where most television programs were taped 22 The Huxtable home exterior was filmed at 10 St Luke s Place near 7th Avenue in Manhattan s Greenwich Village although in the show the residence was the fictional 10 Stigwood Avenue 23 Production notes Edit The brownstone used in The Cosby Show Early episodes were videotaped at NBC s Brooklyn studios subsequently JC Studios 24 The network later sold that building and production moved to the Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens 25 Even though the show was set to take place in Brooklyn the exterior facade was actually of a brownstone townhouse located in Manhattan s Greenwich Village at 10 Leroy Street 10 St Luke s Place 26 The pilot was filmed in May 1984 with season one s production commencing that July and the first taping on August 1 Goodbye Mr Goldfish 27 28 During its original NBC run it was one of five successful sitcoms on the network that featured predominantly African American casts The others were 227 1985 90 Amen 1986 91 Cosby Show spin off A Different World 1987 93 and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air 1990 96 citation needed Although the cast and characters were predominantly African American 29 the program was unusual in that issues of race were rarely mentioned when compared to other situation comedies of the time with predominantly African American casts such as The Jeffersons 30 However The Cosby Show had African American themes such as the Civil rights movement and it frequently promoted African American culture and culture of Africa represented by artists and musicians such as Jacob Lawrence Miles Davis James Brown B B King Stevie Wonder Sammy Davis Jr Lena Horne Duke Ellington Dizzy Gillespie and Miriam Makeba 31 The spin off A Different World dealt with racial issues more often 32 The series finale taped March 6 1992 33 aired during the 1992 Los Angeles riots with Cosby quoted in media at the time pleading for peace 34 35 During the third season Rashad was pregnant with her daughter Condola Rather than write this pregnancy in the producers simply greatly reduced Rashad s scenes or filmed in such a way that her pregnancy was not noticeable 36 Another main cast member pregnancy that of Bonet almost caused the actress to be fired especially coming in the wake of appearing in the film Angel Heart which contained explicit sexual scenes with actor Mickey Rourke Cosby strongly disapproved of Bonet s role but allowed her to continue on World until returning to Cosby after her pregnancy Tensions remained however and Bonet was eventually fired in April 1991 37 Theme song and opening sequence Edit The show s theme music Kiss Me was composed by Stu Gardner and Bill Cosby 38 Seven versions of this theme were used during the run of the series making it one of the few television series to use multiple versions of the same theme song over the course of a series For season four the theme song music was performed by musician Bobby McFerrin 39 Due to legal complications regarding the background mural the opening for season seven was filmed on August 17 1990 at Kaufman Astoria Studios in New York City New York was replaced with the one from the previous season 40 41 42 The original season seven opening with slight modifications returned to use in the beginning of season eight Cast and characters EditMain article List of The Cosby Show characters Actor Character Seasons1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8Bill Cosby Cliff Huxtable MainPhylicia Rashad a Clair Huxtable MainLisa Bonet Denise Huxtable Kendall Main Recurring MainMalcolm Jamal Warner Theodore Huxtable MainTempestt Bledsoe Vanessa Huxtable MainKeshia Knight Pulliam Rudy Huxtable MainSabrina Le Beauf Sondra Huxtable Tibideaux Recurring MainGeoffrey Owens Elvin Tibideaux Recurring MainJoseph C Phillips b Lt Martin Kendall Main RecurringRaven Symone Olivia Kendall MainErika Alexander Pamela Pam Tucker Main Rashad was credited as Phylicia Ayers Allen during season one and the first fourteen episodes of season two Prior to joining the cast as a regular Phillips appears as Daryl a potential boyfriend for Sondra in season two episode Cliff in Love Reception and legacy EditThe show s portrayal of a successful stable black family was praised by some for breaking racial stereotypes and showing another part of the African American experience 43 44 However it was criticized by others