Sanford and Son. Not one reference in 8 years which is why i will never put this show on the sae level as

Steve Harvey
Fresh Prince
Martin.

All three of these shows made references to the older Classic shows but not the cosby show. The writers for the cosby show must have forgotten how groundbreaking the Jeffersons, Good Times, and Sanford and Son was in the 70's.

Why should anyone on the Cosby Show make a reference to one of those shows, just because it's a "Black" show? Looking at the way the Huxtables brought up their kids, watching television wasn't a big part of what the family did anyway, so it really shouldn't be a surprise that those shows were never mentioned. The writers were probably more concerned with trying to come up with a groundbreaking show of their own.

Originally posted by vashti1999
Why should anyone on the Cosby Show make a reference to one of those shows, just because it's a "Black" show? Looking at the way the Huxtables brought up their kids, watching television wasn't a big part of what the family did anyway, so it really shouldn't be a surprise that those shows were never mentioned. The writers were probably more concerned with trying to come up with a groundbreaking show of their own.



TCS should have made reference to those shows because they were the first set of all black successful sitcoms. That's why

Originally posted by TVShow Analyzer
TCS should have made reference to those shows because they were the first set of all black successful sitcoms. That's why

Recent White shows don't make a reference to old white shows. I don't understand why you think it's necessary for the Cosby show to make a reference to an older black show. Bill Cosby was already part of a groundbeaking show himself with "I Spy." And aside from that, everybody should know by now how Bill Cosby feels about images of Blacks in entertainment, so it wasn't like he was gonna give props on his series to shows that focused on a poor ghetto family, a man who owns a junkyard or a materialistic owner of a dry cleaning chain.

ive read that bill is not a fan of any of those shows and does not want to encourage people to watch them this may explain why they never make refrence to them on his show

Originally posted by snl fan
ive read that bill is not a fan of any of those shows and does not want to encourage people to watch them this may explain why they never make refrence to them on his show


That mAkes sense to me now WHY there was never a reference. Bill Cosby is a true A-hole. Doesn't A-hole know that up until the time those 3 shows started, there were no all blacks TV shows at all so that was just a start and blacks playing the typical role on TV was going to change in the future but Bill Cosby is too damm ******** to understand that. I think i will be like Fred Sanford now and when i see the Cosby Show coming on TV "I'm going to the toilet"-LOL

Originally posted by vashti1999
Recent White shows don't make a reference to old white shows. I don't understand why you think it's necessary for the Cosby show to make a reference to an older black show. Bill Cosby was already part of a groundbeaking show himself with "I Spy." And aside from that, everybody should know by now how Bill Cosby feels about images of Blacks in entertainment, so it wasn't like he was gonna give props on his series to shows that focused on a poor ghetto family, a man who owns a junkyard or a materialistic owner of a dry cleaning chain.


Why would current white shows hAve to make reference to older white shows when there has always been all white shows on TV going back to 1950. For Blacks, it started with Sanford and Son-1972, followed by GoodTimes-1974 and then the Jeffersons-1975.


BTW-why would Bill have a problem watching a black show about a middle class black family living on the East Side of Manhattan? Wasn't the Huxtables middle class?

is that so important?!?!?:rolleyes: ...mannn who cares?!

Originally posted by */Raven's #1 faN\*
is that so important?!?!?:rolleyes: ...mannn who cares?!

Yes it is important. Bill should have realized that if it wasn;t for those three shows, The cosby show made have never existed.

Man you have some serious emotional problems. Seek help immediately.

Originally posted by Mr. Monitor
Man you have some serious emotional problems. Seek help immediately.


First of all your ******** ass just came to this site 4 days so whatever say means nothing. You seem ******** like Bill Cosby

Originally posted by TVShow Analyzer
Yes it is important. Bill should have realized that if it wasn;t for those three shows, The cosby show made have never existed.

I disagree with that. Bill Cosby had already had a couple of series on television before those shows came along. He already made a name for himself, those shows didn't open any doors for him. If anything, Cosby Show is the real groundbreaking show in that it was the first show to feature a well-off black family where both parents were home, both parents worked and were raising kids.

Julia raised her son alone, Fred Sanford was a widower with a grown son, the Evans were a ghetto family with a father with a temper who eventually got killed, the Jeffersons had a grown child and the wife/mother didn't work. Bill and Mabel Thomas were divorced. I love those old shows as much as anybody, but if you want to consider them groundbreaking, it shouldn't be necessary for them to be referenced on the Cosby Show.

