I understand these are two different race of sitcoms shows but which show did you like better FT or TCS ?

Family Ties for sure! It's such a great show. It's been my all-time favorite show since it was originally on in the 1980's. :)

For me it was The Cosby Show nothing better then seeing a happy black family.

Family Ties! I liked the more serious tone. I prefer the characters on Family Ties too.

I always found it funny how both shows were extremely successful paired together, yet they were so different.

No contest: Family Ties

I like both The Cosby Show and Family Ties. I don't really like picking favorites and I can enjoy watching either one.
Though I will say that I've seen a lot more of Family Ties than The Cosby Show, as Family Ties is a particular favorite for me and I've been excited to get the series on DVD- now that Season 6 is coming out in a few more weeks, I hope Season 7 will follow soon too!:) :cool:
But both are great shows.:) :cool:

For me, it would be The Cosby Show. I've just had more exposure to it, I've seen all the episodes several times and have all the DVDs. I just really enjoy. But I like Family Ties too and I plan to get the DVDs at some point.

While it's true that "Cosby" did indeed breathe Nielsen life into "Ties" and even "Cheers" being at the helm of that classic original "must see tv" thing,but at least for this boob tube addict it didn't come anywhere near these titles in terms of the ingredients necessary for truly great entertainment.It did posses,of course,the wholesomeness of a really good FAMILY show,but it certainly paled in comparison in the ways of writing,acting,and probably directing.Furthermore,the program's 1985 Emmy win for Outstanding Comedy Series was possibly the WORST choice in the history of the trophy.This was,of course,due to all the unnecessary hype that surrounded the Thursday night broadcast.Just as in the case of the MANY highly questionable Grammys handed out over the years,this one has always stood out in my mind as thorough travesty of otherly deserved artistic justice.

Family Ties - I never got into Cosby.

Tough choice, but for proper childhood memories I'm voting The Cosby Show.

Family Ties all the way! I ever got into Cosby either.

famly ties i can't stand the cobsy show

Nobody can stand The Cosby Show anymore in this day in age because they overplay on every tv station you can think on, its been on Nick at Nite,TVland,TBS,WGN,UPN and lots of other channels, right now its on a channel called centric i wonder what other tv station is going to pick this show up in the future.

Why does the fact that a lot of cable channels air "The Cosby Show" make it a bad show? Wouldn't that indicate that it must in fact be pretty good and popular for so many channels to air the show at once?
It may be on many channels, but one doesn't have to watch all the airings of course. It's great for fans of the show as they have multiple opportunities to see the show (assuming they have all the channels) and it also gives people who have never seen it a chance to see the show.
But as I said before, I like watching both "The Cosby Show" and "Family Ties". They're both great shows.:) :cool:

I think I have to go with "Family Ties", even though I really like "The Cosby show" too.

MacLeaper The Cosby show is a good show i watch it on tv all the time its one of my favorite shows, but i always here other people complain that they show it too much on multiple tv stations.

Family Ties would not have been funny without the character Alex P. Keaton, he owned the show with his con artist personality he did everything he could to make more money from others lol

I grew up watching and liking both shows! These day I'll past on Cosby, because they play it too darn much , that I'm not really entertain by the show anymore. Famil Ties, yes because I haven't really seen it in years!

"Ties" turns up on cable services on a channel called GMC.It's mostly a family oriented network with many reilgious programs.Like the Old Christian Broadcast Network(CBN).And yes,I do think these episodes have truly stood the test of time.It was too long ago for an event such as the Ellen "Puppy Epsiode",but at least it avoided the sappiness of "Father Knows Best" and "Donna Reed".Being a big Beatles fanatic,I love the first scene of the first episode when the Keatons had just gotten home from a screening of "A Hard Day's Night".

Family Ties.I think Family Ties is a good show not a great show.The Cosby show is fair--at best.

The Cosby show was very entertaining for the first 6 seasons their were some good and bad episodes from each of those seasons but majority were good and fun to watch,now in my opinion season 7 and 8 was not that good the episodes was mostly about pam and her ghetto friends getting into trouble or rudy and her friends getting into trouble lol

Hey, I always thought Pam and her friends were more interesting than the Huxtable kids!

In some ways pam and her friends were alot more entertaining and funnier then the huxtables kids but they were a little too street smart, big mouth, and ghetto to be on a goody two shoe show like the cosby show lol

Yes, I agree that they brought a change to "The Cosby show". But I don't think it was a bad change. I see Pam as a breath of fresh air, while other people think she made the show jump the shark.

