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The Cosby Show - Season 1

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Editorial Review:

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Studio: First Look Home Entertain Release Date: 08/02/2005 Run time: 575 minutes Rating: Nr

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Looking back at season 1 of The Cosby Show, it's easy to forget that momentous history was being made. Not only did this immensely popular sitcom hold the #1 spot among all network TV shows for five consecutive seasons (a record that still stands), but it promoted an evolutionary progression that influenced the entire TV industry from that point forward. African Americans had enjoyed sitcom success in the past (on Julia, The Jeffersons, and Good Times), but the idealized family of Cliff and Clair Huxtable (Bill Cosby and Phylicia Rashad) represented a new and quietly revolutionary perspective; married for 21 years with five children (one in college, a detail unmentioned in the pilot episode), the Huxtables were happy and successful (he's a doctor, she's a lawyer), and issues of race were almost entirely irrelevant to the show's universal appeal. Making their Thursday-night debut on September 20, 1984, they were conceived by Cosby (as "executive consultant Dr. William H. Cosby Jr., Ed.D."), cocreators Ed. Weinberger and Michael Leeson, and executive producers Tom Werner and Marcy Carsey, with a matter-of-fact approach to upgrading the African American image, built upon Cosby's rubber-faced popularity as a stand-up comedian and rooted in the complete and unbiased integration of the black experience into the American mainstream. More to the point, The Cosby Show was eminently respectable family entertainment, perhaps too squeaky-clean for some tastes, but immediately popular at a time when Eddie Murphy (in Beverly Hills Cop) was honing a more profane image that Cosby disapproved of.

The show was also perfectly cast for mass appeal, from the irresistible precociousness of Keshia Knight Pulliam (as the youngest and most charming Huxtable daughter, Rudy) to the stylish adolescence of Lisa Bonet (years before her controversial role in Angel Heart) as 16-year-old Denise; Malcolm-Jamal Warner as outspoken teenager Theo; Tempestt Bledsoe as sensible younger daughter Vanessa; and Sabrina LaBeauf as college student and eventual mother of twins, Sondra. Combined with the effortless chemistry of Cosby and Rashad (credited in Season 1 as Phylicia Ayers Allen), the entire cast forged an easygoing, loosely-rehearsed dynamic that was genuinely familial.

Given The Cosby Show's immense popularity, it's deeply regrettable that the exorbitant cost of original music rights resulted in this DVD release of edited episodes that were shortened, with different music cues added, for perpetual syndication. Fans eager to see the original NBC broadcasts were understandably outraged, and this shortcoming should be addressed in DVD releases of subsequent seasons. In truth, the episodes (including "Goodbye, Mr. Fish," a perfect example of the show's universal appeal) are not significantly diminished by the careful editing; for casual fans, the difference is barely worth mentioning. And while the 90-minute bonus feature "The Cosby Show: A Look Back" (a clip show originally broadcast May 19, 2002) suffers from the conspicuous absence of Bonet (who by then had mostly retreated from show business), it duly conveys the long-term value (and moral values) of the series, which singlehandedly restored the fortunes of NBC while embracing familial togetherness that would inform many of the popular sitcoms that followed its noble example. --Jeff Shannon

 


 

 

