The Cosby Show
Photo of the entire cast of The Cosby Show in 1989.
Genre	Sitcom
Running time	24 minutes (per episode)
Creator(s)	Bill Cosby Ed. Weinberger Michael J. Leeson
Starring	Bill Cosby Phylicia Rashad Sabrina Le Beauf Lisa Bonet Malcolm-Jamal Warner Tempestt Bledsoe Keshia Knight Pulliam Geoffrey Owens Joseph C. Phillips Raven-Symoné Erika Alexander
Opening theme	"Kiss Me" - written by Stu Gardner & Bill Cosby performed by: Bobby McFerrin (Season 4) Oregon Symphony (Season 5) Craig Handy (Seasons 6-7) Lester Bowie (Season 8)
Country of origin	USA
Original channel	NBC
Original run	September 20, 1984–April 30, 1992
No. of episodes	201
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

The Cosby Show was an American television sitcom that ran from 1984 to 1992. Starring Bill Cosby, the sitcom was first broadcast on September 20, 1984 and ran for eight seasons on the NBC television network, until April 30, 1992. Image File history File links CS-cosby-cast. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A sitcom or situation comedy is a genre of comedy performance originally devised for radio but today typically found on television. ... William Henry Bill Cosby, Jr. ... Michael J. Leeson, an important behind-the-scenes figure on the big screen as well as the little screen, is best known as a Screenwriter. ... William Henry Bill Cosby, Jr. ... In a Mothers Day survey, Rashads character on The Cosby Show, Claire Huxtable, was named, TV mom closest to your own mom in spirit. ... Sabrina Le Beauf (born March 21, 1958) is an American actress. ... Lisa Bonet Lisa Michelle Boney (born November 16, 1967), who is known in the entertainment world as Lisa Bonet, is an American actress who is a native of San Francisco, California. ... Malcolm-Jamal Warner (born August 18, 1970 in Jersey City, New Jersey) is an African-American actor. ... Tempestt as Vanessa Huxtable in The Cosby Show Tempestt Bledsoe (born August 1, 1973) is an American actress best known for her role as Vanessa Huxtable in the popular 1980s sitcom, The Cosby Show. ... Keshia Knight Pulliam Keshia Knight Pulliam (born April 9, 1979 in Newark, New Jersey, USA) is an American actress of Jamaican descent. ... Geoffrey Owens (b. ... Joseph C. Phillips (born January 17, 1962 in Denver, Colorado) is an African American actor. ... Raven-Symoné Christina Pearman (born December 10, 1985 in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American actress, R&B and pop singer, songwriter, dancer, and television producer, best known for her roles as Olivia Kendall on The Cosby Show and her own show Thats So Raven as Raven Baxter. ... Erika Alexander (born November 19, 1969 in Winslow, Arizona) is an American actress. ... William Henry Bill Cosby, Jr. ... Bobby McFerrin Bobby McFerrin (born New York City, March 11, 1950) is a jazz-influenced a cappella vocal performer and conductor. ... The Oregon Symphony is an American orchestra based in Portland, Oregon. ... Lester Bowie (11 October 1941–8 November 1999) was a jazz trumpet player and composer. ... It has been suggested that NBC Radio City Studios, NBC Studios be merged into this article or section. ... September 20 is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years). ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... April 30 is the 120th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (121st in leap years), with 245 days remaining. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... This is a complete list of episodes for the hugely popular American sitcom The Cosby Show. ... A sitcom or situation comedy is a genre of comedy performance originally devised for radio but today typically found on television. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... William Henry Bill Cosby, Jr. ... A situation comedy, usually referred to as a sitcom, is a genre of comedy programs which originated in radio. ... September 20 is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years). ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... It has been suggested that NBC Radio City Studios, NBC Studios be merged into this article or section. ... April 30 is the 120th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (121st in leap years), with 245 days remaining. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ...

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 City, where he lived, rather than Los Angeles, where most television programs were taped. Nickname: Big Apple, City that never Sleeps, Gotham Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten Island Settled 1613 Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area    - City 1,214. ... Los Angeles, L.A., and LA redirect here. ...

