The Cosby Show
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The Cosby Show was an American television sitcom that ran from 1984 to 1992. Starring Bill Cosby, the sitcom was first broadcast on 20 September 1984 and ran for eight seasons on the NBC television network, until 30 April 1992.
Bill Cosby had a great deal of creative control over the show, which was unusual for a star at that time but has become commonplace now. Cosby wanted the program to be educational as well as entertaining, reflecting Cosby's own background in education: he was credited as "William H. Cosby, Jr., Ed.D" at the beginning of each program, referencing his doctoral degree in Education from the University of Massachusetts. He also insisted that the program be taped in New York, where he lived, rather than Los Angeles, where most television programs were taped.
Overview
The show focused on the Huxtable family, an upper-middle class family living in Brooklyn, New York. Patriarch Heathcliff "Cliff" Huxtable (an obstetrician/gynecologist) and his attorney wife Clair Huxtable presided over a raucous yet loving household. In every way, they were an utterly typical traditional American sitcom family, with the notable exception that they were African-American. The topics of the show involved the usual difficulties of children growing up, an example being son Theo experiences of dealing with dyslexia, based on Cosby's real-life child Ennis who was dyslexic. The show was very much centered around Cosby's real life, and portrayed his childrens' lives as well.The show was extremely well-regarded, winning six Emmys, as well as three Golden Globes, five NAACP Image Awards, and a Peabody Award. It was also notable as being highly popular with white viewers and around the world, unlike many other television shows featuring mainly African-American characters. The show has been praised for its portrayal of positive child rearing methods.
For instance, in the first episode, Heathcliff confronts his son about his poor grades and Theo responds that he should accept his son's weaknesses and love him unconditionally because they are father and son—a typical sentimental idiom in family sitcoms of that time, and one which generated the typical applause from the studio audience. Heathcliff, however, to the audience's surprise and amused approval, immediately and angrily calls this sentiment "the dumbest thing I've ever heard in my life," completely rejecting the notion that loving his son means he must quietly and willingly accept it when the boy does not give his best effort in school, and famously threatened him with the often quoted line, "I brought you in this world, and I can take you out."
At the time of the show's original broadcast, some people criticized the series for presenting an unrealistic portrayal of an African-American family as wealthy (though such families did and still do exist in real life) and for its lack of addressing black-white relations, and other contemporary issues such as poverty and the AIDS-HIV epidemic. Others felt that the show was simply a portrayal of what African-Americans could potentially become. They also felt that portraying an African-American family as a normal family with normal, and largely wholesome, family issues was generally a positive contribution to issues of race in the United States.
The sitcom had numerous guest star appearances, including Stevie Wonder, Willie Colon, Plácido Domingo, Tony Orlando, B.B. King, Danny Kaye and Frank Robinson. Additionally, many actors had the show as their launching pad to success. Examples include Angela Bassett, Patricia Richardson, Adam Sandler and among others. The late John Ritter guest starred on an episode with Amy Yasbeck, whom he soon started a relationship with and married eight years later, and legendary Rat Pack member Sammy Davis Jr appeared in an episode in 1989 playing a soon to be great-grandfather who does not know how to read. It is believed that it was one of the last television appearances of Davis (he would die the next year).