including Henry Louis Gates Jr for allowing white audiences to think that racism and poverty were problems of the past 45 As a result of the Bill Cosby sexual assault cases Malcolm Jamal Warner has stated that the show s legacy is tarnished 46 The Cosby Show had generated 2 5 billion in television revenue including 1 billion from television advertisement 47 and 1 5 billion from syndication 48 Broadcast history and ratings Edit The Cosby Show aired on Thursdays at 8 00 pm for all eight seasons 49 In its first season the show was the beginning of a Thursday NBC schedule that was followed by Family Ties Cheers Night Court and Hill Street Blues 50 The Cosby Show is one of three television programs All in the Family and American Idol being the others that were number one in the Nielsen ratings for five consecutive seasons 51 52 53 Viewership and ratings per season of The Cosby Show Season Time slot ET Episodes First aired Last aired TV season Rank Avg HHratingDate HHrating Viewers millions Date HHrating Viewers millions 1 Thursday 8 00 pm 24 September 20 1984 21 6 54 May 9 1985 24 1 55 1984 85 3 11 24 2 11 2 25 September 26 1985 31 6 56 May 15 1986 31 8 57 1985 86 1 11 33 7 11 3 25 September 25 1986 33 5 58 May 7 1987 26 4 59 1986 87 1 11 34 9 11 4 24 September 24 1987 31 5 60 April 28 1988 23 2 61 1987 88 1 11 27 8 11 5 26 October 6 1988 24 2 62 37 6 62 May 11 1989 20 4 63 31 5 63 1988 89 1 11 25 6 11 6 26 September 21 1989 26 1 64 39 3 64 May 3 1990 18 5 65 28 3 65 1989 90 1 11 a 23 1 11 7 26 September 20 1990 19 8 66 30 5 66 May 2 1991 15 2 67 22 1 67 1990 91 5 11 17 1 11 8 25 September 19 1991 18 6 68 28 1 68 April 30 1992 28 0 69 44 4 69 1991 92 18 11 15 0 11 Syndication EditThe Carsey Werner Company handles domestic distribution while Paramount Global s unit CBS Media Ventures handles international distribution of the series and has done so since 1997 In the United States The Cosby Show began its television syndication run in September 1988 in broadcast syndication shortly before the show s fifth season premiere and was at the time distributed by Viacom many stations that carried the series were Big Three television networks affiliates As time went on this moved to lower profile timeslots independent station and minor network affiliates citation needed Fort Worth Texas based independent station KTVT carried the series until 1995 when it ceased operating as a regional cable superstation and became an affiliate of CBS TBS then a national cable superstation carried the series for nearly a decade beginning in 1999 Fellow superstation WGN America began carrying the series shortly thereafter and continued to until September 2010 Viacom s Nick at Nite began airing reruns of the series in March 2002 and its sister network TV Land began airing reruns in 2004 making The Cosby Show one of the few series that were shown on both Nick at Nite and TV Land at the same time The series was also available to stream on Hulu 70 The French version just called Cosby Show aired on M6 in 1988 In the Italian version of the show the family name is not Huxtable but Robinson The whole show is named I Robinson The Robinsons airing on Canale 5 amp K2 from 1986 until 1993 2010s removal from syndication Edit Reruns of The Cosby Show have been pulled from several networks and venues as a result of the Bill Cosby sexual assault cases In November 2014 TV Land pulled the series from its lineup 71 72 E pisodes have been pulled immediately for the foreseeable future TV Land even removed references to The Cosby Show from its website on Wednesday afternoon as the scandal accelerated In December 2014 the Magic Johnson owned network Aspire removed the show from its lineup 73 BET s Centric another Viacom unit along with Bounce TV ceased airing reruns of The Cosby Show At the same time barter syndicator The Program Exchange ceased distributing the show 74 Bounce TV resumed airing the series in December 2016 75 but pulled the show on April 26 2018 the day Cosby was convicted of sexual assault 76 77 TV One began airing reruns of the show in May 2017 78 It is currently the only American network to offer the series citation needed The series is also available on FilmRise Amazon Prime Video and Sling TV citation needed Spin off EditMain article A Different World The Cosby Show s producers created a spin off series called A Different World that was built around the Denise character