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Episode Production Airdate Title Notes
1 0101 September 20, 1984 Pilot Presentation Cliff and Clair deal with the daily pressures of having children. Denise goes on a date with an older boy, while Theo gets four D's on his report card. 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 Vanessa and Rudy can't sleep because Rudy claims she heard the wolf man growling in her closet.
2 0102 September 27, 1984 Goodbye Mr. Fish When Rudy's pet fish, Lamont, dies, Cliff tries to bring the family together for a funeral in the bathroom. The festivities end when Rudy gets bored and leaves to watch TV.
3 0103 October 4, 1984 Bad Dreams Vanessa claims that she is old enough to watch a scary movie, but Cliff still forbids it. Vanessa sneaks out anyway, but ends up having nightmares as a result.
4 0105 October 11, 1984 Is That My Boy? Freshman Theo tries out for the football team and makes it. Cliff is overjoyed, but his pride falters when he discovers his son will never be a star. Theo, however, is just happy being on the team.
5 0108 October 18, 1984 A Shirt Story Theo wants to impress a girl by wearing an expensive shirt by designer Gordon Gartrelle. Since Cliff and Clair will not pay for it, Denise offers to make a copy of the shirt for him. Guest appearance by Kadeem Hardison, who years later would portray Dwayne Wayne on the Cosby Show spinoff, A Different World.
(NOTE: The real Gordon Gartrelle is a writer/producer for The Cosby Show.)
6 0106 October 25, 1984 Breaking With Tradition Cliff's father, Russell, pays a visit and begins questioning Cliff about the kids' college choices. He asks Denise about Hillman, his and Cliff's alma mater. Denise is dead-set against it at first, until Russell tells her that the males outnumber the females there. First appearance of Earle Hyman as Russell Huxtable, Cliff's father.
7 0107 November 1, 1984 One More Time While Clair cares for a friend's baby, she begins to consider having another. Cliff desperately tries to talk her out of it, claiming that babies are "false advertising." Clair's mother, Carrie, then reminds her that the older you are when you have kids, the older you'll be if they end up having to come back and live at home. First appearance of Ethel Ayler as Carrie Hanks, Clair's mother.
8 0109 November 8, 1984 Play It Again, Vanessa Vanessa plays clarinet in the school's orchestra. Though she tries her best and practices daily, she simply cannot play the instrument. She plays an embarrassing solo at the school concert, but her parents support her anyway. Guest Dizzy Gillespie as Mr. Hampton, Vanessa's music teacher.
9 0110 November 15, 1984 How Ugly Is He? Denise has a new boyfriend, David, but is reluctant to bring him home. She fears that Cliff will, like always, make fun of the boy and ruin her chances with him. Cliff and Clair are initially impressed with David until he expresses some unwanted opinions about medicine and the law at dinner. Kristoff St. John plays boyfriend David.
10 0111 November 22, 1984 Bon Jour, Sondra Sondra, the eldest Huxtable child makes her first appearance when she visits home for Thanksgiving. She plans on going to Paris for the summer, and hopes that her parents will support the decision.
11 0104 December 6, 1984 You're Not A Mother Tonight Clair is exhausted from constantly caring for the children. Cliff decides to take her out on the town for "You're Not a Mother Night." They go to a fancy restaurant and hotel. While there, some of Clair's motherly instincts start kicking in-but they stop in time for a romantic evening.
12 0113 December 13, 1984 Rudy's Sick Clair could be named partner at her law firm if an interview goes well-but Rudy is sick! Cliff vows to take care of her while Clair works, and engages in some unique doctoring methods. Clair is named partner and Rudy is fine by the end.
13 0112 December 20, 1984 Father's Day Cliff complains about the poor quality of his annual Father's Day gifts. He challenges the children to find some better presents for a December Father's Day. They give him thoughtful-if not quite attractive-presents.
14 0114 January 10, 1985 Independence Day Theo gets his ear pierced to impress a girl, but Denise thinks it might be infected. She is correct, and Theo must go to Cliff. Cliff hopes that Grandpa Huxtable will punish Theo, but the old man instead relates the story of how Cliff tried to slick back his hair to impress Clair, but ended up burning it off! Russell brags, and Anna reminds him of the time that he had a tattoo of her name placed on his chest, but ended up with a huge scar on his chest when he tried to remove it after Anna found out he was actually trying to impress another girl! First appearance of Clarice Taylor as Anna Huxtable, Cliff's mother.
