Cosby Show - Classic or Dud?

That first picture up there is one good reason to call this show classic, though it may have been dud to name the grandchildren Nelson and WINNIE.

I agree with Donna about the lip-synching, but would tune in were I guaranteed seeing this man play the trombone.

I wonder which cosby daughter had the largest clit.
-- Mike Hanle y (pennyson...), July 20th, 2001.

I never really liked this show.

There is a simple reason why this show was good; Bill Cosby is hilarious.

I wonder which cosby daughter had the largest clit.

-- Mike Hanle y (pennyson...), July 20th, 2001.

http://www.usasoda.com/images/coke72.JPG

"Snakes CANNOT climb stairs."

"Who TOLD you that?"

"It is a scientific fact."

"Then how do they get into trees?"

"They fall off the CLIFF!"

peter DID say stuff.

Still classic. I still DVR the occasionally episode and the humor holds up for me. Of course it is all Bill Cosby, the man is a comic genius. What really stands out for me is there is an inherent sweetness in his interaction with Clair and the kids. It was funny and feel good without being schmaltzy.

Jaymc reminded me of an episode in which it was Clair's birthday. At the end of the episode Cliff just kept bringing in cake after cake because she had previously refused to eat any. It was a such a sweet interaction. I can't imagine any current sitcom pulling off such a silly scene.

whenever i am stuck in an american hotel room for work, i always pray there will be cosby reruns.

I'm watching Season Three now, released on DVD a couple of weeks ago. I'm really struck by often Cliff and Claire alluded to sex, wondered when they were going to do it, and rubbed black-on-black sex into the very white Must See TV lineup of the mid eighties. And they were convincingly erotic too!

My cousin told me I looked like one of Theo's friends from an obscure ep of the show. God knows if that was a compliment.

-- Barima (Barima), Tuesday, 27 April 2004 15:07 (3 years ago) Link

If I remember what Barima looks like correctly, this is either Theo's NYU friend Ron (80% chance) or Theo's NYU friend Howard, with the flat-top and the black glasses (20% chance).

At the end of the episode Cliff just kept bringing in cake after cake

I was actually watching this one the other day: the thing that's neat about it is that the show turns into either a silent comedy or a cartoon, with jazz playing on the record player, absolutely no dialogue, and just this ridiculous bringing-in of cake after cake after cake. It might as well be Bugs Bunny. Best of all, Cosby does this incredible mincing walk, but it's not like gay-joke effeminate, it's just this snazzy-waiter mince. And it's hard not to laugh at -- in, yes, this very sweet way.

I think this is also the episode where he makes a banner for her 46th birthday, but makes it 64 instead, and then when she says it's backwards, he turns the 6 over and makes it 94. And then their friend sings "Besame Mucho" for like three minutes, but it's okay, because their friend turns out to be played by Placido Domingo.

I've gone off about this on other threads (and amazingly not here), but ... if you want a show about nothing, Cosby is basically king, with entire episode plotlines like "Cliff's parents stop by for dinner," and scenes like this one, which is just three and a half really funny minutes of four middle-aged men playing cards:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=oi1C1DcPmOQ

It's weird how the parenting lessons came off smug but Cliff Huxtable's jazz/R&B pretensions never did. This show was my introduction to James Brown, Ray Charles, and Charlie Parker's "Night in Tunisia."

Also: his reaction shots, after the children have related some absurdity, are priceless.

in the card-playing scene above, was Cliff's father actually older than Cliff/Bill?

"Cosby", from the late '90's >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> "The Cosby Show"

No smugness to be found, just Cosby constantly fucking up and irritating the hell out of his wife. Plus Doug E. Doug's clueless slacker character with hilarious and naive puppy dog charm...Plus Madeline Kahn!

Where do the Cosby Mysteries fit into that continuum?

Also, you are batshit crazy.

i have no nostalgia for the cosby show, fuck a sweater.

this is interesting
"Ratings in syndication for Cosby were a big disappointment. Normally, it had been thought that black sitcoms do not test as well in syndication as white sitcoms. But with the extremely high ratings of the network run, it was thought that the Cosby Show would be an exception. Viacom began selling the syndication rights for Cosby in 1986 for five runs per week beginning in October of 1988. In New York City, WOR-TV (now WWOR) put in a record high bid outbidding higher rated rivals like WNYW Fox 5 and WPIX. This set the tone for unusually high bids for the other markets. This show was not only extremely expensive but there was also a minute of national barter ads that had to be run as well. Beginning in October of 1988, the show was offered five days a week and in most markets ran in the 4 PM, 5 PM, or 6 PM hour. The show was expected to be top rated in its time slots but was in third place or even lower in most markets. In Boston, the show rated so low on WCVB, that the station began running its five runs on the weekend wherever they could fit it in. Oprah Winfrey moved into the 4 PM time slot after that and is still run there today.

By 1990, stations wanted out of their contract to run Cosby. In many markets, it was sold second hand at a loss to the number 2 or even number 3 independent station where ratings were still mediocre. In 1991, the show was offered on a cash basis at a much lower rate. The show continues to air in syndication in some markets during the morning or afternoon hours. It's also offered on Nick-at-Nite as well as TBS. Still, while the show has fair ratings, its not nearly as dominant as it was during its network run. In fact reruns of the show were only mediocre while new episodes still aired on NBC."

low ratings in Boston, big surprise!

lol

Well, in the Cosby Show, the outline of his character is not terribly far from '50's-era Father Knows Best, Beaver variety of sitcoms. Huxtable is a successful professional who is forever trying to keep up with sorting out his exasperating kids' problems. In some sense, it's like a Jello Pudding Pop commercial crossed with the Cosby incarnation of "Kids Say the Darndest Things", and extended into a half-hour format.