I watched both shows in the day. Family Ties came first, but wasn't a hit until Coz came along. M.J. Fox was a "local" boy to me, as he came from Burnaby, BC, so it was a given that I would watch the show. The only character I despised was Mallory. I would describe my feelings for her, but the metaphor is obscene! :o :mad:

As for Cosby I stopped watching when Pam came along, and not much when Olivia joined the family. I was a fan of Bill Cosby as a child, even though the kids teased me, by calling me "Fat Albert". I saw Cosby in concert a few years ago and he was funny on stage.

HEY HEY HEY!!

After the first couple or maybe few years,I stopped tuning in to "Cosby" simply because after that,the writing attempted to purport Mr. and Mrs. Huxtable as absolutely INFALLIBLE know-it-alls who seemingly had ALL THE ANSWERS for EVERY possible life situation.I also found it quite annoying,coming from a hard working middle class home,that they repeatedly insisited that if you didn't have an absolutley TOP NOTCH education,you would be positively doomed to a life of career futility and social misery.They started out as typical family.They evolved into all too discriminating snobs.

MacLeaper The Cosby show is a good show i watch it on tv all the time its one of my favorite shows, but i always here other people complain that they show it too much on multiple tv stations.


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Okay then. But I still don't see how availability of the television show is a reflection on the quality of the show (at least in regards to reruns. If both "Family Ties" and "The Cosby Show" were still in production but new episodes took forever to get to air, I could see that as a factor affecting people's like or dislike for the show. "Moonlighting" is a rather famous example of this, although as far as I know people still remained loyal fans of the show. But it also became a running joke about whether or not there was actually a new episode of the show on this week. [This mainly stemmed from arguments between the main stars, Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd, from what I understand.])
In any case, it doesn't matter so much for me as far as availability goes since I have "Family Ties" Seasons 1-5 on DVD, so I can watch the series whenever I want. (I'm excitedly waiting for Season 6 on DVD in the next week or so and then hopefully Season 7 to soon follow!) I like "The Cosby Show" too and it's nice to watch it on TV at times- but I haven't cared to get it on DVD- but it's nice to know it's available if I ever do want to get it. :) :cool:

I also found it quite annoying,coming from a hard working middle class home,that they repeatedly insisited that if you didn't have an absolutley TOP NOTCH education,you would be positively doomed to a life of career futility and social misery.They started out as typical family.They evolved into all too discriminating snobs.

Thank you! They seemed to have the attitude than any person without a college degree is nothing! One of the other things about The Cosby Show that bugs me is Claire always having to be Ms. Perfect. All in all I think that The Cosby Show was okay, but I feel like it was highly overrated and not even half as funny as it was made out to be. If I was asked 20 years ago which show I liked better I would have said The Cosby Show, but today I'm saying Family Ties.

Family Ties and it's not even close. I liked the first few seasons of Cosby but the show just got on my nerves as the seasons went by. When they moved FT to Sundays in 1987 for ADW, I didn't even watch Cosby for a year. I watched The Charmings and Sledge Hammer instead. FT was the perfect American Family. There was a lot of love in that show.

Family Ties and it's not even close. I liked the first few seasons of Cosby but the show just got on my nerves as the seasons went by. When they moved FT to Sundays in 1987 for ADW, I didn't even watch Cosby for a year. I watched The Charmings and Sledge Hammer instead. FT was the perfect American Family. There was a lot of love in that show.
Looking at The Cosby Show now, I would avoid it now. I agree with a lot of everybody who said that it was overrated and the message it was sending. I hated Claire thinking she was so perfect. She was the most annoying, selfish, self rightgeous person ever written. College isn't for everybody. I went to college and it was the most overrated institute ever created. Trade school is a better alternative. Millions of people have made it without college and if I could do it all over again, I avoid college and go to trade school or go to a school that specializes in my career choice only. Family Ties was better. I would look at it now and then but I would skip Cosby.

Thank you! They seemed to have the attitude than any person without a college degree is nothing!
But in their defence, Cliff and Claire weren't that much worse than other sitcom parents. I've noticed this pattern: No matter what education level the parents had themselves, the kids had to get good grades and go to College.

Fresh Prince: This show even had an episode, where Will's mother pulled him away from his job by his ear! :eek:

Step by step: Carole was really a bitch about JT getting a job instead of going to College, even though he never had been a good student. (I guess she was really thrilled, when Cody talked him into going to College anyway later on.)

Family Matters: Carl was really mad at Eddy for his lack of interest in College until he decided to join the police academy instead.

Sister, sister: Lisa had problems not only with Tia getting a job instead of going to College (which she ended up not doing), but also with her going to a local College with Tamera instead of going to a more prestigious one somewhere else.

And I guess there are more examples as well out there. And as for Steven and Elyse Keaton, they were often hard on Mallory, who was the least school smart member of that family, and some times even on Jennifer, when she had other interests than school for a while.