15 0115 January 17, 1985 Physician of the Year Cliff is set to receive an important award, but a woman goes into labor right before the ceremony. Theo delivers his speech for him. Aleta Mitchell as Mrs. Randall, Elisa de la Roche as Nurse, Sheldon Leonard as Dr. Wexler
16 0116 January 31, 1985 Jitterbug Break Cliff tries to impress Denise's friends by teaching them how to jitterbug. Some of Clair's friends also show off their dance moves. Soon, the whole house is full of dancers. Blair Underwood as Denise's boyfriend (uncredited), Judith Jamison as Marie, Donald McKayle as Ralph, Gerard Cooper as Guy, Christine Langner as Girl
17 0117 February 7, 1985 Theo and the Joint Clair discovers a marijuana joint in one of Theo's school books. She and Cliff confront him about it, and accept his explanation—another boy slipped it in. Theo confronts the boy and brings him home to confess in order to remove any uncertainty from his parents about his telling the truth. Theo and the boy actually start to become friends. Stephen Thompson as Anthony Braxton, Iman as Mrs. Montgomery. Rudy says her full name in this episode, Rudith Lillian Huxtable.
18 0118 February 14, 1985 Vanessa's New Class Vanessa is placed in an advanced science class. She creates a model of the solar system, but learns that she will have to work harder than ever if she hopes to succeed. First appearance of Pam Potillo as Vanessa's friend Janet Meisner. William Christian as Mr. Robertson), Kim Hauser as Girl #1, Audrey Wong as Girl #2, Rado Randriamamonjy as Leon Haywood.
19 0119 February 21, 1985 Clair's Case A sneaky mechanic tries to swindle Sondra. It's Clair to the rescue as the two battle in court. David Langston Smyrl as the man in court, Shawn Elliott as Mr. Wilson, Alan North as Judge
20 0120 February 28, 1985 Back to the Track, Jack Cliff's college track coach contacts him and asks to run in a charity event between Hillman and its rival, Norton College. Heathcliff "Combustible Huxtable" trains, but soon learns that he is not the runner he was all those years ago. Al Freeman, Jr. as Coach Ernie Scott, 1956 Olympic medalist Joshua Culbreath as Col. Sanford B. "Tailwind" Turner, Dhamiri Abayomi as Himself
21 0121 March 14, 1985 The Younger Woman Cliff and Clair receive a visit from an old friend-and he has a new girlfriend that is half his age. They are initially suspicious, but learn that judging by appearances isn't always right. Terry Farrell as Nicki Phillips, Robert King as Dr. Mike Newcomb
22 0122 March 28, 1985 Slumber Party Rudy invites all of her friends over for a slumber party. It's Cliff's job to watch over them, and he demonstrates some unique games to wrangle the youngsters. In the end, Russell drops by and demonstrates the perfect way to deal with kids-bribe them! First appearance of Peter Costa as Peter. Earle Hyman as Russell. With Dana Bryant, Kyle Bryant, Alicia Keys, Naoka Nakagawa, Desiree Scott, Sing Smith-Stewart as Rudy's friends. The show opened with a brief voiceover from Keshia Knight Pulliam explaining that this episode was meant specifically for kids.
23 0125 May 2, 1985 Mr. Quiet Cliff, Clair, and the Huxtable clan volunteer at a local community center. There, a battered boy tries to find help, and the owner—Tony Castillo—does his best to lend assistance. David Langston Smyrl as Chester, Alexis Cruz as Enrique Tarron, Tony Orlando as Tony Castillo, Ada Maris as Selena Cruz, Pearl Tama as Sonia Tarron, Emmet O'Sullivan as Old Man, Raymond Rosario as Kid, Angela Bassett as Mrs. Mitchell, Olga Merediz as Mrs. Rodriguez, Lisa Mordente as Expectant Mother #1, Alva Chinn as Expectant Mother #2. This episode was a pilot for a proposed spin-off series featuring Tony Orlando's character and the community center, which never came to fruition. Also the first episode in which Clair is shown to be fluent in Spanish.
24 0124 May 9, 1985 Cliff's Birthday Cliff is turning 48, and as usual, he is trying to find out what his birthday present is ahead of time. Clair, with the help of the kids, orchestrates a huge trick. Cliff is fooled, and doesn't find about what is birthday surprise is: a visit to Lena Horne's private club. Lena Horne as herself, Clarence Williams III as Clarence Thornehill. In episode 12, Cliff says his birthday is in October.