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The Cosby Show
Image:The Cosby Show.gif
Format Sitcom
Created by Ed. Weinberger
Michael J. Leeson
William Cosby Jr., Ed.D.
Starring Bill Cosby
Phylicia Rashād
Sabrina LeBeauf (1985-92)
Lisa Bonet (1984-87, 1989-91)
Malcolm Jamal Warner
Tempestt Bledsoe
Keshia Knight Pulliam
Geoffrey Owens (1985-92)
Joseph C. Phillips (1989-91)
Raven-Symoné (1989-92)
Erika Alexander (1990-92)
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 Flag of the United States United States
No. Edwin B “Ed” Weinberger is an American an Emmy Award -winning Screenwriter, and Television producer. Michael J Leeson is an American Screenwriter. Work I Married a Witch (2007 (pre-production The Tuxedo (2002 (screenplay William Henry Cosby Jr (born July 12 1937 is an American Comedian, Actor, Author, Television producer and Activist. William Henry Cosby Jr (born July 12 1937 is an American Comedian, Actor, Author, Television producer and Activist. Phylicia Rashād (born Phylicia Ayers-Allen on June 19, 1948) is a Tony Award -winning American actress, perhaps best known Sabrina Le Beauf (born March 21, 1958 in New Orleans Louisiana) is an American actress Lisa Bonet (born November 16, 1967) is an Emmy Award -nominated American actress. Malcolm-Jamal Warner (born August 18, 1970) is an American television Actor, director and musician known primarily for his roles in Sitcoms Tempestt Bledsoe (born August 1, 1973 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American actress best known for her role as Keshia Knight Pulliam (born April 9, 1979 in Newark, New Jersey, U Geoffrey Owens (born March 18, 1961 in Brooklyn New York) is an African American Actor. Joseph Connor Phillips (born January 17, 1962 in Denver Colorado) is an American Actor and a conservative Christian commentator Raven-Symoné Christina Pearman (born December 10 1985 known professionally as Raven-Symoné or Raven, is an American actress and R&B Erika Alexander (born November 19, 1969 in Winslow Arizona) is an American actress. William Henry Cosby Jr (born July 12 1937 is an American Comedian, Actor, Author, Television producer and Activist. Robert "Bobby" McFerrin Jr (born in Manhattan, New York, on March 11, 1950) is a ten-time Grammy Award -winning Jazz The Oregon Symphony is an American Orchestra based in Portland, Oregon. Craig Handy (born 1963 is an American Post-bop tenor saxophonist Lester Bowie ( 11 October 1941 &ndash 8 November 1999) was an American Jazz Trumpet player and Composer. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the of seasons 8
No.  of episodes 201 (List of episodes)
Production
Location(s) New York City
Running time ~24 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel NBC
Original run September 20, 1984 – April 30, 1992
External links
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

The Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, first airing on September 20, 1984 and running for eight seasons on the NBC television network, until April 30, 1992. This is a complete list of episodes for the popular American Sitcom The Cosby Show. The City of New York The National Broadcasting Company ( NBC) is an American Television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Events 451 - The Battle of Chalons takes place in North Eastern France. Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) Events 313 - Roman emperor Licinius unifies the entire Eastern Roman Empire under his rule Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A television program (US television programme (UK or television show (U William Henry Cosby Jr (born July 12 1937 is an American Comedian, Actor, Author, Television producer and Activist. Events 451 - The Battle of Chalons takes place in North Eastern France. Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) The National Broadcasting Company ( NBC) is an American Television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic Events 313 - Roman emperor Licinius unifies the entire Eastern Roman Empire under his rule Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) The show focused on the Huxtable family, an upper-middle class African-American family living in a brownstone building in Brooklyn, New York

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". Brownstone is a brown Triassic Sandstone which was once a popular Building material. Brooklyn (named after the Dutch town Breukelen) is one of the five boroughs of New York City. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous TV Guide is the name of a North American weekly magazine about television programming [1] Originally, the show had been pitched to ABC, which rejected it. The American Broadcasting Company ( ABC) is an American Television network. [1] Entertainment Weekly stated that The Cosby Show helped to make possible a larger variety of shows based on African Americans, from In Living Color to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Entertainment Weekly (sometimes abbreviated as EW) is a Magazine published by Time Inc This article is about the television series For the band see Living Colour. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is an award winning American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from September 10 1990 to May 20 1996 [2] The Cosby Show was also one of the first successful sitcoms based on the subject matter of a standup comedian’s act, blazing a trail for other such successful programs as Roseanne, The Drew Carey Show, Seinfeld, and Everybody Loves Raymond. The Drew Carey Show is an American Sitcom (set in Cleveland Ohio) that aired on ABC from 1995 to 2004 Seinfeld is an American Situation comedy, or sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5 1989 to May 14 1998 lasting nine seasons Everybody Loves Raymond is an Emmy Award -winning American Television sitcom that originally ran on CBS from September 13 The Cosby Show along with All in the Family are the only two American programmes that have been #1 in the Nielsen Ratings for five consecutive seasons. All in the Family is an American Situation comedy that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12 1971 to April Nielsen Ratings are audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research to determine the Audience size and composition of television The show spawned the successful spin-off A Different World. A Different World is an American Television Sitcom which aired for six seasons on NBC (from September 24, 1987