Originally posted by TVShow Analyzer
First of all your ******** ass just came to this site 4 days so whatever say means nothing. You seem ******** like Bill Cosby

y r u bein so rude?!

Originally posted by vashti1999
I disagree with that. Bill Cosby had already had a couple of series on television before those shows came along. He already made a name for himself, those shows didn't open any doors for him. If anything, Cosby Show is the real groundbreaking show in that it was the first show to feature a well-off black family where both parents were home, both parents worked and were raising kids.

Julia raised her son alone, Fred Sanford was a widower with a grown son, the Evans were a ghetto family with a father with a temper who eventually got killed, the Jeffersons had a grown child and the wife/mother didn't work. Bill and Mabel Thomas were divorced. I love those old shows as much as anybody, but if you want to consider them groundbreaking, it shouldn't be necessary for them to be referenced on the Cosby Show.


In the 70's, Bill had 3 variety shows that was cancelled but the first show of his that was not cancelled was TCS because of GT, S&S, and TJ opening the door for all black sitcoms. There were Black Variety Shows not sitcoms before 1972

I agree that TCS would not have existed if not for those other shows, but I don't think the show actually had to make reference to the shows. my problem is that Bill seemed to look down at those other shows, because of their urban overtones.

Originally posted by */Raven's #1 faN\*
y r u bein so rude?!


Because he attacked me for no reason. I didn;t create this thread to argue with anyone and i don't need insults from a member who just registered on S.O. 4 days ago. I only want to have discussions about TV not argue with anybody. Debate yes, Argue No

Originally posted by TVShow Analyzer
Because he attacked me for no reason. I didn;t create this thread to argue with anyone and i don't need insults from a member who just registered on S.O. 4 days ago. I only want to have discussions about TV not argue with anybody. Debate yes, Argue No

yeh but u also called bill cosby an a-hole!!!!!:rolleyes:

Originally posted by King Forrester
I agree that TCS would not have existed if not for those other shows, but I don't think the show actually had to make reference to the shows. my problem is that Bill seemed to look down at those other shows, because of their urban overtones.


Exactly, Even Though Good Times was about a struggling Black Family there was no need for him to look down on the show. Aside from STUPID J.J, the rest of the Family was normal just like the Huxtables.

Originally posted by */Raven's #1 faN\*
yeh but u also called bill cosby an a-hole!!!!!:rolleyes:


I had to call him that after what I found out from "snlfan" this morning.

Originally posted by TVShow Analyzer
I had to call him that after what I found out from "snlfan" this morning.
yeh but jus bcoz he didn't...and i guess u like the jeffersons or whateva...betta than the cosby show,and maybe u don't like bill,does not give u the right to call him a-hole!!!!and btw,bill cosby did a super great job on the cosby sohw and everything!!!he was the funniest sitcom family father EVER!!!!

Originally posted by */Raven's #1 faN\*
yeh but jus bcoz he didn't...and i guess u like the jeffersons or whateva...betta than the cosby show,and maybe u don't like bill,does not give u the right to call him a-hole!!!!and btw,bill cosby did a super great job on the cosby sohw and everything!!!he was the funniest sitcom family father EVER!!!!


Funniest Sitcom Father ever? I'm not going to touch that one-lol

Originally posted by TVShow Analyzer
Funniest Sitcom Father ever? I'm not going to touch that one-lol

u don't have to:rolleyes: !!!and it IS true!!!there ARE reasons y he was the best payed actor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There was no need for The Cosby Show to reference those other shows, Solomon.

Besides, it would seem very tacky.

[Cliff and Theo are in the kitchen. Cliff pulls a hoagie out of the fridge.]

CLIFF: Hey, Theo, did you catch that Sanford And Son rerun this afternoon?

THEO: Yeah, dad. What a groundbreaking show. It opened the door for blacks. Redd Foxx is a genius.

[Enter Fred Sanford; the audience applauds for almost a minute.]

FRED: This is the big one! You hear that, Elizabeth! I'm coming to join ya!

Originally posted by AKA
There was no need for The Cosby Show to reference those other shows, Solomon.

Besides, it would seem very tacky.

[Cliff and Theo are in the kitchen. Cliff pulls a hoagie out of the fridge.]

CLIFF: Hey, Theo, did you catch that Sanford And Son rerun this afternoon?

THEO: Yeah, dad. What a groundbreaking show. It opened the door for blacks. Redd Foxx is a genius.

[Enter Fred Sanford; the audience applauds for almost a minute.]

