The Cosby Show#Cast and characters

The show focuses on the Huxtable family, an upper middle class African-American family, living in a brownstone in Brooklyn Heights, New York, at 10 Stigwood Avenue.{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/1996/05/03/cosbys-last-show/|title=Cosby's Last 'Show'|date=May 3, 1996|access-date=April 2, 2009|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|first=Kate|last=Meyers|archive-date=October 16, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141016114806/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,292346,00.html|url-status=live}} The father is Cliff Huxtable, an obstetrician and son of a prominent jazz trombonist. The mother is his wife, lawyer Clair Huxtable.{{cite book|last1=Gates|first1=Henry Louis Jr.|last2=Higginbotham|first2=Evelyn Brooks|title=African American Lives|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3dXw6gR2GgkC&pg=PA195|access-date=August 6, 2013|date=March 23, 2004|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-988286-1|page=195}}

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,{{cite book|last1=Manzo|first1=Ula C.|last2=Manzo|first2=Anthony V.|title=Literary Disorders: Holistic Diagnosis and Remediation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wyVL1YGnj7AC&pg=PA27|access-date=August 5, 2013|date=January 1, 1993|publisher=LiteracyLeaders|isbn=978-0-03-072633-0|page=27}} inspired by Cosby's dyslexic son, Ennis.{{cite book|last=Orenstein|first=Myrna|title=Smart But Stuck: How Resilience Frees Imprisoned Intelligence from Learning Disabilities, Second Edition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9KvB6yQsyOwC&pg=PA12|access-date=August 5, 2013|edition=2|date=December 6, 2012|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-135-80043-7|page=12}} and teenage pregnancy when Denise's friend Veronica (Lela Rochon) becomes pregnant.{{cite book|last1=Aldridge|first1=Delores P.|last2=Young|first2=Carlene|title=Out of the Revolution: The Development of Africana Studies|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6kmV4x9fFA8C&pg=PA350|access-date=February 11, 2014|year=2003|publisher=Lexington Books|isbn=978-0-7391-0547-4|page=350}}

{{Main|List of The Cosby Show episodes}}

{{:List of The Cosby Show episodes}}

{{Main|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.{{cite web|last=Kovalchik|first=Kara|title=5 Mysteries Surrounding The Cosby Show|url=http://mentalfloss.com/article/18406/5-mysteries-surrounding-cosby-show|work=Mental Floss|access-date=August 7, 2013|date=April 9, 2008|archive-date=May 23, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220523212233/https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/18406/5-mysteries-surrounding-cosby-show|url-status=dead}} 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.{{cite web|last=Alston|first=Joshua|title=How The Cosby Show spoke to race and class in '80s America|url=https://www.avclub.com/how-the-cosby-show-spoke-to-race-and-class-in-80s-amer-1798234177|work=The A.V. Club|access-date=August 6, 2013|date=October 24, 2012}}

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.{{cite web|url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20131615,00.html|title=The Cosby Show: 1984–1992|date=June 26, 2000 |access-date=November 19, 2010 |work=People}}{{cite web|title=Sondra Huxtable Tibideaux|url=http://www.tvland.com/shows/bill-cosby-show/bios/sabrina-lebeauf|work=TV Land|publisher=Viacom|access-date=August 6, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130530173657/http://www.tvland.com/shows/bill-cosby-show/bios/sabrina-lebeauf|archive-date=May 30, 2013|df=mdy-all}}

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.