Cast
- Bill Cosby as Heathcliff "Cliff" Huxtable
- Phylicia Rashad (née Ayers-Allen) as Clair Hanks Huxtable
- Sabrina Le Beauf as Sondra Huxtable Tibideaux (1985-1992, recurring previously)
- Lisa Bonet as Denise Huxtable Kendall (1984-1987, 1989-1991)
- Malcolm-Jamal Warner as Theo Huxtable
- Tempestt Bledsoe as Vanessa Huxtable
- Keshia Knight Pulliam as Rudy Huxtable
- Geoffrey Owens as Elvin Tibideaux (1987-1992, recurring previously)
- Joseph C. Phillips as Martin Kendall (1989-1991)
- Raven-Symoné as Olivia Kendall (1989-1992)
- Erika Alexander as Pam Tucker (1990-1992)
- Earle Hyman as Russell Huxtable
- Clarice Taylor as Anna Huxtable
- Deon Richmond as Kenny (a.k.a. "Bud")
- Carl Anthony Payne II as Walter Bradley (a.k.a. "Cockroach")
- Michelle Thomas as Justine Phillips
- Troy Winbush as Denny
- Reno Wilson as Howard
- Karen Malina White as Charmaine Brown
- Allen Payne as Lance Rodman
- Elizabeth Narvaez as Kara
- William Thomas Jr. as Dabnis Brickey
- Wallace Shawn as Jeffrey Engels
- Merlin Santana as Stanley
- Mushond Lee as Slide
- Seth Gilliam as Aaron Dexter
Ratings
The Cosby Show is one of two television shows, All in the Family being the other, that have been number 1 in the Nielsen Ratings for 5 consecutive TV seasons.
The ratings for each season, at the end of the season, were:
| Season | Ratings Rank |
| 1984-1985 | #3 |
| 1985-1986 | #1 |
| 1986-1987 | #1 |
| 1987-1988 | #1 |
| 1988-1989 | #1 |
| 1989-1990 | #1 (tied with Roseanne) |
| 1990-1991 | #5 |
| 1991-1992 | #18 |
Spinoff
After Lisa Bonet threatened to sue for wrongful termination from the show, Cosby's producters created a spin-off series called A Different World, which initially dealt with the life of Denise, the second eldest Huxtable daughter, at Hillman College, a fictional Historically Black College. Denise was written out the series after its inaugural season and the following season was revamped with the addition of director Debbie Allen and new characters.Trivia
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- There was always some ambiguity about the ages of the characters on the show. It was pretty much assumed (and mentioned through the series) that Dr. Huxtable was the same age as Bill Cosby. However, the age gap between him and Claire varied through the series, complicated by the real-life age of Phylicia Rashad being 11 years younger than Cosby. In 1987, however, there was an episode which centered around Dr. Huxtable's 50th birthday.
- Earle Hyman, who plays Cliff's father, is only 11 years older than Bill Cosby. Clarice Taylor, who plays his mother, is only 10 years older than Cosby.
- Sabrina Le Beauf in real life is only ten years younger than Phylicia Rashad. Whitney Houston was considered for the role of Sondra, but was thought to lack acting experience and was passed.
- The five actors who were cast as the Huxtable children vary greatly in complexion. Bill Cosby has stated that this was done intentionally, as he wanted every African-American to be able to see himself or herself in one of the children.
- The second-season episode "Happy Anniversary" (arguably the series' most popular) introduced a new generation of viewers to the 1959 Ray Charles tune "Night Time is the Right Time". The third-season episode "Golden Anniversary" did the same for James Brown's "I Got the Feelin' " from 1968.
- The show was initially pitched to ABC, but they decided to pass on it. NBC took the offer and the show became a huge success, helping the network become profitable and number one for over ten years.
- In the summer of 1984 before the premiere when Bill Cosby was going around the country promoting the show, he told people NBC gave him a chance casting him in I Spy and wanted to return the favor by giving them a hit.
- The popularity of The Cosby Show was often seen as a symbol of hope and progress for African-Americans in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Ironically, at the same time that the final episode was airing on April 30, 1992, the city of Los Angeles was in the midst of a series of riots, in the aftermath of the controversial verdict in the Rodney King trial.
- In one episode, Raven-Symoné's character Olivia went to a fair with Cliff's father. After she returned, she showed Cliff that she could read palms. Raven Symone would go on to play Raven Baxter, a psychic teenager in That's So Raven.
- There has only been one swear word used on this show. In the pilot, Cliff asks Theo how he can get into college with poor grades. Theo says that he is not going to go to college, to which Cliff responds with: "Damn right." The scene where Cliff says damn is also in a flashback scene in the last episode in the series.