portrayed by actress Lisa Bonet the second of the Huxtables four daughters Initially the new program dealt with Denise s life at Hillman College the fictional historically black college from which her father mother and paternal grandfather had graduated citation needed Denise was written out of A Different World after its inaugural season due to Bonet s pregnancy and the following season was revamped with the addition of director Debbie Allen Phylicia Rashad s sister and new characters 79 Denise later became a recurring character on The Cosby Show for seasons four and five and a regular again in seasons six and seven citation needed Awards and honors EditAwards won Edit Emmy Award 80 Outstanding Comedy Series 1985 Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series 1985 Michael J Leeson and Ed Weinberger for the pilot episode Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series 1985 Jay Sandrich for The Younger Woman Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series 1986 Jay Sandrich for Denise s Friend Outstanding Guest Performer in a Comedy Series 1986 Roscoe Lee Browne for The Card Game Outstanding Editing for a Series Multi Camera Production 1986 Henry Chan for Full House Golden Globe Awards Best TV Series Comedy 1985 Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series Comedy Bill Cosby 1985 1986 2 winsNAACP Image Awards Outstanding Comedy Series 1988 Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series Phylicia Rashad 1988 1989 2 wins Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series Bill Cosby 1989 1993 2 winsPeabody Award 1986 People s Choice Awards citation needed Favorite New TV Comedy Program 1985 Favorite Male Performer in a New TV Program Bill Cosby 1985 Favorite Female Performer in a New TV Program Phylicia Rashad 1985 Favorite TV Comedy Program 1985 89 5 wins Favorite Male TV Performer Bill Cosby 1986 92 7 wins Favorite All Around Male Entertainer Bill Cosby 1986 88 1990 91 5 wins Favorite Young TV Performer Keshia Knight Pulliam 1988 All Time Favorite TV Program 1989 Favorite Female TV Performer Phylicia Rashad 1989 Favorite All Around Male Star Bill Cosby 1989 Favorite TV Comedy Series 1990 1992 2 winsNominations Edit Emmy Awards 80 Outstanding Technical Direction Electronic Camerawork video control for a series 1985 Outstanding Live and Tape Sound Mixing and Sound Effects for a series 1985 2 nominations Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series 1985 86 Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Phylicia Rashad 1985 86 2 nominations Outstanding Comedy Series 1986 87 2 nominations Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Lisa Bonet 1986 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Keshia Knight Pulliam 1986 Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Malcolm Jamal Warner 1986 Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy Series or a Special 1986 87 Outstanding Editing for a Series multi camera production 1987 Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series Jay Sandrich 1987 Outstanding Comedy Series 1987 Outstanding Guest Performer in a Comedy Series Eileen Heckart 1988 Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series Sammy Davis Jr 1989 Golden Globe Awards Best TV Series Comedy 1986 1987 Two nominations Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series Comedy Bill Cosby 1987 Other honors Edit 1993 TV Guide named The Cosby Show the All Time Best Family Show in its issue celebrating 40 years of television 81 1997 TV Guide ranked the episode Happy Anniversary 54 on their list of the TV Guide s 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time 82 1999 Entertainment Weekly placed show s debut at 24 in its list of the 100 Greatest Moments in Television 83 2002 TV Guide placed The Cosby Show at 28 in its list of the TV Guide s 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time 84 2004 TV Guide ranked Cliff Huxtable number 1 on its 50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time list 85 2004 Bravo ranked Cliff Huxtable 44 on its list of the 100 Greatest TV Characters 86 2007 Time magazine placed the show on its unranked list of 100 Best TV Shows of All TIME 87 2007 USA Today s web site ranked the show as 8 in its list of the top 25 TV moments of the past quarter century 88 2008 Entertainment Weekly selected Cliff Huxtable as the Dad for The Perfect TV Family 89 