Image:CS-cosby-cast.jpg

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.{{cite book|last1=Alley|first1=Robert S.|last2=Brown|first2=Irby B.|title=Women Television Producers: Transformation of the Male Medium|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rHlNnofFfqUC&pg=PA255|access-date=August 5, 2013|year=2001|publisher=University Rochester Press|isbn=978-1-58046-045-3|page=255}} 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. Bill Cosby had performed stand-up comedy with award-winning albums and starred in several genres in TV and film in the 1960s and 70s, but his career had become more static by 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|date=September 2022}}

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.{{cite book|last=Marc|first=David|title=Prime Time, Prime Movers: From I Love Lucy to L.A. Law—America's Greatest TV Shows and the People who Created Them|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kAKPw1POOXsC&pg=PA101|access-date=August 5, 2013|year=1992|publisher=Syracuse University Press|isbn=978-0-8156-0311-5|pages=101–103}}

Cosby originally proposed that the couple should both have blue-collar jobs, with the father a limousine driver,{{cite book|last=McNeil|first=Alex|title=Total Television: The Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dctkAAAAMAAJ|access-date=August 5, 2013|year=1996|publisher=Penguin Group USA|isbn=978-0-14-024916-3|page=181}} who owned his own car, and the mother an electrician.{{cite web|url=http://www.kqed.org/a/forum/R201407231000|title=Bill Cosby on 50 Years of Comedy: Forum – KQED Public Media for Northern CA|work=KQED Public Media|date=June 12, 2023 }} 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.{{cite book|last=Cashmore|first=Ellis|title=Beyond Black: Celebrity and Race in Obama's America|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VTlggJal12YC&pg=PT61|access-date=August 5, 2013|date=August 2, 2012|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|isbn=978-1-78093-147-0|page=61}}{{cite book|last=Pope|first=Kitty|title=Beside Every Great Man-- is a Great Woman: African American Women of Courage, Intellect, Strength, Beauty & Perseverance|url=https://archive.org/details/besideeverygreat0000pope|url-access=registration|access-date=August 5, 2013|year=2005|publisher=Amber Books Publishing|isbn=978-0-9749779-4-2|page=[https://archive.org/details/besideeverygreat0000pope/page/70 70]}}

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.{{cite book|last=Fearn-Banks|first=Kathleen|title=The A to Z of African-American Television|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U1Pe45NhU08C&pg=PA90|access-date=August 5, 2013|date=August 4, 2009|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0-8108-6348-4|page=90}} 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").{{cite web|url=http://www.tvacres.com/locations.htm|title=TV Show Buildings At A Glance|access-date=November 21, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120604183029/http://www.tvacres.com/locations.htm|archive-date=June 4, 2012|df=mdy-all}}

File:House_used_for_the_Cosby_Show_(48072660056).jpg used in The Cosby Show]]

Early episodes were videotaped at NBC's Brooklyn studios (subsequently JC Studios).{{cite book|last=Gismondi|first=Steve|title=Turning Forty|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X52vlpfojgkC&pg=PA156|access-date=August 5, 2013|date=April 16, 2002|publisher=iUniverse|isbn=978-1-4620-8144-8|page=156}} The network later sold that building, and production moved to the Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens.{{cite book|last1=Stephens|first1=E. J.|last2=Christaldi|first2=Michael|last3=Wanamaker|first3=Marc|title=Early Paramount Studios|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NxWXGpEAmEkC&pg=PA44|access-date=August 5, 2013|date=July 15, 2013|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|isbn=978-1-4671-3010-3|page=44}} 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.{{cite web|title=The Cosby House: Brownstones in Pop Culture|url=http://townhouseexpertsblog.com/brownstones-in-pop-culture-the-cosby-house/|website=Townhouse Experts Blog|date=August 11, 2010 |publisher=Townhouse Experts|access-date=August 22, 2014}} 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).{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RPhtAwAAQBAJ&q=cosby+show+april+1984+pilot&pg=PA293|title=Cosby|isbn=9781451697995|last1=Whitaker|first1=Mark|date=September 16, 2014|publisher=Simon and Schuster }}{{cite news|last1=Bennetts|first1=Leslie|title=Bill Cosby Begins Taping NBC Series|date=6 July 1984|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/08/06/arts/bill-cosby-begins-taping-nbc-series.html|work=The New York Times|access-date=September 20, 2014}}