- Joseph C. Phillips, who played Denise's husband, appeared in an earlier episode as one of Sondra's boyfriends.
- In early episodes, the only son, Theodore, is referred to as "Teddy," by Vanessa, a nickname that is never used again - "Theo" is what everyone calls him thereafter. In fact, he is even called Theo through the rest of the episode.
- In some countries, the show was known as "The Robinsons" with the Huxtable last name being Robinson. So Bill Cosby was Cliff Robinson in some of the foreign versions of the show.
- At the start of the show, Cliff's name was Clifford. In later episodes, he is referred to as Heathcliff. Finally, in the first episode of the last season, Claire calls him Heathclifford.
- In the pilot episode, Cliff and Clair say that they only have four children because they did not want to have a fifth. However, later when Sondra is introduced, that makes five, more closely resembling Cosby's real-life family. This tactic has been referred to as reverse Chuck Cunningham syndrome.
- Carl Anthony Payne II, who played Cockroach, was cut from the Cosby Show when he refused to get a haircut.
- The initial plot of the series was to make the Huxtables a blue-collar family and have Cliff be a chauffeur, with most of the humor coming from Cliff's interactions with the people he escorted. However, Cosby rewrote the plot to make the Huxtables instead a white-collar family that was upper-middle class. He did this because he felt there was an overabundance of blue-collar African-American shows, and no one yet had made a show about a well-off African-American family.
- Originally the Huxtable family wasn't the mirror image of Cosby's actual family. Initially there were to be four children, two girls and two boys. However, a suitable youngest boy wasn't found, so the part of Rudy was rewritten for a girl. Then Cosby wanted to highlight the rewards of a child having a solid educational upbringing, adding the Sondra character. By the beginning of the second season, there were five children, four girls and one boy, like Cosby's family, with the boy being the middle child.
- The pilot set was much different from the set regularly used in the show. Also, Cliff's office sign says Clifford, when his full name for the rest of the series is Heathcliff.
- In an episode where Clair leaves Cliff in charge of the house, Cliff is shown reading Essence magazine. On the cover of the magazine is Bill Cosby's real-life wife, Camille Cosby.
- Rudy's full name is Rudith Lillian Huxtable
- Rumor has it that filming took long hours and multiple takes because of how the co-stars would start laughing when Bill Cosby would do his lines. Many times, Cosby would improvise or change the lines in the script on a whim, surprising the actors and catching them off guard. Also, Cosby's facial expressions made the cast laugh many times during takes.
- Clair's maiden name was Hanks. This is the same maiden name as Camille, Bill Cosby's real-life wife.
- After three seasons of helping NBC turn their fortunes around, The Cosby Show created a spin-off called A Different World. The show was about Lisa Bonet going off to college and it appealed to more of a college-aged crowd than The Cosby Show did. Cosby insisted that the show be placed after The Cosby Show because of the lack of quality primetime programming that promoted African-Americans in a positive light. Family Ties was the longtime occupant of the time slot and was bringing in high ratings and numbers at that time. However, with Cosby ruling primetime, NBC listened to his request and moved the show and placed A Different World in the time slot. Two things happened: The Cosby Show audience decreased by 1/5 for A Different World compared to when Family Ties followed it, hindering the powerful grip NBC had for the 8PM Thursday night hour. Also, Family Ties never got the ratings it once received in its new Sunday time slot, and was canceled two years later.
- The third-season finale, entitled "Hillman", was essentially a pilot episode for A Different World.
- Many fans point to the introductions of Olivia and Cousin Pam as the moments when the show "jumped the shark."
- Raven-Symoné, who played Olivia was given the name Olivia, as a tribute by Bill Cosby's real-life wife, Camille Olivia Hanks Cosby.
- The Cosby Show originated the word 'ZRBTT', now usually spelled 'zerbert', which is a neologism for a belly blaster or a blowfart.
