- Cosby
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Not to be confused with The Cosby Show or The Bill Cosby Show.For other uses, see Cosby (disambiguation).
Cosby 
Cosby Title cardGenre Sitcom Created by Bill Cosby Developed by Bill Cosby
John MarkusStarring Bill Cosby
Phylicia Rashād
T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh
Doug E. Doug
Madeline Kahn (1996–1999)
Jurnee Smollett (1998–2000)
Darien Sills Evans (1999–2000)Theme music composer Bill Cosby
Benny GolsonCountry of origin United States Language(s) English No. of seasons 4 No. of episodes 95 (List of episodes) Production Executive producer(s) Bill Cosby
Dennis Klein
Norman Steinberg
Tom StrawProducer(s) Marcy Carsey
Joanne Curley-Kerner
Caryn Mandabach
John Rogers
Peter Tortorici
Tom WernerRunning time 22 mins. (approx) Broadcast Original channel CBS Audio format Stereo Original run September 16, 1996 – April 28, 2000 Chronology Related shows One Foot in the Grave Cosby is a situation comedy television series broadcast on CBS from September 16, 1996 to April 28, 2000, loosely based on the British sitcom One Foot in the Grave. The program starred Bill Cosby, Phylicia Rashād (who previously worked with Cosby in the 1984–1992 sitcom The Cosby Show). Madeline Kahn portrayed their neighbor, Pauline, until her death in 1999.
Contents
Synopsis
Cosby portrays grumpy Hilton Lucas, a New York City man forced into early (and unwanted) retirement. His wife Ruth is played by Phylicia Rashād. Initially, Telma Hopkins was cast as Ruth Lucas; however, she was recast after she didn't react well to Cosby's tendency to ad lib.[1][2] The couple had one daughter, Erica Lucas, portrayed by T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh. Doug E. Doug played Griffin Vesey, a friend of the Lucas family who tried occasionally to win Erica's affections, but they decided just to remain friends when in the fourth and final season, Darien Sills-Evans portrayed Darien Evans, Erica's fiancé/husband. Jurnee Smollett also joined the cast as 11-year-old Jurnee, whom Hilton adored.
The show was based on the concept from the BBC series One Foot in the Grave, starring Richard Wilson and Annette Crosbie.[3] David Renwick, the creator and writer of One Foot in the Grave, was listed as a consultant of Cosby. One Foot in the Grave was notable for containing dark humor for a mainstream sitcom. The tone was significantly lightened for Cosby, although certain controversial scenes such as a scene in which the lead character incinerates a live tortoise, were recreated (albeit with a turtle in this case).[citation needed]
Cosby premiered to an audience of more than 24.7 million viewers,[4] but averaged 16 million viewers[5] during the course of the season. As the series progressed, ratings shrank and CBS, fresh with new hit comedies in Everybody Loves Raymond and The King of Queens, decided to move the series from Monday to Wednesday and eventually Friday[citation needed]. The moves led to a drop in ratings and, frustrated by declining ratings and the move, Cosby and CBS executive Leslie Moonves reportedly decided to mutually end the series.[6] The last episode, "The Song Remains the Same," aired on April 28, 2000, and was the 95th episode to be produced and broadcast, drawing just over 7 million viewers.
Cast
- Bill Cosby — Hilton Lucas
- Phylicia Rashad — Ruth Lucas (née Bolling)
- T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh — Erica Lucas
- Doug E. Doug — Griffin Vesey
- Madeline Kahn — Pauline Fox (1996–1999)
- Jurnee Smollett — Jurnee (1998–2000)
- Sinbad — Del (1998–2000)
Nielsen ratings
Cosby was considered to be a ratings success for CBS, winning it time slot of Monday, 8:00 PM in households and viewers for the first three seasons.[5]
Season Timeslot (EST) Episodes Rank Viewers
(in millions)1 Monday 8:00 P.M. (September 16, 1996 – May 19, 1997) 25 #21[7] 16.0[5] 2 Monday 8:00 P.M. (September 15, 1997 – May 18, 1998) 24 #28[8] 13.8[8] 3 Monday 8:00 P.M. (September 21, 1998 – May 17, 1999) 25 #35[9] 12.5[9] 4 Wednesday 8:00 P.M. / Friday 8:30 P.M. (September 29, 1999 – April 28, 2000) 21 #82[10] 8.36[10] Episodes
Main article: List of Cosby episodesReruns/syndication
The series was distributed by Carsey-Werner Distribution for broadcast syndication for the 2000–2001 television season, where it ran until the fall of 2003. TBS shortly thereafter ran reruns of the series for about two years. In March 2010, gmc (formerly Gospel Music Channel) television network began airing the show but removed the show in September. As of October 2011, it is back on the schedule.