2013 TV Guide ranked The Cosby Show 26 on its list of the 60 Best Series 90 Albums EditTwo albums were produced that included various theme and background music from the show The albums were presented by longtime Cosby collaborator Stu Gardner They were A House Full of Love Music from The Cosby Show 1986 Total Happiness Music from the Bill Cosby Show Vol II 1987 In popular culture EditDuring the series run the character of Cliff Huxtable frequently wore an array of knit sweaters that were often brightly colored and featured abstract asymmetrical patterns or themes The sweaters were erroneously thought to be designed by the Australian clothing company Coogi but were actually designed by Dutchman Koos Van Den Akker 91 92 93 They were dubbed Cosby sweaters a term that is used to describe sweaters that are generally deemed garish and unappealing 94 95 In May 2008 Cosby s daughter Evin auctioned a batch of the sweaters that her father had kept on eBay The proceeds of the sales went to the Hello Friend Ennis William Cosby Foundation a non profit charity named for Ennis Cosby Ennis Cosby s only son was murdered in January 1997 96 The character of Dr Hibbert who is featured on the long running animated sitcom The Simpsons is modeled after Dr Cliff Huxtable The Simpsons writing staff decided to make Dr Hibbert a parody of Cliff Huxtable after the Fox network moved The Simpsons to Thursday nights airing opposite the top rated The Cosby Show 97 In the Teen Titans Go episode Oil Drums Starfire says I would like to watch The Crosby Pudding Half Hour Show of Sweaters Theo get your glorp nops off the kitchen table Rudy International broadcast EditIn The Philippines The Show aired on GMA Network in 1985 1991 PTV 4 in 1992 1996 amp ABC 5 in 1997 2001 Tagalized Home media EditAll eight seasons of The Cosby Show have been released on DVD in Region 1 Seasons one and two were released by UrbanWorks which was subsequently acquired by First Look Studios who then released the remaining six seasons Seasons One and Two contain special features including the ninety minute retrospective documentary entitled The Cosby Show A Look Back which aired on NBC in May 2002 It contains interviews with cast members bloopers deleted scenes and audition footage In December 2010 First Look Studios filed bankruptcy and all its assets were subsequently acquired by Millennium Entertainment who also took over distribution of The Cosby Show DVD releases As of 2013 these releases have been discontinued and are now out of print On November 5 2013 it was announced that Mill Creek Entertainment had acquired the rights to the series They have subsequently re released all eight seasons on DVD 98 99 100 101 On September 1 2015 Mill Creek released a sixteen disc complete series set entitled The Cosby Show The Complete Series 102 In Region 4 Magna Pacific has released all eight seasons on DVD in Australia and New Zealand The first two seasons have similar artwork to the North American copies although season two is red rather than blue Each Australian cover also features the tagline In a house full of love there is always room for more Universal Studios Home Entertainment has released Seasons 1 to 4 in Region 2 United Kingdom DVD title Ep Release datesRegion 1 Region 2 Region 4Season 1 24 August 2 2005January 21 2014 re release May 19 2008 October 4 2006Season 2 25 March 7 2006January 21 2014 re release August 25 2008 February 7 2007Season 3 25 June 5 2007April 15 2014 re release October 13 2008 April 4 2007Season 4 24 June 5 2007April 15 2014 re release February 9 2009 November 7 2007Season 5 26 November 6 2007January 6 2015 re release March 5 2008Season 6 26 November 6 2007January 6 2015 re release July 9 2008Season 7 26 April 8 2008June 16 2015 re release January 13 2010Season 8 25 April 8 2008June 16 2015 re release January 13 201025th AnniversaryCommemorative Edition 201 November 11 2008September 1 2015 re release Collector s Edition 201 August 6 2014Note The Millennium Entertainment release of season one contains the edited versions of the episodes aired in syndication However all subsequent DVD releases including the complete series set contain the original uncut broadcast versions In 2011 Millennium quietly released season one uncut in Region 1 which featured the special features from The Complete Series set Notes Edit Tied with Roseanne References Edit Heads TV Talking December 13 