During its original NBC run, it was one of five successful sitcoms on the network that featured predominantly African-American casts. The others were Family Matters, Good Times, 227 (1985–90), Amen (1986–91), Cosby Show spin-off A Different World (1987–93) and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air {{cite web | url=https://www.imdb.com/list/ls054341449/ | title=The 50 greatest black Tv shows / Sitcoms of all time | website=IMDb }}

Although the cast and characters were predominantly African-American,{{cite book|last1=Rainer|first1=Thom S.|last2=Rainer|first2=Jess W.|title=The Millennials: Connecting to America's Largest Generation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C8IWXtBgh7MC&pg=PA53|access-date=February 11, 2014|date=January 1, 2011|publisher=B&H Publishing Group|isbn=978-1-4336-7003-9|page=53}} 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.{{cite book|last1=Franz|first1=Kathleen|last2=Smulyan|first2=Susan|title=Major Problems in American Popular Culture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oKdalT-JurQC&pg=PA376|access-date=August 5, 2013|year=2011|publisher=Cengage Learning|isbn=978-0-618-47481-3|page=376|quote=I won't deal with the foolishness of racial undertones on the show.}} 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.{{cite book|last=Krabill|first=Ron|title=Starring Mandela and Cosby: Media and the End(s) of Apartheid|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Lp84bk5x89IC&pg=PA104|access-date=August 5, 2013|date=September 15, 2010|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=978-0-226-45189-3|page=104}}

Chris Rock was considered for the role of Theo's best friend Cockroach, which eventually went to Payne.{{cite web | url=https://www.etonline.com/chris-rock-says-he-was-considered-for-friends-and-this-iconic-role-on-seinfeld-158888 | title=Chris Rock Says He Was Considered for 'Friends' and 'Seinfeld' Roles }}

The spin-off, A Different World, dealt with racial issues more often.{{cite web|last=Etkin|first=Jaimie|title='A Different World' Finale 20th Anniversary: Looking Back On The Show's Famous Faces (PHOTOS)|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/09/a-different-world-finale-20th-anniversary_n_3569764.html|work=The Huffington Post|access-date=August 6, 2013|date=July 9, 2013}} The Cosby Show's series finale, taped March 6, 1992,{{cite news|title=Last 'Cosby' show finishes production, to air in April|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/1992/03/07/last-cosby-show-finishes-production-to-air-in-april/|work=The Baltimore Sun|first=David|last=Zurawik|page=48|access-date=August 5, 2013|date=March 7, 1992|location=New York|archive-date=October 6, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131006200530/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1992-03-07/features/1992067122_1_cosby-astoria-new-york|url-status=live}} aired during the 1992 Los Angeles riots, with Cosby quoted in media at the time pleading for peace.{{cite web|last=Tearman|first=Margaret|title=Bay Weekly Profile: Bill Cosby|url=http://bayweekly.com/old-site/year05/issuexiii26/featurexiii26.html|work=Bay Weekly|access-date=August 6, 2013|date=June 30 – July 6, 2005}}{{cite web|last=Chandler|first=D.L.|title=Rodney King Riots: Rodney King Riots in Los Angeles Began on this Day in 1992|url=http://newsone.com/2423835/rodney-king-riots-2/|work=NewsOne|access-date=August 6, 2013|date=April 29, 2013}}

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.{{cite magazine|title=Top 10 Pregnant Performers|url=https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1878293_1878320_1878350,00.html|access-date=October 3, 2017|magazine=Time|date=February 10, 2009}}

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.{{cite web|last=Cooker|first=H.C.|title=Lisa Bonet: The Cosby Show Kid Who Got Away|work=Culture |url=http://themuse.jezebel.com/lisa-bonet-the-cosby-show-kid-who-got-away-1677783623|access-date=September 30, 2016|date=January 8, 2015}}