Contents

Overview

The show focused on the Huxtable family, an upper-middle class African-American family living in a brownstone in Brooklyn Heights, New York, at 10 Stigwood Avenue. Brownstone is a brown Triassic Sandstone which was once a popular Building material. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous The patriarch was the very playful, humorous, and fun-loving Heathcliff "Cliff" Huxtable, an obstetrician. Obstetrics (from the Latin obstare, "to stand by" is the surgical speciality dealing with the care of a woman and her offspring during Pregnancy The matriarch was his very eloquent, elegant, and assertive wife, attorney Clair (Hanks) Huxtable. An attorney at law (or attorney-at-law) in the United States is a practitioner in a court of law who is legally qualified to prosecute The show involved the usual difficulties of children growing up, such as son Theo's experiences of dealing with dyslexia, which was based on Cosby's real-life child Ennis, who was dyslexic. Dyslexia is considered to be a Learning disability. It manifests primarily as a difficulty with written language particularly with Reading and Spelling Ennis William Cosby ( April 15, 1969 – January 16, 1997) was the Son of actor Bill Cosby and Camille Cosby

Cosby had an unusually high level of creative control over the show. He wanted the program to be educational, reflecting Cosby's own background in education. He also insisted that the program be taped in New York City rather than Los Angeles, where most television programs were taped. The City of New York Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West

The series was videotaped at the Kaufman Astoria Studios in the New York City borough of Queens. The Kaufman Astoria Studios is located in Queens New York, and home to productions like Sesame Street, Johnny and the Sprites, The City of New York

Although the cast and characters were predominantly African-American, the program is unusual in that issues of race were rarely mentioned when compared to other situation comedies of the time, such as The Jeffersons. However, The Cosby Show had African-American themes, such as civil rights marches, and it frequently promoted African-American and African culture represented by artists and musicians such as Jacob Lawrence, Miles Davis, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Lena Horne, Duke Ellington and Miriam Makeba. Jacob Lawrence ( September 7, 1917 - June 9, 2000) was an African American painter; he was married to fellow artist Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26 1926 &ndash September 28 1991 was an American Jazz Trumpeter, Bandleader, and Composer. James Joseph Brown Jr (May 3 1933 – December 25 2006 commonly referred to as "The Godfather of Soul" the "King of Funk" and "The Stevie Wonder (born Stevland Hardaway Judkins on May 13 1950 name later changed to Stevland Hardaway Morris) is an Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (born June 30, 1917) is an iconic American singer and Actress. Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29 1899 &ndash May 24 1974 was an American Composer, Pianist, and Bandleader. Miriam Makeba (b March 4, 1932) is a Grammy Award-winning South African singer also known as Mama Afrika.

Cast

Main article: List of The Cosby Show characters

Episodes

Main article: List of The Cosby Show episodes

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'. This is a list of characters from the TV Sitcom The Cosby Show. William Henry Cosby Jr (born July 12 1937 is an American Comedian, Actor, Author, Television producer and Activist. Phylicia Rashād (born Phylicia Ayers-Allen on June 19, 1948) is a Tony Award -winning American actress, perhaps best known Sabrina Le Beauf (born March 21, 1958 in New Orleans Louisiana) is an American actress Geoffrey Owens (born March 18, 1961 in Brooklyn New York) is an African American Actor. Lisa Bonet (born November 16, 1967) is an Emmy Award -nominated American actress. Joseph Connor Phillips (born January 17, 1962 in Denver Colorado) is an American Actor and a conservative Christian commentator Malcolm-Jamal Warner (born August 18, 1970) is an American television Actor, director and musician known primarily for his roles in Sitcoms Tempestt Bledsoe (born August 1, 1973 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American actress best known for her role as Keshia Knight Pulliam (born April 9, 1979 in Newark, New Jersey, U Raven-Symoné Christina Pearman (born December 10 1985 known professionally as Raven-Symoné or Raven, is an American actress and R&B Erika Alexander (born November 19, 1969 in Winslow Arizona) is an American actress. This is a complete list of episodes for the popular American Sitcom The Cosby Show. However, it is notable for a number of differences from the remainder of the series.