- Kadeem Hardison from the spinoff A Different World appeared in 'A Shirt Story', Episode 5 on the show as one of Theo's friends.
- In Season 5, Sondra gave birth to twins -- a boy and girl -- whom they named Nelson and Winnie, after South African anti-apartheid activists (and then-husband and wife) Nelson and Winnie Mandela.
- During the final two seasons, Merlin Santana had a recurring role as Stanley, a young man from Theo's community center program who eventually became Rudy's boyfriend. Stanley's relationship with Rudy made Kenny (Deon Richmond) very jealous, and the antagonism between Kenny and Stanley provided some of the funniest moments from Season 8. In fact, the chemistry between Deon Richmond and Merlin Santana was so good that they were cast as brothers in the short-lived series Getting By from 1993-1994.
- In the song Lovers and Friends, recorded by Ludacris, Lil' Jon and Usher, there are lyrics in the song that refer to the girl suddenly becoming a woman:
- * Opened up your heart 'cause you said I made you feel so comfortable, Used to play back then, now you all grown-up like Rudy Huxtable. I could be your Bud, ...
- Malcolm-Jamal Warner has directed a few Cosby Show episodes.
- Theo had a poster of UK Pop Group Five Star on his bedroom wall apparently at Warner's request as he was a fan of the group. He would later go on to direct the 1994 video for their cover of Nat King Cole's song "I Love You For Sentimental Reasons"
- Karen Malina White, who played Pam Tucker's best friend Charmaine, is married to Malcolm-Jamal Warner in real-life.
- Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Karen Malina White were also cast members of the series Malcolm and Eddie.
- Lisa Bonet and Karen Malina White were the only two Cosby Show cast members to become regular cast members of A Different World.
- The fictional Huxtable family lives at 10 Stigwood Avenue, Brooklyn, New York.Wilcox's Soaps & More TV Character Address and Trivia Book (2004), ([obtained here].)
- Season 1,episode 1, Cliff said he only had four children (not inculding Sondra), but on episode 2,Cliff said he had five (inculding Sondra).
- In Italy the Cosby Show series was called I Robinson and the family's surname was changed to Robinson. Reason was not known: maybe, Robinson is a term similar to Jefferson and the Jeffersons was a big success in Italy, also, Robinson is a much easier name to pronounce than Huxtable for Italian people.
- In one episode where Rudy and her friends have a sleepover, one of the children is a young Alicia Keys.
References
Awards & Nominations
Awards Won
Emmy Awards- Outstanding Comedy Series (1985)
- Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series (1984) Michael J. Leeson and Ed. Weinberger
- Best TV Series-Comedy (1985)
- Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series-Comedy Bill Cosby (1985-86) 2 wins
Awards Nominated
Emmy Awards- Outstanding Comedy Series (1986-87) 2 nominations
- Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Phylicia Rashad (1985-86) 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)
- Best TV Series-Comedy (1986-87) 2 nominations
- Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series-Comedy Bill Cosby (1987)
Criticisms of The Cosby Show
There has been criticism concerning the portrayal of African Americans in The Cosby Show. Critics argue that the lack of discussion on race issues and lack of racial problems facing the Huxtables is an inaccurate portrayal of the typical African American family. The trouble free success of the Huxtable family has also been noted as a problem because it seems to put the blame on racial problems as coming from within a group instead of racial problems resulting from institutional racism.Other critics, however, have noted that such objections are inherently racist themselves, including the premise that a prosperous black family is unrealistic or the premise that black families are overly obsessed with racial issues and thus typical household discussions revolve around such issues. Theo's dyslexia is a perfect example, as it shows that the Huxtables were not trouble free as the above critics claim. However, the writers did not want the characters obsessing over whether it would have been discovered if they weren't black; instead, they show Theo learning to triumph over it.
See also
- List of episodes of The Cosby Show
- A Different World
- The Bill Cosby Show
- Cos
- The Cosby Mysteries
- Cosby
- Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids
External links
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