The show's theme music, "Kiss Me", was composed by Stu Gardner and Bill Cosby.{{cite book|last=Wright|first=H. Stephen|title=Film Music at the Piano: An Index to Piano Arrangements of Instrumental Film and Television Music in Anthologies and Collections|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5ip4lR5P0CMC&pg=PA23|access-date=August 5, 2013|date=January 1, 2003|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0-8108-4892-4|page=23}} Seven versions of this theme were used during the run of the series. For season four, the theme song music was performed by musician Bobby McFerrin.{{cite web|title=Bobby McFerrin – Biography|url=https://music.apple.com/au/artist/bobby-mcferrin/63710|work=iTunes|access-date=August 5, 2013|quote=McFerrin also earned mainstream exposure through his unique performance of the theme song to the television hit The Cosby Show}}{{cite web|last=Jackson|first=Blair|title=Classic Tracks: Bobby McFerrin "Don't Worry, Be Happy"|url=https://www.mixonline.com/recording/classic-tracks-bobby-mcferrin-dont-worry-be-happy-366202|website=MIX|publisher=Future plc|date=24 June 2010|access-date=11 January 2023}}

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.{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/meta/search/imageDetail?format=plain&source=http://abcnews.go.com/images/US/gty_bill_cosby_ll_130617|title=gty_bill_cosby_ll_130617_wg.jpg|author=|work=ABC News}}{{cite news|last=Anderson|first=Susan Heller|title=Bill Cosby has stopped using a mural designed for the opening credits of The Cosby Show|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/18/style/chronicle-575990.html|access-date=August 5, 2013|newspaper=The New York Times|date=October 18, 1990}}{{cite news|last1=Wilson|first1=Janet|last2=Kirtzman|first2=Andrew|title=Kids' Mural Paints Cosby Into Corner|url=http://articles.philly.com/1990-10-15/news/25895121_1_mural-design-cosby-show-bill-cosby|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719011033/http://articles.philly.com/1990-10-15/news/25895121_1_mural-design-cosby-show-bill-cosby|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 19, 2011|access-date=August 6, 2013|newspaper=Philly.com|date=October 15, 1990}} The original season seven opening, with slight modifications, returned to use in the beginning of season eight.

{{Main|List of The Cosby Show characters}}

|-

| Malcolm-Jamal Warner||Theodore Huxtable|| colspan="8" {{CMain|Main}}

|-

| Tempestt Bledsoe||Vanessa Huxtable|| colspan="8" {{CMain|Main}}

|-

| Keshia Knight Pulliam||Rudy Huxtable|| colspan="8" {{CMain|Main}}

|-

| Sabrina Le Beauf||Sondra Huxtable Tibideaux|| {{CRecurring|Recurring}} || colspan="7" {{CMain|Main}}

|-

| Geoffrey Owens||Elvin Tibideaux|| {{n/a|}} || colspan="2" {{CRecurring|Recurring}} || colspan="5" {{CMain|Main}}

|-

|Joseph C. Phillips{{efn|Prior to joining the cast as a regular, Phillips appears as Daryl, a potential boyfriend for Sondra in season two (episode: "Cliff in Love").}}||Lt. Martin Kendall|| colspan="5" {{n/a|}} || colspan="2" {{CMain|Main}} || {{CRecurring|Recurring}}

|-

|Raven-Symoné||Olivia Kendall|| colspan="5" {{n/a|}} || colspan="3" {{CMain|Main}}

|-

|Erika Alexander||Pamela "Pam" Tucker|| colspan="6" {{n/a|}} || colspan="2" {{CMain|Main}}

