For the last three seasons, Theo was practically thrown out of the house, while Denise, who was married, was allowed to live with them, with husband and stepdaughter. Would it not have made more sense to have Denise thrown out of the house and still have Theo there? And when Sondra and Elvin and their twins lived there just temporarily, it didn't take Cliff long to want to throw them out. And he called his three-year-old grandchildren "midgets"! But Denise was allowed to live there with Martin and Olivia for two years!

Show-wise, Raven was there so Cosby could have a "cute kid" to play off in different scenes. (rolls eyes)

Story-wise, I haven't the foggiest. It doesn't make sense come to think of it. Denise and Martin should've found a place of their own.

Since Martin was in the service, couldn't he have received military housing?

I believe Denise was stupid enough to refuse to move into a military housing until it was too late! :lol:

But on another forum, they said they at least paid rent. I hope that's true.

Show-wise, Raven was there so Cosby could have a "cute kid" to play off in different scenes. (rolls eyes)

Story-wise, I haven't the foggiest. It doesn't make sense come to think of it. Denise and Martin should've found a place of their own.


I think that they should have aged Winnie and Nelson and then had them both be cute twins for Cosby to banter with.

Poor Rudy! That would have driven her crazy! Not one, but TWO replacments! :gossip

Yeah, I really feel bad for Rudy. When she was ten, she wasn't "cute" anymore, and everybody was supposed to cuddle with little Olivia instead...

I think that they should have aged Winnie and Nelson and then had them both be cute twins for Cosby to banter with.

Poor Rudy! That would have driven her crazy! Not one, but TWO replacments! :gossip

I thought they did age them...but all they did when they were in scenes was run around the house like banshees!

I thought they did age them...but all they did when they were in scenes was run around the house like banshees!
Good description. :rofl:

I always thought they went easy on Denise the entire show. Such as the times she came home from Hillman and never spent any time with the family. I mean, it was very unrealistic, but still. Or the time Denise was failing like all her classes, and they barely did a thing about it except help her with her homework. Howlow can you get?

But, by the sixth season, it was almost unfair to let her and her family move into the house, while Theo, was who practically still a kid, look for his own home.

They really couldn't do much to her. She was an adult and she had to learn that getting good grades in college doesn't come easy. Claire helped her with an assignment, but what was she supposed to do? Scream at her? Threaten her? I don't get what they could have done as far as college was concerned. Denise had to learn the hard way that education is hard-work. You have to let your adult kids learn for themselves.

As for letting them stay there, that is a different issue. I don't know why they didn't try and get them a place like they did with Elvin and Sondra.

They really couldn't do much to her. She was an adult and she had to learn that getting good grades in college doesn't come easy. Claire helped her with an assignment, but what was she supposed to do? Scream at her? Threaten her? I don't get what they could have done as far as college was concerned. Denise had to learn the hard way that education is hard-work. You have to let your adult kids learn for themselves.

As for letting them stay there, that is a different issue. I don't know why they didn't try and get them a place like they did with Elvin and Sondra.

I think the thing with her in college was they made Denise and Claire and Cliff all too sympathetic to the whole situation. Denise made everyone in the house feel bad to her, when all she was doing was getting a D on a paper. Who hasn't gotten a D before?

I think the thing with her in college was they made Denise and Claire and Cliff all too sympathetic to the whole situation. Denise made everyone in the house feel bad to her, when all she was doing was getting a D on a paper. Who hasn't gotten a D before?
Getting a "D" on a college paper, from a school that the parents are paying good $$$ for is different than receiving a "D" on a school paper from high school. Don't get me wrong, getting low grades like that is never good, but in light of the fact that Denise supposedly was a great student before college makes her parents wonder, WHAT EXACTLY IS SHE DOING THAT SHE GOT THAT "D"? We learned that she has all these extracurricular activities going on and she is not spending time studying or going to her professor for help.

In the first two seasons Denise was written as different than the family in her views and the way she dressed. But she was the smart one in the family. Something got lost in the shuffle in they wrote her as being unstable and unlogical. It was too bad and I believe the issues that her and Cosby had got into play.

As for Olivia she got on my nerves with that forced adult dialogue. It would had made more sense for his twin grandchildren hang out more for Cosby to banter with kids. His banter, mugging and eye rolling got on my nerves the last two seasons. It got old fast.

Getting a "D" on a college paper, from a school that the parents are paying good $$$ for is different than receiving a "D" on a school paper from high school. Don't get me wrong, getting low grades like that is never good, but in light of the fact that Denise supposedly was a great student before college makes her parents wonder, WHAT EXACTLY IS SHE DOING THAT SHE GOT THAT "D"? We learned that she has all these extracurricular activities going on and she is not spending time studying or going to her professor for help.

Asides from getting the D, it seemed like Denise always needed money and help when she was in college. We saw many times on A Different World Denise calling her parents, or looking for help from her roommates. The point is, she was in college, and she had to be able to do things on her own. That brings us back to moving in with her parents. She was now married, with a family of her own. It was completely wrong for her to move back in.

In the first two seasons Denise was written as different than the family in her views and the way she dressed. But she was the smart one in the family. Something got lost in the shuffle in they wrote her as being unstable and unlogical. It was too bad and I believe the issues that her and Cosby had got into play.