2016 What 29 TV Shows Have Been 1 in the Annual Nielsen Rankings TV Talking Heads Archived from the original on March 17 2017 The Cosby Show Cast amp Details TV Guide CBS Interactive Inc Retrieved August 5 2013 TV Guide Names Top 50 Shows April 26 2002 Retrieved March 17 2017 TV Guide s 50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time TVWeek January 3 2014 Retrieved March 17 2017 Schwarzbaum Lisa May 1 1992 The Cosby Show s Last Laugh Entertainment Weekly Retrieved October 28 2007 The show that changed forever the way black families are portrayed on television the show that paved the way for a rainbow of black sensibilities on TV from In Living Color to The Fresh Prince of Bel Air is getting razzed these days by The Simpsons Meyers Kate May 3 1996 Cosby s Last Show Entertainment Weekly Retrieved April 2 2009 Gates Henry Louis Jr Higginbotham Evelyn Brooks March 23 2004 African American Lives Oxford University Press p 195 ISBN 978 0 19 988286 1 Retrieved August 6 2013 Manzo Ula C Manzo Anthony V January 1 1993 Literary Disorders Holistic Diagnosis and Remediation LiteracyLeaders p 27 ISBN 978 0 03 072633 0 Retrieved August 5 2013 Orenstein Myrna December 6 2012 Smart But Stuck How Resilience Frees Imprisoned Intelligence from Learning Disabilities Second Edition 2 ed Routledge p 12 ISBN 978 1 135 80043 7 Retrieved August 5 2013 Aldridge Delores P Young Carlene 2003 Out of the Revolution The Development of Africana Studies Lexington Books p 350 ISBN 978 0 7391 0547 4 Retrieved February 11 2014 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Brooks Tim Marsh Earle 1999 The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946 Present 7th ed New York City Ballantine p 1254 1257 ISBN 0 345 42923 0 LCCN 99 90712 Kovalchik Kara April 9 2008 5 Mysteries Surrounding The Cosby Show Mental Floss Retrieved August 7 2013 Alston Joshua October 24 2012 How The Cosby Show spoke to race and class in 80s America The A V Club Retrieved August 6 2013 The Cosby Show 1984 1992 People June 26 2000 Retrieved November 19 2010 Sondra Huxtable Tibideaux TV Land Viacom Archived from the original on May 30 2013 Retrieved August 6 2013 Alley Robert S Brown Irby B 2001 Women Television Producers Transformation of the Male Medium University Rochester Press p 255 ISBN 978 1 58046 045 3 Retrieved August 5 2013 Marc David 1992 Prime Time Prime Movers From I Love Lucy to L A Law America s Greatest TV Shows and the People who Created Them Syracuse University Press pp 101 103 ISBN 978 0 8156 0311 5 Retrieved August 5 2013 McNeil Alex 1996 Total Television The Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present Penguin Group USA p 181 ISBN 978 0 14 024916 3 Retrieved August 5 2013 Bill Cosby on 50 Years of Comedy Forum KQED Public Media for Northern CA KQED Public Media Cashmore Ellis August 2 2012 Beyond Black Celebrity and Race in Obama s America Bloomsbury Publishing p 61 ISBN 978 1 78093 147 0 Retrieved August 5 2013 Pope Kitty 2005 Beside Every Great Man is a Great Woman African American Women of Courage Intellect Strength Beauty amp Perseverance Amber Books Publishing p 70 ISBN 978 0 9749779 4 2 Retrieved August 5 2013 Fearn Banks Kathleen August 4 2009 The A to Z of African American Television Scarecrow Press p 90 ISBN 978 0 8108 6348 4 Retrieved August 5 2013 TV Show Buildings At A Glance Archived from the original on June 4 2012 Retrieved November 21 2011 Gismondi Steve April 16 2002 Turning Forty iUniverse p 156 ISBN 978 1 4620 8144 8 Retrieved August 5 2013 Stephens E J Christaldi Michael Wanamaker Marc July 15 2013 Early Paramount Studios Arcadia Publishing p 44 ISBN 978 1 4671 3010 3 Retrieved August 5 2013 The Cosby House Brownstones in Pop Culture Townhouse Experts Blog Townhouse Experts August 11 2010 Retrieved August 22 2014 Whitaker Mark September 16 2014 Cosby ISBN 9781451697995 Bennetts Leslie July 6 1984 Bill Cosby Begins Taping NBC Series The New York Times Retrieved September 20 2014 Rainer Thom S Rainer Jess W January 1 2011 The Millennials Connecting to America s Largest Generation B amp H Publishing Group p 53 ISBN 978 1 4336 7003 9 Retrieved February 11 2014 Franz Kathleen Smulyan Susan 2011 Major Problems in American Popular Culture Cengage Learning p 376 ISBN 978 0 618 47481 3 Retrieved August 5 2013 I won t deal with the foolishness of racial undertones on the show Krabill Ron September 15 2010 Starring Mandela and Cosby