|}

{{notelist}}

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.{{cite book|last=Whitaker|first=Matthew C.|title=Icons of Black America: Breaking Barriers and Crossing Boundaries|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bT1jf8PcqAUC&pg=PA193|access-date=August 5, 2013|year=2011|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-313-37642-9|page=193}}{{cite book|last=Shaw|first=Harry B.|title=Perspectives of Black Popular Culture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=407y3M8nfz0C&pg=PA134|access-date=August 5, 2013|date=January 1, 1990|publisher=Popular Press|isbn=978-0-87972-504-4|pages=134–135}} 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. Phylicia Rashad claimed that when she met Nelson Mandela, he told her that he "is eternally grateful for the show and its influence on Apartheid and us Black people. [The inmates in prison] watched the show while in prison."{{cite news|title= TV's Black World Turns—But Stays Unreal |work= The New York Times|date=November 12, 1989|first=Henry Louis Jr.|last= Gates|url= https://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/12/arts/tv-s-black-world-turns-but-stays-unreal.html?pagewanted=4|access-date=November 9, 2010}} As a result of the Bill Cosby sexual assault cases, Malcolm-Jamal Warner has stated that the show's legacy is "tarnished".{{Citation | last =Begley | first =Sarah |date=October 9, 2015 |title=Malcolm-Jamal Warner Says The Cosby Show Is Now 'Tarnished' |url=https://time.com/4067894/malcolm-jamal-warner-cosby-show-tarnished/ |access-date=October 10, 2015 }}

The Cosby Show had generated {{US$|2.5 billion|long=no}} in television revenue, including {{US$|1 billion|long=no}} from television advertisement,{{cite book |last=Havens |first=Timothy |title=Black Television Travels: African American Media Around the Globe |date=2013 |publisher=New York University Press |isbn=9780814737217 |page=80 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sD4TCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA80}} and {{US$|1.5 billion|long=no}} from syndication.{{cite news |last=Feldman |first=Dana |title=Cosby On Trial: How Sexual Assault Allegations Have Cost Him A Fortune |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/danafeldman/2017/06/08/a-look-into-how-the-criminal-case-against-bill-cosby-is-costing-him-a-fortune/ |work=Forbes |date=June 8, 2017}}

The Cosby Show aired on Thursdays at 8:00 pm for all eight seasons.{{cite web|last=Smith|first=C. Brian|title=Great Moments in Sitcom History: A Eulogy (Part 1 of 5)|url=http://www.getkempt.com/whats-what/great-moments-in-sitcom-history-a-eulogy-part-1-of-5.php|work=Kempt|access-date=August 7, 2013|date=September 26, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131007041408/http://www.getkempt.com/whats-what/great-moments-in-sitcom-history-a-eulogy-part-1-of-5.php|archive-date=October 7, 2013|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=82UxAAAAIBAJ&pg=2135,2785907|title=It's humor vs. The Hunk as Cosby, Selleck clash|access-date=March 30, 2012|date=September 26, 1984|work=The Gazette|author=Boone, Mike}}

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.{{cite web|url=http://www.classictvhits.com/trivia.php?showid=176 |title=Classic TV & Movie Hits – The Cosby Show |publisher=Classictvhits.com |access-date=March 9, 2012}}{{cite book|last=Fearn-Banks|first=Kathleen|title=The A to Z of African-American Television|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U1Pe45NhU08C&pg=PR32|access-date=August 5, 2013|date=August 4, 2009|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0-8108-6348-4|page=32}}{{cite book|last=Tueth|first=Michael|title=Laughter In The Living Room: Television Comedy And The American Home Audience|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MBRvw2pvjFoC&pg=PA165|access-date=August 6, 2013|year=2005|publisher=Peter Lang|isbn=978-0-8204-6845-7|page=165}}

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|date=September 2022}}

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.{{cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=The Cosby Show|url=http://www.hulu.com/the-cosby-show|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111120002710/http://www.hulu.com/the-cosby-show|archive-date=November 20, 2011|access-date=2011-11-20|website=Hulu}}

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 from 1986 until 1993.

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.{{cite magazine|title=TV Land Pulls The Cosby Show From Its Lineup|url=https://time.com/3596403/tv-land-cosby-show-rape-allegations/|access-date=November 19, 2014|magazine=TIME |date=November 19, 2014|first=Maya|last=Rhodan}}{{cite magazine|url= https://variety.com/2014/tv/news/tv-land-scraps-the-cosby-show-marathon-set-for-thanksgiving-week-1201360538/ |title=TV Land scraps The Cosby Show marathon set for Thanksgiving week|magazine= Variety|date= November 19, 2014|access-date= November 19, 2014|first=Cynthia|last=Littleton}} "Episodes 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.{{cite news|url=http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/394689/magic-turns-cos-aspire-network-cancels-cosby-programming-tim-cavanaugh|title=Magic Turns on Cos: ASPiRE Network Cancels Cosby Programming|date=15 December 2014|work=National Review|first=Tim|last=Cavanaugh}}