In the pilot, the Huxtables have only four children. Following the pilot, the Huxtables have five children, with the addition of their eldest daughter, Sondra (Sabrina Le Beauf). Sabrina Le Beauf (born March 21, 1958 in New Orleans Louisiana) is an American actress Sondra was created when Bill Cosby wanted the show to express the accomplishment of successfully raising a child (e. William Henry Cosby Jr (born July 12 1937 is an American Comedian, Actor, Author, Television producer and Activist. g. - a college graduate). Whitney Houston was considered for the role of Sondra Huxtable. Whitney Elizabeth Houston' (born August 9 1963 is an American Singer-songwriter, Actress, Film producer, Arranger and former Sabrina LeBeauf almost missed out on the role because she is only 10 years younger (b. 1958) than Phylicia Rashad (b. Phylicia Rashād (born Phylicia Ayers-Allen on June 19, 1948) is a Tony Award -winning American actress, perhaps best known 1948), who played her mother, Clair Huxtable, on the show.

Bill Cosby's character is called "Clifford" in the pilot (as also evidenced by his name plate on the exterior of the Huxtable home). 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.

Furthermore, it is implied that Cosby's screen wife Clair is more of a housewife in the pilot, rather than the lawyer she came to be known as.

Opening credits

The cast of The Cosby Show in 1989
The cast of The Cosby Show in 1989

The show's theme music, "Kiss Me", was 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 over the course of a series.

Season seven's opening credits were originally those that were ultimately used in season eight. Due to legal complications regarding the background mural, season seven's opening was changed to the previous season's opening. The original season seven opening, with modifications, was used in the eighth and final season.

Ratings

The Cosby Show is one of two television shows (All in the Family being the other) that has been #1 in the Nielsen Ratings for 5 consecutive seasons. All in the Family is an American Situation comedy that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12 1971 to April Nielsen Ratings are audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research to determine the Audience size and composition of television

These were the ratings for each season, according to ClassicTVHits. com at the end of the season, were:

Season Ratings Rank
1984-1985 #3 20,545,000 viewers
1985-1986 #1 28,948,300 viewers
1986-1987 #1 30,502,600 viewers
1987-1988 #1 30,502,600 viewers
1988-1989 #1 23,142,400 viewers
1989-1990 #1 21,275,100 viewers (tied with Roseanne)
1990-1991 #5 15,920,100 viewers
1991-1992 #18 13,815,000 viewers

Awards, nominations and honors

Awards won

Emmy Awards

Golden Globe Awards

NAACP Image Awards

People's Choice Awards

Awards nominated

Emmy Awards

Golden Globe Awards

Honors

Criticisms

In a 1992 book, authors Sut Jhally and Justin Lewis use the results of an audience study to argue that The Cosby Show obscured the issues of class and race and reinforced the belief that African-Americans have only themselves to blame if they don't succeed in society and ignoring that racism still exists and can be a factor in society. Sut Jhally (born 29 May 1955) is a professor of Communication at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and is a cultural studies scholar in Social class refers to the hierarchical distinctions (or stratification) between individuals or groups in Societies or Cultures. The term race or racial group usually refers to the concept of categorizing Humans into Populations or groups on the basis of various sets [7]

DVD releases

Seasons 1 and 2 were released on DVD in Region 1 by UrbanWorks which was subsequently acquired by First Look Studios in early 2006. DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is DVD video discs may be encoded with a region code restricting the area of the world in which they can be played First Look Studios is an independent American Film studio that specializes in home video releases of films and TV series First Look Studios has since released seasons 3-8 on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time.

Magna Pacific [8] has released seasons one through four of The Cosby Show on DVD in Australia and New Zealand, with similar artwork to the North American copies, although season two is red rather than blue. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island Each Australasian cover also features the tagline "In a house full of love, there is always room for more. "

The Season 1 DVD only contains the edited versions of the episodes aired in syndication. However, all subsequent DVD releases contain the original, uncut broadcast versions.