FRED: This is the big one! You hear that, Elizabeth! I'm coming to join ya!



Not that type of reference. Just mentioning of the characters from one of those shows. Like when Cliff walked in Theo's junky room in season 1, he could have said_"Theo your room reminds me of Fred Sanford's junkyard" And that would be it. They could just did it one time in 8 years.

Originally posted by TVShow Analyzer
Not that type of reference. Just mentioning of the characters from one of those shows. Like when Cliff walked in Theo's junky room in season 1, he could have said_"Theo your room reminds me of Fred Sanford's junkyard" And that would be it. They could just did it one time in 8 years.

See, I just don't think a reference to those shows is necessary.

And by the way, Bill Cosby has every right not to like The Jefersons, Good Times and Sanford And Son. Doesn't make him an "a-hole."

There isn't a law that says that every black entertainer has to hail every black-oriented series.

Originally posted by AKA
See, I just don't think a reference to those shows is necessary.

And by the way, Bill Cosby has every right not to like The Jefersons, Good Times and Sanford And Son. Doesn't make him an "a-hole."

There isn't a law that says that every black entertainer has to hail every black-oriented series.


He doesn't have to look down on those shows either.

Originally posted by TVShow Analyzer
He doesn't have to look down on those shows either.

His opinion is his opinion. He's entitled to it.

Originally posted by AKA
His opinion is his opinion. He's entitled to it.


You are right, but he doesn;t have to dislike the show because a family lived in the ghetto. He could have said he didn't like the show because it did not make him laugh. I guess he forgot he lived in the projects too in phladelphia.

my personal opinon is bill shuld just watch what he wants to on his tv and let us watch what we want on ours there's room for his type of show and also the laugh out loud humour of a jeffersons a good times or the show he seemes to hate most all in the family nobody forced him to watch any of these shows message for bill theres something next to your tv called the remote just use it and the mean show you dont like will go away ps for the record im a cosby fan going all the way back to fat albert and as i post here there is a cosby show rerun on my tv

Hey TV Show Analyzer no need for name callin.

I don't like the fact that you're calling out Mr. Cosby like that. So what if The Cosby Show never made reference to Sanford and Son, Good Times and The Jeffersons. No need to damn the man for not doing what YOU want him to do.

IT"S NOT THAT SERIOUS MAN!!!

Now IMO all four shows were great and deserved the success they achieved. The Cosby Show picked up where SS,GT and TJ left off and took the ball even further opening up doors for shows like A Different World, Family Matters,Fresh Prince and others.

Not all black sitcoms are the same.

Originally posted by Mr. Monitor
Hey TV Show Analyzer no need for name callin.

I don't like the fact that you're calling out Mr. Cosby like that. So what if The Cosby Show never made reference to Sanford and Son, Good Times and The Jeffersons. No need to damn the man for not doing what YOU want him to do.

IT"S NOT THAT SERIOUS MAN!!!

Now IMO all four shows were great and deserved the success they achieved. The Cosby Show picked up where SS,GT and TJ left off and took the ball even further opening up doors for shows like A Different World, Family Matters,Fresh Prince and others.

Not all black sitcoms are the same.



I called him because of his reason for not liking the shows. He has the right to like what he wants but to say because they were poor he didn;t want to watch Good Times. And yes i know all black sitcoms are not the same.

Well we're all entitled to our opinions.

Originally posted by TVShow Analyzer
TCS should have made reference to those shows because they were the first set of all black successful sitcoms. That's why

But those shows like The Jeffersons etc. had a totally different aim for the black community than what TCS did.

Originally posted by DollaBill
But those shows like The Jeffersons etc. had a totally different aim for the black community than what TCS did.


I thought the Jeffersons and the Cosby Show had the same aim. Both Shows dealt with Blacks in a Positive Way unlike Good Times and Sanford and Son.

Originally posted by snl fan
ive read that bill is not a fan of any of those shows and does not want to encourage people to watch them this may explain why they never make refrence to them on his show


Do you remember reading why Bill didn;t like the Jeffersons?? I could see why he didn;t like Sanford and Son and Good Times.

BIll Cosby the comedian is nothing like any other black comedian of his time. I think you would compare him to Wayne Brady. Redd Foxx was raw....too raw for BIll Cosby. You could also compare BIll to Will Smith(does not curse to sell records).
The Cosby show was one of the first shows to show a black family in which the father and wife where professionals. That was the premise of that sitcom. Sanford and Son had a premise of father and son both running a junk business. The freedom that comedians have now can be attributed to LENNY BRUCE taking the stage and saying what he wanted to and then getting arrested.
I used to listen to BILL COSBY records as a child. I don't think there is a REDD FOXX album that i can play for any children.*l*

GOOD TIMES now that a horse of a different color. It was an idea that resulted in certain characters from ALL IN THE FAMILY branching off into another show.(since he wont agree its a spinoff). At the time the tv stations where trying anything.