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.{{cite magazine |url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/cosby-reruns-bounce-tv-1201535254/|first=Whitney|last=Friedlander|date=7 July 2015|magazine=Variety|title=Bounce TV Pulls 'Cosby' Reruns, BET's Centric Yanks 'The Cosby Show'}} Bounce TV resumed airing the series in December 2016{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/tv/ct-cosby-show-reruns-return-20161115-story.html|title=Bounce TV to bring back 'Cosby Show' reruns|first=Tribune news|last=services|website=Los Angeles Times|date=November 15, 2016 }} but pulled the show on April 26, 2018 — the day Cosby was convicted of sexual assault.{{Cite web|last=Andreeva|first=Nellie|date=2018-04-26|title='The Cosby Show' Reruns Yanked From Bounce TV After Guilty Bill Cosby Verdict|url=https://deadline.com/2018/04/the-cosby-show-reruns-removed-bounce-tv-guilty-bill-cosby-verdict-1202377699/|access-date=2021-01-04|website=Deadline Hollywood}}{{Cite news |title=The Latest: Accuser Calls Bill Cosby 'a Raping Monster' |url=https://apnews.com/article/north-america-ap-top-news-sexual-assault-celebrities-bill-cosby-692bf26493964b19afe90300b5c4ad95 |publisher=Associated Press |date=26 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210528013511/https://apnews.com/article/north-america-ap-top-news-sexual-assault-celebrities-bill-cosby-692bf26493964b19afe90300b5c4ad95 |archive-date=28 May 2021 |url-status=live |access-date=23 January 2021}} TV One began airing reruns of the show in May 2017.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.multichannel.com/news/bounce-pulls-the-cosby-show-light-bill-cosby|first=R. Thomas|last=Umstead|title=Bounce Pulls 'The Cosby Show' In Light Of Bill Cosby Verdict|magazine=Multichannel News}} It is the only American network to offer the series. The series is available on Amazon Prime Video and Philo.{{Citation needed|date=July 2023}}

{{Main|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.{{cite news |title='The Cosby Show' Turns 30: 30 Things You May Not Have Known About the Show |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/cosby-show-turns-30-30-things-show/story?id=25605293 |access-date=December 29, 2024 |work=ABC News |date=September 20, 2014}} Initially, the new program dealt with Denise's life at Hillman College,{{cite news |last1=Shanfeld |first1=Ethan |title='A Different World' Sequel Series in Development at Netflix |url=https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/a-different-world-sequel-series-netflix-1236098732/ |access-date=December 29, 2024 |work=Variety |date=August 7, 2024}} the fictional historically black college from which her father, mother, and paternal grandfather had graduated.{{citation needed|date=September 2022}}

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.{{cite book|last=McCann|first=Bob|title=Encyclopedia of African American Actresses in Film and Television|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X7ZYsnTPIhwC&pg=PA50|access-date=August 5, 2013|year=2010|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-5804-2|page=50}} 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|date=September 2022}}

Emmy Award{{cite web|title=The Cosby Show|url=http://www.emmys.com/shows/cosby-show|work=Emmys|access-date=August 6, 2013}}

• 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|date=September 2022}}

• 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

Emmy Awards

• 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)