As for Olivia she got on my nerves with that forced adult dialogue. It would had made more sense for his twin grandchildren hang out more for Cosby to banter with kids. His banter, mugging and eye rolling got on my nerves the last two seasons. It got old fast.
I whole heartedly agree with you. Denise was not "dumb" in the first seasons. She was an average teen doing well in school. Theo was the one who was a bit tad on the "doh!" side.

Olivia and of course her talking that way was downright pathetic. I know of no child that age that spoke that way. The only children of that age that speak in that manner are CHILD ACTORS. Period. And that is as old as the Our Gang series. At least with Our Gang it was funny as hell. With Olivia it was boring and pathetic.

Asides from getting the D, it seemed like Denise always needed money and help when she was in college. We saw many times on A Different World Denise calling her parents, or looking for help from her roommates. The point is, she was in college, and she had to be able to do things on her own. That brings us back to moving in with her parents. She was now married, with a family of her own. It was completely wrong for her to move back in.
College kids do get $$$ from their parents. They have needs that they didn't have when they lived at home. She has to eat, she has some laundry to do if she didn't visit home and washed clothes there. I am sure anyone on this board who has been away from college can tell you the expenses of living in a dorm or apartment.

My niece went to UCLA and she was needing $$$ for various things. It is through a job or parents that a college student can only survive.

I don't like the fact that a military man who can get housing (I think Denise didn't look into that fact) with a wife and child should be the one to have figured out that mess since his wife didn't.

Yeah, something weird was going on there. It was like a bad excuse to have Olivia living in the house. Pathetic!

Yeah, something weird was going on there. It was like a bad excuse to have Olivia living in the house. Pathetic!
Bingo!!! :lol: That is why the writers and Cosby wrote the script that way, to bring on an annoying child actor. :puke: However, to be realistic, Martin could have found housing, either on the base or elsewhere. If he couldn't depend on Denise, he should have asked mommy for help since he was in another country when he married Denise.

It doesn't seem better than that. How annoying... If it was to be realistic, Cliff and Claire could have helped them find an apartment, if nothing else.

I whole heartedly agree with you. Denise was not "dumb" in the first seasons. She was an average teen doing well in school. Theo was the one who was a bit tad on the "doh!" side.

Olivia and of course her talking that way was downright pathetic. I know of no child that age that spoke that way. The only children of that age that speak in that manner are CHILD ACTORS. Period. And that is as old as the Our Gang series. At least with Our Gang it was funny as hell. With Olivia it was boring and pathetic.
It was obvious that her dialogue was scripted.

There is one child actor that I've seen did not speak that way and was a true natural one was Erin Murphy, Tabitha on Bewitched.

Rudy's dialogue as a child was natural.

I've often wondered if little Raven even understood what she was saying.

I've often wondered if little Raven even understood what she was saying.
I wonder that myself. I cannot stand to watch the Olivia episodes.

It doesn't seem better than that. How annoying... If it was to be realistic, Cliff and Claire could have helped them find an apartment, if nothing else.

But The Cosby Show was not realisitic at all-LOL

But The Cosby Show was not realisitic at all-LOL
:lol: :lol: :lol:

Okay, I guess we have Olivia to blame. Which of course doesn't make things better, since I think she was just too much too. But seriously, they could have had her on the show, even with Denise and Martin living elsewhere within New York. The grandparents and Sondra and Elvin often visited, and they didn't live in that house.

It was obvious that her dialogue was scripted.

There is one child actor that I've seen did not speak that way and was a true natural one was Erin Murphy, Tabitha on Bewitched.

Rudy's dialogue as a child was natural.
So true. I don't want to hear children talking as adults. Even in real-life when I see those real smart kids like on the National Spelling Bee or Are you smarter than a fifth grader, talking like they are adults, it really is annoying. It seems so fake and "uppity". :crazy:

Still, Olivia is the most adult-like kid I've ever seen on a TV show. Other children can have been precocious, but you can still believe their dialogue to be childlike. But Olivia's dialogue was so grown-up, that it was almost scary. No real four-year-old talked like Olivia often did in her first season.

Still, Olivia is the most adult-like kid I've ever seen on a TV show. Other children can have been precocious, but you can still believe their dialogue to be childlike. But Olivia's dialogue was so grown-up, that it was almost scary. No real four-year-old talked like Olivia often did in her first season.
I have a five year old and he speaks nothing like that. He has many friends his age and they don't talk like that. They talk "normal". How old was Raven Symone when she started on Cosby Show?

She was the same age as her character Olivia was on the show. So she hadn't turned four yet, when she started on the show.

Hey! It's my 400th post!

She was the same age as her character Olivia was on the show. So she hadn't turned four yet, when she started on the show.

Hey! It's my 400th post!
LET'S CELEBRATE!!!!!! :cheers: to Furienna!!!!



Wow, she was not even four yet? Dang!!!! :eek:

I thought they did age them...but all they did when they were in scenes was run around the house like banshees!

:lol: I always thought that that was the reason why Cliff and clair were ready to get Sondra and Elvi out of the house. The twins were too much to deal with. Running around screaming, putting jelly on the newspaper, breaking things. Rudy never acted like that so I guess that they were not used to it. Olivia certainly did not act like that! When Cliff put them in the "fort" to contain them Sondra and Elvin had a fit.:lol: I wouldn't mind seeing that episode I haven't seen it in a while

It was like they were a little hyperactive. Even when they were like one year old, Sondra was thrown out of banks and restaurants and buses, because the twins just ran around and caused mayhem.