Cosby
Encyclopedia
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.
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
. 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
. 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).
Cosby premiered to an audience of more than 24.7 million viewers, but averaged 16 million viewers 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. The moves led to a drop in ratings and, frustrated by declining ratings and the move, Cosby and CBS executive Leslie Moonves
mutually decided to end the series. 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.
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.
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
from September 16, 1996 to April 28, 2000, loosely based on the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
sitcom One Foot in the Grave
One Foot in the Grave
One Foot in the Grave is a BBC television sitcom series written by David Renwick. The show ran for six series, including seven Christmas specials, two Comic Relief specials, over an eleven year period, from early 1990 to late 2000...
. The program starred Bill Cosby
Bill Cosby
William Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr. is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, I Spy. He later starred in his own series, the...
, Phylicia Rashād
Phylicia Rashad
Phylicia Rashād is an American Tony Award winning actress and singer, best known for her role as Clair Huxtable on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show....
(who previously worked with Cosby in the 1984–1992 sitcom The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992...
). Madeline Kahn
Madeline Kahn
Madeline Kahn was an American actress. Kahn was known primarily for her comedic roles in films such as Paper Moon, Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, What's Up, Doc?, and Clue.-Early life:...
portrayed their neighbor, Pauline, until her death in 1999.
Synopsis
Cosby portrays grumpy Hilton Lucas, a New York CityAstoria, Queens
Astoria is a neighborhood in the northwestern corner of the borough of Queens in New York City. Located in Community Board 1, Astoria is bounded by the East River and is adjacent to three other Queens neighborhoods: Long Island City, Sunnyside , and Woodside...
man forced into early (and unwanted) retirement. His wife Ruth is played by Phylicia Rashād
Phylicia Rashad
Phylicia Rashād is an American Tony Award winning actress and singer, best known for her role as Clair Huxtable on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show....
. Initially, Telma Hopkins
Telma Hopkins
Telma Louise Hopkins is an American singer and television actress. A member of the 1970s pop group Tony Orlando and Dawn, she later starred in several television sitcoms, including Bosom Buddies, Gimme a Break!, Family Matters, Getting By, and Half & Half...
was cast as Ruth Lucas; however, she was recast after she didn't react well to Cosby's tendency to ad lib
Ad libitum
Ad libitum is Latin for "at one's pleasure"; it is often shortened to "ad lib" or "ad-lib"...
. The couple had one daughter, Erica Lucas, portrayed by T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh
T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh
T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh is an American actress, writer, director, producer, singer, and comedian. In addition to her status as an original cast member of the Fox sketch comedy series In Living Color, she is perhaps best known for her roles as Erica Lucas on the CBS sitcom Cosby, and as Tanya...
. 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
Husband
A husband is a male participant in a marriage. The rights and obligations of the husband regarding his spouse and others, and his status in the community and in law, vary between cultures and has varied over time...
. Jurnee Smollett
Jurnee Smollett
Jurnee Diana Smollett-Bell is an American actress. She is best known for the role of Jess Merriweather on the critically acclaimed television series Friday Night Lights...
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
One Foot in the Grave
One Foot in the Grave is a BBC television sitcom series written by David Renwick. The show ran for six series, including seven Christmas specials, two Comic Relief specials, over an eleven year period, from early 1990 to late 2000...
, starring Richard Wilson and Annette Crosbie
Annette Crosbie
Annette Crosbie, OBE is a Scottish character actor.-Life and career:Crosbie was born in Gorebridge, Midlothian, Scotland, to Presbyterian parents who disapproved of her becoming an actor. Nevertheless, she joined the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School while still in her teens...
. David Renwick
David Renwick
David Peter Renwick is an English television writer, best known for creation of the sitcom One Foot in the Grave and the mystery series Jonathan Creek....
, 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
Mainstream
Mainstream is, generally, the common current thought of the majority. However, the mainstream is far from cohesive; rather the concept is often considered a cultural construct....
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
Tortoise
Tortoises are a family of land-dwelling reptiles of the order of turtles . Like their marine cousins, the sea turtles, tortoises are shielded from predators by a shell. The top part of the shell is the carapace, the underside is the plastron, and the two are connected by the bridge. The tortoise...
, were recreated (albeit with a turtle
Turtle
Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines , characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield...
in this case).
Cosby premiered to an audience of more than 24.7 million viewers, but averaged 16 million viewers during the course of the season. As the series progressed, ratings shrank and CBS, fresh with new hit comedies in Everybody Loves Raymond
Everybody Loves Raymond
Everybody Loves Raymond is an American television sitcom that originally ran on CBS from September 13, 1996, to May 16, 2005. Many of the situations from the show are based on the real-life experiences of lead actor Ray Romano, creator/producer Phil Rosenthal and the show's writing staff...
and The King of Queens
The King of Queens
The King of Queens is an American sitcom that originally ran on CBS from September 21, 1998, to May 14, 2007.This show was produced by Hanley Productions and CBS Productions , CBS Paramount Television ,and CBS Television Studios in association with Columbia TriStar Television , and Sony Pictures...
, decided to move the series from Monday to Wednesday and eventually Friday. The moves led to a drop in ratings and, frustrated by declining ratings and the move, Cosby and CBS executive Leslie Moonves
Leslie Moonves
Leslie Moonves is President and Chief Executive Officer of CBS Corporation.Moonves served as co-president and co-chief operating officer of Viacom, Inc., the predecessor to CBS Corporation, from 2004 until the company split on December 31, 2005...
mutually decided to end the series. 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 CosbyBill CosbyWilliam Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr. is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, I Spy. He later starred in his own series, the...