• 1993: TV Guide named The Cosby Show the All-Time Best Family Show in its issue celebrating 40 years of television.{{cite book|title=TV Guide April 17 – 23, 1993|year=1993|page=20}}
• 1997: TV Guide ranked the episode "Happy Anniversary" #54 on their list of the TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time{{cite journal |year=1997 |title=Special Collector's Issue: 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time |journal=TV Guide |issue=June 28 – July 4 }}
• 1999: Entertainment Weekly placed show's debut at #24 in its list of the "100 Greatest Moments in Television"{{cite magazine |url= https://ew.com/article/1999/02/19/100-greatest-moments-television-timeline/ |title=The Top 100 Moments In Television |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=February 19, 1999|access-date=December 21, 2021 }}
• 2002: TV Guide placed The Cosby Show at #28 in its list of the TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time{{cite news|title=TV Guide Names Top 50 Shows|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tv-guide-names-top-50-shows/|access-date=August 6, 2013|newspaper=CBS News|date=February 11, 2009|agency=Associated Press|quote=28. The Cosby Show (NBC)}}
• 2004: TV Guide ranked Cliff Huxtable number 1 on its 50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time list{{cite book|title=TV Guide: Guide to TV|year=2004|publisher=Barnes & Noble|isbn=0760756341|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780760756348/page/536 536]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780760756348/page/536}}
• 2004: Bravo ranked Cliff Huxtable #44 on its list of the 100 Greatest TV Characters{{cite web|url=http://www.bravotv.com/The_100_Greatest_TV_Characters//index.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071015070449/http://www.bravotv.com/The_100_Greatest_TV_Characters/index.shtml| archive-date=October 15, 2007|title=The 100 Greatest TV Characters|publisher=Bravo|access-date=April 15, 2010}}
• 2007: Time magazine placed the show on its unranked list of "100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME"{{cite magazine|last=Poniewozik|first=James|title=All-TIME 100 TV Shows|url=http://entertainment.time.com/2007/09/06/the-100-best-tv-shows-of-all-time/slide/the-cosby-show/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111022130051/http://entertainment.time.com/2007/09/06/the-100-best-tv-shows-of-all-time/slide/the-cosby-show/|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 22, 2011|magazine=Time|access-date=August 6, 2013|date=September 5, 2007}}
• 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"{{cite news|last=Bianco|first=Robert|title=Did you see that?|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/top25-television.htm|access-date=August 6, 2013|newspaper=USA Today|date=May 14, 2007|quote=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.}}
• 2008: Entertainment Weekly selected Cliff Huxtable as the Dad for "The Perfect TV Family""TV: Breaking Down the List," Entertainment Weekly, #999/1000 June 27 & July 4, 2008, 56.
• 2013: TV Guide ranked The Cosby Show #26 on its list of the 60 Best Series.{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/tv-guide-magazine-60-best-series-1074962/|title=TV Guide Magazine's 60 Best Series of All Time|date=December 23, 2013|first1=Bruce|last1=Fretts|first2=Matt|last2=Roush|work=TV Guide}}
• 2013: The Writers Guild of America ranked The Cosby Show #29 on their list of the 101 Best Written TV Series.{{cite web|url=https://www.wga.org/writers-room/101-best-lists/101-best-written-tv-series/list|title=101 Best Written TV Series|website=Writers Guild of America West|date=June 2, 2013}}
• 2023: Variety ranked The Cosby Show #90 on its list of the 100 greatest TV shows of all time.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/lists/greatest-tv-shows-of-all-time/|title=The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time|publisher=Variety|date=December 20, 2023}}

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:

• A House Full of Love: Music from The Cosby Show (1986)
• Total Happiness (Music from the Bill Cosby Show, Vol. II) (1987)