Awards and nominations
Year Award Result Category Recipient 1997 BMI Film & TV Awards Won BMI TV Music Award Bill Cosby and Benny Golson 1998 BMI TV Music Award Bill Cosby and Benny Golson 1997 Emmy Award Nominated Outstanding Technical Direction/Camera/Video for a Series Theodore Ashton, Neal Carlos, Tom Conkright, Stephen A. Jones, Ritch Kenney, Karl Messerschmidt, and J.A. Stuewe Prudden (For pilot episode) 1998 Won Outstanding Lighting Direction (Electronic) for a Comedy Series Alan Walker (For pilot episode) 1997 NAACP Image Awards Won Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series Phylicia Rashād Outstanding Comedy Series - 1998 Nominated Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Doug E. Doug Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Phylicia Rashād Outstanding Comedy Series - 1999 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Doug E. Doug Won Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress Jurnee Smollett Outstanding Comedy Series - 2000 Nominated Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Doug E. Doug Won Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress Jurnee Smollett 1997 People's Choice Awards Won Favorite Television New Comedy Series - 1999 Satellite Awards Nominated Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical Phylicia Rashād 1999 TV Guide Awards Nominated Favorite Actor in a Comedy Bill Cosby 2000 Favorite Actress in a Comedy Phylicia Rashād Favorite Actor in a Comedy Bill Cosby References
- ^ Levesque, John (1996-07-23). "CBS Sitcoms: Cosby Big on Tradition, Bochco's Not". seattlepi.com. http://www.seattlepi.com/archives/1996/9607230033.asp. Retrieved 2008-11-10.
- ^ Carter, Bill (1996-07-23). "A Chance to Swing the Bat". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940CEED91639F930A15754C0A960958260. Retrieved 2008-11-10.
- ^ "It's Crystal Clear: 'Living Color' Actress Joins 'Cosby'". The New York Daily News. 1996-08-19. http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/1996/08/19/1996-08-19_it_s_crystal_clear___living_.html. Retrieved 2008-11-10.
- ^ Huff, Richard (September 21, 1996). "SHIELDS OUTDRAWS FOX AND COS". New York: NY Daily News. http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/1996/09/21/1996-09-21_shields_outdraws_fox_and_cos.html. Retrieved 2010-02-24.
- ^ a b c "CBS and Bill Cosby Announce Finale for 'COSBY'". CBS Television. 2000-03-24. http://www2.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/03-24-2000/0001173832&EDATE=. Retrieved 2010-02-24.
- ^ Littleton, Cynthia (2000-03-27). "CBS Catalyst 'Cosby' Going". The Hollywood Reporter. http://www.allbusiness.com/services/motion-pictures/4836203-1.html. Retrieved 2008-11-10.
- ^ "Complete TV Ratings 1996–1997". http://fbibler.chez.com/tvstats/recent_data/1996-97.html. Retrieved 2010-01-09.
- ^ a b "The Final Countdown". Entertainment Weekly Published in issue #434 May 29, 1998. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,283382,00.html. Retrieved 2010-01-09.