Overview

The show focused on the Huxtable family, an upper-middle class family living in Brooklyn, New York at 10 Stigwood Avenue.^[1] 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's experiences of dealing with dyslexia, based on Cosby's real-life child Ennis who was dyslexic. The show was very much centered on Cosby's real life, and portrayed his children's lives as well. This article is about the borough of New York City. ... Official language(s) None Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  Ranked 27th  - Total 54,520 sq mi (141,205 km²)  - Width 285 miles (455 km)  - Length 330 miles (530 km)  - % water 13. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The shamefulness associated with the examination of female genitalia has long inhibited the science of gynaecology. ... An attorney is someone who represents someone else in the transaction of business: For attorney-at-law, see lawyer, solicitor, barrister or civil law notary. ... An African American (also Afro-American or Black American) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... Developmental dyslexia is a condition or learning disability which causes difficulty with reading and writing. ... Ennis William Cosby (1970 – January 16, 1997) was the son of actor Bill Cosby and Camille Hanks. ...

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. An Emmy Award. ... The Golden Globe Awards are American awards for motion pictures and television programs, given out each year during a formal dinner. ... The NAACP Image Award is an award presented annually by the NAACP to honor the top African-Americans in film, television, music and literature. ... The George Foster Peabody Awards, more commonly referred to as the Peabody Awards, are annual international awards given for excellence in radio and television broadcasting and cable television. ...

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'll 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, and for not addressing black-white relations and 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. A boy from an East Cipinang trash dump slum in Jakarta, Indonesia shows his find. ... Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS or Aids) is a collection of symptoms and infections resulting from the specific damage to the immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). ... Human immunodeficiency virus or HIV is a retrovirus that causes Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which the immune system begins to fail, leading to life-threatening opportunistic infections. ...

The sitcom had numerous guest star appearances, including Stevie Wonder, Willie Colon, Plácido Domingo, Tony Orlando, Dizzy Gillespie, B.B. King, Danny Kaye and Frank Robinson. Additionally, many actors had the show as their launching pad to success. Examples include Raven Symone, Angela Bassett, and Adam Sandler among others. John Ritter guest starred on an episode with Amy Yasbeck, whom he soon started a relationship with and married eight years later, and Sammy Davis Jr appeared in an episode in 1989 playing a soon to be great-grandfather who does not know how to read. It was one of the last television appearances of Davis (he would die the next year). During every episode of the following season, Heathcliff is seen wearing a black circle pin with "SDJR" on it, in commemoration of Davis' death. Stevie Wonder (born Stevland Hardaway Judkins on May 13, 1950, named later changed to Stevland Hardaway Morris), [1] is an African American singer, songwriter, record producer, musician, and social activist. ... Willie Colón (born 28 April 1950) is a Puerto Rican-American salsa musician. ... Plácido Domingo Plácido Domingo [1] (born January 21, 1941) [2] is a world-famous Spanish operatic tenor, well-known for his versatile, strong voice that is possessed of a ringing and clear tone throughout its range. ... Tony Orlando Tony Orlando (born April 3, 1944) is an American singer best known for his time with the group Dawn in the early 1970s. ... John Birks Dizzy Gillespie (October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was born in Cheraw, South Carolina. ... Riley B. King aka B. B. King (b. ... Kaye entertaining U.S. troops at Sasebo, Japan, 25 Oct 1945 David Daniel Kaminsky, known as Danny Kaye (January 18, 1913 – March 3, 1987) was an American actor, singer and comedian. ... Frank Robinson (born August 31, 1935 in Beaumont, Texas), is a Hall of Fame former Major League Baseball player. ... Raven-Symone as Raven Raven-Symon Christina Pearman (born December 10, 1985 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA), known professionally as Raven-Symon , is an African American actress, singer, and former model. ... Angela Bassett (born August 16, 1958) is an Emmy and Academy Award-nominated, and Golden Globe winning American actress. ... Adam Richard Sandler born September 9, 1966 is an actor, comedian, producer, and musician (he sings and plays the guitar). ... John Southworth Ritter (September 17, 1948 – September 11, 2003) was an American actor best known for his role of Jack Tripper in the sitcom Threes Company. ... Amy Yasbeck Amy Yasbeck (born September 12, 1963, in Cincinnati, Ohio) is an American film and television actress. ... Sammy Davis, Jr. ...

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, as the final episode was airing on April 30, 1992, a series of race riots was raging throughout the city of Los Angeles, in the aftermath of the previous day's controversial verdict in the Rodney King trial. The 1992 Los Angeles riots, also known as the Rodney King uprising or the Rodney King riots, were sparked on April 29, 1992 when a mostly white jury acquitted four police officers accused in the videotaped beating of black motorist Rodney King, after he fled from police. ... Rodney King Rodney King (born April 2, 1965 in Sacramento, California) is a U.S. citizen who became famous after his violent arrest by officers of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) was videotaped by a bystander, George Holliday. ...