• 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.{{cite web|last=McCall |first=Tyler |url=http://fashionista.com/2013/07/bill-cosby-is-holding-a-sweater-tournament-so-we-talked-to-the-guy-who-designed-them/ |title=Bill Cosby, His Sweaters, and the Man Who Made Them |publisher=Fashionista |date=July 8, 2013 |access-date=January 15, 2014}}{{cite web|last=Oatman-Stanford|first=Hunter|title=Bill Cosby Schools Us About Those Crazy Sweaters|url=http://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/bill-cosby-schools-us-about-those-crazy-sweaters/|work=Collectors Weekly|access-date=August 5, 2013|date=February 11, 2013}}{{cite web|last1=Rodriguez|first1=Jayson|first2=Shaheem|last2=Reid|title=Biggie Took Coogi Sweaters From 'The Cosby Show' To The Clubs|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1602694/biggie-took-coogi-sweaters-from-the-cosby-show-to-the-clubs/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150107151644/http://www.mtv.com/news/1602694/biggie-took-coogi-sweaters-from-the-cosby-show-to-the-clubs/|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 7, 2015|work=MTV|access-date=December 21, 2021|date=January 14, 2009}}
• They were dubbed "Cosby sweaters", a term that is used to describe sweaters that are generally deemed garish and unappealing.{{cite web|last=Simakis|first=Andrea|title=Ugly Christmas sweaters are suddenly all the rage|url=https://www.cleveland.com/style/2010/12/ugly_christmas_sweaters_are_su.html|work=Cleveland.com|access-date=December 21, 2021|date=December 15, 2010|quote="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.}}{{cite news|last=Lane|first=Mark|title=Big Book divulges lore of Christmas|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Lh1OAAAAIBAJ&pg=5518,4222525&dq=cosby+sweater&hl=en|newspaper=The Deseret News|date=December 24, 2009|page=A9}} 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.{{cite news|title=Three of Bill Cosby's sweaters from 'The Cosby Show' to be auctioned online|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/bill-cosby-sweaters-cosby-show-auctioned-online-article-1.333080|access-date=August 5, 2013|newspaper=NY Daily News|date=May 30, 2008|agency=Associated Press|location=Los Angeles}}
• 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.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.
• 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!"{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}

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.

In 2013, Mill Creek Entertainment acquired the rights to the series. They subsequently re-released all eight seasons on DVD.{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Cosby-Seasons-1-and-2/19151|title=The Cosby Show DVD news: Announcement for The Cosby Show - Seasons 1 and 2|work=TVShowsOnDVD.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110004910/http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Cosby-Seasons-1-and-2/19151|archive-date=November 10, 2013|df=mdy-all}}{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Cosby-Seasons-3-and-4/19544|title=The Cosby Show DVD news: Box Art and Date Change for The Cosby Show - Seasons 3 & 4|work= TVShowsOnDVD.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140307051634/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Cosby-Seasons-3-and-4/19544|archive-date=March 7, 2014|df=mdy-all}}{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Cosby-Seasons-5-and-6/20418|title=The Cosby Show DVD news: Announcement for The Cosby Show - Seasons 5 & 6|work=TVShowsonDVD|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141028041636/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Cosby-Seasons-5-and-6/20418|archive-date=October 28, 2014|df=mdy-all}}{{cite web|url=http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Cosby-Seasons-7-and-8/20983|title=The Cosby Show DVD news: Announcement for The Cosby Show - Seasons 7 & 8|work=TVShowsOnDVD|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150416073643/http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Cosby-Seasons-7-and-8/20983|archive-date=April 16, 2015|df=mdy-all}} On September 1, 2015, Mill Creek released a sixteen disc complete series set entitled The Cosby Show – The Complete Series.{{cite web|url=http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Cosby-The-Complete-Series/21213|title=The Cosby Show DVD news: Box Art for The Cosby Show - The Complete Series - TVShowsOnDVD.com|website=tvshowsondvd.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150618060200/http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Cosby-The-Complete-Series/21213|archive-date=June 18, 2015|df=mdy-all}}

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).

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.

{{Notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.billcosby.com/ Official Bill Cosby Site]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20000816180015/http://www.carseywerner.net/cosbyshow_eng.htm The Cosby Show at CarseyWerner.net]
• [http://www.carseywerner.com/shows_about.php?showid=2 Carsey-Werner - The Cosby Show]
• {{IMDb title|0086687|The Cosby Show}}
• {{epguides|CosbyShow|The Cosby Show}}
• {{EmmyTVLegends title|cosby-show-the|The Cosby Show}}

{{The Cosby Show}}

{{Bill Cosby}}

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