Media and the End s of Apartheid University of Chicago Press p 104 ISBN 978 0 226 45189 3 Retrieved August 5 2013 Etkin Jaimie July 9 2013 A Different World Finale 20th Anniversary Looking Back On The Show s Famous Faces PHOTOS The Huffington Post Retrieved August 6 2013 Zurawik David March 7 1992 Last Cosby show finishes production to air in April The Baltimore Sun New York p 48 Retrieved August 5 2013 Tearman Margaret June 30 July 6 2005 Bay Weekly Profile Bill Cosby Bay Weekly Retrieved August 6 2013 Chandler D L April 29 2013 Rodney King Riots Rodney King Riots in Los Angeles Began on this Day in 1992 NewsOne Retrieved August 6 2013 Top 10 Pregnant Performers Time February 10 2009 Retrieved October 3 2017 Cooker H C January 8 2015 Lisa Bonet The Cosby Show Kid Who Got Away Retrieved September 30 2016 Wright H Stephen January 1 2003 Film Music at the Piano An Index to Piano Arrangements of Instrumental Film and Television Music in Anthologies and Collections Scarecrow Press p 23 ISBN 978 0 8108 4892 4 Retrieved August 5 2013 Bobby McFerrin Biography iTunes Retrieved August 5 2013 McFerrin also earned mainstream exposure through his unique performance of the theme song to the television hit The Cosby Show gty bill cosby ll 130617 wg jpg ABC News Anderson Susan Heller October 18 1990 Bill Cosby has stopped using a mural designed for the opening credits of The Cosby Show The New York Times Retrieved August 5 2013 Wilson Janet Kirtzman Andrew October 15 1990 Kids Mural Paints Cosby Into Corner Philly com Retrieved August 6 2013 Whitaker Matthew C 2011 Icons of Black America Breaking Barriers and Crossing Boundaries ABC CLIO p 193 ISBN 978 0 313 37642 9 Retrieved August 5 2013 Shaw Harry B January 1 1990 Perspectives of Black Popular Culture Popular Press pp 134 135 ISBN 978 0 87972 504 4 Retrieved August 5 2013 Gates Henry Louis Jr November 12 1989 TV s Black World Turns But Stays Unreal The New York Times Retrieved November 9 2010 Begley Sarah October 9 2015 Malcolm Jamal Warner Says The Cosby Show Is Now Tarnished retrieved October 10 2015 Havens Timothy 2013 Black Television Travels African American Media Around the Globe New York University Press p 80 ISBN 9780814737217 Feldman Dana June 8 2017 Cosby On Trial How Sexual Assault Allegations Have Cost Him A Fortune Forbes Smith C Brian September 26 2011 Great Moments in Sitcom History A Eulogy Part 1 of 5 Kempt Archived from the original on October 7 2013 Retrieved August 7 2013 Boone Mike September 26 1984 It s humor vs The Hunk as Cosby Selleck clash The Gazette Retrieved March 30 2012 Classic TV amp Movie Hits The Cosby Show Classictvhits com Retrieved March 9 2012 Fearn Banks Kathleen August 4 2009 The A to Z of African American Television Scarecrow Press p 32 ISBN 978 0 8108 6348 4 Retrieved August 5 2013 Tueth Michael 2005 Laughter In The Living Room Television Comedy And The American Home Audience Peter Lang p 165 ISBN 978 0 8204 6845 7 Retrieved August 6 2013 Downbeat start for new TV season Broadcasting Vol 107 no 14 October 1 1984 p 43 ProQuest 963251594 NBC wins third week in a row Broadcasting Vol 108 no 20 May 20 1985 p 68 ProQuest 963251741 Kaplan Peter W October 1 1985 TV ratings contain surprises The New York Times p C13 ProQuest 111312783 NBC flies highest despite slightly clipped Wings Broadcasting Vol 110 no 21 May 26 1986 p 57 ProQuest 1016922364 NBC on a roll wins first week of fall season Broadcasting Vol 111 no 4 October 6 1986 p 48 ProQuest 1014719938 NBC continues summer run Broadcasting Vol 112 no 20 May 18 1987 p 96 ProQuest 1014717874 Nielsen ratings Life USA Today September 30 1987 p 3D ProQuest 305922933 Nielsen ratings Life USA Today May 4 1988 p 3D ProQuest 306041364 a b Nielsen ratings Life USA Today October 12 1988 p 3D ProQuest 306106992 a b Nielsen ratings Life USA Today May 17 1989 p 3D ProQuest 306203436 a b Nielsen ratings Life USA Today September 27 1989 p 3D ProQuest 306219214 a b Nielsen ratings Life USA Today May 9 1990 p 3D ProQuest 306332954 a b Nielsen ratings Life USA Today September 26 1990 p 3D ProQuest 306354668 a b Nielsen ratings Life USA Today May 8 1991 p 3D a b Nielsen ratings Life USA Today September 25 1991 p 3D a b Nielsen ratings Life USA Today May 6 1992 p 3D The Cosby Show Hulu Archived from the original on November 20 2011 Retrieved November 20 2011 Rhodan Maya November 19 2014 TV Land Pulls The Cosby Show From Its Lineup