The exterior of the Huxtable home was actually the brownstone facade of a private residence at 10 St. Luke's Place near 7th Avenue in Manhattan's Greenwich Village. That home is not a single family home but rather was divided into an owner's duplex and four tiny one-bedroom apartments. When looking out of the door of the house into the street, the fence of the park really located across the street from the real house is used as a backdrop.

The show featured several unusual dream episodes. One guest starred The Muppets, with Cliff falling asleep after overeating and finding himself in a nightmare populated with muppets. Another was about all the men of the cast experiencing pregnancy. The Muppets are a group of puppets and costume characters, and the company created by Jim Henson. ...

The final episode broke the fourth wall. Cosby/Cliff steps away from the Huxtable home, which was revealed to be a set surrounded by cameras and a studio audience. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Cast

• Bill Cosby as Heathcliff "Cliff" Huxtable (name appears as Clifford Huxtable on the sign outside of his office door in early episodes)
• 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 Theodore "Theo" Huxtable
• Tempestt Bledsoe as Vanessa Huxtable
• Keshia Knight Pulliam as Rudith Lillian "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)

Recurring cast members

• 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")
• Adam Sandler as "Smitty"
• Michelle Thomas as Justine Phillips
• Dondre T. Whitfield as Robert Foreman
• Troy Winbush as Denny
• Reno Wilson as Howard
• Alex Ruiz as Lou Hernandez
• Karen Malina White as Charmaine Brown
• Allen Payne as Lance Rodman
• Joe Williams as Al Hanks
• Ethel Ayler as Carrie Hanks
• Gary LeRoi Gray as Nelson Tibideaux
• Jessica Ann Vaughn as Winnie Tibideaux
• Elizabeth Narvaez as Kara
• William Thomas Jr. as Dabnis Brickey
• Vanessa A. Williams as Jade and Cheryl
• Wallace Shawn as Jeffrey Engels
• Peter Costa as Peter Chiara
• Merlin Santana as Stanley
• Mushond Lee as Arthur Bartell (a.k.a. "Slide")
• Seth Gilliam as Aaron Dexter

William Henry Bill Cosby, Jr. ... In a Mothers Day survey, Rashads character on The Cosby Show, Claire Huxtable, was named, TV mom closest to your own mom in spirit. ... The French word née (feminine) or né (masculine) (or the English word nee) is still commonly used in some newspapers when mentioning the maiden name of a woman in engagement or wedding announcements. ... Clair Huxtable is a character from The Cosby Show. ... Sabrina Le Beauf (born March 21, 1958) is an American actress. ... Lisa Bonet Lisa Michelle Boney (born November 16, 1967), who is known in the entertainment world as Lisa Bonet, is an American actress who is a native of San Francisco, California. ... Malcolm-Jamal Warner (born August 18, 1970 in Jersey City, New Jersey) is an African-American actor. ... Tempestt as Vanessa Huxtable in The Cosby Show Tempestt Bledsoe (born August 1, 1973) is an American actress best known for her role as Vanessa Huxtable in the popular 1980s sitcom, The Cosby Show. ... Vanessa Huxtable was the fourth child on The Cosby Show, played by Tempestt Bledsoe. ... Keshia Knight Pulliam Keshia Knight Pulliam (born April 9, 1979 in Newark, New Jersey, USA) is an American actress of Jamaican descent. ... Keshia Knight Pulliam as Rudy Huxtable Rudith Lillian Rudy Huxtable is the name of a fictional character portrayed by actress Keshia Knight Pulliam on the American television sitcom The Cosby Show, which was broadcast on NBC from 1984 until 1992. ... Geoffrey Owens (b. ... Joseph C. Phillips (born January 17, 1962 in Denver, Colorado) is an African American actor. ... Raven-Symoné Christina Pearman (born December 10, 1985 in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American actress, R&B and pop singer, songwriter, dancer, and television producer, best known for her roles as Olivia Kendall on The Cosby Show and her own show Thats So Raven as Raven Baxter. ... Erika Alexander (born November 19, 1969 in Winslow, Arizona) is an American actress. ... Earle Hyman (born October 11, 1926) is an American actor. ... Clarice Taylor (born September 20, 1927) is an American actress. ... Deon Richmond (born April 2, 1978 in New York, New York, USA) is an African American actor, best known for his semi-regular childhood role as Rudy Huxtables friend Kenny (nicknamed Bud) on the popular NBC sitcom The Cosby Show. ... Carl Anthony Payne II was born May 24, 1969 in Clinton, South Carolina. ... Adam Richard Sandler born September 9, 1966 is an actor, comedian, producer, and musician (he sings and plays the guitar). ... Michelle Thomas (September 23, 1969 – December 22, 1998) was an African-American actress who is most known for her role as Myra Monkhouse, the girlfriend of Steve Urkel, on the long-running American sitcom Family Matters. ... Dondre Whitfield (born May 27, 1969 in Brooklyn, New York, USA), is an African-American television actor. ... Actress Karen Malina White (born in 1965 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) performs as the voice of Dijonay Jones on the animated Disney Channel series The Proud Family. ... Allen Payne (born July 7, 1968 in Harlem, New York, USA) is an African-American film and television actor. ... Joe Williams (December 12, 1918 - March 29, 1999) was a well-known jazz singer. ... Gary LeRoi Gray (born 1985) is an African American actor and voice actor involved with movies, television, and animation. ... Vanessa A. Williams (born May 12, 1963) is an African-American actress who has appeared in several TV series such Melrose Place and the Showtime cable TV show Soul Food. ... Wallace Shawn (born November 12, 1943) is an American actor and writer. ... Merlin Santana (March 14, 1976 - November 9, 2002) was a Dominican-American television and film actor best known for his role as teenager Romeo on The Steve Harvey Show. ... Seth Gilliam is an American actor. ...

