It would be difficult, if not impossible, to overstate the importance of “The Cosby Show,” the landmark family-friendly TV program that aired from the fall of 1984 to the spring of 1992.
Eight seasons, during which viewership was extraordinarily high, crossing all ethnic, age and cultural barriers. “The Cosby Show” was a common meeting place — for laughs, of course, but also for “warmth and comfort” because the show made you feel good.
Ratings, in fact, were so high it was joked that NBC was no longer an acronym for National Broadcasting Company; instead it now stood for “Nothing But Cosby.”
In a sense, in terms of majority acceptance of African Americans, “The Cosby Show,” much like Oprah Winfrey, helped paved the way for the election of the first Black president of the United States. Content took precedence over anything else, including race.
For that reason, the program has a place in the Civil Rights Movement. It was a milestone. Moreover, it is easy to believe that Dr. Martin Luther King would have been a regular viewer.
TV GUIDE said glowingly that “The Cosby Show” was “TV’s biggest hit in the 1980s and almost single-handedly revived the sitcom genre and NBC’s ratings fortunes.”
One of the most important aspects of “The Cosby Show” was that it showed a complete Black family — that is, with a father in the home — that was upper middle class with cohesiveness, commitment to education and pride in their racial history, among other attributes.
Granted, there were times when this family seemed just a little too “ideal,” but that is a small price to pay for what the long-running series represented in the greater scheme of things.
Clearly, “The Cosby Show” raised the bar, and that is why Bill Cosby has publicly decried some of the Black shows that came after it. They represented regression rather than additional forward movement.
“THE COSBY SHOW” has the distinction of being one of only three television shows that were No. 1 in the ratings, as determined by Nielsen Media Research, for five consecutive seasons. (The other two are “All in the Family” and “American Idol.”)
In addition, it is the third longest running comedy program with a predominantly Black cast.
This was Cosby’s fifth series, following “I Spy” (drama), “The Bill Cosby Show” (situation comedy), “The New Bill Cosby Show” (variety) and the animated “Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids.”
Although there were many serious moments and themes on “The Cosby Show” — times when laughter would have been inappropriate — the show would have been nothing without good writing and, of course, plenty of laughs.
“Through humor, you can soften some of worst blows that life delivers,” Cosby said. “And once you find laugher, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it.”
Everyone could relate to the situations and humor of Cosby’s show. No one was made to feel uncomfortable, even when something was from the African-American experience specifically.
THE CORE cast members of “The Cosby Show” were Bill Cosby as Heathcliff Huxtable, Phylicia Rashad as wife Clair Huxtable, Lisa Bonet as daughter Denise, Malcolm-Jamal Warner as son Theo, Tempestt Bledsoe as daughter Vanessa and Keshia Knight Pulliam as daughter Rudy.
Seen less frequently was Sabrina Le Beauf as daughter Sondra, Geoffrey Owens as husband Elvin and (later) Raven-Symoné as Denise Huxtable Kendall’s stepdaughter, Olivia.
Appearing often as the grandparents were Clarice Taylor, Earle Hyman, Ethel Ayler and Joe Williams.
The creators of “The Cosby Show,” Tom Werner and Marcy Carsey, got the idea for the show after watching, and thoroughly enjoying, “Bill Cosby: Himself,” a concert film. They decided it would be a good idea to build a television series around life and family, two of the main focuses of Cosby’s stand-up act.
Initially, Cosby had a blue-collar family in mind, but Carsey and Warner convinced him otherwise.
“The Cosby Show,” which is seen regularly in syndication, was the winner of two Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, three NAACP Image Awards and 11 People’s Choice Awards. — SVH