TIME Retrieved November 19 2014 Littleton Cynthia November 19 2014 TV Land scraps The Cosby Show marathon set for Thanksgiving week Variety Retrieved November 19 2014 Cavanaugh Tim December 15 2014 Magic Turns on Cos ASPiRE Network Cancels Cosby Programming National Review Friedlander Whitney July 7 2015 Bounce TV Pulls Cosby Reruns BET s Centric Yanks The Cosby Show Variety services Tribune news Bounce TV to bring back Cosby Show reruns Los Angeles Times Andreeva Nellie April 26 2018 The Cosby Show Reruns Yanked From Bounce TV After Guilty Bill Cosby Verdict Deadline Hollywood Retrieved January 4 2021 The Latest Accuser Calls Bill Cosby a Raping Monster Associated Press April 26 2018 Archived from the original on May 28 2021 Retrieved January 23 2021 Umstead R Thomas Bounce Pulls The Cosby Show In Light Of Bill Cosby Verdict Multichannel News McCann Bob 2010 Encyclopedia of African American Actresses in Film and Television McFarland p 50 ISBN 978 0 7864 5804 2 Retrieved August 5 2013 a b The Cosby Show Emmys Retrieved August 6 2013 TV Guide April 17 23 1993 1993 p 20 Special Collector s Issue 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time TV Guide June 28 July 4 1997 The Top 100 Moments In Television Entertainment Weekly February 19 1999 Retrieved December 21 2021 TV Guide Names Top 50 Shows CBS News Associated Press February 11 2009 Retrieved August 6 2013 28 The Cosby Show NBC TV Guide Guide to TV Barnes amp Noble 2004 p 536 ISBN 0760756341 The 100 Greatest TV Characters Bravo Archived from the original on October 15 2007 Retrieved April 15 2010 Poniewozik James September 5 2007 All TIME 100 TV Shows Time Archived from the original on October 22 2011 Retrieved August 6 2013 Bianco Robert May 14 2007 Did you see that USA Today Retrieved August 6 2013 8 The Cosby Show 1984 This sitcom savior sparked 20 years of Must See TV dominance while spreading a gentle yet powerful message about inclusion diversity and the universality of real family values TV Breaking Down the List Entertainment Weekly 999 1000 June 27 amp July 4 2008 56 Fretts Bruce Roush Matt December 23 2013 TV Guide Magazine s 60 Best Series of All Time TV Guide McCall Tyler July 8 2013 Bill Cosby His Sweaters and the Man Who Made Them Fashionista Retrieved January 15 2014 Oatman Stanford Hunter February 11 2013 Bill Cosby Schools Us About Those Crazy Sweaters Collectors Weekly Retrieved August 5 2013 Rodriguez Jayson Reid Shaheem January 14 2009 Biggie Took Coogi Sweaters From The Cosby Show To The Clubs MTV Retrieved December 21 2021 Simakis Andrea December 15 2010 Ugly Christmas sweaters are suddenly all the rage Cleveland com Retrieved December 21 2021 Cosby sweater entered the country s vernacular and came to mean a garment so loud and nauseating that those encountering it would be tempted to reach for earplugs and Dramamine Lane Mark December 24 2009 Big Book divulges lore of Christmas The Deseret News p A9 Three of Bill Cosby s sweaters from The Cosby Show to be auctioned online NY Daily News Los Angeles Associated Press May 30 2008 Retrieved August 5 2013 Groening Matt Jean Al Kogen Jay Reiss Mike Wolodarsky Wallace 2004 Commentary for Bart the Daredevil in The Simpsons The Complete Second Season DVD 20th Century Fox The Cosby Show DVD news Announcement for The Cosby Show Seasons 1 and 2 TVShowsOnDVD com Archived from the original on November 10 2013 The Cosby Show DVD news Box Art and Date Change for The Cosby Show Seasons 3 amp 4 TVShowsOnDVD com Archived from the original on March 7 2014 The Cosby Show DVD news Announcement for The Cosby Show Seasons 5 amp 6 TVShowsonDVD Archived from the original on October 28 2014 The Cosby Show DVD news Announcement for The Cosby Show Seasons 7 amp 8 TVShowsOnDVD Archived from the original on April 16 2015 The Cosby Show DVD news Box Art for The Cosby Show The Complete Series TVShowsOnDVD com tvshowsondvd com Archived from the original on June 18 2015 External links EditOfficial Bill Cosby Site The Cosby Show at CarseyWerner net Carsey Werner The Cosby Show The Cosby Show at IMDb The Cosby Show at epguides com The Cosby Show at The Interviews An Oral History of Television Portals 1980s 1990s comedy Television United States Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The Cosby Show amp oldid 1132584856, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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