Notable guest stars

• Debbie Allen as Emma ("If the Dress Fits, Wear It", Season 5)
• Tichina Arnold as Delores ("Theo's Women", Season 5)
• Senator Bill Bradley as Cliff's teammate #1 ("The Boys of Winter", Season 5)
• Sônia Braga as Anna Maria Westlake ("Mrs. Westlake" and "An Early Spring", Season 2)
• Naomi Campbell as Julia ("The Birth" and "Cyranoise de Bergington", Season 5)
• Betty Carter as Amanda Woods ("How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall", Season 5)
• Robert Culp as Scott Kelly ("Bald and Beautiful", Season 3)
• Sammy Davis, Jr. as Ray Palomino ("No Way, Baby", Season 5)
• Dave DeBusschere as Cliff's teammate #2 ("The Boys of Winter", Season 5)
• Plácido Domingo as Alberto Santiago ("Bithday Blues", Season 5)
• Teresa Edwards as Opponent #2 ("The Boys of Winter", Season 5)
• Al Freeman, Jr. as Ernie Scott ("Back to the Track, Jack", Season 1)
• Dizzy Gillespie as Mr. Hampton ("Play It Again Vanessa", Season 1)
• Robin Givens as Susanne ("Theo and the Older Woman", Season 2)
• Moses Gunn as Joe Kendall ("Grampy and NuNu Visit the Huxtables", Season 6)
• Walt Hazzard as Cliff's teammate #3 ("The Boys of Winter", Season 5)
• Iman as Mrs. Montgomery ("Theo and the Joint", Season 1)
• Danny Kaye as Dr. Burns ("The Dentist", Season 2)
• Alicia Keys as Maria ("Slumber Party", Season 1)
• B.B. King as Riley Jackson ("Not Everybody Loves the Blues", Season 6)
• LaChanze as Sylvia ("The Prom", Season 4)
• Audrey Landers as Cookie Bennett ("Cliff and Jake", Season 7)
• Sheldon Leonard as Dr. Wexler ("Physician of the Year," Season 1)
• Nancy Lieberman as Opponent #1 ("The Boys of Winter", Season 5)
• Miriam Makeba as herself ("Olivia Comes Out of the Closet", Season 8)
• Rita Moreno as Mrs. Granger ("You Only Hurt the One You Love", Season 3)
• Tony Orlando as Tony Castillo ("Mr. Quiet", Season 1)
• Tito Puente as timbal player ("Play It Again, Russell", Season 2)
• John Ritter as Ray Evans ("Total Control", Season 7)
• Frank Robinson as Frank Potter ("There's Still No Joy in Mudville", Season 7)
• Howard "Sandman" Sims as himself ("Mr. Sandman", Season 6)
• Bern Nadette Stanis as Carolyn Thompson ("Adventures in Babysitting", Season 7)
• Leslie Uggams as Kris Temple (The Return of the Clairettes", Season 7)
• Blair Underwood as Mark ("Theo and the Older Woman", Season 2)
• Jim Valvano as John Velarde ("The Getaway", Season 8)
• Dick Vitale as Dan Vicente ("The Getaway", Season 8)
• Nancy Wilson as Lorraine Kendall ("Grampy and NuNu Visit the Huxtables", Season 6)
• Stevie Wonder as himself ("A Touch of Wonder", Season 2)