- ^ a b "TV Winners & Losers: Numbers Racket A Final Tally Of The Season's Show (from Nielsen Media Research)". GeoCities. June 4, 1999. Archived from the original on 2008-02-13. http://web.archive.org/web/20080213010636/http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/4616/ew0604.html. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
- ^ a b "Top TV Shows For 1999–2000 Season". Variety. http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=chart_pass&charttype=chart_topshows99&dept=TV. Retrieved 2010-01-09.
External links
- Official website
- Cosby at the Internet Movie Database
- Cosby at TV.com
Comedy albums Bill Cosby Is a Very Funny Fellow...Right! (1963) • I Started Out as a Child (1964) • Why Is There Air? (1965) • Wonderfulness (1966) • Revenge (1967) • To Russell, My Brother, Whom I Slept With (1968) • 200 M.P.H. (1968) • 8:15 12:15 (1969) • It's True! It's True! (1969) • Sports (1969) • Live: Madison Square Garden Center (1970) • When I Was a Kid (1971) • For Adults Only (1971) • Inside the Mind of Bill Cosby (1972) • Fat Albert (1973) • My Father Confused Me... What Must I Do? What Must I Do? (1977) • Bill's Best Friend (1978) • Bill Cosby: Himself (1982) • Those of You with or Without Children, You'll Understand (1986) • OH, Baby (1991)Music albums Silver Throat: Bill Cosby Sings (1967) • Bill Cosby Sings Hooray for the Salvation Army Band! (1968) • Badfoot Brown & the Bunions Bradford Funeral & Marching Band (1971) • Bill Cosby Talks to Kids About Drugs (1971) • Bill Cosby Presents Badfoot Brown & the Bunions Bradford Funeral Marching Band (1972) • At Last Bill Cosby Really Sings (1974) • Bill Cosby Is Not Himself These Days (1976) • Disco Bill (1977) • Where You Lay Your Head (1990) • My Appreciation (1991) • Hello Friend: To Ennis, With Love (1997) • Quincy Jones & Bill Cosby - The Original Jam Sessions 1969 (2004) • Quincy Jones & Bill Cosby - The New Mixes Vol. 1 (2004) • State of Emergency (2009) • Keep Standing (2010)Compilations The Best of Bill Cosby (1969) • More of the Best of Bill Cosby (1970) • Bill (1973) • Down Under (1975) • Cosby and the Kids (1986) • At His Best (1994) • 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of Bill Cosby (2001) • The Bill Cosby Collection (2004)Singles "Little Ol' Man (Uptight—Everything's Alright)" (1967) • "Grover Henson Feels Forgotten" (1970) • "I Luv Myself Better Than I Luv Myself" (1976) • "Yes, Yes, Yes" (1976)Television I Spy (1965-1968) • The Bill Cosby Show (1969-1971) • The Electric Company (1971-1977) • The New Bill Cosby Show (1972) • Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (1972-1985) • The Cosby Show (1984-1992) • A Different World (1987-1993) • The Cosby Mysteries (1994-1995) • Cosby (1996-2000) • Little Bill (1999-2004) • Fatherhood (2004-2005)Books Fatherhood (1986) • Time Flies (1987) • Love and Marriage (1989) • Childhood (1991) • Kids Say the Darndest Things (1998) • Congratulations! Now What?: A Book for Graduates. (1999) • American Schools: The $100 Billion Challenge (2000, w/ Allen, Dwight William) • Cosbyology: Essays and Observations from the Doctor of Comedy (2001, w/ Booth, George) • I Am What I Ate ... and I'm Frightened!!!: And Other Digressions from the Doctor of Comedy (2003) • Friends of a Feather: One of Life's Little Fables (2003, w/ Cosby, Erika) • Come On People: On the Path from Victims to Victors (2007, w/ Poussaint, Alvin F.) • I Didn't Ask to be Born, But I'm Glad I Was (2011)Categories:- 1990s American television series
- 1996 American television series debuts
- 2000s American television series
- 2000 American television series endings
- American television sitcoms
- American television series based on British television series
- Black sitcoms
- CBS network shows
- English-language television series
- Television series by Carsey-Werner Productions
- Television shows set in New York City
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