DVD Name Ep # Region 1 Release Region 4 Release
Season 1 24 August 2, 2005 October 4, 2006
Season 2 25 March 7, 2006 February 7, 2007
Season 3 25 June 5, 2007 April 4, 2007
Season 4 24 June 5, 2007 November 7, 2007
Season 5 25 November 6, 2007 March 5, 2008
Season 6 25 November 6, 2007
Season 7 26 April 8, 2008
Season 8 24 April 8, 2008

Spin-off

Main article: A Different World (TV series)

The Cosby Show's producers created a spin-off series called A Different World that was centered around the "Denise" character (portrayed by actress Lisa Bonet), the second of the Huxtables' four daughters. Events 338 BC - A Macedonian army led by Philip II defeated the combined forces of Athens and Thebes in the Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 610 - Heraclius arrives by ship from Africa at Constantinople, overthrows Byzantine Emperor Phocas Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 161 - Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius dies and is succeeded by co-Emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 457 - Leo I becomes emperor of the Byzantine Empire. 1074 - Battle of Montesarchio in which the Prince Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 70 - Titus and his Roman Legions breach the middle wall of Jerusalem in the Siege of Jerusalem Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1581 - Francis Drake completes a circumnavigation of the world and is knighted by Elizabeth I. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 70 - Titus and his Roman Legions breach the middle wall of Jerusalem in the Siege of Jerusalem Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1492 - The Ensisheim Meteorite the oldest Meteorite with a known date of impact strikes the Earth around noon in a Wheat Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 355 - Roman Emperor Constantius II promotes his cousin Julian to the rank of Caesar, entrusting him with Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian moves from Antioch with an army of 90000 to attack the Sassanid Empire, in a 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 355 - Roman Emperor Constantius II promotes his cousin Julian to the rank of Caesar, entrusting him with Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 217 - Roman Emperor Caracalla is Assassinated (and succeeded by his Praetorian 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 217 - Roman Emperor Caracalla is Assassinated (and succeeded by his Praetorian 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common A Different World is an American Television Sitcom which aired for six seasons on NBC (from September 24, 1987 A Spin-off in Television is a new series which contains either characters or theme elements from an old series Lisa Bonet (born November 16, 1967) is an Emmy Award -nominated American actress. 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. Historically black colleges and universities ( HBCUs) are institutions of Higher education in the United States that were established before 1964 with the intention 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 and new characters. Deborrah Kaye “Debbie” Allen (b January 16, 1950) is an American Actress, Choreographer, Television director, Denise later became a recurring character on The Cosby Show for Seasons 4-5, and a regular again in Seasons 6-7.

In the Italian version, the family name is Robinson, and the program is named I Robinson.

References

  1. ^ a b Cosby Show: TV Guide News. TVGuide. com. Retrieved on 2007-09-23. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1122 - Concordat of Worms. 1459 - Battle of Blore Heath, the first major battle of the English
  2. ^ The Cosby Show's Last Laugh. Entertainment Weekly's EW. com. Time, Inc. (May 1, 1992). Retrieved on 2007-10-28. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 306 - Maxentius is proclaimed Roman Emperor. 312 - Battle of Milvian Bridge: Constantine  “The show that changed forever the way black families are portrayed on television, the show that paved the way for a rainbow of African-American sensibilities on TV from In Living Color to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is getting razzed these days by The Simpsons,”
  3. ^ The Top 100 Moments In Television. Entertainment Weekly (February 19, 1999). Events 197 - Roman Emperor Septimius Severus defeats usurper Clodius Albinus in the Battle of Lugdunum Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Retrieved on 2007-10-22. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 202 BC - Hannibal Barca, leader of the Carthaginians, is defeated by the Roman legions under Scipio Africanus
  4. ^ "TV Guide Names Top 50 Shows", CBS News, April 26, 2002. Retrieved on 2007-10-06. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 105 BC - Battle of Arausio: The Cimbri inflict the heaviest defeat on the Roman army of Gnaeus Mallius Maximus  
  5. ^ The 100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME. Time magazine. Retrieved on 2007-09-25. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 303 - On a voyage preaching the Gospel, Saint Fermin of Pamplona is beheaded in Amiens, France
  6. ^ Did you see that?. USATODAY. com. Retrieved on 2007-09-27. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 489 - Odoacer attacks Theodoric at the Battle of Verona and is defeated again
  7. ^ Sut Jhally and Justin Lewis: Enlightened Racism: The Cosby Show, Audiences & the Myth of the American Dream. Westview Press, 1992. Westview Press was founded in 1975 in Boulder, Colorado by Fred Praeger ISBN 0813314194
  8. ^ Magna Pacific. magnapacific. com. Retrieved on 2008-02-06. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar defeats the combined army of Pompeian followers and Numidians under Metellus Scipio

External links

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