Debbie Allen (born Deborrah Kaye Allen on January 16, 1950 in Houston, Texas) is an American actress, choreographer, film director, television producer and a member of the Presidents Committee on the Arts and Humanities. ... Tichina Arnold (born June 28, 1971 in Queens, New York) is an actress best known for her role on Martin playing Pamela James. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Sônia Maria Braga (born June 8, 1950) is a Brazilian actress. ... Naomi Campbell (born 22nd May 1970) is a British supermodel, actress, singer and author. ... Betty Carter Betty Carter (May 16, 1929 – September 26, 1998) was a prominent American jazz singer, who was renowned for her improvisational techniques. ... Robert Culp Robert Culp (born August 16, 1930 in Oakland, California), and a 1947 graduate of Berkeley High School, is an American actor, best known for his work on television. ... Sammy Davis, Jr. ... David Albert DeBusschere (October 16, 1940 - May 14, 2003) was a professional basketball player born in Detroit, Michigan. ... Plácido Domingo Plácido Domingo [1] (born January 21, 1941) [2] is a world-famous Spanish operatic tenor, well-known for his versatile, strong voice that is possessed of a ringing and clear tone throughout its range. ... Teresa Edwards on the Minnesota Lynx Teresa Edwards (born July 19, 1964 in Cairo, Georgia) is a retired American basketball player. ... Al Freeman, Jr. ... John Birks Dizzy Gillespie (October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was born in Cheraw, South Carolina. ... Robin Givens Robin Givens (born November 27, 1964 in New York, New York) is an American actress. ... Moses Gunn (October 2, 1929 – December 16, 1993) was an American actor. ... Walt Raphael Hazzard Jr. ... Iman Abdulmajid. ... Kaye entertaining U.S. troops at Sasebo, Japan, 25 Oct 1945 David Daniel Kaminsky, known as Danny Kaye (January 18, 1913 – March 3, 1987) was an American actor, singer and comedian. ... Alicia Keys (born Alicia J. Augello-Cook on January 25, 1980) is an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, musician, composer, pianist, record producer, philanthropist, and occasional actress and author. ... Riley B. King aka B. B. King (b. ... LaChanze (whose name means one who is charmed) is an African-American actress, singer, and dancer. ... Audrey Landers is an American actress, who probably best known for her role in the television drama series Dallas as Afton Cooper. ... Sheldon Leonard (February 22, 1907 – January 10, 1997) was a pioneering American film and television producer, director, writer, and actor. ... Nancy Elizabeth Lieberman (born July 1, 1958 in Brooklyn, New York) is a former standout collegiate and professional basketball player. ... Miriam Makeba performing at the Cape Town Jazz Festival in 2006. ... Rita Moreno (born December 11, 1931 in Humacao, Puerto Rico) is an Academy Award-winning actress and the first and only Hispanic actress in history (as well as one of only nine people) to have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony Award. ... Tony Orlando Tony Orlando (born April 3, 1944) is an American singer best known for his time with the group Dawn in the early 1970s. ... Tito Puente Ernesto Antonio Puente Jr. ... John Southworth Ritter (September 17, 1948 – September 11, 2003) was an American actor best known for his role of Jack Tripper in the sitcom Threes Company. ... Frank Robinson (born August 31, 1935 in Beaumont, Texas), is a Hall of Fame former Major League Baseball player. ... Howard Simms, also known as Sandman, was a tap dancer in Vaudeville. ... Bernadette Stanis (born December 22, 1953 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American actress. ... Leslie Uggams (born May 25, 1943 in New York City) is an African American actress and singer, best known for her Tony Award-winning work in Hallelujah, Baby! Uggams first started in show business in 1950, playing the niece of Ethel Waters on the television series Beulah. ... Blair Underwood (born August 25, 1964, in Tacoma, Washington) is an American television and film actor. ... James Thomas Anthony Valvano (March 10, 1946 - April 28, 1993), nicknamed Jimmy V, was an American college basketball coach. ... Dick Vitale, left, clowning around with Calbert Cheaney Richard Dick Vitale, also known as Dickie V, and Mr. ... Nancy Wilson (born February 20, 1937) is an African-American singer whose sixty-plus albums have blended jazz and pop music. ... Stevie Wonder (born Stevland Hardaway Judkins on May 13, 1950, named later changed to Stevland Hardaway Morris), [1] is an African American singer, songwriter, record producer, musician, and social activist. ...