Originally posted by TVShow Analyzer
Do you remember reading why Bill didn;t like the Jeffersons?? I could see why he didn;t like Sanford and Son and Good Times. im not sure of the wording bill used when discribeng why he didnt like the jeffersons but i think it was some of the words like honky and the fact that the n word was used a few times in the show

Originally posted by snl fan
im not sure of the wording bill used when discribeng why he didnt like the jeffersons but i think it was some of the words like honky and the fact that the n word was used a few times in the show


Thanks snl fan

He may have not have liked "Sanford and Son", because he had a disagreement with Redd when they managed a comedy club. Bill put up a bunch of black power posters and Redd took them down saying it wasn't a place for political posters. Bill didn't like it so he left. I know everyone is entitled to their opinion, but Bill should not look down on these shows because of urban overtones.

Originally posted by TVShow Analyzer
Thanks snl fan your'e welcome and thank you for helping me on a few jeffersons questins ive had in the past year that ive been here

Originally posted by AKA
There was no need for The Cosby Show to reference those other shows, Solomon.

Besides, it would seem very tacky.

[Cliff and Theo are in the kitchen. Cliff pulls a hoagie out of the fridge.]

CLIFF: Hey, Theo, did you catch that Sanford And Son rerun this afternoon?

THEO: Yeah, dad. What a groundbreaking show. It opened the door for blacks. Redd Foxx is a genius.

[Enter Fred Sanford; the audience applauds for almost a minute.]

FRED: This is the big one! You hear that, Elizabeth! I'm coming to join ya!

:bouncers :bouncers :rofl:

I could be wrong, but I have a feeling that TCS would have been criticized by America if they had made even infrequent references to shows like Good Times, Sanford and Son and the Jeffersons.

The show was criticized in it's day for actually showing a black family in which the father was a Dr and the mother was a lawyer. Too unrealistic, people said (not that there are a lot of white families with a husband/Dr. and a wife/Lawyer....if the guy's a Dr., chances are much better than 50/50 that his wife would be a stay-at-home mom, assuming they had kids).

If the idea ever came up during the show's run to reference some of these older shows, it's possible that Bill Cosby probably would have rejected the idea. Cosby probably would have considered it a stereotype to imply that blacks only watch black shows.

I have to disagree with some earlier posts that said that there wouldn't have been a Cosby Show if it weren't for S&S, GT and The J's. Cosby was a TV Star before any of these shows came along. In fact, it's probably more accurate to say that these shows might not have existed if it weren't for Bill Cosby paving the way for THEM (although Norman Lear probably could have gotten the shows on the air regardless).

Annnywho, have a great day everyone! This is a most interesting topic

Originally posted by Tweety
I could be wrong, but I have a feeling that TCS would have been criticized by America if they had made even infrequent references to shows like Good Times, Sanford and Son and the Jeffersons.

The show was criticized in it's day for actually showing a black family in which the father was a Dr and the mother was a lawyer. Too unrealistic, people said (not that there are a lot of white families with a husband/Dr. and a wife/Lawyer....if the guy's a Dr., chances are much better than 50/50 that his wife would be a stay-at-home mom, assuming they had kids).

If the idea ever came up during the show's run to reference some of these older shows, it's possible that Bill Cosby probably would have rejected the idea. Cosby probably would have considered it a stereotype to imply that blacks only watch black shows.

I have to disagree with some earlier posts that said that there wouldn't have been a Cosby Show if it weren't for S&S, GT and The J's. Cosby was a TV Star before any of these shows came along. In fact, it's probably more accurate to say that these shows might not have existed if it weren't for Bill Cosby paving the way for THEM (although Norman Lear probably could have gotten the shows on the air regardless).

Annnywho, have a great day everyone! This is a most interesting topic



Well Bill really didn't have a lot of success on network tv in the 70's. He had 3 TV shows cancelled between 1970 and 1977. The First show was the Bill Cosby Show which was cancelled in 1971, the second show was The New Bill Cosby Show which was cancelled in 1973 and his show Cos, was pulled off the air in 1976. So he wasn't a big hit on network tv just in the movies.