The Cosby Show debuted on NBC 30 years ago today, introducing TV audiences to the Huxtables, a large, loving family of upper class Brooklynites, who happened to be African American.
At the helm of the family and the heart of the series was Bill Cosby. The legendary comic inspired the creation of The Cosby Show with his honest stand-up routines about fatherhood and family in the decades running up to the show’s creation. He played lovably grumpy Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable, who enjoyed his family, but equally appreciated a quiet moment with a good sandwich. His comedic foil was Clair Huxtable, played by Phylicia Rashad, a fun-loving, but determined attorney, who would stand no guff from her children or her husband.
The show ran for eight seasons, beginning in 1984 and ending in 1992. Each week, the Huxtables invited the audience into their home, a precious bubble of rambunctious family values that were rarely invaded by real world events. The show often traveled in wisdom passed from one Huxtable to another. While Cosby’s affable father figure knew best, Rashad’s Clair really knew best and was the final word on most matters, especially when it came to raising her daughters.