Criticism

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. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ...

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 as 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.

A Different World could be considered a more realistic Bill Cosby creation because rather than side-stepping the issues of race and poverty for the black community, the show brings together a variety of students from different backgrounds all hoping to achieve the goal of education; their learning is not only dependent on text books, it also includes the insight they gain into each others' unique perspectives. Therefore, the show does not focus on one wealthy black family, but on the process of self-realization and pride from different perspectives within the black community; all types of students are shown in their progress toward education and affirmation. A Different World was an American television sitcom. ...

Running gags

• One signature running gag is when Cliff usually tells long, rambling stories, which the kids usually get tired of after a while. One episode in the eighth season, did a reversal on this when Theo, telling an overwrought Kenny, who was trying to convince Olivia (whom he was babysitting) to eat her vegetables, told Kenny a story about "the Foogroupa family", claiming he was going to give Kenny the "condensed Theo version". This wasn't condensed enough however, as by the end of the story, Kenny fell asleep.
• Cliff, when he dances, usually dances in what Clair compares to as like being in a wrestling match. Elvin once impersonated Cliff's dancing when he imitated Cliff to the amusement of Vanessa and Rudy, not knowing that Cliff and Theo had entered a few seconds later until the last minute.
• In the early seasons, Vanessa is usually considered as being nosy, as she does try to find out what goes on in the Huxtable house. In "Theo's Joint", when she is convinced that Theo is keeping something from her (that Cliff and Clair found a marajuana joint in his textbook that came from another student who wanted to smoke it later) that she would "go to her other sources", to which Theo threatens to throw a dart at her if she didn't leave the room.
• A running gag during the eighth season was when anybody rung the doorbell, the bell would make an unusual noise such as the bell ringing then clunking or making a zapping noise. Usually immediately afterward Claire or another member of the family would complain about said doorbell. In the series finale, "And So We Commence", Cliff went on his word that he would fix it. When he did, he asks Clair to test it out in which she promptly gets shocked and startled when she gets zapped by the doorbell. Kenny also gets zapped and yells out "Dang!", which gets Theo's attention and after Theo opens the door, Kenny is seen waving the index finger that got shocked. In the final scene, Cliff fixes the door which rung to the tune of jazz music, after which Cliff and Clair danced and walked off-stage.

Theme music and opening sequences

The show's theme music is called "Kiss Me", composed by Stu Gardner and Bill Cosby. 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 in the course of a series.

The opening credits for the first season featured the Huxtable family playing sports in the park. This sequence heavily used zooming and frame-by-frame movement of each still in the sequence. For the season two opening sequence, the opening credits changed feature a gray room with the cast dancing. This began a running theme for the opening credits for the rest of the series as the producers attempted to change the sequence each season.

For season three, featured each cast member dancing to Latin jazz in a bluish gray room. Both seasons' opening sequence featured each cast member dancing alongside Cosby. This changed in season four, in which the sequence featured the cast dancing happily to vocal funk/jazz performed by Bobby McFerrin. Each cast member dressed in formal attire as opposed to the casual attire each cast member dressed in the opening sequence the past two seasons. In addition, none of the cast danced with Cosby. The season five opening credit sequence featured the cast dancing on a veranda to music performed by The Oregon Symphony Orchestra, in Hawaiian-style clothing. It shall be noted that this was the only opening sequence in the entire run of the series that featured the entire cast dancing together instead of seperately. This was the only sequence not to feature both long and short versions of the sequence. Bobby McFerrin Bobby McFerrin (born New York City, March 11, 1950) is a jazz-influenced a cappella vocal performer and conductor. ...

Seasons six and seven's opening sequence featured the cast dancing to classical saxophone jazz, performed by Craig Handy, at the Apollo Theater. Each cast member danced seperately much like in season four's opening credits. The only alterations to the sequence were a slightly shortened long version of the sequence which Bill Cosby walks away after the music stops; Cosby saying "this is the best elevator music I've ever heard" being edited out and changed producer credits as well as an added credit for Erika Alexander before the producers' names appear.