The very premise of his character in "Cosby", on the other hand, better lends itself to Hilarity. A hapless, bumbling unemployed grownup is a thousand times funnier than kids screwing up and then learning important Life Lessons on how to be more responsible people.

u mad

I loved this show when I was growing up. Every time I catch a rerun on Nick at Nite, I still laugh. V. classic.

I really enjoyed this show kinda despite myself - it was awful pedantic, I was a teenager, I bristled at how normative its general aims seemed. But Cosby's comic timing just kills me, always has, he had a live-on-stage movie from maybe before the Cosby Show or maybe during, dunno, where he did the whole "going to the dentist" bit and "the kids want ice cream" bit and while these are sorta the sources of all the parodies, they cracked me up. Not exactly subversive stuff, but y'know, who gives a shit? Too, Lisa Bonet had some pretty decent comic chops in the ensemble. And yes Felicia Rashad, holy Christ she was just incredibly sexy. So classic. The question reminds me of one of my favorite song lyrics ever: "I sure hate those people who like the Smiths, but I/sure as fuck don't trust nobody who don't."

And yes Felicia Rashad, holy Christ she was just incredibly sexy

ugh. To quote from dude upthread:
Clair Huxtable, the impossibly perfect, unbearably smug Superwoman, was one of the most punchable characters in TV history.

J0hn D: Bill Cosby: Himself = CLASSIC

Ugh, this was playing at work one day and it made me so sad. In the episode, Rudy was all sad because she couldn't pick her clothes or go out or anything. She went to her room and some song started playing ("It's Not Easy Being Green"?), then she proceeded to mope, smile, cry, try on clothes, etc. I'm not doing it justice, I found it terribly heart-wrenching.

C

ahem "he guested some in community s02"

wasn't that scene in like the first episode of Cosby? the Harvey Weewax scene? so genius.

It was later. Rudy was old enough to have extended bits of dialogue.

is it not this one?

"Pilot" Jay Sandrich Michael Leeson & Ed. Weinberger September 20, 1984 0101
Cliff and Clair deal with the daily pressures of having children. Theo gets four D's on his report card, while Denise goes on a date with an older boy. Cliff illustrates the cost of living to Theo using Monopoly money. When he tries to reason with his father about loving him regardless of his grades, Cliff responds by saying, "That's the dumbest thing I ever heard in my life!" Theo resolves to do better in school. Meanwhile Rudy can't sleep because Rudy claims she heard the Wolfman growling in her closet, so Rudy and Vanessa sleep with Cliff & Clair.

it was 2-22, "Theo's Holiday":

Jay Sandrich Carmen Finestra, John Markus & Matt Williams April 3, 1986 0221

After Theo claims that he'll have no problem making it in the "real world", the Huxtables convert their house in the "Real World Apartments" and teach him a lesson about the real world; i.e., needing employment and references to get an apartment, income to get a bank loan, having to pay for his meals, etc.

okay, those two episodes are fused together in my mind - time to go get s02 on dvd!

Seasons Two through Four are the peak imo.

Has there been a smarter, better played few minutes in a family sitcom than the moment in the pilot when Mr. Cosby’s character, Cliff Huxtable, uses Monopoly money to explain to his son why he should not be content with a report card full of D’s?

"No wonder you get D's in everything!"

mizzell - i conflated the harvey weewax episode with the monopoly money episode.

when i reboot the series in 2067 i intend to include both plots in the pilot.

Seasons Two through Four are the peak imo

This is a carved-in-marble truth, though I'll make an exception for the Gordon Gartrelle shirt episode from S1 as being one of the best episodes of the series.

^^^ I just watched this on Hulu last weekend and it holds up surprisingly well

no that was my fault, i thought you guys were discussing which episode was described in the article, rather than which one had harvey weewax.

i love all eras of the cosby show, really, i even like cousin pam. (though the less said about raven simone the better).
xxp

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crnPfls0fHw

I think everyone can agree that Poochie Simone was a terrible idea

Still funny even after I've seen it a million times.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeaayMlLQDc

I can always do with more Cousin Pam tho

I bet you can.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czhjJdGa8ug

"Hammer time" indeed.

Pretty well encapsulates how I feel the early-period Huxtables would react to the late-period Huxtables. Someone needs to make a companion video for Roseanne.

Wonderful Phylicia Rashad interview: the erudition and hauteur of Claire Huxtable shines. Had no idea her mom was a poet who raised her in a fecund artistic community.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=MAv1k2p69-k&feature=endscreen

Best Cosby Show episode: http://www.glamour.com/entertainment/blogs/obsessed/2013/04/the-best-episode-of-the-cosby.html

Can't argue with that.

Favorite single moment is probably the "tacky barrette" reveal:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6j8acFg_4I

HARVEY WEEWAX!

Watching this Season One episode in which Claire wants a baby, it's obvious the writers still had no idea what to do with her.

wooo it's back

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NxxU9hZZgo

I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY

ROOOOOBEERT

Christopher Plummer playing Cassius in the Huxtable living room.

Roscoe Lee Brown whinnying like a horse.

The Harvey Weewax episode is on!

The awesomeness of Clair:

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/television/2014/09/clair_huxtable_feminist_hero_the_cosby_show_wife_revisited_on_30th_anniversary.single.html

It was really weird in retrospect how Cosby and his "father" were almost the same age and no one seemed to care