But in their defence, Cliff and Claire weren't that much worse than other sitcom parents. I've noticed this pattern: No matter what education level the parents had themselves, the kids had to get good grades and go to College.

Fresh Prince: This show even had an episode, where Will's mother pulled him away from his job by his ear! :eek:

Step by step: Carole was really a bitch about JT getting a job instead of going to College, even though he never had been a good student. (I guess she was really thrilled, when Cody talked him into going to College anyway later on.)

Family Matters: Carl was really mad at Eddy for his lack of interest in College until he decided to join the police academy instead.

Sister, sister: Lisa had problems not only with Tia getting a job instead of going to College (which she ended up not doing), but also with her going to a local College with Tamera instead of going to a more prestigious one somewhere else.

And I guess there are more examples as well out there. And as for Steven and Elyse Keaton, they were often hard on Mallory, who was the least school smart member of that family, and some times even on Jennifer, when she had other interests than school for a while.
The Difference was that The Cosby Show had an agenda. They pushed it on just about every episode.

I wholeheartedly agree on the "Cosby agenda" theory.I personally won't watch ANY program that makes me feel as if I'm being preached at which I find to be dutiful nuisance of a quality I've found in many life acquaintences.While it is honorable that the very crux of Cosby's hopeful influence on young America of the 1980's and early '90's was suggestibly altruistic in intent,it's TV form provided far too many downright sanctimonious scenes.As far as the installment of the Cosby's cousin as late series run cast regular,it was the then modern equivalent of cousin Oliver's arrival on "The Brady Bunch".The writers and producers KNEW that the shows very premise had all but run its true natural course and had thereby decided to infuse this development into things out of sheer desperation in an attempt to breathe new life into the already exhausted situation.

But in their defence, Cliff and Claire weren't that much worse than other sitcom parents. I've noticed this pattern: No matter what education level the parents had themselves, the kids had to get good grades and go to College.

Fresh Prince: This show even had an episode, where Will's mother pulled him away from his job by his ear! :eek:

Step by step: Carole was really a bitch about JT getting a job instead of going to College, even though he never had been a good student. (I guess she was really thrilled, when Cody talked him into going to College anyway later on.)

Family Matters: Carl was really mad at Eddy for his lack of interest in College until he decided to join the police academy instead.

Sister, sister: Lisa had problems not only with Tia getting a job instead of going to College (which she ended up not doing), but also with her going to a local College with Tamera instead of going to a more prestigious one somewhere else.

And I guess there are more examples as well out there. And as for Steven and Elyse Keaton, they were often hard on Mallory, who was the least school smart member of that family, and some times even on Jennifer, when she had other interests than school for a while.

That's true, but it was far more blatant and frequent on The Cosby Show.

Both are terrific shows, but I'm a "Family Ties" girl. I didn't realize how much I loved those characters and the actors themselves until I was flipping channels a few years ago and caught the Today show reunion. I was so happy that I cried. "Family Ties" feels like home me.

For some odd reason i think Carl and Harriet from FM are a rip-off version of cliff and clair from TCS both of the couples seem very similar you have to watch both show's to no what i am talking about, the only difference between carl and cliff was that cliff huxtables wife would beat him up if she ever caught him eating junk food, now carls wife was different she diden't care how much donuts are junk food he ate since he was already fat lol

But in their defence, Cliff and Claire weren't that much worse than other sitcom parents. I've noticed this pattern: No matter what education level the parents had themselves, the kids had to get good grades and go to College.

Fresh Prince: This show even had an episode, where Will's mother pulled him away from his job by his ear! :eek:

Step by step: Carole was really a bitch about JT getting a job instead of going to College, even though he never had been a good student. (I guess she was really thrilled, when Cody talked him into going to College anyway later on.)

Family Matters: Carl was really mad at Eddy for his lack of interest in College until he decided to join the police academy instead.

Sister, sister: Lisa had problems not only with Tia getting a job instead of going to College (which she ended up not doing), but also with her going to a local College with Tamera instead of going to a more prestigious one somewhere else.

And I guess there are more examples as well out there. And as for Steven and Elyse Keaton, they were often hard on Mallory, who was the least school smart member of that family, and some times even on Jennifer, when she had other interests than school for a while.
I remebered Wills' mom doing that and that really burned me. He was doing well and he was making money. There are people who rather earned than learn. His mom embarressed him and she had no right to. She should have given him a chance. I will never watch Fresh Prince again no thanks to her.:mad:

Yeah, it really was more painful than funny to see that. Ouch... :eek:

I remebered Wills' mom doing that and that really burned me. He was doing well and he was making money. There are people who rather earned than learn. His mom embarressed him and she had no right to. She should have given him a chance. I will never watch Fresh Prince again no thanks to her.