— Hilton Lucas - Phylicia RashadPhylicia RashadPhylicia Rashād is an American Tony Award winning actress and singer, best known for her role as Clair Huxtable on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show....
— Ruth Lucas (née Bolling) - T'Keyah Crystal KeymáhT'Keyah Crystal KeymáhT'Keyah Crystal Keymáh is an American actress, writer, director, producer, singer, and comedian. In addition to her status as an original cast member of the Fox sketch comedy series In Living Color, she is perhaps best known for her roles as Erica Lucas on the CBS sitcom Cosby, and as Tanya...
— Erica Lucas - Doug E. DougDoug E. DougDouglas Bourne, better known as Doug E. Doug is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, producer, and film director. He started his career at age 17 as a stand-up comedian...
— Griffin Vesey - Madeline KahnMadeline KahnMadeline Kahn was an American actress. Kahn was known primarily for her comedic roles in films such as Paper Moon, Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, What's Up, Doc?, and Clue.-Early life:...
— Pauline Fox (1996–1999) - Jurnee SmollettJurnee SmollettJurnee Diana Smollett-Bell is an American actress. She is best known for the role of Jess Merriweather on the critically acclaimed television series Friday Night Lights...
— Jurnee (1998–2000) - SinbadSinbad (entertainer)David Adkins better known by his professional name of Sinbad, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He became well known in the 1990s from being featured on his own HBO specials, appearing on several television series, and starring in the films Necessary Roughness, Houseguest, First Kid,...
— Del (1998–2000) - Angelo MassagliAngelo MassagliAngelo Massagli is an American actor and amateur MC. Angelo played Frankie in The School of Rock where he is known to be called the tough guy at the start of the film he also starred alongside Jack Black during the making of this film . He also appeared on The Sopranos as Bobby Baccalieri,...
- Angelo (1997)
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.| Season | Timeslot (EST Eastern Standard Time Eastern Standard Time may refer to:*North American Eastern Time Zone, UTC-5*Australian Eastern Standard Time, UTC+10*An album by Hip Hop group Kooley High... ) |
Episodes | Rank | Viewers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monday 8:00 P.M. (September 16, 1996 – May 19, 1997) | 25 | #21 | 16.0 |
| 2 | Monday 8:00 P.M. (September 15, 1997 – May 18, 1998) | 24 | #28 | 13.8 |
| 3 | Monday 8:00 P.M. (September 21, 1998 – May 17, 1999) | 25 | #35 | 12.5 |
| 4 | Wednesday 8:00 P.M. / Friday 8:30 P.M. (September 29, 1999 – April 28, 2000) | 21 | #82 | 8.36 |
Reruns/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. TBSTBS (TV channel)
TBS , stylized in the logo as tbs, is an American cable television channel owned by Time Warner that shows a variety of programming, with a focus on comedy. TBS was originally known as WTCG, a UHF terrestrial television station that broadcast from Atlanta, Georgia, during the late 1970s...
shortly thereafter ran reruns of the series for about two years. In March 2010, gmc
Gospel Music Channel
gmc is an American satellite and cable television channel, known from its 2004 launch until February 1, 2010 as Gospel Music Channel. It is also available in high-definition as a separate channel called gmcHD ....
(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 Benny Golson Benny Golson is an American bebop/hard bop jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and arranger.-Biography:While in high school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Golson played with several other promising young musicians, including John Coltrane, Red Garland, Jimmy Heath, Percy Heath, Philly Joe Jones, and... |
| 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 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series The NAACP Image Award winners for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series:-Stats:*Most Wins**Jasmine Guy- 6 wins*Most Nominations-Winners:... |
Phylicia Rashād |
| Outstanding Comedy Series NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Comedy Series The NAACP Image Award winners for Outstanding Comedy Series:-Stats:*Most Wins:**The Bernie Mac Show & House of Payne has won 4 times.*Most Nominations**1. "Girlfriends"- 7 nominations 0 wins**2. "The Bernie Mac Show"- 6 nominations 4 wins... |
|
|||
| 1998 | Nominated | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series The NAACP Image Award winners for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series:-Stats:*Most Wins**Terri J. Vaughn & Camille Winbush- 3 wins*Most Nominations**1. Sheryl Lee Ralph, Wendy Raquel Robinson- 5 nominations, 0 wins... |
T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh | |
| Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series The NAACP Image Award winners for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series:-Stats:*Most Wins**Cedric the Entertainer- 5 wins*Most Nominations**1. Cedric the Entertainer, Michael Boatman- 5 nominations... |
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 People's Choice Awards The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show recognizing the people and the work of popular culture. The show has been held annually since 1975 and is voted on by the general public. The People's Choice Awards air on CBS and are produced by Procter & Gamble and Survivor magnate Mark Burnett... |
Won | Favorite Television New Comedy Series | |
| 1999 | Satellite Awards Satellite Awards The Satellite Awards are an annual award given by the International Press Academy. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards.- Film :*Best Actor – Drama*Best Actor – Musical or Comedy*Best Actress – Drama... |
Nominated | Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical Satellite Award for Best Actress - TV Series Musical or Comedy The Satellite Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Musical or Comedy Television Series is one of the annual Satellite Awards given by the International Press Academy.- 1990s :- 2000s :-2010s:... |
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 |