The producers during the eighth and final season decided to use a mural entitled "Street of Dreams," painted by an inner-city youth group from the Creative Arts Workshop in Harlem, originally to have been used as the seventh season's opening credit sequence and would feature the cast dancing to a drum/trumpet combo performed by Lester Bowie. The producers discarded the idea for season seven when their lawyers said that in order to use the mural they would have to get permission from all 63 young artists first. Instead, a mock-up of the mural, which had combined certain elements of the group's mural and used many of the colors of the actual one. The owners of the mural threatened to file a lawsuit against the producers and denounced the show for ripping off the children. This article is about the Harlem neighborhood in New York City. ... Lester Bowie (11 October 1941–8 November 1999) was a jazz trumpet player and composer. ...

The Carsey-Werner Company tried to negotiate a settlement with the Creative Arts Workshop, but Bill Cosby instead decided to replace the mural sequence with the sixth season opening credit sequence. Only four episodes featured the mural sequence, and only a few cities saw this version. The sequence was to originally also feature Lisa Bonet and Joseph C. Phillips, but their scenes in the sequence were removed as they left the series before the end of the previous season. After the controversy from season seven, the producers decided to give recognition to the painters of the original mural near the end of the closing credits in the eigth season. Malcolm-Jamal Warner wore glasses in this sequence, but never wore glasses in any episodes.

The final episode, titled "And So We Commence" (in syndication, this is only shown in part one), featured the season eight opening titles transitioning to clips of each cast member remaining dancing in the opening sequences from seasons four through six. Erika Alexander was the only cast member who did not have any additional clips from the opening credits of seasons past since this was the only one filmed with her in it. The sequence was accompanied by a elongated and reworked version of the theme music.

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. All in the Family is a popular and acclaimed American situation comedy that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12, 1971 until April 8, 1979, when the final original episode aired. ... When TV viewers or entertainment professionals in the United States mention ratings they are generally reduferring to Nielsen Ratings, a system developed by Nielsen Media Research to determine the audience size and composition of television programming. ...

The ratings for each season, at the end of the season, were:

Roseanne was an American sitcom which aired on ABC from 1988 to 1997, starring the stand-up comedian Roseanne. ...

DVD Releases

Season Releases

DVD Name	Cover Art	Release Date	Ep #
Season 1		August 2, 2005	24
Season 2		March 7, 2006	25
Season 3	TBA		26
Season 4	TBA		22
Season 5	TBA		25
Season 6	TBA		25
Season 7	TBA		26
Season 8	TBA		24

• Seasons 1 and 2 have been released by Urbanworks until First Look Entertainment acquired Unrbanworks in early 2006. Future seasons of The Cosby Show are planned to be released by First Look Entertainment along with A Different World in 2007. [1]

August 2 is the 214th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (215th in leap years), with 151 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 7 is the 66th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (67th in leap years). ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... TBA Online Game TBA, or The Time Before Adventure is a new, free online MMORPG adventure game developed by Digitil Entertainment. ... TBA Online Game TBA, or The Time Before Adventure is a new, free online MMORPG adventure game developed by Digitil Entertainment. ... TBA Online Game TBA, or The Time Before Adventure is a new, free online MMORPG adventure game developed by Digitil Entertainment. ... TBA Online Game TBA, or The Time Before Adventure is a new, free online MMORPG adventure game developed by Digitil Entertainment. ... TBA Online Game TBA, or The Time Before Adventure is a new, free online MMORPG adventure game developed by Digitil Entertainment. ... TBA Online Game TBA, or The Time Before Adventure is a new, free online MMORPG adventure game developed by Digitil Entertainment. ... A Different World was an American television sitcom. ...

Spinoff

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 of the series after its inaugural season and the following season was revamped with the addition of director Debbie Allen and new characters. Fortunately for Lisa Bonet, she became a recurring Cosby Show character in Seasons 4-5 and a star again in Seasons 6-7. A spin-off in television is a new series which contains either characters or theme elements from an old series. ... A Different World was an American television sitcom. ... In the United States, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) (a type of Minority Serving Institution or MSI) are colleges or universities that were established before 1964 with the intention of serving the African-American community. ... Debbie Allen (born Deborrah Kaye Allen on January 16, 1950 in Houston, Texas) is an American actress, choreographer, film director, television producer and a member of the Presidents Committee on the Arts and Humanities. ...