I remebered Wills' mom doing that and that really burned me. He was doing well and he was making money. There are people who rather earned than learn. His mom embarressed him and she had no right to. She should have given him a chance. I will never watch Fresh Prince again no thanks to her.

Well Will was only a young man trying to make a few bucks for a living but his mom and the banks were right you need a complete education to make a good life for yourself in the future in this world, will's family people did not want to see him a bum in the streets holding a cardboard sign saying i need money in 20 years lol

Not all College graduates do that well either. And surely it wouldn't have been impossible for Will to go back to College later in life?

Will was only 20 years old he was a young buck by the sixth season its not uncommon for people to go back to college in their 30's 40's and 50's, plus by the final season he was more mature and manly then he was in the first season he was a slacker who did not want to further his education.

I think Will once said that when he still lived with his mother in Philadelphia, he had to carry his school books in a pizza box, so the other kids wouldn't know that he carried them. He also once said that his old school was so tough, that there was grafitti on the princinpal! :lol: But I don't think Will actually was stupid, even if he wasn't such a stellar student as Carlton. He actually got some good grades at Bel-Air Academy. But he some times was a slacker, yes.

Yeah Will was a smart guy but he did not want other people to no he was an intelligent guy, i would think will carrying a pizza box would get him jumped anyway by kids if they thought pizza was inside the box lol

That's true, but that's what Will said! :lol:

Yeah i dont no why the other guys would make fun of will for walking to school with learning books lol

Because MISERY LOVES COMPANY.It's usually the more unnecessarily angry,hostile and resentful members of society who commit such heinous and vile anti-social acts.

Yeah i dont no why the other guys would make fun of will for walking to school with learning books lol
We're talking about a tough neighborhood, where a lot of people probably didn't even graduate High School. Will might have gotten good grades even back then, which might have made some of his class mates jealous. They might have thought that Will considered himself better than them, if he actually cared about school?

Furienna i Agree but i also think will was bending the truth a little bit with the banks with his story, i think he was carrying his books in a pizza box because his mother could not afford to buy him a backpack for him to take to school so will in a desperate act had to put his books inside a pizza box, it also depends on how far he had to walk to school from his house it would be hard to carry books with your bare hands.

Furienna i Agree but i also think will was bending the truth a little bit with the banks with his story, i think he was carrying his books in a pizza box because his mother could not afford to buy him a backpack for him to take to school so will in a desperate act had to put his books inside a pizza box, it also depends on how far he had to walk to school from his house it would be hard to carry books with your bare hands.
Yeah, that would be another point to consider.

Will and Carlton were both jerks in the Black History Episode they want to dump vivian as the classroom teacher because they made a bad grade they should have studied they thought she was going to just give them both A's lol

What? Yes, Will got a bad grade in the beginning of that episode, but it was before Vivian started teaching the History class. It was never mentioned how she graded anyone. It might be true that both Will and Carlton expected "an easy A" from that class, but Vivian also expected them to work harder than the other students. And even though they were the two black students in a black history class, it wasn't fair to just expect more from them. Vivian also seemed very harsh on Will, when she talked to him in the end of the episode. No, Malcolm X's autobiography maybe isn't the whole story of black history, but surely it's as good a place as any to start? And even Carlton, who usually was a straight A student, thought her class was too hard.

Yeah carlton could pass the black history class with flying colors but he was too busy being ashamed to have his mother teaching at his school he dident want his fellow male students to have a crush on her lol, vivian should have made her lessons easier for will she new he was already a poor student atleast get the guy a tutor so he can raise his grade in the class.

Furienna i Agree but i also think will was bending the truth a little bit with the banks with his story, i think he was carrying his books in a pizza box because his mother could not afford to buy him a backpack for him to take to school so will in a desperate act had to put his books inside a pizza box, it also depends on how far he had to walk to school from his house it would be hard to carry books with your bare hands.

From the context of the statements of Will and his friend in that episode, it seems that Will was trying to conceal the fact that he actually did enjoy learning and tried to do well with his schoolwork. That is what I take from it anyway, even though he does generally prove to be a slacker in other episodes. Nonetheless, he also shows that he does have some drive and dedication to do things when he puts his mind to it. He has some untapped potential that took him a while to get to and use, but he did start doing so by the end of the series. I think this was part of the point of the series- showing a young man growing up and becoming the man God made him to be.

How did this turn into a Fresh Prince thread? :(

Yeah, it drifted way off topic. And I'm afraid its my fault. :crazy:

Furienna HAHA thats ok friend its not your fault its mine lol