Parodies

In 2000, a sixth-season episode of Moesha entitled "Definitely Not the Cosbys" paid tribute to The Cosby Show. In a "fantasy" sequence, the Moesha cast assumes the roles of Cosby Show characters, with William Allen Young (Frank) as Cliff, Sheryl Lee Ralph (Dee) as Clair, Brandy (Moesha) as Denise, Ray J (Dorian) as Theo, Shar Jackson (Niecy) as Vanessa, Marcus T. Paulk (Myles) as a male Rudy, and Lamont Bentley (Hakeem) as A Different World's Dwayne Wayne. The episode's title is likely derived from Not the Cosbys, the pre-production working title of Married... with Children. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... William Allen Young (born in 1953 in Washington, District of Columbia) is an African American actor best known to play a role of Frank Michell in Moesha but was in many movies and guest-starred in many shows. ... Sheryl Lee Ralph (born on December 30, 1956 in Waterbury, Connecticut, USA) is an African-American actress and singer of Jamaican descent, best known for her work in musical theatre productions such as Dreamgirls, her co-starring role in the 1980s television sitcom Its A Living and as Brandy... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Ray J on the cover of Raydiation (2005) William Ray Norwood Jr. ... Shar Jackson Sharisse Shar Jackson (born September 4, 1976), is an American television and film actress, who is perhaps best known to be the ex-girlfriend of Kevin Federline whom he broke up with after meeting his future wife Britney Spears (who has now filed for a divorce). ... Marcus T. Paulk as Boo in Roll Bounce (2005) Marcus T. Paulk (born October 12, 1986 in California) is an American actor best known as Myles Mitchell in the television series Moesha. ... Lamont Bentley (1973-2005) Artimus Lamont Bentley (October 25, 1973 – January 18, 2005) was an American television and film actor. ... A Different World was an American television sitcom. ... Married… with Children is a long-running American sitcom about a dysfunctional family living in Chicago. ...

The cartoon sitcom The Simpsons once aired on Thursday nights in the same timeslot as The Cosby Show. The show's creators introduced a character named Doctor Hibbert, a relentlessly cheerful, African American doctor who was intended as something of a parody of Cliff Huxtable. When off duty Doctor Hibbert often sports loud sweaters similar to the ones often worn by Doctor Huxtable. In one early Simpsons episode he is seen at home with a family drawn to resemble the Huxtables. When The Cosby Show went off the air, The Simpsons did a brief tribute at the end of the "Three Men and a Comic Book" episode. Bart notes, "If I had a TV show, I'd run that sucker into the ground!" Simpsons redirects here. ... Julius Hibbert, M.D. is a doctor and physician from the TV series The Simpsons, voiced by Harry Shearer. ...

Awards & nominations

Awards Won

Emmy Awards An Emmy Award. ...

• Outstanding Comedy Series (1985)
• Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series (1984) Michael J. Leeson and Ed. Weinberger

Golden Globe Awards Michael J. Leeson, an important behind-the-scenes figure on the big screen as well as the little screen, is best known as a Screenwriter. ... The Golden Globe Awards are American awards for motion pictures and television programs, given out each year during a formal dinner. ...

• Best TV Series-Comedy (1985)
• Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series-Comedy Bill Cosby (1985-86) 2 wins

William Henry Bill Cosby, Jr. ...

Awards Nominated

Emmy Awards An Emmy Award. ...

• 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)

Golden Globe Awards In a Mothers Day survey, Rashads character on The Cosby Show, Claire Huxtable, was named, TV mom closest to your own mom in spirit. ... Lisa Bonet Lisa Michelle Boney (born November 16, 1967), who is known in the entertainment world as Lisa Bonet, is an American actress who is a native of San Francisco, California. ... Keshia Knight Pulliam Keshia Knight Pulliam (born April 9, 1979 in Newark, New Jersey, USA) is an American actress of Jamaican descent. ... Malcolm-Jamal Warner (born August 18, 1970 in Jersey City, New Jersey) is an African-American actor. ... The Golden Globe Awards are American awards for motion pictures and television programs, given out each year during a formal dinner. ...

• Best TV Series-Comedy (1986-87) 2 nominations
• Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series-Comedy Bill Cosby (1987)

William Henry Bill Cosby, Jr. ...

See also

• List of The Cosby Show episodes
• A Different World

This is a complete list of episodes for the hugely popular American sitcom The Cosby Show. ... A Different World was an American television sitcom. ...

References

1. ^ Wilcox's Soaps & More TV Character Address and Trivia Book (2004), (obtained here.)

External links

• The Cosby Show at CarseyWerner.net
• The Cosby Show at the Encyclopedia of Television